diff --git a/hack/make-rules/test-e2e-node.sh b/hack/make-rules/test-e2e-node.sh
index 82c2ddaf17a..c6adb8b1b4b 100755
--- a/hack/make-rules/test-e2e-node.sh
+++ b/hack/make-rules/test-e2e-node.sh
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ system_spec_name=${SYSTEM_SPEC_NAME:-}
 extra_envs=${EXTRA_ENVS:-}
 runtime_config=${RUNTIME_CONFIG:-}
 ssh_user=${SSH_USER:-"${USER}"}
-ssh_key=${SSH_KEY:-""}
+ssh_key=${SSH_KEY:-}
 
 # Parse the flags to pass to ginkgo
 ginkgoflags=""