diff --git a/.github/workflows/nightly-system-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/nightly-system-tests.yml
index 571dba535..c7b9c9d4b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nightly-system-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nightly-system-tests.yml
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@ jobs:
 
       # the soroban CLI & RPC source code to compile and run from system test
       # refers to checked out source of current git hub ref context
-      SYSTEM_TEST_SOROBAN_CLI_REF: https://github.com/stellar/soroban-tools.git\#main
-      SYSTEM_TEST_SOROBAN_RPC_REF: https://github.com/stellar/soroban-rpc.git\#main
+      SYSTEM_TEST_SOROBAN_TOOLS_REF: ${{ github.workspace }}/soroban-tools
 
       # core git ref should be latest commit for stable soroban functionality
       # the core bin can either be compiled in-line here as part of ci,
@@ -68,13 +67,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
         name: checkout soroban-tools
         with:
-          repository: stellar/soroban-tools
           path: soroban-tools
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-        name: checkout soroban-rpc
-        with:
-          repository: stellar/soroban-rpc
-          path: soroban-rpc
       - if: ${{ env.SYSTEM_TEST_JS_STELLAR_SDK_GH_REPO != ''}}
         name: prepare local js-stellar-sdk
         run: |
@@ -98,8 +91,8 @@ jobs:
             CORE_GIT_REF=$SYSTEM_TEST_CORE_GIT_REF \
             CORE_COMPILE_CONFIGURE_FLAGS="$SYSTEM_TEST_CORE_COMPILE_CONFIGURE_FLAGS" \
             CORE_IMAGE=$SYSTEM_TEST_CORE_IMAGE \
-            SOROBAN_RPC_GIT_REF=$SYSTEM_TEST_SOROBAN_RPC_REF \
-            SOROBAN_CLI_GIT_REF=$SYSTEM_TEST_SOROBAN_CLI_REF \
+            SOROBAN_RPC_GIT_REF=$SYSTEM_TEST_SOROBAN_TOOLS_REF \
+            SOROBAN_CLI_GIT_REF=$SYSTEM_TEST_SOROBAN_TOOLS_REF \
             RUST_TOOLCHAIN_VERSION=$SYSTEM_TEST_RUST_TOOLCHAIN_VERSION \
             RS_XDR_GIT_REF=$SYSTEM_TEST_RS_XDR_GIT_REF \
             QUICKSTART_GIT_REF=$SYSTEM_TEST_QUICKSTART_GIT_REF \