diff --git a/tests/test-init-fence.bats b/tests/test-init-fence.bats
index 31f3382..32b5c8c 100644
--- a/tests/test-init-fence.bats
+++ b/tests/test-init-fence.bats
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 # under a scratch INITHOOKS_PATH; /etc/default/turnkey-init-fence, the
 # htdocs, the pid file and the log file are scratch paths.
 
+bats_require_minimum_version 1.5.0
+
 load helpers
 
 REPO=$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/..
@@ -89,7 +91,7 @@ teardown() {
 @test "nat_available asks the family for its nat PREROUTING chain" {
     fence_nat_available iptables
     stub_tables ip6tables 3 0
-    ! fence_nat_available ip6tables
+    run ! fence_nat_available ip6tables
     [ "$(calls ip6tables)" = '-t nat -n -L PREROUTING' ]
 }
 
@@ -197,7 +199,7 @@ teardown() {
     [ "$output" = 'Stopping init-fence mini-server' ]
     [ ! -e "$PIDFILE" ]
     sleep 0.2
-    ! kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null
+    run ! kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null
     [ -z "$(calls pgrep)" ]
 }
 
@@ -211,7 +213,7 @@ teardown() {
     [ "${lines[3]}" = "Found simplehttpd.py (pid: $pid) - killing" ]
     [ "$(calls pgrep)" = '--oldest --full /usr/lib/inithooks/bin/simplehttpd.py.*lib/inithooks/turnkey-init-fence/htdocs' ]
     sleep 0.2
-    ! kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null
+    run ! kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null
 }
 
 @test "stop_mini_server reports when no server is found" {
@@ -231,7 +233,7 @@ teardown() {
     [ "$(count ip6tables ' -A PREROUTING ')" -eq 4 ]
     [ "$(count iptables ' -A INPUT ')" -eq 2 ]
     [ "$(count ip6tables ' -A INPUT ')" -eq 2 ]
-    ! printf '%s\n' "${lines[@]}" | grep -q WARNING
+    run ! grep -q WARNING <<<"$output"
     [[ "$(calls simplehttpd.py)" == *"$WRITABLE_HTDOCS 60080 60443 "* ]]
 }
 
@@ -287,7 +289,7 @@ teardown() {
     [ "$(count iptables ' -D INPUT ')" -eq 2 ]
     [ ! -e "$PIDFILE" ]
     sleep 0.2
-    ! kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null
+    run ! kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null
 }
 
 @test "stop-post removes the rules after a failed run" {
diff --git a/tests/test-ipconfig.bats b/tests/test-ipconfig.bats
index 8cdf712..391f480 100644
--- a/tests/test-ipconfig.bats
+++ b/tests/test-ipconfig.bats
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 # scratch /etc/default/inithooks, preseed and interfaces file with ip, ifup,
 # turnkey-version and head replaced by stubs.
 
+bats_require_minimum_version 1.5.0
+
 load helpers
 
 REPO=$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/..
@@ -56,9 +58,9 @@ preseed() {
 }
 
 @test "valid_config rejects anything else" {
-    ! ipconfig_valid_config bogus
-    ! ipconfig_valid_config ''
-    ! ipconfig_valid_config 'static dhcp'
+    run ! ipconfig_valid_config bogus
+    run ! ipconfig_valid_config ''
+    run ! ipconfig_valid_config 'static dhcp'
 }
 
 @test "iface is br0 on lxc and eth0 elsewhere" {
@@ -69,8 +71,8 @@ preseed() {
 
 @test "unchanged succeeds only when the stanza is already there" {
     ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" eth0 dhcp
-    ! ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" eth0 static
-    ! ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" br0 dhcp
+    run ! ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" eth0 static
+    run ! ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" br0 dhcp
 }
 
 @test "unchanged fails silently when the file is missing" {
@@ -271,7 +273,7 @@ iface eth0 inet6 dhcp
     [ "$(calls ip)" = 'link set eth0 down' ]
     [ -z "$(calls ifup)" ]
     [ "$(tail -1 "$INTERFACES")" = '    hostname tkldev' ]
-    ! grep -q inet6 "$INTERFACES"
+    run ! grep -q inet6 "$INTERFACES"
 }
 
 @test "hook static without a netmask is fatal" {
@@ -289,7 +291,7 @@ iface eth0 inet6 dhcp
     [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
     grep -q '^iface br0 inet manual$' "$INTERFACES"
     grep -q '^iface br0 inet6 dhcp$' "$INTERFACES"
-    ! grep -q eth0 "$INTERFACES"
+    run ! grep -q eth0 "$INTERFACES"
     [ "$(calls ip)" = 'link set br0 down' ]
 }
 
