diff --git a/.github/workflows/e2e-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/e2e-tests.yml
index b993a3f9ae..7d99bc17f2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/e2e-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/e2e-tests.yml
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ jobs:
           - title: core
             label_filter: core
             artifact: e2e-test-results-core
+            procs: 4
           - title: mcp-run
             label_filter: mcp-run
             artifact: e2e-test-results-mcp-run
@@ -178,6 +179,7 @@ jobs:
           TOOLHIVE_EGRESS_IMAGE: ghcr.io/stacklok/toolhive/egress-proxy:latest
           TEST_TIMEOUT: ${{ matrix.test_timeout || '15m' }}
           LABEL_FILTER: ${{ matrix.label_filter }}
+          PROCS: ${{ matrix.procs || 1 }}
         run: ./test/e2e/run_tests.sh
 
       - name: Upload test results (${{ matrix.title }})
diff --git a/test/e2e/export_test.go b/test/e2e/export_test.go
index ab92ed3d0b..55c9794e46 100644
--- a/test/e2e/export_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/export_test.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ package e2e_test
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
-	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"time"
@@ -212,5 +211,5 @@ var _ = Describe("Export Command", Label("core", "export", "e2e"), func() {
 
 // generateExportTestServerName creates a unique server name for export tests
 func generateExportTestServerName(prefix string) string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d", prefix, GinkgoRandomSeed())
+	return e2e.GenerateUniqueServerName(prefix)
 }
diff --git a/test/e2e/helpers.go b/test/e2e/helpers.go
index fa2cd036d8..90ebb52913 100644
--- a/test/e2e/helpers.go
+++ b/test/e2e/helpers.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"syscall"
 	"time"
 
@@ -216,14 +217,21 @@ func WaitForMCPServer(config *TestConfig, serverName string, timeout time.Durati
 // ExpectMCPServersRunning waits for each named workload to reach the running
 // state within ServerReadyTimeout, and fails naming the workload that did not.
 //
-// Specs that start several workloads used to wait in a loop over a bare
-// Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred()), so a timeout said only that some workload
-// in the set was not ready. The failure is reported at the caller's line so a
-// CI annotation still points at the spec rather than at this helper.
+// All workloads are polled concurrently so that the total wait is bounded by
+// the slowest workload rather than the sum of all waits.
 func ExpectMCPServersRunning(config *TestConfig, serverNames ...string) {
-	for _, serverName := range serverNames {
-		err := WaitForMCPServer(config, serverName, ServerReadyTimeout())
-		ExpectWithOffset(1, err).ToNot(HaveOccurred(),
+	errs := make([]error, len(serverNames))
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	for i, name := range serverNames {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func(i int, name string) {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			errs[i] = WaitForMCPServer(config, name, ServerReadyTimeout())
+		}(i, name)
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+	for i, serverName := range serverNames {
+		ExpectWithOffset(1, errs[i]).ToNot(HaveOccurred(),
 			"workload %s (of %v) should reach the running state", serverName, serverNames)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/test/e2e/restart_test.go b/test/e2e/restart_test.go
index d2463b1c7c..db11126f74 100644
--- a/test/e2e/restart_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/restart_test.go
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@
 package e2e_test
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -203,5 +202,5 @@ var _ = Describe("Server Restart", Label("core", "restart", "e2e"), func() {
 
 // generateTestServerName creates a unique server name for restart tests
 func generateTestServerName(prefix string) string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d", prefix, GinkgoRandomSeed())
+	return e2e.GenerateUniqueServerName(prefix)
 }
diff --git a/test/e2e/run_tests.sh b/test/e2e/run_tests.sh
index a6c55f5162..e948aae9da 100755
--- a/test/e2e/run_tests.sh
+++ b/test/e2e/run_tests.sh
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ fi
 TEST_TIMEOUT="${TEST_TIMEOUT:-20m}"
 echo -e "${GREEN}✓${NC} Test timeout: $TEST_TIMEOUT"
 
+# Set number of parallel Ginkgo processes (default 1 = sequential)
+PROCS="${PROCS:-1}"
+echo -e "${GREEN}✓${NC} Ginkgo procs: $PROCS"
+
 # Export environment variables for tests
 export THV_BINARY
 export TEST_TIMEOUT
@@ -57,7 +61,7 @@ echo ""
 cd "$(dirname "$0")"
 
 # Build ginkgo command with conditional GitHub output flag
-GINKGO_CMD="ginkgo run --timeout=\"$TEST_TIMEOUT\""
+GINKGO_CMD="ginkgo run --timeout=\"$TEST_TIMEOUT\" --procs=$PROCS"
 GINKGO_CMD="$GINKGO_CMD --junit-report=junit-report.xml --output-dir=."
 GINKGO_CMD="$GINKGO_CMD --silence-skips"
 if [ -n "$GITHUB_ACTIONS" ]; then
diff --git a/test/e2e/status_test.go b/test/e2e/status_test.go
index 01f58012e3..93efba2cc1 100644
--- a/test/e2e/status_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/status_test.go
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ package e2e_test
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
-	"fmt"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
 
@@ -24,7 +23,7 @@ var _ = Describe("Status Command", Label("core", "status", "e2e"), func() {
 
 	BeforeEach(func() {
 		config = e2e.NewTestConfig()
-		serverName = fmt.Sprintf("status-test-%d", GinkgoRandomSeed())
+		serverName = e2e.GenerateUniqueServerName("status-test")
 
 		// Check if thv binary is available
 		err := e2e.CheckTHVBinaryAvailable(config)
diff --git a/test/e2e/thvignore_test.go b/test/e2e/thvignore_test.go
index 66a9cd894f..03616baca4 100644
--- a/test/e2e/thvignore_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/thvignore_test.go
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ var _ = Describe("THVIgnore E2E Tests", Label("core", "thvignore", "e2e"), func(
 
 	BeforeEach(func() {
 		config = e2e.NewTestConfig()
-		serverName = fmt.Sprintf("thvignore-test-%d", GinkgoRandomSeed())
+		serverName = e2e.GenerateUniqueServerName("thvignore-test")
 
 		// Check if thv binary is available
 		err := e2e.CheckTHVBinaryAvailable(config)