diff --git a/.github/appveyor.yml b/.github/appveyor.yml
index 77a88ae61..7a631fd32 100644
--- a/.github/appveyor.yml
+++ b/.github/appveyor.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ image: Visual Studio 2022
 branches:
   except:
     - gh-pages
-clone_depth: 1
+# clone_depth: 1 produces odd "fatal: reference is not a tree" if pushing during checkout
+clone_depth: 5
 environment:
   matrix:
     - TOXENV: lint
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7cbf63203..70e495637 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ details.
 ### Notable changes tested in this repository
 
  * request smuggling vulnerabilities: [PR #3059](https://github.com/benoitc/gunicorn/pull/3059) [PR #3113](https://github.com/benoitc/gunicorn/pull/3113)
- * configuration mismatch for SCRIPT_NAME: [PR #2804](https://github.com/benoitc/gunicorn/pull/2804)
- * [Building a debian/ubuntu](.github/workflows/ubuntu.yml) package without pulling updated dependencies
+ * configuration mismatch for `SCRIPT_NAME`: [PR #2804](https://github.com/benoitc/gunicorn/pull/2804)
+ * [Building a debian/ubuntu](.github/workflows/packaging.yml) package without pulling updated dependencies
    * Ubuntu 22.04 may be willing to stick to setuptools 59 until **April 2032**
 
 </tbody>
diff --git a/tests/test_e2e.py b/tests/test_e2e.py
index af737801f..5031e1553 100644
--- a/tests/test_e2e.py
+++ b/tests/test_e2e.py
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ class Client:
     def run(self):
         import http.client
 
-        conn = http.client.HTTPConnection(SERVER_BIND, timeout=1)
+        conn = http.client.HTTPConnection(SERVER_BIND, timeout=2)
         conn.request("GET", "/", headers={"Host": "localhost"}, body="GETBODY!")
         return conn.getresponse()
 
diff --git a/tests/test_e2e_debug.py b/tests/test_e2e_debug.py
index 13eadab2d..eddc9876d 100644
--- a/tests/test_e2e_debug.py
+++ b/tests/test_e2e_debug.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 
 
 GRACEFUL_TIMEOUT = 2
+WORKER_COUNT = 3
 SERVER_PORT = 2048 + secrets.randbelow(1024 * 14)
 # FIXME: should also test inherited socket
 SERVER_BIND = "[::1]:%d" % SERVER_PORT
@@ -102,7 +103,7 @@ def run(self):
                 "gunicorn",
                 "--config=%s" % os.devnull,
                 "--log-level=debug",
-                "--workers=3",
+                "--workers=%d" % WORKER_COUNT,
                 "--worker-class=sync",
                 # "--enable-stdio-inheritance",
                 # "--access-logfile=-",
@@ -156,7 +157,7 @@ def _read_stdio(self, *, key, timeout_sec, wait_for_keyword):
             time.sleep(0.1)
         other = abs(key - 1)
         # assert buf[other] == ""
-        assert wait_for_keyword in buf[key]
+        assert wait_for_keyword in buf[key], buf[key]
         return buf[key]
 
 
@@ -164,7 +165,7 @@ class Client:
     def run(self):
         import http.client
 
-        conn = http.client.HTTPConnection(SERVER_BIND, timeout=1)
+        conn = http.client.HTTPConnection(SERVER_BIND, timeout=2)
         conn.request("GET", "/", headers={"Host": "localhost"}, body="GETBODY!")
         return conn.getresponse()
 
@@ -199,9 +200,15 @@ def test_process_shutdown_cleanly_after_inserting_syntax_error():
             server.write_bad()
             # os.utime(editable_file)
 
+            # this test can fail flaky, when the keyword is not last line logged
+            # .. but the worker count is only logged when changed
             reload_log = server._read_stdio(
-                key=ERR, wait_for_keyword="reloading", timeout_sec=5
+                key=ERR,
+                wait_for_keyword="SyntaxError: ",
+                # wait_for_keyword="%d workers" % WORKER_COUNT,
+                timeout_sec=6,
             )
+            assert "reloading" in reload_log, reload_log
             assert ("%s.py modified" % APP_BASENAME) in reload_log
             assert "SyntaxError: invalid syntax" in reload_log, reload_log
             assert ('%s.py", line 3' % APP_BASENAME) in reload_log