diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index b520e966..ff07dc3d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@aeternity/aepp-sdk": "^14.0.0",
     "commander": "^12.1.0",
-    "promisify-child-process": "^4.1.2",
     "prompts": "^2.4.2"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
diff --git a/src/env/env.js b/src/env/env.js
index 50efb7b4..4e3400f2 100644
--- a/src/env/env.js
+++ b/src/env/env.js
@@ -1,20 +1,13 @@
-import { spawn, exec } from "promisify-child-process";
-import { print, printError } from "../utils/utils.js";
-
-let dockerComposeCmd = "docker compose";
+import { print, printError, exec } from "../utils/utils.js";
 
 async function getDockerCompose() {
-  const dockerSpaceCompose = await spawn("docker", ["compose"]).catch(() => ({
-    code: 1,
-  }));
-  if (dockerSpaceCompose.code === 0) return;
-  const dockerMinusCompose = await spawn("docker-compose").catch(() => ({
-    code: 1,
-  }));
-
-  if (dockerMinusCompose.code === 0) {
-    dockerComposeCmd = "docker-compose";
-    return;
+  if (getDockerCompose._cmd) return getDockerCompose._cmd;
+
+  for (const cmd of ["docker compose", "docker-compose"]) {
+    if (await exec(cmd).catch(() => false)) {
+      getDockerCompose._cmd = cmd;
+      return cmd;
+    }
   }
 
   throw new Error("===== docker compose is not installed! =====");
@@ -66,8 +59,8 @@ async function stopEnv(running) {
 
   print("===== stopping env =====");
 
-  await getDockerCompose();
-  await exec(`${dockerComposeCmd} down -v`);
+  const cmd = await getDockerCompose();
+  await exec(`${cmd} down -v`);
 
   print("===== Env was successfully stopped! =====");
 }
@@ -80,8 +73,8 @@ async function restartEnv(running) {
 
   print("===== restarting env =====");
 
-  await getDockerCompose();
-  await exec(`${dockerComposeCmd} restart`);
+  const cmd = await getDockerCompose();
+  await exec(`${cmd} restart`);
 
   print("===== env was successfully restarted! =====");
 }
@@ -98,9 +91,9 @@ async function startEnv(option) {
     print(`using versions as specified: ${versionTags}`);
   else print("using versions from docker-compose.yml");
 
-  await getDockerCompose();
-  await exec(`${versionTags} ${dockerComposeCmd} pull`);
-  await exec(`${versionTags} ${dockerComposeCmd} up -d --wait`);
+  const cmd = await getDockerCompose();
+  await exec(`${versionTags} ${cmd} pull`);
+  await exec(`${versionTags} ${cmd} up -d --wait`);
 
   const isRunning = await isEnvRunning();
   await printInfo(isRunning, true);
@@ -119,9 +112,9 @@ async function printInfo(running, imagesOnly = false) {
 }
 
 async function getInfo(cwd = "./", imagesOnly = false) {
-  await getDockerCompose();
-  const ps = await exec(`${dockerComposeCmd} ps`, { cwd });
-  const images = await exec(`${dockerComposeCmd} images`, { cwd });
+  const cmd = await getDockerCompose();
+  const ps = await exec(`${cmd} ps`, { cwd });
+  const images = await exec(`${cmd} images`, { cwd });
 
   if (ps && images && ps.stdout && images.stdout) {
     return imagesOnly ? images.stdout : `${ps.stdout}\n${images.stdout}`;
diff --git a/src/init/init.js b/src/init/init.js
index ddf5b205..280feb2e 100644
--- a/src/init/init.js
+++ b/src/init/init.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import fs from "fs";
 import path from "path";
-import { exec } from "promisify-child-process";
-import { print } from "../utils/utils.js";
+import { print, exec } from "../utils/utils.js";
 import {
   copyFolderRecursiveSync,
   deleteWithPrompt,
diff --git a/src/test/test.js b/src/test/test.js
index f537c115..42221edf 100644
--- a/src/test/test.js
+++ b/src/test/test.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { exec } from "promisify-child-process";
+import { spawn } from "child_process";
 import { print } from "../utils/utils.js";
 
 async function run() {
@@ -10,11 +10,9 @@ async function run() {
 async function test() {
   print("===== Starting Tests =====");
 
