diff --git a/dist/tools/ci/print_toolchain_versions.sh b/dist/tools/ci/print_toolchain_versions.sh
index 49abec1f07..c3e6444387 100755
--- a/dist/tools/ci/print_toolchain_versions.sh
+++ b/dist/tools/ci/print_toolchain_versions.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/sh
+#!/bin/bash
 
 MAKE=${MAKE:-make}
 
diff --git a/dist/tools/coccinelle/check.sh b/dist/tools/coccinelle/check.sh
index 73b7bd533c..8aa2310c24 100755
--- a/dist/tools/coccinelle/check.sh
+++ b/dist/tools/coccinelle/check.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/sh
+#!/bin/bash
 
 # Copyright 2017 Kaspar Schleiser <kaspar@schleiser.de>
 #
diff --git a/dist/tools/dlcache/dlcache.sh b/dist/tools/dlcache/dlcache.sh
index 08cf7d6de4..dfcdd5e04d 100755
--- a/dist/tools/dlcache/dlcache.sh
+++ b/dist/tools/dlcache/dlcache.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/sh
+#!/bin/bash
 
 DLCACHE_DIR=${DLCACHE_DIR:-~/.dlcache}
 
diff --git a/dist/tools/git/git-cache b/dist/tools/git/git-cache
index 24e4de4ffd..7534396937 100755
--- a/dist/tools/git/git-cache
+++ b/dist/tools/git/git-cache
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/sh -e
+#!/bin/bash -e
 
 [ "$GIT_CACHE_VERBOSE" != "1" ] && Q=-q
 
diff --git a/dist/tools/licenses/check.sh b/dist/tools/licenses/check.sh
index 92bab9798a..203a99e748 100755
--- a/dist/tools/licenses/check.sh
+++ b/dist/tools/licenses/check.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/sh
+#!/bin/bash
 
 # Copyright 2017 Kaspar Schleiser <kaspar@schleiser.de>
 # Copyright 2014 Ludwig Knüpfer <ludwig.knuepfer@fu-berlin.de>