diff --git a/scripts/circle-ci-artifacts-utils.js b/scripts/circle-ci-artifacts-utils.js
index 3a9d9d2a0c83f1..48d02327b088ba 100644
--- a/scripts/circle-ci-artifacts-utils.js
+++ b/scripts/circle-ci-artifacts-utils.js
@@ -140,8 +140,11 @@ async function _findUrlForJob(jobName, artifactPath) {
   _throwIfJobIsUnsuccessful(job);
 
   const artifacts = await _getJobsArtifacts(job.job_number);
-  return artifacts.find(artifact => artifact.path.indexOf(artifactPath) > -1)
-    .url;
+  let artifact = artifacts.find(a => a.path.indexOf(artifactPath) > -1);
+  if (!artifact) {
+    throw new Error(`I could not find the artifact with path ${artifactPath}`);
+  }
+  return artifact.url;
 }
 
 function _throwIfJobIsNull(job) {
@@ -168,6 +171,17 @@ async function artifactURLForMavenLocal() {
   return _findUrlForJob('build_and_publish_npm_package-2', 'maven-local.zip');
 }
 
+async function artifactURLForReactNative() {
+  let shortCommit = exec('git rev-parse HEAD', {silent: true})
+    .toString()
+    .trim()
+    .slice(0, 9);
+  return _findUrlForJob(
+    'build_npm_package',
+    `react-native-1000.0.0-${shortCommit}.tgz`,
+  );
+}
+
 async function artifactURLForHermesRNTesterAPK(emulatorArch) {
   return _findUrlForJob(
     'test_android',
@@ -194,5 +208,6 @@ module.exports = {
   artifactURLForHermesRNTesterAPK,
   artifactURLForMavenLocal,
   artifactURLHermesDebug,
+  artifactURLForReactNative,
   baseTmpPath,
 };
diff --git a/scripts/test-e2e-local.js b/scripts/test-e2e-local.js
index 0be3c7bb6a4950..3d23322931ca18 100644
--- a/scripts/test-e2e-local.js
+++ b/scripts/test-e2e-local.js
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ const {exec, pushd, popd, pwd, cd} = require('shelljs');
 const updateTemplatePackage = require('./update-template-package');
 const yargs = require('yargs');
 const path = require('path');
-const fs = require('fs');
 
 const {
   checkPackagerRunning,
@@ -184,20 +183,16 @@ async function testRNTestProject(circleCIArtifacts) {
   // create the local npm package to feed the CLI
 
   // base setup required (specular to publish-npm.js)
-  const baseVersion = require('../packages/react-native/package.json').version;
 
   // in local testing, 1000.0.0 mean we are on main, every other case means we are
   // working on a release version
-  const buildType = baseVersion !== '1000.0.0' ? 'release' : 'dry-run';
+  const shortCommit = exec('git rev-parse HEAD', {silent: true})
+    .toString()
+    .trim()
+    .slice(0, 9);
 
-  // we need to add the unique timestamp to avoid npm/yarn to use some local caches
-  const dateIdentifier = new Date()
-    .toISOString()
-    .slice(0, -8)
-    .replace(/[-:]/g, '')
-    .replace(/[T]/g, '-');
-
-  const releaseVersion = `${baseVersion}-${dateIdentifier}`;
+  const releaseVersion = `1000.0.0-${shortCommit}`;
+  const buildType = 'dry-run';
 
   // Prepare some variables for later use
   const repoRoot = pwd();
@@ -206,8 +201,9 @@ async function testRNTestProject(circleCIArtifacts) {
 
   const mavenLocalPath =
     circleCIArtifacts != null
-      ? path.join(circleCIArtifacts.baseTmpPath(), 'maven-local.zip')
+      ? path.join(circleCIArtifacts.baseTmpPath(), 'maven-local')
       : '/private/tmp/maven-local';
+
   const hermesPath = await prepareArtifacts(
     circleCIArtifacts,
     mavenLocalPath,
@@ -218,52 +214,51 @@ async function testRNTestProject(circleCIArtifacts) {
   );
 
   updateTemplatePackage({
-    'react-native': `file:${localNodeTGZPath}`,
+    'react-native': `file://${localNodeTGZPath}`,
   });
 
