diff --git a/acceptance/tests/environment/use_enc_environment_for_pluginsync.rb b/acceptance/tests/environment/use_enc_environment_for_pluginsync.rb
index 0a3f34a1c..72a12ed33 100644
--- a/acceptance/tests/environment/use_enc_environment_for_pluginsync.rb
+++ b/acceptance/tests/environment/use_enc_environment_for_pluginsync.rb
@@ -1,43 +1,43 @@
 test_name "Agent should use environment given by ENC for pluginsync"
 
 testdir = master.tmpdir('respect_enc_test')
 
 create_remote_file master, "#{testdir}/enc.rb", <<END
 #!#{master['puppetbindir']}/ruby
 puts <<YAML
 parameters:
 environment: special
 YAML
 END
 on master, "chmod 755 #{testdir}/enc.rb"
 
 master_opts = {
   'master' => {
     'node_terminus' => 'exec',
     'external_nodes' => "#{testdir}/enc.rb"
   },
   'special' => {
     'modulepath' => "#{testdir}/special"
   }
 }
 if master.is_pe?
   master_opts['special']['modulepath'] << ":#{master['sitemoduledir']}"
 end
 
 on master, "mkdir -p #{testdir}/modules"
 # Create a plugin file on the master
 on master, "mkdir -p #{testdir}/special/amod/lib/puppet"
 create_remote_file(master, "#{testdir}/special/amod/lib/puppet/foo.rb", "#special_version")
 
 on master, "chown -R #{master['user']}:#{master['group']} #{testdir}"
 on master, "chmod -R g+rwX #{testdir}"
 
 with_puppet_running_on master, master_opts, testdir do
 
   agents.each do |agent|
     run_agent_on(agent, "--no-daemonize --onetime --server #{master}")
-    on agent, "cat #{agent.puppet['vardir']}/lib/puppet/foo.rb"
+    on agent, "cat \"#{agent.puppet['vardir']}/lib/puppet/foo.rb\""
     assert_match(/#special_version/, stdout, "The plugin from environment 'special' was not synced")
-    on agent, "rm -rf #{agent.puppet['vardir']}/lib"
+    on agent, "rm -rf \"#{agent.puppet['vardir']}/lib\""
   end
 end
diff --git a/acceptance/tests/pluginsync/files_earlier_in_modulepath_take_precendence.rb b/acceptance/tests/pluginsync/files_earlier_in_modulepath_take_precendence.rb
index 076ca63d7..62cc95121 100644
--- a/acceptance/tests/pluginsync/files_earlier_in_modulepath_take_precendence.rb
+++ b/acceptance/tests/pluginsync/files_earlier_in_modulepath_take_precendence.rb
@@ -1,49 +1,49 @@
 test_name "earlier modules take precendence over later modules in the modulepath"
 
 step "Create some modules in the modulepath"
 basedir = master.tmpdir("module_precedence")
 module1libdir = "#{basedir}/1"
 module2libdir = "#{basedir}/2"
 
 apply_manifest_on(master, <<MANIFEST)
 file { "#{basedir}":
   owner => #{master['group']},
   recurse => true,
   require => File[mod1, mod2]
 }
 
 Exec { path => "/bin:/usr/bin" }
 
 exec { "mod1path": command => "mkdir -p #{module1libdir}/a/lib" }
 exec { "mod2path": command => "mkdir -p #{module2libdir}/a/lib" }
 
 file { "mod1":
   path => "#{module1libdir}/a/lib/foo.rb",
   content => "'from the first module'",
   owner => #{master['group']},
   require => Exec[mod1path]
 }
 
 file { "mod2":
   path => "#{module2libdir}/a/lib/foo.rb",
   content => "'from the second module'",
   owner => #{master['group']},
   require => Exec[mod2path]
 }
 MANIFEST
 
 master_opts = {
   'master' => {
     'modulepath' => "#{module1libdir}:#{module2libdir}",
     'node_terminus' => 'plain',
   }
 }
 
 with_puppet_running_on master, master_opts, basedir do
   agents.each do |agent|
     on(agent, puppet('agent', "-t --server #{master}"))
-    on agent, "cat #{agent.puppet['vardir']}/lib/foo.rb" do
+    on agent, "cat \"#{agent.puppet['vardir']}/lib/foo.rb\"" do
       assert_match(/from the first module/, stdout, "The synced plugin was not found or the wrong version was synced")
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/acceptance/tests/ticket_6541_invalid_filebucket_files.rb b/acceptance/tests/ticket_6541_invalid_filebucket_files.rb
index 46972d203..28e6ed10d 100644
--- a/acceptance/tests/ticket_6541_invalid_filebucket_files.rb
+++ b/acceptance/tests/ticket_6541_invalid_filebucket_files.rb
@@ -1,33 +1,33 @@
 test_name "#6541: file type truncates target when filebucket cannot retrieve hash"
 
 agents.each do |agent|
   target=agent.tmpfile('6541-target')
 