@@ -304,9 +306,9 @@ iface eth0 inet6 dhcp
 
 @test "unchanged also checks the inet6 stanza when a config is given" {
     ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" eth0 dhcp dhcp
-    ! ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" eth0 dhcp static
+    run ! ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" eth0 dhcp static
     sed -i 's/inet dhcp/inet manual/' "$INTERFACES"
-    ! ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" eth0 dhcp dhcp
+    run ! ipconfig_unchanged "$INTERFACES" eth0 dhcp dhcp
 }
 
 @test "ip6_syntax accepts full, compressed and edge addresses" {
@@ -321,19 +323,19 @@ iface eth0 inet6 dhcp
 }
 
 @test "ip6_syntax rejects what is not an IPv6 address" {
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax ''
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 192.0.2.10
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001:db8:1::10/64
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001:db8:1:::10
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001::db8::10
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax :2001:db8:1:2:3:4:5:6
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001:db8:1:2:3:4:5:6:
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 12345::1
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001:db8:g::1
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 1:2:3:4:5:6:7
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 1:2:3:4:5:6:7:8:9
-    ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 1:2:3:4:5:6:7::8
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax ''
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 192.0.2.10
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001:db8:1::10/64
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001:db8:1:::10
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001::db8::10
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax :2001:db8:1:2:3:4:5:6
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001:db8:1:2:3:4:5:6:
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 12345::1
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 2001:db8:g::1
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 1:2:3:4:5:6:7
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 1:2:3:4:5:6:7:8:9
+    run ! ipconfig_ip6_syntax 1:2:3:4:5:6:7::8
 }
 
 @test "ip6_first_group pads and lowercases the first group" {
@@ -512,7 +514,7 @@ iface eth0 inet6 dhcp
     run "$HOOK"
     [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
     grep -q '^iface eth0 inet6 dhcp$' "$INTERFACES"
-    ! grep -q 'address' "$INTERFACES"
+    run ! grep -q 'address' "$INTERFACES"
 }
 
 @test "hook IP6_CONFIG=dhcp writes what an unset key writes" {
diff --git a/tests/test-run.bats b/tests/test-run.bats
index b49de22..89ff00c 100644
--- a/tests/test-run.bats
+++ b/tests/test-run.bats
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 # job is to create the conf file gets the path before the file is there; that
 # is what an appliance first boot found missing.
 
+bats_require_minimum_version 1.5.0
+
 load helpers
 
 setup() {
@@ -106,7 +108,7 @@ EOF
     [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
     grep -q '^export ROOT_PASS=' "$CONF"
     grep -q '^export AUTO_RUN=TRUE' "$CONF"
-    ! grep -qi 'ambiguous redirect' "$ROOT/inithooks.log"
+    run ! grep -qi 'ambiguous redirect' "$ROOT/inithooks.log"
 }
 
 @test "a failing hook is logged and the run carries on" {
diff --git a/tests/test-tagid.bats b/tests/test-tagid.bats
index b0a9fe1..ef71524 100644
--- a/tests/test-tagid.bats
+++ b/tests/test-tagid.bats
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 # /etc/default/turnkey-init-fence and the fence htdocs, with systemctl
 # replaced by a stub.
 
+bats_require_minimum_version 1.5.0
+
 load helpers
 
 REPO=$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/..
@@ -63,7 +65,7 @@ exit 0'
 
 @test "is_tagged looks for the ajax host" {
     echo '<html><body>fence</body></html>' > "$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/index.html"
-    ! tagid_is_tagged "$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/index.html"
+    run ! tagid_is_tagged "$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/index.html"
     echo "$SCRIPTS" >> "$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/index.html"
     tagid_is_tagged "$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/index.html"
 }
@@ -88,7 +90,7 @@ exit 0'
     run "$HOOK"
     [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
     [ -f "$HTDOCS/index.html" ]
-    ! grep -q '@APP_NAME@' "$HTDOCS/index.html"
+    run ! grep -q '@APP_NAME@' "$HTDOCS/index.html"
     grep -q 'core' "$HTDOCS/index.html"
     [ "$(tail -2 "$HTDOCS/index.html")" = "$SCRIPTS" ]
     # the packaged copy is left as shipped