diff --git a/bin/tests/system/forward/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/forward/tests.sh
index 25f20480ef..3ee769d402 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/forward/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/forward/tests.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,10 @@ dig_with_opts() (
 )
 
 sendcmd() (
-  dig_with_opts "@${1}" "${2}._control." TXT +time=5 +tries=1 +tcp >/dev/null 2>&1
+  SERVER="${1}"
+  COMMAND="${2}"
+  COMMAND_ARGS="${3}"
+  dig_with_opts "@${SERVER}" "${COMMAND_ARGS}.${COMMAND}._control." TXT +time=5 +tries=1 +tcp >/dev/null 2>&1
 )
 
 rndccmd() {
@@ -259,7 +262,7 @@ n=$((n + 1))
 echo_i "checking that a forwarder timeout prevents it from being reused in the same fetch context ($n)"
 ret=0
 # Make ans6 receive queries without responding to them.
-sendcmd 10.53.0.6 "disable.send-responses"
+sendcmd 10.53.0.6 send-responses "disable"
 # Query for a record in a zone which is forwarded to a non-responding forwarder
 # and is delegated from the root to check whether the forwarder will be retried
 # when a delegation is encountered after falling back to full recursive
@@ -270,7 +273,7 @@ dig_with_opts txt.example7. txt @$f1 >dig.out.$n.f1 || ret=1
 start_pattern="sending packet to 10\.53\.0\.6"
 retry_quiet 5 wait_for_log ns3/named.run "$start_pattern"
 check_sent 1 ns3/named.run "$start_pattern" ";txt\.example7\.[[:space:]]*IN[[:space:]]*TXT$" || ret=1
-sendcmd 10.53.0.6 "enable.send-responses"
+sendcmd 10.53.0.6 send-responses "enable"
 if [ $ret != 0 ]; then echo_i "failed"; fi
 status=$((status + ret))
 
@@ -324,7 +327,7 @@ status=$((status + ret))
 
 # See [GL #3129].
 # Enable silent mode for ans11.
-sendcmd 10.53.0.11 "disable.send-responses"
+sendcmd 10.53.0.11 send-responses "disable"
 n=$((n + 1))
 echo_i "checking the handling of hung DS fetch while chasing DS ($n)"
 ret=0
@@ -338,7 +341,7 @@ nextpart ns3/named.run >/dev/null
 dig_with_opts @$f1 xxx.yyy.sld.tld ds >dig.out.$n.f1 || ret=1
 grep "status: SERVFAIL" dig.out.$n.f1 >/dev/null || ret=1
 # Disable silent mode for ans11.
-sendcmd 10.53.0.11 "enable.send-responses"
+sendcmd 10.53.0.11 send-responses "enable"
 if [ $ret != 0 ]; then echo_i "failed"; fi
 status=$((status + ret))