-  // create locally the node module
-  exec('npm pack --pack-destination ', {cwd: reactNativePackagePath});
-
-  // node pack does not creates a version of React Native with the right name on main.
-  // Let's add some defensive programming checks:
-  if (!fs.existsSync(localNodeTGZPath)) {
-    const tarfile = fs
-      .readdirSync(reactNativePackagePath)
-      .find(name => name.startsWith('react-native-') && name.endsWith('.tgz'));
-    if (!tarfile) {
-      throw new Error("Couldn't find a zipped version of react-native");
-    }
-    exec(
-      `cp ${path.join(reactNativePackagePath, tarfile)} ${localNodeTGZPath}`,
-    );
-  }
-
   pushd('/tmp/');
   // need to avoid the pod install step - we'll do it later
   exec(
-    `node ${reactNativePackagePath}/cli.js init RNTestProject --template ${localNodeTGZPath} --skip-install`,
+    `node ${reactNativePackagePath}/cli.js init RNTestProject --template ${reactNativePackagePath} --skip-install`,
   );
 
   cd('RNTestProject');
   exec('yarn install');
 
+  // When using CircleCI artifacts, the CI will zip maven local into a
+  // /tmp/maven-local subfolder struct.
+  // When we generate the project manually, there is no such structure.
+  const expandedMavenLocal =
+    circleCIArtifacts == null
+      ? mavenLocalPath
+      : `${mavenLocalPath}/tmp/maven-local`;
   // need to do this here so that Android will be properly setup either way
   exec(
-    `echo "REACT_NATIVE_MAVEN_LOCAL_REPO=${mavenLocalPath}" >> android/gradle.properties`,
+    `echo "REACT_NATIVE_MAVEN_LOCAL_REPO=${expandedMavenLocal}" >> android/gradle.properties`,
   );
 
-  // doing the pod install here so that it's easier to play around RNTestProject
-  cd('ios');
-  exec('bundle install');
-  exec(
-    `HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH=${hermesPath} USE_HERMES=${
-      argv.hermes ? 1 : 0
-    } bundle exec pod install --ansi`,
-  );
-
-  cd('..');
+  // Update gradle properties to set Hermes as false
+  if (!argv.hermes) {
+    sed(
+      '-i',
+      'hermesEnabled=true',
+      'hermesEnabled=false',
+      'android/gradle.properties',
+    );
+  }
 
   if (argv.platform === 'iOS') {
+    // doing the pod install here so that it's easier to play around RNTestProject
+    cd('ios');
+    exec('bundle install');
+    exec(
+      `HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH=${hermesPath} USE_HERMES=${
+        argv.hermes ? 1 : 0
+      } bundle exec pod install --ansi`,
+    );
+
+    cd('..');
     exec('yarn ios');
   } else {
     // android
diff --git a/scripts/testing-utils.js b/scripts/testing-utils.js
index b48d1a85d25d29..b10a322bc9dc73 100644
--- a/scripts/testing-utils.js
+++ b/scripts/testing-utils.js
@@ -170,16 +170,21 @@ async function downloadArtifactsFromCircleCI(
 ) {
   const mavenLocalURL = await circleCIArtifacts.artifactURLForMavenLocal();
   const hermesURL = await circleCIArtifacts.artifactURLHermesDebug();
+  const reactNativeURL = await circleCIArtifacts.artifactURLForReactNative();
 
   const hermesPath = path.join(
     circleCIArtifacts.baseTmpPath(),
     'hermes-ios-debug.tar.gz',
   );
 
-  console.info('[Download] Maven Local Artifacts');
-  circleCIArtifacts.downloadArtifact(mavenLocalURL, mavenLocalPath);
+  console.info(`[Download] Maven Local Artifacts from ${mavenLocalURL}`);
+  const mavenLocalZipPath = `${mavenLocalPath}.zip`;
+  circleCIArtifacts.downloadArtifact(mavenLocalURL, mavenLocalZipPath);
+  exec(`unzip -oq ${mavenLocalZipPath} -d ${mavenLocalPath}`);
   console.info('[Download] Hermes');
   circleCIArtifacts.downloadArtifact(hermesURL, hermesPath);
+  console.info(`[Download] React Native from  ${reactNativeURL}`);
+  circleCIArtifacts.downloadArtifact(reactNativeURL, localNodeTGZPath);
 
   return hermesPath;
 }