diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 93f7ef5676df5..b9c2082d76f94 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ npm-debug.log
 /node_modules/marked
 /node_modules/require-inject
 /node_modules/sprintf-js
+/node_modules/deep-equal
 /html/api/
 /html/partial/
 /html/doc/
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 11ae0b37923a9..194edaf9d987f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@
     "write-file-atomic"
   ],
   "devDependencies": {
+    "deep-equal": "~1.0.0",
     "marked": "~0.3.3",
     "marked-man": "~0.1.4",
     "nock": "~1.6.0",
diff --git a/test/tap/git-races.js b/test/tap/git-races.js
index 034214e244c31..52d74d4f23954 100644
--- a/test/tap/git-races.js
+++ b/test/tap/git-races.js
@@ -1,17 +1,18 @@
+var execFile = require('child_process').execFile
 var path = require('path')
 var zlib = require('zlib')
-var execFile = require('child_process').execFile
 
+var asyncMap = require('slide').asyncMap
+var deepEqual = require('deep-equal')
 var fs = require('graceful-fs')
-var test = require('tap').test
-var tmpdir = require('osenv').tmpdir
 var mkdirp = require('mkdirp')
+var once = require('once')
+var requireInject = require('require-inject')
 var rimraf = require('rimraf')
 var tar = require('tar')
-var once = require('once')
+var test = require('tap').test
+var tmpdir = require('osenv').tmpdir
 var which = require('which')
-var requireInject = require('require-inject')
-var asyncMap = require('slide').asyncMap
 
 var wd = path.resolve(tmpdir(), 'git-races')
 var fixtures = path.resolve(__dirname, '../fixtures')
@@ -160,6 +161,43 @@ test('setup', function (t) {
   })
 })
 
+// there are three valid trees that can result, and
+// we don't care which one we get
+var oneTree = [
+  'npm-git-test@1.0.0', [
+    ['dummy-npm-bar@4.0.0', [
+      ['dummy-npm-foo@3.0.0', []]
+    ]],
+    ['dummy-npm-buzz@3.0.0', []],
+    ['dummy-npm-foo@4.0.0', [
+      ['dummy-npm-buzz@2.0.0', []]
+    ]]
+  ]
+]
+var otherTree = [
+  'npm-git-test@1.0.0', [
+    ['dummy-npm-bar@4.0.0', [
+      ['dummy-npm-buzz@3.0.0', []],
+      ['dummy-npm-foo@3.0.0', []]
+    ]],
+    ['dummy-npm-buzz@3.0.0', []],
+    ['dummy-npm-foo@4.0.0', [
+      ['dummy-npm-buzz@2.0.0', []]
+    ]]
+  ]
+]
+var grippingTree = [
+  'npm-git-test@1.0.0', [
+    ['dummy-npm-bar@4.0.0', [
+      ['dummy-npm-buzz@3.0.0', []],
+      ['dummy-npm-foo@3.0.0', []]
+    ]],
+    ['dummy-npm-foo@4.0.0', [
+      ['dummy-npm-buzz@2.0.0', []]
+    ]]
+  ]
+]
+
 test('correct versions are installed for git dependency', function (t) {
   t.plan(4)
   t.comment('test for https://github.com/npm/npm/issues/7202')
@@ -167,16 +205,13 @@ test('correct versions are installed for git dependency', function (t) {
     t.ifError(er, 'installed OK')
     npm.commands.ls([], true, function (er, result) {
       t.ifError(er, 'ls OK')
-      t.deepEqual(toSimple(result), [
-        'npm-git-test@1.0.0', [
-          ['dummy-npm-bar@4.0.0', [
-            ['dummy-npm-foo@3.0.0', []]
-          ]],
-          ['dummy-npm-buzz@3.0.0', []],
-          ['dummy-npm-foo@4.0.0', [
-            ['dummy-npm-buzz@2.0.0', []]
-          ]]
-        ]], 'install tree is correct')
+      var simplified = toSimple(result)
+      t.ok(
+        deepEqual(simplified, oneTree) ||
+          deepEqual(simplified, otherTree) ||
+          deepEqual(simplified, grippingTree),
+        'install tree is correct'
+      )
     })
   })
 })