diff --git a/server-ce/test/admin.spec.ts b/server-ce/test/admin.spec.ts
index be921d9c90..18b33c6932 100644
--- a/server-ce/test/admin.spec.ts
+++ b/server-ce/test/admin.spec.ts
@@ -127,8 +127,12 @@ describe('admin panel', function () {
       testProjectName = `project-${uuid()}`
       deletedProjectName = `deleted-project-${uuid()}`
       login(user1)
-      createProject(testProjectName).then(id => (testProjectId = id))
-      createProject(deletedProjectName).then(id => (projectToDeleteId = id))
+      createProject(testProjectName, { open: false }).then(
+        id => (testProjectId = id)
+      )
+      createProject(deletedProjectName, { open: false }).then(
+        id => (projectToDeleteId = id)
+      )
     })
 
     describe('manage site', () => {
diff --git a/server-ce/test/create-and-compile-project.spec.ts b/server-ce/test/create-and-compile-project.spec.ts
index 4298dd8774..afee2072b5 100644
--- a/server-ce/test/create-and-compile-project.spec.ts
+++ b/server-ce/test/create-and-compile-project.spec.ts
@@ -50,9 +50,10 @@ describe('Project creation and compilation', function () {
     const targetProjectName = `${sourceProjectName}-target`
     login('user@example.com')
 
-    createProject(sourceProjectName, { type: 'Example Project' }).as(
-      'sourceProjectId'
-    )
+    createProject(sourceProjectName, {
+      type: 'Example Project',
+      open: false,
+    }).as('sourceProjectId')
     createProject(targetProjectName)
 
     // link the image from `projectName` into this project
@@ -77,9 +78,10 @@ describe('Project creation and compilation', function () {
     const sourceProjectName = `test-project-${Date.now()}`
     const targetProjectName = `${sourceProjectName}-target`
     login('user@example.com')
-    createProject(sourceProjectName, { type: 'Example Project' }).as(
-      'sourceProjectId'
-    )
+    createProject(sourceProjectName, {
+      type: 'Example Project',
+      open: false,
+    }).as('sourceProjectId')
     createProject(targetProjectName).as('targetProjectId')
 
     // link the image from `projectName` into this project
diff --git a/server-ce/test/editor.spec.ts b/server-ce/test/editor.spec.ts
index 005a701c5c..02f4f65735 100644
--- a/server-ce/test/editor.spec.ts
+++ b/server-ce/test/editor.spec.ts
@@ -184,9 +184,6 @@ describe('editor', () => {
       login('user@example.com')
       cy.visit(`/project`)
       createProject(`project-${uuid()}`, { type: 'Example Project' })
-      // wait until the main document is rendered
-      cy.findByText(/Loading/).should('not.exist')
-      cy.findByText(/Your Paper/)
     })
 
     it('renders jpg', () => {
diff --git a/server-ce/test/git-bridge.spec.ts b/server-ce/test/git-bridge.spec.ts
index 87a293e771..ea7aea3e5b 100644
--- a/server-ce/test/git-bridge.spec.ts
+++ b/server-ce/test/git-bridge.spec.ts
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ describe('git-bridge', function () {
       let projectName: string
       beforeEach(() => {
         projectName = uuid()
-        createProject(projectName).as('projectId')
+        createProject(projectName, { open: false }).as('projectId')
       })
 
       it('should expose r/w interface to owner', () => {
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ describe('git-bridge', function () {
       })
 
       it('should expose r/w interface to link-sharing r/w collaborator', () => {
+        openProjectByName(projectName)
         enableLinkSharing().then(({ linkSharingReadAndWrite }) => {
           const email = 'collaborator-link-rw@example.com'
           login(email)
@@ -168,6 +169,7 @@ describe('git-bridge', function () {
       })
 
       it('should expose r/o interface to link-sharing r/o collaborator', () => {
+        openProjectByName(projectName)
         enableLinkSharing().then(({ linkSharingReadOnly }) => {
           const email = 'collaborator-link-ro@example.com'
           login(email)
diff --git a/server-ce/test/helpers/project.ts b/server-ce/test/helpers/project.ts
index 76f996426f..09fdeca125 100644
--- a/server-ce/test/helpers/project.ts
+++ b/server-ce/test/helpers/project.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,17 @@
 import { login } from './login'
 import { openEmail } from './email'
+import { v4 as uuid } from 'uuid'
 
