diff --git a/.changelog/3618.internal.md b/.changelog/3618.internal.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a650c1cb985
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changelog/3618.internal.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+go/e2e/governance-upgrade: wait for compute nodes to be ready
diff --git a/go/oasis-test-runner/scenario/e2e/runtime/governance_upgrade.go b/go/oasis-test-runner/scenario/e2e/runtime/governance_upgrade.go
index 085e18f3cfa..169bfd24fd0 100644
--- a/go/oasis-test-runner/scenario/e2e/runtime/governance_upgrade.go
+++ b/go/oasis-test-runner/scenario/e2e/runtime/governance_upgrade.go
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/oasisprotocol/oasis-core/go/common/quantity"
 	consensus "github.com/oasisprotocol/oasis-core/go/consensus/api"
 	"github.com/oasisprotocol/oasis-core/go/consensus/api/transaction"
-	epoch "github.com/oasisprotocol/oasis-core/go/epochtime/api"
 	epochtime "github.com/oasisprotocol/oasis-core/go/epochtime/api"
 	"github.com/oasisprotocol/oasis-core/go/governance/api"
 	"github.com/oasisprotocol/oasis-core/go/oasis-test-runner/env"
@@ -41,7 +40,7 @@ var (
 type governanceConsensusUpgradeImpl struct {
 	runtimeImpl
 
-	currentEpoch epoch.EpochTime
+	currentEpoch epochtime.EpochTime
 	entityNonce  uint64
 
 	correctBinaryHash   bool
@@ -479,6 +478,14 @@ func (sc *governanceConsensusUpgradeImpl) Run(childEnv *env.Env) error { // noli
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("can't get registered test entity: %w", err)
 		}
+
+		// Wait for compute nodes to be ready.
+		sc.Logger.Info("waiting for compute nodes to be ready")
+		for _, n := range sc.Net.ComputeWorkers() {
+			if err = n.WaitReady(sc.ctx); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to wait for a compute node: %w", err)
+			}
+		}
 	}
 
 	sc.Logger.Info("final epoch transition")