diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/smoketest-runner.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/smoketest-runner.sh
index b7f0c2539aac105a3981aa402162ba9a0c6ed9be..e464421ad448a5e5ad6af402a739dd528a21b9ba 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/smoketest-runner.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/smoketest-runner.sh
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ sleep 5s
 docker-compose ps
 
 if test -f "./test.sh"; then
-    ./test.sh
+    timeout 3m ./test.sh
     RETURN=$?
 else
     RETURN=$?
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-beam-flink/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-beam-flink/test.sh
index 047ea6cc95a129444fb3d4aaef7463404d07ecdc..3c33834b0b21bc5dbe4e6a7c3ff947121bb2ce71 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-beam-flink/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-beam-flink/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=s -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 20 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-beam-samza/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-beam-samza/test.sh
index 047ea6cc95a129444fb3d4aaef7463404d07ecdc..3c33834b0b21bc5dbe4e6a7c3ff947121bb2ce71 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-beam-samza/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-beam-samza/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=s -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 20 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-flink/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-flink/test.sh
index 047ea6cc95a129444fb3d4aaef7463404d07ecdc..3c33834b0b21bc5dbe4e6a7c3ff947121bb2ce71 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-flink/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-flink/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=s -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 20 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-kstreams/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-kstreams/test.sh
index 047ea6cc95a129444fb3d4aaef7463404d07ecdc..3c33834b0b21bc5dbe4e6a7c3ff947121bb2ce71 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-kstreams/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc2-kstreams/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=s -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 20 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-beam-flink/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-beam-flink/test.sh
index bc4548416faf883aa19938f601168a86c9a19b07..0612838a3973a302c9acb3bbfa6b8d59ea2596c5 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-beam-flink/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-beam-flink/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=s -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 600 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-beam-samza/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-beam-samza/test.sh
index bc4548416faf883aa19938f601168a86c9a19b07..0612838a3973a302c9acb3bbfa6b8d59ea2596c5 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-beam-samza/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-beam-samza/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=s -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 600 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-kstreams/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-kstreams/test.sh
index bc4548416faf883aa19938f601168a86c9a19b07..0612838a3973a302c9acb3bbfa6b8d59ea2596c5 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-kstreams/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc3-kstreams/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=s -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 600 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-beam-flink/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-beam-flink/test.sh
index f6a7eccb7d21b6e2194b1bbbd1cf01a81e04c1c9..6a4c6dbf4f583e7598baefae8f48136bb2113630 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-beam-flink/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-beam-flink/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=avro -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 2000 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-beam-samza/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-beam-samza/test.sh
index f6a7eccb7d21b6e2194b1bbbd1cf01a81e04c1c9..6a4c6dbf4f583e7598baefae8f48136bb2113630 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-beam-samza/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-beam-samza/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=avro -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 2000 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-flink/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-flink/test.sh
index 71fd0fbeb3c2d475e8cd9f008d01aa0677f0c0cc..0a478cf6641a1333f65281ae43cb525e32cb2510 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-flink/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-flink/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=avro -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 500 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |
diff --git a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-kstreams/test.sh b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-kstreams/test.sh
index 75f020a63ccad4382eb8b2a3c413e0694b266ce8..9b9dee7dc78e7a587b9f2e5b778066e5bc099755 100755
--- a/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-kstreams/test.sh
+++ b/theodolite-benchmarks/docker-test/uc4-kstreams/test.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+until docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -L -b kafka:9092 -t output -J | jq -r '.topics[0].partitions | length' | grep "\b3\b"; do sleep 5s; done
+
 docker-compose exec -T kcat kcat -C -b kafka:9092 -t output -s key=s -s value=avro -r http://schema-registry:8081 -f '%k:%s\n' -c 32 |
     tee /dev/stderr |
     awk -F ':' '!/^%/ {print $1}' |