diff --git a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/misc/ask-analytics.ts b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/misc/ask-analytics.ts
index 1bd61b7b1138..ecc6b797de3f 100644
--- a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/misc/ask-analytics.ts
+++ b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/misc/ask-analytics.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ export default async function() {
     // Install the CLI with TTY force enabled
     const execution = execWithEnv(
       'npm',
-      ['install', packages['@angular/cli'].tar],
+      ['install', packages['@angular/cli'].tar, '--registry=http://localhost:4873'],
       { ...process.env, 'NG_FORCE_TTY': '1' },
     );
 
diff --git a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/schematics_cli/basic.ts b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/schematics_cli/basic.ts
index 45e2aed81115..fe94d50a057b 100644
--- a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/schematics_cli/basic.ts
+++ b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/schematics_cli/basic.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,13 @@ export default async function () {
   }
 
   const startCwd = process.cwd();
-  await silentNpm('install', '-g', packages['@angular-devkit/schematics-cli'].tar, '--unsafe-perm');
+  await silentNpm(
+    'install',
+    '-g',
+    packages['@angular-devkit/schematics-cli'].tar,
+    '--unsafe-perm',
+    '--registry=http://localhost:4873',
+  );
   await exec(process.platform.startsWith('win') ? 'where' : 'which', 'schematics');
 
   // create blank schematic
diff --git a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/update/update-1.0.ts b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/update/update-1.0.ts
index c3171f99cb84..6d24c8ffeb4d 100644
--- a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/update/update-1.0.ts
+++ b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/update/update-1.0.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import * as fs from 'fs';
 import { createProjectFromAsset } from '../../utils/assets';
 import { ng, silentNpm } from '../../utils/process';
 import { isPrereleaseCli, useBuiltPackages, useCIChrome, useCIDefaults } from '../../utils/project';
@@ -8,7 +7,6 @@ export default async function() {
   const extraUpdateArgs = (await isPrereleaseCli()) ? ['--next', '--force'] : [];
 
   await createProjectFromAsset('1.0-project');
-  fs.writeFileSync('.npmrc', 'registry = http://localhost:4873', 'utf8');
 
   await useCIChrome('.');
   await expectToFail(() => ng('build'));
diff --git a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/update/update-1.7-longhand.ts b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/update/update-1.7-longhand.ts
index 0fff642ce419..adec63d719ac 100644
--- a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/update/update-1.7-longhand.ts
+++ b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/tests/update/update-1.7-longhand.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import * as fs from 'fs';
 import { createProjectFromAsset } from '../../utils/assets';
 import { ng, silentNpm } from '../../utils/process';
 import { isPrereleaseCli, useBuiltPackages } from '../../utils/project';
@@ -8,7 +7,6 @@ export default async function() {
   const extraUpdateArgs = (await isPrereleaseCli()) ? ['--next', '--force'] : [];
 
   await createProjectFromAsset('1.7-project');
-  fs.writeFileSync('.npmrc', 'registry = http://localhost:4873', 'utf8');
 
   await expectToFail(() => ng('build'));
   await ng('update', '@angular/cli', '--migrate-only', '--from=1.7.1');
diff --git a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/utils/assets.ts b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/utils/assets.ts
index bed540b5bb6c..b8c0c2736c42 100644
--- a/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/utils/assets.ts
+++ b/tests/legacy-cli/e2e/utils/assets.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import {join} from 'path';
 import * as glob from 'glob';
 import {getGlobalVariable} from './env';
 import {relative} from 'path';
-import {copyFile} from './fs';
+import {copyFile, writeFile} from './fs';
 import {useBuiltPackages} from './project';
 import { git, silentNpm } from './process';
 
@@ -39,10 +39,12 @@ export function copyAssets(assetName: string) {
 }
 
 
-export function createProjectFromAsset(assetName: string, useNpmPackages = false) {
-  return Promise.resolve()
-    .then(() => copyAssets(assetName))
-    .then(dir => process.chdir(dir))
-    .then(() => useNpmPackages ? null : useBuiltPackages())
-    .then(() => silentNpm('install'));
+export async function createProjectFromAsset(assetName: string, useNpmPackages = false) {
+  const dir = await copyAssets(assetName);
+  process.chdir(dir);
+  if (!useNpmPackages) {
+    await useBuiltPackages();
+    await writeFile('.npmrc', 'registry = http://localhost:4873', 'utf8');
+  }
+  await silentNpm('install');
 }