diff --git a/spec/features/cycle_analytics_spec.rb b/spec/features/cycle_analytics_spec.rb
index 0648c89a5c7383e0423350c395cfc54b105d29ff..46c3bc9992e65eb8e0bcccb069921b7e6335493a 100644
--- a/spec/features/cycle_analytics_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/cycle_analytics_spec.rb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ feature 'Cycle Analytics', feature: true, js: true do
   let(:project) { create(:project) }
   let(:issue) { create(:issue, project: project, created_at: 2.days.ago) }
   let(:milestone) { create(:milestone, project: project) }
-  let(:mr) { create_merge_request_closing_issue(issue) }
+  let(:mr) { create_merge_request_closing_issue(issue, commit_message: "References #{issue.to_reference}") }
   let(:pipeline) { create(:ci_empty_pipeline, status: 'created', project: project, ref: mr.source_branch, sha: mr.source_branch_sha) }
 
   context 'as an allowed user' do
@@ -34,7 +34,6 @@ feature 'Cycle Analytics', feature: true, js: true do
       before do
         project.team << [user, :master]
 
-        allow_any_instance_of(Gitlab::ReferenceExtractor).to receive(:issues).and_return([issue])
         create_cycle
         deploy_master
 
diff --git a/spec/lib/gitlab/cycle_analytics/events_spec.rb b/spec/lib/gitlab/cycle_analytics/events_spec.rb
index 9d2ba4819198f62c9c1c2ee2a3d1108a34ea96eb..0d56bdd0ebd0942b56c5d901b118c128200c8a1d 100644
--- a/spec/lib/gitlab/cycle_analytics/events_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/gitlab/cycle_analytics/events_spec.rb
@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@ describe 'cycle analytics events' do
   end
 
   before do
-    allow_any_instance_of(Gitlab::ReferenceExtractor).to receive(:issues).and_return([context])
-
     setup(context)
   end
 
@@ -332,7 +330,7 @@ describe 'cycle analytics events' do
   def setup(context)
     milestone = create(:milestone, project: project)
     context.update(milestone: milestone)
-    mr = create_merge_request_closing_issue(context)
+    mr = create_merge_request_closing_issue(context, commit_message: "References #{context.to_reference}")
 
     ProcessCommitWorker.new.perform(project.id, user.id, mr.commits.last.to_hash)
   end
diff --git a/spec/requests/projects/cycle_analytics_events_spec.rb b/spec/requests/projects/cycle_analytics_events_spec.rb
index 0edbffbcd3b1e451f650b858447cc626181cad0a..c2f8f33447d8376b149c8855b5a1943499e7c626 100644
--- a/spec/requests/projects/cycle_analytics_events_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/projects/cycle_analytics_events_spec.rb
@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@ describe 'cycle analytics events' do
     before do
       project.team << [user, :developer]
 
-      allow_any_instance_of(Gitlab::ReferenceExtractor).to receive(:issues).and_return([issue])
-
       3.times do |count|
         Timecop.freeze(Time.now + count.days) do
           create_cycle
@@ -123,7 +121,7 @@ describe 'cycle analytics events' do
   def create_cycle
     milestone = create(:milestone, project: project)
     issue.update(milestone: milestone)
-    mr = create_merge_request_closing_issue(issue)
+    mr = create_merge_request_closing_issue(issue, commit_message: "References #{issue.to_reference}")
 
     pipeline = create(:ci_empty_pipeline, status: 'created', project: project, ref: mr.source_branch, sha: mr.source_branch_sha)
     pipeline.run
diff --git a/spec/support/cycle_analytics_helpers.rb b/spec/support/cycle_analytics_helpers.rb
index 8ad042f5e3bca645944300b2ec3d9309822cc4e9..66545127a44e354ae7b2656044860db5349c4a8d 100644
--- a/spec/support/cycle_analytics_helpers.rb
+++ b/spec/support/cycle_analytics_helpers.rb
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ module CycleAnalyticsHelpers
                        ref: 'refs/heads/master').execute
   end
 
-  def create_merge_request_closing_issue(issue, message: nil, source_branch: nil)
+  def create_merge_request_closing_issue(issue, message: nil, source_branch: nil, commit_message: 'commit message')
     if !source_branch || project.repository.commit(source_branch).blank?
       source_branch = generate(:branch)
       project.repository.add_branch(user, source_branch, 'master')
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ module CycleAnalyticsHelpers
       user,
       generate(:branch),
       'content',
-      message: 'commit message',
+      message: commit_message,
       branch_name: source_branch)
     project.repository.commit(sha)