diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b2f162b70..3ec27256c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -92,7 +92,6 @@ test:
 	hack/verify-codegen.sh
 	@go test ./...
 
-e2e:
+e2e: docker
 	e2e/run.sh
-	# TODO run before tests once they are implemented completely
 	flake8 --exit-zero
diff --git a/e2e/kind-config-smoke-tests.yaml b/e2e/kind-config-smoke-tests.yaml
index d95d68b2e..a59746fd3 100644
--- a/e2e/kind-config-smoke-tests.yaml
+++ b/e2e/kind-config-smoke-tests.yaml
@@ -4,4 +4,3 @@ nodes:
 - role: control-plane
 - role: worker
 - role: worker
-- role: worker
diff --git a/e2e/run.sh b/e2e/run.sh
index d6673610e..c2ccf4d2a 100755
--- a/e2e/run.sh
+++ b/e2e/run.sh
@@ -18,5 +18,8 @@ kind create cluster --name ${cluster_name} --config ./e2e/kind-config-smoke-test
 export KUBECONFIG="$(kind get kubeconfig-path --name=${cluster_name})"
 kubectl cluster-info
 
+version=$(git describe --tags --always --dirty)
+kind load docker-image "registry.opensource.zalan.do/acid/postgres-operator:${version}" --name ${cluster_name}
+
 python3 -m unittest discover --start-directory e2e/tests/ &&
 kind delete cluster --name ${cluster_name}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/e2e/tests/test_smoke.py b/e2e/tests/test_smoke.py
index 23fcc22bc..15044e398 100755
--- a/e2e/tests/test_smoke.py
+++ b/e2e/tests/test_smoke.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from kubernetes import client, config, utils
 from pprint import pprint
 import timeout_decorator
 import subprocess
-
+import git
 
 class K8sApi:
 
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ class K8sApi:
        self.k8s_client = client.ApiClient()
        self.core_v1 = client.CoreV1Api()
        self.crd_api = client.CustomObjectsApi()
+       self.apps_v1 = client.AppsV1Api()
+
 
 
 class SmokeTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -41,6 +43,26 @@ class SmokeTestCase(unittest.TestCase):
         for filename in ["configmap.yaml", "postgres-operator.yaml"]:
             path = "manifests/" + filename
             utils.create_from_yaml(k8s_api.k8s_client, path)
+        
+        # submit most recent operator image built locally; see VERSION in Makefile
+        repo = git.Repo(".")
+        version = repo.git.describe("--tags", "--always", "--dirty")
+        
+        body = {
+            "spec": {
+                "template": {
+                    "spec": {
+                        "containers": [ 
+                        {
+                          "name" : "postgres-operator",
+                          "image": "registry.opensource.zalan.do/acid/postgres-operator:" + version
+                        }
+                        ]
+                    }
+                 }
+            }
+        }
+        k8s_api.apps_v1.patch_namespaced_deployment("postgres-operator", "default", body)
 
         pod_phase = None
         while pod_phase != 'Running':
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 6fff5e0ff..d47e7d619 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 kubernetes
 flake8
+git
+timeout_decorator