-  const child = exec("npm test");
+  const proc = spawn("npm", ["test"], { stdio: "inherit" });
 
-  child.stdout.on("data", (out) => process.stdout.write(out));
-  child.stderr.on("data", (err) => process.stderr.write(err));
-  await child;
+  await new Promise((resolve) => proc.on("close", resolve));
 }
 
 export default { run };
diff --git a/src/utils/utils.js b/src/utils/utils.js
index 611d4d61..a3d2563f 100644
--- a/src/utils/utils.js
+++ b/src/utils/utils.js
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 import { readFile } from "fs/promises";
+import { promisify } from "util";
+import { exec as execCb } from "child_process";
+
+export const exec = promisify(execCb);
 
 const config = JSON.parse(
   await readFile(new URL("../config/config.json", import.meta.url)),
diff --git a/tests/cli.test.mjs b/tests/cli.test.mjs
index ab141f4b..88a889a6 100644
--- a/tests/cli.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/cli.test.mjs
@@ -11,24 +11,21 @@ describe("command line usage", () => {
   afterAll(() => cleanLocal());
 
   it("help", async () => {
-    const res = await exec("aeproject help", { cwd });
-    assert.equal(res.code, 0);
+    await exec("aeproject help", { cwd });
   });
 
   it("version", async () => {
     const res = await exec("aeproject --version", { cwd });
-    assert.equal(res.code, 0);
     assert.include(res.stdout, version);
   });
 
   for (const folder of [null, "testprojectfolder"]) {
     // eslint-disable-next-line vitest/valid-title
     it(folder ? `init ${folder}` : "init", async () => {
-      const res = await exec(
+      await exec(
         folder ? `aeproject init ${folder}` : "aeproject init",
         { cwd },
       );
-      assert.equal(res.code, 0);
 
       // link to use local aeproject utils
       await linkLocalLib(folder);
@@ -48,8 +45,7 @@ describe("command line usage", () => {
   }
 
   it("env", async () => {
-    const res = await exec("aeproject env", { cwd });
-    assert.equal(res.code, 0);
+    await exec("aeproject env", { cwd });
     assert.isTrue(await isEnvRunning(cwd));
 
     // don't run for all gh-action matrix tests
@@ -75,14 +71,11 @@ describe("command line usage", () => {
 
   it("env --info", async () => {
     const res = await exec("aeproject env --info", { cwd });
-    assert.equal(res.code, 0);
-
     print(res.stdout);
   });
 
   it("test", async () => {
     const res = await exec("aeproject test", { cwd });
-    assert.equal(res.code, 0);
     assert.equal(res.stderr, "");
     assert.include(res.stdout, "2 passing");
   });
@@ -94,7 +87,6 @@ describe("command line usage", () => {
       // link to use local aeproject utils
       await linkLocalLib();
 
-      assert.equal(res.code, 0);
       assert.equal(res.stderr, "");
       assert.include(
         res.stdout,
@@ -115,21 +107,18 @@ describe("command line usage", () => {
       );
 
       const resEnv = await exec("aeproject env", { cwd });
-      assert.equal(resEnv.code, 0);
       assert.isTrue(await isEnvRunning(cwd));
 
       assert.include(resEnv.stdout, "aeternity/aeternity       latest");
       assert.include(resEnv.stdout, "aeternity/aesophia_http   latest");
 
       const resTest = await exec("aeproject test", { cwd });
-      assert.equal(resTest.code, 0);
       assert.include(resTest.stdout, "2 passing");
     } else console.log("skipping next test for auxiliary test run");
   });
 
   it("env --stop", async () => {
-    const res = await exec("aeproject env --stop", { cwd });
-    assert.equal(res.code, 0);
+    await exec("aeproject env --stop", { cwd });
     assert.isFalse(await isEnvRunning(cwd));
   });
 });
diff --git a/tests/util.mjs b/tests/util.mjs
index a2778d33..7844439d 100644
--- a/tests/util.mjs
+++ b/tests/util.mjs
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import path from "path";
-
-import { exec as execP } from "promisify-child-process";
 import fs from "fs";
+import { exec as execP } from "../src/utils/utils";
 
 export const cwd = path.join(process.cwd(), ".testdir");