diff --git a/cluster/gce/config-default.sh b/cluster/gce/config-default.sh
index 6819aee0275..cc7c5b615a9 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/config-default.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/config-default.sh
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ NODE_OS_DISTRIBUTION=${KUBE_NODE_OS_DISTRIBUTION:-${KUBE_OS_DISTRIBUTION:-debian
 # variable. Also please update corresponding image for node e2e at:
 # https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/master/test/e2e_node/jenkins/image-config.yaml
 CVM_VERSION=container-vm-v20161208
-GCI_VERSION="gci-dev-56-8977-0-0"
+GCI_VERSION=${KUBE_GCI_VERSION:-gci-dev-56-8977-0-0}
 MASTER_IMAGE=${KUBE_GCE_MASTER_IMAGE:-}
 MASTER_IMAGE_PROJECT=${KUBE_GCE_MASTER_PROJECT:-google-containers}
 NODE_IMAGE=${KUBE_GCE_NODE_IMAGE:-${CVM_VERSION}}
diff --git a/cluster/gce/config-test.sh b/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
index c798d2b6d5b..d61c9c52393 100755
--- a/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
+++ b/cluster/gce/config-test.sh
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ NODE_OS_DISTRIBUTION=${KUBE_NODE_OS_DISTRIBUTION:-${KUBE_OS_DISTRIBUTION:-debian
 # variable. Also please update corresponding image for node e2e at:
 # https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/master/test/e2e_node/jenkins/image-config.yaml
 CVM_VERSION=container-vm-v20161208
-GCI_VERSION="gci-dev-56-8977-0-0"
+GCI_VERSION=${KUBE_GCI_VERSION:-gci-dev-56-8977-0-0}
 MASTER_IMAGE=${KUBE_GCE_MASTER_IMAGE:-}
 MASTER_IMAGE_PROJECT=${KUBE_GCE_MASTER_PROJECT:-google-containers}
 NODE_IMAGE=${KUBE_GCE_NODE_IMAGE:-${CVM_VERSION}}