diff --git a/.ci/helpers.sh b/.ci/helpers.sh
index 0279d67..c00484f 100644
--- a/.ci/helpers.sh
+++ b/.ci/helpers.sh
@@ -77,9 +77,7 @@ upload_directory_to_s3() {
 }
 
 prepare_functional_tests_source_and_cd_into_it() {
-  git clone https://gitlab-ci-token:$CI_JOB_TOKEN@gitlab.com/kasm-technologies/internal/kasmvnc-functional-tests.git
   cd kasmvnc-functional-tests
-  git checkout release/1.0.0
   mkdir output && chown 1000:1000 output
   mkdir report && chown 1000:1000 report
 }
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index a839c2c..dd01984 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ services:
 variables:
   KASMVNC_COMMIT_ID: $CI_COMMIT_SHA
   GITLAB_SHARED_DIND_DIR: /builds/$CI_PROJECT_PATH/shared
-  GIT_SUBMODULE_STRATEGY: normal
+  GIT_SUBMODULE_STRATEGY: recursive
+  GIT_SUBMODULE_FORCE_HTTPS: "true"
   GIT_FETCH_EXTRA_FLAGS: --tags --force
   # For example, BUILD_DISTROS_REGEX: "jammy|focal".
   # "BUILD_DISTROS_REGEX: none" won't build any distros, nor www.
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 74a470e..cad5101 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -2,3 +2,6 @@
 	path = kasmweb
 	url = https://github.com/kasmtech/noVNC.git
 	branch = release/1.2.3
+[submodule "kasmvnc-functional-tests"]
+	path = kasmvnc-functional-tests
+	url = git@gitlab.com:kasm-technologies/internal/kasmvnc-functional-tests.git
diff --git a/kasmvnc-functional-tests b/kasmvnc-functional-tests
new file mode 160000
index 0000000..0e736d8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/kasmvnc-functional-tests
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 0e736d83c94305c0eb85733031d12286246da138