diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 68a9185393468d02a33191d212ec5c0fd54ec86a..2de6d958a74cc452ee8e130ec7fe534d99e5f8a2 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ Python 3 Intel:
   - export PY_EXE=python3
   - export EXTRA_INSTALL="pybind11 numpy mako"
   - source /opt/enable-intel-cl.sh
-  - export PYOPENCL_TEST=intel(r):pu
+  - export PYOPENCL_TEST="intel(r):pu"
   - curl -L -O -k https://gitlab.tiker.net/inducer/ci-support/raw/master/build-and-test-py-project.sh
   - ". ./build-and-test-py-project.sh"
   tags:
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ Python 3 Intel MPI:
   script:
   - export PY_EXE=python3
   - source /opt/enable-intel-cl.sh
-  - export PYOPENCL_TEST=intel(r):pu
+  - export PYOPENCL_TEST="intel(r):pu"
   - export EXTRA_INSTALL="pybind11 numpy mako mpi4py pymetis"
   - export PYTEST_ADDOPTS="-k mpi"
   - curl -L -O -k https://gitlab.tiker.net/inducer/ci-support/raw/master/build-and-test-py-project.sh
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ Python 3 Intel Examples:
   script:
   - export PY_EXE=python3
   - source /opt/enable-intel-cl.sh
-  - export PYOPENCL_TEST=intel(r):pu
+  - export PYOPENCL_TEST="intel(r):pu"
   - export EXTRA_INSTALL="pybind11 numpy mako mpi4py pyvisfile pymetis"
   - curl -L -O -k https://gitlab.tiker.net/inducer/ci-support/raw/master/build-py-project-and-run-examples.sh
   - ". ./build-py-project-and-run-examples.sh"