diff --git a/src/auth/mock-auth.guard.ts b/src/auth/mock-auth.guard.ts
index 9d15bc83e..d4f1236b0 100644
--- a/src/auth/mock-auth.guard.ts
+++ b/src/auth/mock-auth.guard.ts
@@ -5,14 +5,20 @@
  */
 
 import { ExecutionContext, Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
+import { UsersService } from '../users/users.service';
+import { User } from '../users/user.entity';
 
 @Injectable()
 export class MockAuthGuard {
-  canActivate(context: ExecutionContext) {
+  private user: User;
+  constructor(private usersService: UsersService) {}
+
+  async canActivate(context: ExecutionContext) {
     const req = context.switchToHttp().getRequest();
-    req.user = {
-      userName: 'hardcoded',
-    };
+    if (!this.user) {
+      this.user = await this.usersService.createUser('hardcoded', 'Testy');
+    }
+    req.user = this.user;
     return true;
   }
 }
diff --git a/test/public-api/media.e2e-spec.ts b/test/public-api/media.e2e-spec.ts
index f4b57ebf0..26ee76d27 100644
--- a/test/public-api/media.e2e-spec.ts
+++ b/test/public-api/media.e2e-spec.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ import { MediaService } from '../../src/media/media.service';
 import { NotesModule } from '../../src/notes/notes.module';
 import { NotesService } from '../../src/notes/notes.service';
 import { PermissionsModule } from '../../src/permissions/permissions.module';
-import { UsersService } from '../../src/users/users.service';
 import { AuthModule } from '../../src/auth/auth.module';
 import { TokenAuthGuard } from '../../src/auth/token-auth.guard';
 import { MockAuthGuard } from '../../src/auth/mock-auth.guard';
@@ -65,8 +64,6 @@ describe('Notes', () => {
     app.useLogger(logger);
     const notesService: NotesService = moduleRef.get('NotesService');
     await notesService.createNote('test content', 'test_upload_media');
-    const usersService: UsersService = moduleRef.get('UsersService');
-    await usersService.createUser('hardcoded', 'Hard Coded');
     mediaService = moduleRef.get('MediaService');
   });
 
diff --git a/test/public-api/notes.e2e-spec.ts b/test/public-api/notes.e2e-spec.ts
index bf9ca8c55..5059f3e93 100644
--- a/test/public-api/notes.e2e-spec.ts
+++ b/test/public-api/notes.e2e-spec.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import { PermissionsModule } from '../../src/permissions/permissions.module';
 import { AuthModule } from '../../src/auth/auth.module';
 import { TokenAuthGuard } from '../../src/auth/token-auth.guard';
 import { MockAuthGuard } from '../../src/auth/mock-auth.guard';
-import { UsersService } from '../../src/users/users.service';
+import { UsersModule } from '../../src/users/users.module';
 
 describe('Notes', () => {
   let app: INestApplication;
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ describe('Notes', () => {
         }),
         LoggerModule,
         AuthModule,
+        UsersModule,
       ],
     })
       .overrideGuard(TokenAuthGuard)
@@ -55,8 +56,6 @@ describe('Notes', () => {
     app = moduleRef.createNestApplication();
     await app.init();
     notesService = moduleRef.get(NotesService);
-    const usersService: UsersService = moduleRef.get('UsersService');
-    await usersService.createUser('testy', 'Testy McTestFace');
   });
 
   it(`POST /notes`, async () => {
@@ -69,8 +68,9 @@ describe('Notes', () => {
       .expect(201);
     expect(response.body.metadata?.id).toBeDefined();
     expect(
-      (await notesService.getNoteDtoByIdOrAlias(response.body.metadata.id))
-        .content,
+      await notesService.getCurrentContent(
+        await notesService.getNoteByIdOrAlias(response.body.metadata.id),
+      ),
     ).toEqual(newNote);
   });
 
@@ -100,8 +100,9 @@ describe('Notes', () => {
       .expect(201);
     expect(response.body.metadata?.id).toBeDefined();
     return expect(
-      (await notesService.getNoteDtoByIdOrAlias(response.body.metadata.id))
-        .content,
+      await notesService.getCurrentContent(
+        await notesService.getNoteByIdOrAlias(response.body.metadata?.id),
+      ),
     ).toEqual(newNote);
   });
 
@@ -125,7 +126,9 @@ describe('Notes', () => {
       .send('New note text')
       .expect(200);
     await expect(
-      (await notesService.getNoteDtoByIdOrAlias('test4')).content,
+      await notesService.getCurrentContent(
+        await notesService.getNoteByIdOrAlias('test4'),
+      ),
     ).toEqual('New note text');
     expect(response.body.content).toEqual('New note text');