diff --git a/scripts/verify_kind_agones.sh b/scripts/verify_kind_agones.sh
index ce12bff2..d05015a6 100755
--- a/scripts/verify_kind_agones.sh
+++ b/scripts/verify_kind_agones.sh
@@ -185,7 +185,13 @@ kubectl -n cosmic-clash create secret generic cosmic-clash-game-server \
 kubectl apply -f deploy/k8s/base/service-accounts.yaml
 kubectl apply -f "$work_dir/fleet.yaml"
 
-kubectl wait --for=jsonpath='{.status.ready}'=2 \
+# The field is readyReplicas, not ready: an Agones Fleet's status carries
+# replicas/readyReplicas/reservedReplicas/allocatedReplicas, and the READY
+# column printed by kubectl is readyReplicas. Waiting on `.status.ready` could
+# never match however healthy the Fleet was, which masked itself as "the Fleet
+# never became ready" and sent three separate investigations after the game
+# server instead of the assertion.
+kubectl wait --for=jsonpath='{.status.readyReplicas}'=2 \
   fleet/cosmic-clash-game -n cosmic-clash --timeout=5m
 
 cat > "$work_dir/allocation.yaml" <<'EOF'
diff --git a/server/security/test_fleet_manifests.py b/server/security/test_fleet_manifests.py
index acce6c65..006bff45 100644
--- a/server/security/test_fleet_manifests.py
+++ b/server/security/test_fleet_manifests.py
@@ -111,6 +111,12 @@ class FleetManifestTest(unittest.TestCase):
             "agones.ping.udp.serviceType=ClusterIP",
         ):
             self.assertIn(service, runner)
+        # The Fleet's readiness field is readyReplicas; waiting on `.status.ready`
+        # silently never matches and reads as "the Fleet never became ready".
+        self.assertIn("jsonpath='{.status.readyReplicas}'=2", runner)
+        self.assertNotIn("jsonpath='{.status.ready}'", runner)
+        # Build by default, or a local rerun verifies whatever was tagged last.
+        self.assertIn("KIND_REUSE_GAME_SERVER_IMAGE", runner)
         self.assertIn("cosmic-clash.io/capacity-type=on-demand", runner)
         self.assertIn("topology.kubernetes.io/zone=kind-smoke", runner)
         self.assertIn("--control-plane-url=", runner)