-  on agent, host_command('rm -rf #{host.puppet["vardir"]}/*bucket')
+  on agent, host_command("rm -rf \"#{host.puppet['vardir']}/*bucket\"")
 
   step "write zero length file"
   manifest = "file { '#{target}': content => '' }"
   apply_manifest_on(agent, manifest)
 
   step "overwrite file, causing zero-length file to be backed up"
   manifest = "file { '#{target}': content => 'some text' }"
   apply_manifest_on(agent, manifest)
 
   test_name "verify invalid hashes should not change the file"
   manifest = "file { '#{target}': content => '{md5}notahash' }"
   apply_manifest_on(agent, manifest) do
     assert_no_match(/content changed/, stdout, "#{agent}: shouldn't have overwrote the file")
   end
 
   test_name "verify valid but unbucketed hashes should not change the file"
   manifest = "file { '#{target}': content => '{md5}13ad7345d56b566a4408ffdcd877bc78' }"
   apply_manifest_on(agent, manifest) do
     assert_no_match(/content changed/, stdout, "#{agent}: shouldn't have overwrote the file")
   end
 
   test_name "verify that an empty file can be retrieved from the filebucket"
   manifest = "file { '#{target}': content => '{md5}d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e' }"
   apply_manifest_on(agent, manifest) do
     assert_match(/content changed '\{md5\}552e21cd4cd9918678e3c1a0df491bc3' to '\{md5\}d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e'/, stdout, "#{agent}: shouldn't have overwrote the file")
   end
 end
diff --git a/acceptance/tests/ticket_6734_6256_5530_5503.rb b/acceptance/tests/ticket_6734_6256_5530_5503.rb
index 32d8b86cd..04419ed22 100644
--- a/acceptance/tests/ticket_6734_6256_5530_5503.rb
+++ b/acceptance/tests/ticket_6734_6256_5530_5503.rb
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 # Puppet master fails to start due to impropper
 # permissons on the puppet/ dir.  Specially, the rrd
 # sub dir is not created when puppet master starts
 
 test_name "Tickets 6734 6256 5530 5503i Puppet Master fails to start"
 
 with_puppet_running_on master, {} do
   step "Check permissions on puppet/rrd/"
-  on master, "ls -l #{master.puppet['vardir']} | grep rrd | awk '{print $3\" \"$4}'" do
+  on master, "ls -l \"#{master.puppet['vardir']}\" | grep rrd | awk '{print $3\" \"$4}'" do
     assert_match(/#{master['group']} #{master['group']}/, stdout, "puppet/rrd does not exist/wrong permissions")
   end
 end
diff --git a/acceptance/tests/ticket_9862_puppet_runs_without_service_user_or_group_present.rb b/acceptance/tests/ticket_9862_puppet_runs_without_service_user_or_group_present.rb
index f6c23ca83..bdd98e414 100644
--- a/acceptance/tests/ticket_9862_puppet_runs_without_service_user_or_group_present.rb
+++ b/acceptance/tests/ticket_9862_puppet_runs_without_service_user_or_group_present.rb
@@ -1,65 +1,65 @@
 test_name "#9862: puppet runs without service user or group present"
 
 # puppet doesn't try to manage ownership on windows.
 confine :except, :platform => 'windows'
 
 require 'puppet/acceptance/temp_file_utils'
 extend Puppet::Acceptance::TempFileUtils
 initialize_temp_dirs
 
 def assert_ownership(agent, location, expected_user, expected_group)
   on(agent, "stat --format '%U:%G' #{location}") do
     assert_match(/#{expected_user}:#{expected_group}/, stdout)
   end
 end
 
 def missing_directory_for(agent, dir)
   agent_dir = get_test_file_path(agent, dir)
   on agent, "rm -rf #{agent_dir}"
   agent_dir
 end
 
 teardown do
   agents.each do |agent|
     step "ensure puppet resets it's user/group settings"
     on agent, puppet('apply', '-e', '"notify { puppet_run: }"')
-    on agent, "find #{agent.puppet['vardir']} -user existinguser" do
+    on agent, "find \"#{agent.puppet['vardir']}\" -user existinguser" do
       assert_equal('',stdout)
     end
     on agent, puppet('resource', 'user', 'existinguser', 'ensure=absent')
     on agent, puppet('resource', 'group', 'existinggroup', 'ensure=absent')
   end
 end
 
 step "when the user and group are missing"
 agents.each do |agent|
   logdir = missing_directory_for(agent, 'log')
 
   on agent, puppet('apply',
                    '-e', '"notify { puppet_run: }"',
                    '--logdir', logdir,
                    '--user', 'missinguser',
                    '--group', 'missinggroup') do
 
     assert_match(/puppet_run/, stdout)
     assert_ownership(agent, logdir, 'root', 'root')
   end
 end
 
 step "when the user and group exist"
 agents.each do |agent|
   logdir = missing_directory_for(agent, 'log')
 
   on agent, puppet('resource', 'user', 'existinguser', 'ensure=present')
   on agent, puppet('resource', 'group', 'existinggroup', 'ensure=present')
 
   on agent, puppet('apply',
                    '-e', '"notify { puppet_run: }"',
                    '--logdir', logdir,
                    '--user', 'existinguser',
                    '--group', 'existinggroup') do
 
     assert_match(/puppet_run/, stdout)
     assert_ownership(agent, logdir, 'existinguser', 'existinggroup')
   end
 end