diff --git a/scripts/external.test b/scripts/external.test
deleted file mode 100755
index 7dbc2e789..000000000
--- a/scripts/external.test
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,73 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-# external tests
-host="$WOLFSSH_EXTERNAL_HOST"
-user="$WOLFSSH_EXTERNAL_USER"
-password="$WOLFSSH_EXTERNAL_PASSWORD"
-
-if test -n "$WOLFSSH_EXTERNAL_TEST"; then
-    echo "WOLFSSH_EXTERNAL_TEST set, running test..."
-else
-    echo "WOLFSSH_EXTERNAL_TEST NOT set, won't run"
-    exit 77
-fi
-
-# test for nonblocking only
-WOLFSSH_OPTIONS=$(./apps/wolfssh-options) || {
-    echo "fail: could not run ./apps/wolfssh-options"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-if echo "$WOLFSSH_OPTIONS" | grep -qx "TEST_BLOCK"
-then
-    echo "macro WOLFSSH_TEST_BLOCK was used"
-    echo "skipping for now"
-    exit 77
-fi
-
-do_cleanup() {
-    echo "in cleanup"
-}
-
-do_trap() {
-    echo "got trap"
-    do_cleanup
-    exit -1
-}
-
-trap do_trap INT TERM
-
-[ ! -x ./examples/client/client ] && echo -e "\n\nClient doesn't exist" && exit 1
-
-echo "Testing client connection to $host : "
-./examples/client/client -u $user -P $password -h $host -p 22 -x
-RESULT=$?
-if [ $RESULT -ne 0 ]; then
-    echo -e "failed to connect\n"
-    do_cleanup
-    exit 1
-fi
-echo -e "Success\n"
-
-
-# not having the sftp client built in is not a failure case
-./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -h
-if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
-    echo "Testing wolfsftp connection to $host : "
-    echo "exit" | ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -u $user -P $password -h $host -p 22
-    RESULT=$?
-    if [ $RESULT -ne 0 ]; then
-        echo -e "failed to connect\n"
-        do_cleanup
-        exit 1
-    else
-        echo -e "Success\n"
-    fi
-else
-    echo -e "\n\nwolfSFTP client doesn't exist"
-fi
-
-echo -e "\nALL Tests Passed"
-
-exit 0
-
diff --git a/scripts/include.am b/scripts/include.am
index 4fbfe39ad..d1fa5d8c0 100644
--- a/scripts/include.am
+++ b/scripts/include.am
@@ -15,5 +15,5 @@ endif
 # app wasn't built.
 dist_noinst_SCRIPTS+= scripts/sshclient.test
 
-dist_noinst_SCRIPTS+= scripts/external.test scripts/fwd.test
+dist_noinst_SCRIPTS+= scripts/fwd.test
 EXTRA_DIST += scripts/fwd.test.expect
diff --git a/scripts/sftp.test b/scripts/sftp.test
index 4e6a5763b..3d5304cfe 100755
--- a/scripts/sftp.test
+++ b/scripts/sftp.test
@@ -3,12 +3,11 @@
 # sftp local test
 
 no_pid=-1
-server_pid=$no_pid
-ready_file=`pwd`/wolfssh_sftp_ready$$
-counter=0
+server_pid="$no_pid"
+ready_file="$PWD/wolfssh_sftp_ready$$"
 nonblockingOnly=0
 
-[ ! -x ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp ] && echo -e "\n\nwolfSFTP client doesn't exist" && exit 1
+[ ! -x ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp ] && echo && echo "wolfSFTP client doesn't exist" && exit 1
 
 WOLFSSH_OPTIONS=$(./apps/wolfssh-options) || {
     echo "fail: could not run ./apps/wolfssh-options"
@@ -33,38 +32,43 @@ fi
 #echo "ready file $ready_file"
 
 create_port() {
+    # counted per server start, so a slow first start cannot eat the wait
+    # the later ones need
+    counter=0
     while [ ! -s "$ready_file" ] && [ "$counter" -lt 20 ]; do
-        echo -e "waiting for ready file..."
+        echo "waiting for ready file..."
         sleep 0.1
         counter=$((counter+ 1))
     done
 
-    if test -e $ready_file; then
-        echo -e "found ready file, starting client..."
+    # -s, not -e: the loop waits for the port to be written, and an empty
+    # file here means the wait ran out
+    if [ -s "$ready_file" ]; then
+        echo "found ready file, starting client..."
 
         # get created port 0 ephemeral port
-        port=`cat $ready_file`
+        port=$(cat "$ready_file")
     else
-        echo -e "NO ready file ending test..."
+        echo "NO ready file ending test..."
         do_cleanup
         exit 1
     fi
 }
 
 remove_ready_file() {
-    if test -e $ready_file; then
-        echo -e "removing existing ready file"
-    rm $ready_file
+    if test -e "$ready_file"; then
+        echo "removing existing ready file"
+        rm "$ready_file"
     fi
 }
 
 do_cleanup() {
     echo "in cleanup"
 
