diff --git a/test/e2e/internal/precheck/common.go b/test/e2e/internal/precheck/common.go
index 606dff9b19..536c21ccf9 100644
--- a/test/e2e/internal/precheck/common.go
+++ b/test/e2e/internal/precheck/common.go
@@ -175,13 +175,13 @@ func filterSpecs(specs []specInfo, focusRegex, labelFilter string) []specInfo {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Parse label filter (comma-separated, supports ~ for negated)
+	// Parse label filter (comma-separated, supports ! for negated)
 	requiredLabels := make(map[string]bool)
 	negatedLabels := make(map[string]bool)
 	if labelFilter != "" {
 		for _, l := range strings.Split(labelFilter, ",") {
 			l = strings.TrimSpace(l)
-			if strings.HasPrefix(l, "~") {
+			if strings.HasPrefix(l, "!") {
 				negatedLabels[l[1:]] = true
 			} else {
 				requiredLabels[l] = true