diff --git a/.drone.yml b/.drone.yml
index 7f4a056..90367ce 100644
--- a/.drone.yml
+++ b/.drone.yml
@@ -127,7 +127,8 @@ steps:
       - export API_URL="http://e2e$${RUN_ID}.192.168.178.201.nip.io"
       - echo "VM_IP=$VM_IP RUN_ID=$RUN_ID API_URL=$API_URL"
       - echo "Waiting for VM to be reachable..."
-      - timeout 120 bash -c "until sshpass -p '$E2E_VM_PASSWORD' ssh debian@$VM_IP 'echo ok' 2>/dev/null; do sleep 5; done"
+      - sshpass -p "$E2E_VM_PASSWORD" ssh -o ConnectTimeout=5 debian@$VM_IP "echo ok" || echo "SSH failed with exit code $?"
+      - timeout 60 bash -c "until sshpass -p \"$E2E_VM_PASSWORD\" ssh debian@$VM_IP 'echo ok' 2>/dev/null; do sleep 5; done"
       - sshpass -p "$E2E_VM_PASSWORD" scp scripts/e2e-test.sh debian@$VM_IP:/tmp/e2e-test.sh
       - sshpass -p "$E2E_VM_PASSWORD" ssh debian@$VM_IP "chmod +x /tmp/e2e-test.sh"
       - sshpass -p "$E2E_VM_PASSWORD" ssh debian@$VM_IP "REPO_URL=https://gitea.gilmour109.de/gilmour109/calchat.git COMMIT_SHA=$DRONE_COMMIT_SHA API_URL=$API_URL bash /tmp/e2e-test.sh"