 export function createProject(
   name: string,
   {
     type = 'Blank Project',
     newProjectButtonMatcher = /new project/i,
+    open = true,
   }: {
     type?: 'Blank Project' | 'Example Project'
     newProjectButtonMatcher?: RegExp
+    open?: boolean
   } = {}
 ): Cypress.Chainable<string> {
   cy.url().then(url => {
@@ -16,6 +19,22 @@ export function createProject(
       cy.visit('/project')
     }
   })
+  const interceptId = uuid()
+  let projectId = ''
+  if (!open) {
+    cy.then(() => {
+      // Register intercept just before creating the project, otherwise we might
+      // intercept a request from a prior createProject invocation.
+      cy.intercept(
+        { method: 'GET', url: /\/project\/[a-fA-F0-9]{24}$/, times: 1 },
+        req => {
+          projectId = req.url.split('/').pop()!
+          // Redirect back to the project dashboard, effectively reload the page.
+          req.redirect('/project')
+        }
+      ).as(interceptId)
+    })
+  }
   cy.findAllByRole('button').contains(newProjectButtonMatcher).click()
   // FIXME: This should only look in the left menu
   cy.findAllByText(type).first().click()
@@ -23,12 +42,18 @@ export function createProject(
     cy.get('input').type(name)
     cy.findByText('Create').click()
   })
-  cy.url().should('match', /\/project\/[a-fA-F0-9]{24}/)
-  waitForMainDocToLoad()
-  return cy
-    .url()
-    .should('match', /\/project\/[a-fA-F0-9]{24}/)
-    .then(url => url.split('/').pop())
+  if (open) {
+    cy.url().should('match', /\/project\/[a-fA-F0-9]{24}/)
+    waitForMainDocToLoad()
+    return cy
+      .url()
+      .should('match', /\/project\/[a-fA-F0-9]{24}/)
+      .then(url => url.split('/').pop())
+  } else {
+    const alias = `@${interceptId}` // IDEs do not like computed values in cy.wait().
+    cy.wait(alias)
+    return cy.then(() => projectId)
+  }
 }
 
 export function openProjectByName(projectName: string) {
@@ -64,6 +89,7 @@ export function openProjectViaInviteNotification(projectName: string) {
     })
   cy.findByText('Open Project').click()
   cy.url().should('match', /\/project\/[a-fA-F0-9]{24}/)
+  waitForMainDocToLoad()
 }
 
 function shareProjectByEmail(
@@ -74,8 +100,8 @@ function shareProjectByEmail(
   openProjectByName(projectName)
   cy.findByText('Share').click()
   cy.findByRole('dialog').within(() => {
-    cy.get('input').type(`${email},`)
-    cy.get('input')
+    cy.findByLabelText('Add people', { selector: 'input' }).type(`${email},`)
+    cy.findByLabelText('Add people', { selector: 'input' })
       .parents('form')
       .within(() => cy.findByText('Can edit').parent().select(level))
     cy.findByText('Invite').click({ force: true })
@@ -115,6 +141,7 @@ export function shareProjectByEmailAndAcceptInviteViaEmail(
   cy.findByText(/user would like you to join/)
   cy.contains(new RegExp(`You are accepting this invite as ${email}`))
   cy.findByText('Join Project').click()
+  waitForMainDocToLoad()
 }
 
 export function enableLinkSharing() {
diff --git a/server-ce/test/project-list.spec.ts b/server-ce/test/project-list.spec.ts
index 1c98d20e2c..49e50bd350 100644
--- a/server-ce/test/project-list.spec.ts
+++ b/server-ce/test/project-list.spec.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ describe('Project List', () => {
 
     before(() => {
       login(REGULAR_USER)
-      createProject(projectName, { type: 'Example Project' })
+      createProject(projectName, { type: 'Example Project', open: false })
     })
 
     it('Can download project sources', () => {
@@ -89,8 +89,7 @@ describe('Project List', () => {
       cy.log('create a separate project to filter')
       const nonTaggedProjectName = `project-${uuid()}`
       login(REGULAR_USER)
-      createProject(nonTaggedProjectName)
-      cy.visit('/project')
+      createProject(nonTaggedProjectName, { open: false })
 
       cy.log('select project')
       cy.get(`[aria-label="Select ${projectName}"]`).click()
diff --git a/server-ce/test/project-sharing.spec.ts b/server-ce/test/project-sharing.spec.ts
index ebb3a7fe75..44887f2fd2 100644
--- a/server-ce/test/project-sharing.spec.ts
+++ b/server-ce/test/project-sharing.spec.ts
@@ -158,7 +158,6 @@ describe('Project Sharing', function () {
     })
 
     it('should grant the collaborator read access', () => {
-      openProjectByName(projectName)
       expectFullReadOnlyAccess()
       expectProjectDashboardEntry()
     })