diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker.yml b/.github/workflows/docker.yml
index 25dae32133..c8f56076cb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker.yml
@@ -331,15 +331,8 @@ jobs:
           GITEA_DEPLOY_IMAGE_TAG: ':${{ needs.get_version.outputs.gitea_sha_short }}'
         shell: bash
         run: |
-          auto_gen_fixtures_path=e2e/cypress/fixtures/auto-gen
-          mkdir $auto_gen_fixtures_path
-          truncate -s "${MAX_FILE_SIZE}" "${auto_gen_fixtures_path}/big.txt"
-          # generate admin token used for importing projects during e2e tests
-          docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.deploy.yml up -d
-          until docker logs kitspace_gitea_1 | grep 'ORM engine initialization successful' ; do sleep 3s; done
-          token="$(deno run --allow-env --allow-net --allow-run ./scripts/importBoardsTxt.ts --tokenOnly)"
+          token="$(scripts/pre_e2e.sh)"
           echo "CYPRESS_GITEA_ADMIN_TOKEN=${token}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          docker-compose stop
 
       - name: e2e
         timeout-minutes: 40
diff --git a/scripts/pre_e2e.sh b/scripts/pre_e2e.sh
index 3bb4066a33..8ba3ce3351 100755
--- a/scripts/pre_e2e.sh
+++ b/scripts/pre_e2e.sh
@@ -4,5 +4,20 @@ set -Eeuo pipefail
 # Generate big files which are used during testing
 # `uploadProject.spec.js` -> should reject files bigger than `MAX_FILE_SIZE`
 auto_gen_fixtures_path=e2e/cypress/fixtures/auto-gen
-mkdir $auto_gen_fixtures_path
-truncate -s "${MAX_FILE_SIZE}" "${auto_gen_fixtures_path}/big.txt"
+rm -rf $auto_gen_fixtures_path && mkdir $auto_gen_fixtures_path
+truncate -s "${MAX_FILE_SIZE:-6M}" "${auto_gen_fixtures_path}/big.txt"
+
+# generate admin token used for importing projects during e2e tests
+if [[ "${CI:-}" = "true" ]]; then
+    docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.deploy.yml up -d &> /dev/null
+    until docker logs kitspace_gitea_1 | grep 'ORM engine initialization successful' ; do sleep 3s; done
+else
+    # The tests are running locally.
+    docker-compose up -d &> /dev/null
+fi
+
+token="$(deno run --allow-env --allow-net --allow-run ./scripts/importBoardsTxt.ts --tokenOnly)"
+docker-compose stop &> /dev/null
+
+# reutrn the token so it can be used as $(./scripts/pre_e2e.sh)
+echo $token