diff --git a/scripts/tests.e2e.sh b/scripts/tests.e2e.sh
index fa3c0fe84462..1f8a71a3bb01 100755
--- a/scripts/tests.e2e.sh
+++ b/scripts/tests.e2e.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -e
+set -o nounset
+set -o pipefail
 
 # e.g.,
 # ./scripts/build.sh
@@ -10,7 +12,7 @@ if ! [[ "$0" =~ scripts/tests.e2e.sh ]]; then
   exit 255
 fi
 
-AVALANCHEGO_PATH=$1
+AVALANCHEGO_PATH="${1-}"
 if [[ -z "${AVALANCHEGO_PATH}" ]]; then
   echo "Missing AVALANCHEGO_PATH argument!"
   echo "Usage: ${0} [AVALANCHEGO_PATH]" >> /dev/stderr
@@ -82,7 +84,8 @@ echo "running e2e tests against the local cluster with ${AVALANCHEGO_PATH}"
 --network-runner-grpc-endpoint="0.0.0.0:12342" \
 --avalanchego-log-level=INFO \
 --avalanchego-path=${AVALANCHEGO_PATH} \
---enable-whitelist-vtx-tests=${ENABLE_WHITELIST_VTX_TESTS} || EXIT_CODE=$?
+--enable-whitelist-vtx-tests=${ENABLE_WHITELIST_VTX_TESTS} \
+&& EXIT_CODE=$? || EXIT_CODE=$?
 
 kill ${PID}