diff --git a/tests/docker/common.rc b/tests/docker/common.rc
index ebc5b97ecf..c5cc33d366 100755
--- a/tests/docker/common.rc
+++ b/tests/docker/common.rc
@@ -15,14 +15,23 @@
 # overriden by TARGET_LIST if the user sets it.
 DEF_TARGET_LIST=${DEF_TARGET_LIST:-"x86_64-softmmu,aarch64-softmmu"}
 
-requires()
+requires_binary()
 {
+    found=0
     for c in $@; do
-        if ! echo "$FEATURES" | grep -wq -e "$c"; then
-            echo "Prerequisite '$c' not present, skip"
-            exit 0
-        fi
+        for d in /bin /usr/bin /usr/local/bin
+        do
+            if test -f "$d/$c"
+            then
+                found=1
+            fi
+        done
     done
+    if test "$found" != "1"
+    then
+        echo "Prerequisite '$c' not present, skip"
+        exit 0
+    fi
 }
 
 configure_qemu()
diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/debian10.docker b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/debian10.docker
index a27b88df55..b414af1b9f 100644
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/debian10.docker
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/debian10.docker
@@ -35,5 +35,3 @@ RUN apt update && \
         python3-sphinx \
         python3-sphinx-rtd-theme \
         $(apt-get -s build-dep --arch-only qemu | egrep ^Inst | fgrep '[all]' | cut -d\  -f2)
-
-ENV FEATURES docs
diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora-win32-cross.docker b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora-win32-cross.docker
index 9fed35f4e1..5a03e1af43 100644
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora-win32-cross.docker
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora-win32-cross.docker
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ ENV PACKAGES \
 
 RUN dnf install -y $PACKAGES
 RUN rpm -q $PACKAGES | sort > /packages.txt
-ENV FEATURES mingw
 
 # Specify the cross prefix for this image (see tests/docker/common.rc)
 ENV QEMU_CONFIGURE_OPTS --cross-prefix=i686-w64-mingw32-
diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora-win64-cross.docker b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora-win64-cross.docker
index fb641f6104..ff706040c4 100644
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora-win64-cross.docker
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora-win64-cross.docker
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ ENV PACKAGES \
 
 RUN dnf install -y $PACKAGES
 RUN rpm -q $PACKAGES | sort > /packages.txt
-ENV FEATURES mingw
 
 # Specify the cross prefix for this image (see tests/docker/common.rc)
 ENV QEMU_CONFIGURE_OPTS --cross-prefix=x86_64-w64-mingw32- --disable-capstone
diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora.docker b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora.docker
index a506e68d33..64a413f5e0 100644
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora.docker
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/fedora.docker
@@ -117,4 +117,3 @@ ENV QEMU_CONFIGURE_OPTS --python=/usr/bin/python3
 RUN dnf install -y $PACKAGES
 RUN rpm -q $PACKAGES | sort > /packages.txt
 ENV PATH $PATH:/usr/libexec/python3-sphinx/
-ENV FEATURES mingw clang pyyaml asan docs
diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu.docker b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu.docker
index e0ff425c01..f0e0180d21 100644
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu.docker
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu.docker
@@ -69,4 +69,3 @@ ENV PACKAGES \
 RUN apt-get update && \
     DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y install $PACKAGES
 RUN dpkg -l $PACKAGES | sort > /packages.txt
-ENV FEATURES clang pyyaml sdl2 docs
diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu1804.docker b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu1804.docker
index adcdef8244..0acdb0d9ad 100644
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu1804.docker
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu1804.docker
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ ENV PACKAGES \
 RUN apt-get update && \
     DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y install $PACKAGES
 RUN dpkg -l $PACKAGES | sort > /packages.txt
-ENV FEATURES clang pyyaml sdl2 docs
 
 # https://bugs.launchpad.net/qemu/+bug/1838763
 ENV QEMU_CONFIGURE_OPTS --disable-libssh
diff --git a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu2004.docker b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu2004.docker
index 78755bc2e3..88b3cfa136 100644
--- a/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu2004.docker
+++ b/tests/docker/dockerfiles/ubuntu2004.docker
@@ -70,7 +70,6 @@ ENV PACKAGES flex bison \
 RUN apt-get update && \
     DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get -y install $PACKAGES
 RUN dpkg -l $PACKAGES | sort > /packages.txt
-ENV FEATURES clang tsan pyyaml sdl2
 
 # Apply patch https://reviews.llvm.org/D75820
 # This is required for TSan in clang-10 to compile with QEMU.
diff --git a/tests/docker/run b/tests/docker/run
index 8edc7026ee..421393046b 100755
--- a/tests/docker/run
+++ b/tests/docker/run
@@ -30,9 +30,6 @@ mkdir -p $TEST_DIR/{src,build,install}
 
 # Extract the source tarballs
 tar -C $TEST_DIR/src -xf $BASE/qemu.tar || { echo "Failed to untar source"; exit 2; }
-if test -f $TEST_DIR/src/Makefile; then
-    export FEATURES="$FEATURES dtc"
-fi
 
 if test -n "$SHOW_ENV"; then
     if test -f /packages.txt; then
diff --git a/tests/docker/test-clang b/tests/docker/test-clang
index 8c51ead518..b57e0119d9 100755
--- a/tests/docker/test-clang
+++ b/tests/docker/test-clang
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 
 . common.rc
 
-requires clang
+requires_binary clang
 
 cd "$BUILD_DIR"
 
diff --git a/tests/docker/test-debug b/tests/docker/test-debug
index c050fa0d93..f52f16328c 100755
--- a/tests/docker/test-debug
+++ b/tests/docker/test-debug
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 . common.rc
 
-requires clang asan
+requires_binary clang
 
 cd "$BUILD_DIR"
 
diff --git a/tests/docker/test-mingw b/tests/docker/test-mingw
index c30eb654eb..0bc6d78872 100755
--- a/tests/docker/test-mingw
+++ b/tests/docker/test-mingw
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
 
 . common.rc
 
-requires mingw dtc
+requires_binary x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc
+requires_binary i686-w64-mingw32-gcc
 
 cd "$BUILD_DIR"
 
diff --git a/tests/docker/test-misc b/tests/docker/test-misc
index cc94a738dd..2a3c2c2e1c 100755
--- a/tests/docker/test-misc
+++ b/tests/docker/test-misc
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 . common.rc
 
-requires docs
+requires_binary sphinx-build-3 sphinx-build
 
 cd "$BUILD_DIR"
 
diff --git a/tests/docker/test-tsan b/tests/docker/test-tsan
index eb40ac45b7..53d90d2f79 100755
--- a/tests/docker/test-tsan
+++ b/tests/docker/test-tsan
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 
 setup_tsan()
 {
-    requires clang tsan
+    requires_binary clang
     tsan_log_dir="/tmp/qemu-test/build/tsan"
     mkdir -p $tsan_log_dir > /dev/null || true
     EXTRA_CONFIGURE_OPTS="${EXTRA_CONFIGURE_OPTS} --enable-tsan \
