diff --git a/test/test_helper/common.bash b/test/test_helper/common.bash
index fd49fabb..7d14c2d8 100644
--- a/test/test_helper/common.bash
+++ b/test/test_helper/common.bash
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ function private_config_path() {
 # @return path to the folder where the config is duplicated
 function duplicate_config_for_container() {
     output="$(private_config_path "$2")"
-    rm -r "${output:?}/" # cleanup
+    rm -rf "${output:?}/" # cleanup
     mkdir -p "$output"
     cp -r "$PWD/test/config/${1:?}/." "$output"
     echo "$output"
@@ -175,5 +175,14 @@ function wait_for_service() {
 
 function count_processed_changes() {
     containerName=$1
-    docker exec "$containerName" cat /var/log/supervisor/changedetector.log | grep "Change detected" -c
+    docker exec "$containerName" cat /var/log/supervisor/changedetector.log | grep "Change detected" -c \
+        || [[ $? == 1 ]] # don't error when no matches were found
 }
+
+
+function wait_for_changes_to_be_detected_in_container() {
+    containerName="$1"
+    timeout=${TEST_TIMEOUT_IN_SECONDS}
+    repeat_in_container_until_success_or_timeout "$timeout" "$containerName" \
+        bash -c 'source /usr/local/bin/helper_functions.sh; cmp --silent -- <(_monitored_files_checksums) "$CHKSUM_FILE"  >/dev/null'
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/tests.bats b/test/tests.bats
index 219ceb0c..a11b93ca 100644
--- a/test/tests.bats
+++ b/test/tests.bats
@@ -30,12 +30,21 @@ setup_file() {
 		-e PERMIT_DOCKER=host \
 		-e DMS_DEBUG=0 \
 		-h mail.my-domain.com -t ${NAME}
-  # generate account after run
+
+  wait_for_finished_setup_in_container mail
+  
+  # generate accounts after container has been started
   docker run --rm -e MAIL_USER=added@localhost.localdomain -e MAIL_PASS=mypassword -t ${NAME} /bin/sh -c 'echo "$MAIL_USER|$(doveadm pw -s SHA512-CRYPT -u $MAIL_USER -p $MAIL_PASS)"' >> "$private_config/postfix-accounts.cf"
   docker exec mail addmailuser pass@localhost.localdomain 'may be \a `p^a.*ssword'
+  
   # setup sieve
-	repeat_until_success_or_timeout 15 docker cp "$private_config/sieve/dovecot.sieve" mail:/var/mail/localhost.localdomain/user1/.dovecot.sieve
+	docker cp "$private_config/sieve/dovecot.sieve" mail:/var/mail/localhost.localdomain/user1/.dovecot.sieve
+
+  # this relies on the checksum file beeing updated after all changes have been applied
+  wait_for_changes_to_be_detected_in_container mail
+
 	wait_for_smtp_port_in_container mail
+
   # sending test mails
 	docker exec mail /bin/sh -c "nc 0.0.0.0 25 < /tmp/docker-mailserver-test/email-templates/amavis-spam.txt"
 	docker exec mail /bin/sh -c "nc 0.0.0.0 25 < /tmp/docker-mailserver-test/email-templates/amavis-virus.txt"