-    if  [ $server_pid != $no_pid ]
+    if  [ "$server_pid" != "$no_pid" ]
     then
         echo "killing server"
-        kill -9 $server_pid
+        kill -9 "$server_pid"
     fi
     remove_ready_file
 }
@@ -72,23 +76,22 @@ do_cleanup() {
 do_trap() {
     echo "got trap"
     do_cleanup
-    exit -1
+    exit 1
 }
 
 trap do_trap INT TERM
 
-[ ! -x ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp ] && echo -e "\n\nClient doesn't exist" && exit 1
-
-if [ $nonblockingOnly = 0 ]; then
+if [ "$nonblockingOnly" = 0 ]; then
     echo "Test basic connection"
-    ./examples/echoserver/echoserver -1 -R $ready_file &
+    ./examples/echoserver/echoserver -1 -R "$ready_file" &
     server_pid=$!
     create_port
-    echo "exit" | ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -u jill -P upthehill -p $port
+    echo "exit" | ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -u jill -P upthehill -p "$port"
     RESULT=$?
     remove_ready_file
     if [ $RESULT -ne 0 ]; then
-        echo -e "\n\nfailed to connect"
+        echo
+        echo "failed to connect"
         do_cleanup
         exit 1
     fi
@@ -96,79 +99,83 @@ fi
 
 # Test non blocking connection
 echo "Test non blocking connection"
-./examples/echoserver/echoserver -N -1 -R $ready_file &
+./examples/echoserver/echoserver -N -1 -R "$ready_file" &
 server_pid=$!
 create_port
-echo "exit" | ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -N -u jill -P upthehill -p $port
+echo "exit" | ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -N -u jill -P upthehill -p "$port"
 RESULT=$?
 remove_ready_file
 if [ $RESULT -ne 0 ]; then
-    echo -e "\n\nfailed to connect"
+    echo
+    echo "failed to connect"
     do_cleanup
     exit 1
 fi
 
 # Test want write return from highwater callback
-if [ $nonblockingOnly = 0 ]; then
+if [ "$nonblockingOnly" = 0 ]; then
     echo "Test want write return from highwater callback"
-    ./examples/echoserver/echoserver -H -N -1 -R $ready_file &
+    ./examples/echoserver/echoserver -H -N -1 -R "$ready_file" &
     server_pid=$!
     create_port
-    ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -N -u jill -P upthehill -p $port -g -r $PWD/README.md-2 -l $PWD/README.md
+    ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -N -u jill -P upthehill -p "$port" -g -r "$PWD/README.md-2" -l "$PWD/README.md"
     RESULT=$?
     remove_ready_file
-    rm -f $PWD/README.md-2
+    rm -f "$PWD/README.md-2"
     if [ $RESULT -ne 0 ]; then
-        echo -e "\n\nfailed to connect"
+        echo
+        echo "failed to connect"
         do_cleanup
         exit 1
     fi
 fi
 
 # Test of setting directory
-if [ $nonblockingOnly = 0 ]; then
+if [ "$nonblockingOnly" = 0 ]; then
     echo "Test of setting directory"
-    PWD=`pwd`
-    ./examples/echoserver/echoserver -d $PWD/examples -1 -R $ready_file &
+    ./examples/echoserver/echoserver -d "$PWD/examples" -1 -R "$ready_file" &
     server_pid=$!
     create_port
-    echo "exit" | ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -N -u jill -P upthehill -p $port
+    echo "exit" | ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -N -u jill -P upthehill -p "$port"
     RESULT=$?
     remove_ready_file
     if [ $RESULT -ne 0 ]; then
-        echo -e "\n\nfailed to connect"
+        echo
+        echo "failed to connect"
         do_cleanup
         exit 1
     fi
 fi
 
 # Test SFTP status failure for non-existing file
-if [ $nonblockingOnly = 0 ]; then
+if [ "$nonblockingOnly" = 0 ]; then
     echo "Test SFTP status failure for non-existing file"
-    ./examples/echoserver/echoserver -N -1 -R $ready_file &
+    ./examples/echoserver/echoserver -N -1 -R "$ready_file" &
     server_pid=$!
     create_port
-    ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -N -u jill -P upthehill -p $port -G -r $PWD/this_file_does_not_exist_12345.txt -l $PWD/test_output.txt > sftp_status_failure.log 2>&1
+    ./examples/sftpclient/wolfsftp -N -u jill -P upthehill -p "$port" -G -r "$PWD/this_file_does_not_exist_12345.txt" -l "$PWD/test_output.txt" > sftp_status_failure.log 2>&1
     RESULT=$?
-    grep "Unable to copy remote file" sftp_status_failure.log > /dev/null
+    grep -q "Unable to copy remote file" sftp_status_failure.log
     RESULT_MSG=$?
     remove_ready_file
     rm -f sftp_status_failure.log
-    rm -f $PWD/test_output.txt
+    rm -f "$PWD/test_output.txt"
     if [ $RESULT -eq 0 ]; then
-        echo -e "\n\nERROR: Should have failed for non-existing file"
+        echo
+        echo "ERROR: Should have failed for non-existing file"
         do_cleanup
         exit 1
     fi
     if [ $RESULT_MSG -ne 0 ]; then
-        echo -e "\n\nERROR: Unexpected failure path while testing missing remote file"
+        echo
+        echo "ERROR: Unexpected failure path while testing missing remote file"
         do_cleanup
         exit 1
     fi
     echo "Successfully received failure status packet"
 fi
 
-echo -e "\nALL Tests Passed"
+echo
+echo "ALL Tests Passed"
 
 exit 0
-