diff --git a/tests/e2e/v3_curl_auth_test.go b/tests/e2e/v3_curl_auth_test.go
index 59a68efea13..8ce8c61377f 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/v3_curl_auth_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/v3_curl_auth_test.go
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ func testCurlV3Auth(cx ctlCtx) {
 		if err = e2e.CURLPost(cx.epc, e2e.CURLReq{
 			Endpoint: "/v3/kv/put",
 			Value:    string(putreq),
-			Expected: expect.ExpectedResponse{Value: "error"},
+			Expected: expect.ExpectedResponse{Value: "etcdserver: user name is empty"},
 		}); err != nil {
 			cx.t.Fatalf("testCurlV3Auth failed to put without token (%v)", err)
 		}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/v3_curl_election_test.go b/tests/e2e/v3_curl_election_test.go
index 8904da0f86b..01c7194ed3b 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/v3_curl_election_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/v3_curl_election_test.go
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ func testCurlV3ProclaimMissiongLeaderKey(cx ctlCtx) {
 	if err = e2e.CURLPost(cx.epc, e2e.CURLReq{
 		Endpoint: "/v3/election/proclaim",
 		Value:    string(pdata),
-		Expected: expect.ExpectedResponse{Value: `{"error":"\"leader\" field must be provided","code":2,"message":"\"leader\" field must be provided"}`},
+		Expected: expect.ExpectedResponse{Value: `"message":"\"leader\" field must be provided"`},
 	}); err != nil {
 		cx.t.Fatalf("failed post proclaim request (%v)", err)
 	}
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ func testCurlV3ResignMissiongLeaderKey(cx ctlCtx) {
 	if err := e2e.CURLPost(cx.epc, e2e.CURLReq{
 		Endpoint: "/v3/election/resign",
 		Value:    `{}`,
-		Expected: expect.ExpectedResponse{Value: `{"error":"\"leader\" field must be provided","code":2,"message":"\"leader\" field must be provided"}`},
+		Expected: expect.ExpectedResponse{Value: `"message":"\"leader\" field must be provided"`},
 	}); err != nil {
 		cx.t.Fatalf("failed post resign request (%v)", err)
 	}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/v3_curl_kv_test.go b/tests/e2e/v3_curl_kv_test.go
index ce5b475f744..4bee2d585a5 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/v3_curl_kv_test.go
+++ b/tests/e2e/v3_curl_kv_test.go
@@ -155,24 +155,41 @@ func testCurlV3KVTxn(cx ctlCtx) {
 	jsonDat, jerr := m.Marshal(txn)
 	require.NoError(cx.t, jerr)
 
-	expected := `"succeeded":true,"responses":[{"response_put":{"header":{"revision":"2"}}}]`
-	err := e2e.CURLPost(cx.epc, e2e.CURLReq{
-		Endpoint: "/v3/kv/txn",
-		Value:    string(jsonDat),
-		Expected: expect.ExpectedResponse{Value: expected},
-	})
-	require.NoErrorf(cx.t, err, "testCurlV3Txn failed")
+	succeeded, responses := mustExecuteTxn(cx, string(jsonDat))
+	require.True(cx.t, succeeded)
+	require.Equal(cx.t, 1, len(responses))
+	putResponse := responses[0].(map[string]interface{})
+	_, ok := putResponse["response_put"]
+	require.True(cx.t, ok)
 
 	// was crashing etcd server
 	malformed := `{"compare":[{"result":0,"target":1,"key":"Zm9v","TargetUnion":null}],"success":[{"Request":{"RequestPut":{"key":"Zm9v","value":"YmFy"}}}]}`
-	err = e2e.CURLPost(cx.epc, e2e.CURLReq{
+	err := e2e.CURLPost(cx.epc, e2e.CURLReq{
 		Endpoint: "/v3/kv/txn",
 		Value:    malformed,
-		Expected: expect.ExpectedResponse{Value: "error"},
+		Expected: expect.ExpectedResponse{Value: "etcdserver: key not found"},
 	})
 	require.NoErrorf(cx.t, err, "testCurlV3Txn with malformed request failed")
 }
 
+func mustExecuteTxn(cx ctlCtx, reqData string) (bool, []interface{}) {
+	clus := cx.epc
+	args := e2e.CURLPrefixArgsCluster(clus.Cfg, clus.Procs[0], "POST", e2e.CURLReq{
+		Endpoint: "/v3/kv/txn",
+		Value:    string(reqData),
+	})
+	resp, err := runCommandAndReadJsonOutput(args)
+	require.NoError(cx.t, err)
+
+	succeeded, ok := resp["succeeded"]
+	require.True(cx.t, ok)
+
+	responses, ok := resp["responses"]
+	require.True(cx.t, ok)
+
+	return succeeded.(bool), responses.([]interface{})
+}
+
 func testCurlV3KVCompact(cx ctlCtx) {
 	compactRequest, err := json.Marshal(&pb.CompactionRequest{
 		Revision: 10000,