diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/canonicalize-assets.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/canonicalize-assets.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..64a66c2b7b73c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/canonicalize-assets.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/**
+ * Reduce template to a normal form where asset references have been normalized
+ *
+ * This makes it possible to compare templates if all that's different between
+ * them is the hashes of the asset values.
+ *
+ * Currently only handles parameterized assets, but can (and should)
+ * be adapted to handle convention-mode assets as well when we start using
+ * more of those.
+ */
+export function canonicalizeTemplate(template: any): any {
+  // For the weird case where we have an array of templates...
+  if (Array.isArray(template)) {
+    return template.map(canonicalizeTemplate);
+  }
+
+  // Find assets via parameters
+  const stringSubstitutions = new Array<[RegExp, string]>();
+  const paramRe = /^AssetParameters([a-zA-Z0-9]{64})(S3Bucket|S3VersionKey|ArtifactHash)([a-zA-Z0-9]{8})$/;
+
+  const assetsSeen = new Set<string>();
+  for (const paramName of Object.keys(template?.Parameters || {})) {
+    const m = paramRe.exec(paramName);
+    if (!m) { continue; }
+    if (assetsSeen.has(m[1])) { continue; }
+
+    assetsSeen.add(m[1]);
+    const ix = assetsSeen.size;
+
+    // Full parameter reference
+    stringSubstitutions.push([
+      new RegExp(`AssetParameters${m[1]}(S3Bucket|S3VersionKey|ArtifactHash)([a-zA-Z0-9]{8})`),
+      `Asset${ix}$1`,
+    ]);
+    // Substring asset hash reference
+    stringSubstitutions.push([
+      new RegExp(`${m[1]}`),
+      `Asset${ix}Hash`,
+    ]);
+  }
+
+
+  // Substitute them out
+  return substitute(template);
+
+  function substitute(what: any): any {
+    if (Array.isArray(what)) {
+      return what.map(substitute);
+    }
+
+    if (typeof what === 'object' && what !== null) {
+      const ret: any = {};
+      for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(what)) {
+        ret[stringSub(k)] = substitute(v);
+      }
+      return ret;
+    }
+
+    if (typeof what === 'string') {
+      return stringSub(what);
+    }
+
+    return what;
+  }
+
+  function stringSub(x: string) {
+    for (const [re, replacement] of stringSubstitutions) {
+      x = x.replace(re, replacement);
+    }
+    return x;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/expect.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/expect.ts
index 392d374cb52a1..21dd7e011c826 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/expect.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/expect.ts
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@ import * as api from '@aws-cdk/cx-api';
 import { StackInspector } from './inspector';
 import { SynthUtils } from './synth-utils';
 
-export function expect(stack: api.CloudFormationStackArtifact | cdk.Stack, skipValidation = false): StackInspector {
+export function expect(stack: api.CloudFormationStackArtifact | cdk.Stack | Record<string, any>, skipValidation = false): StackInspector {
   // if this is already a synthesized stack, then just inspect it.
-  const artifact = stack instanceof api.CloudFormationStackArtifact ? stack : SynthUtils._synthesizeWithNested(stack, { skipValidation });
+  const artifact = stack instanceof api.CloudFormationStackArtifact ? stack
+    : cdk.Stack.isStack(stack) ? SynthUtils._synthesizeWithNested(stack, { skipValidation })
+      : stack; // This is a template already
   return new StackInspector(artifact);
 }
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/index.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/index.ts
index ff3516dc2f6fd..751b04a0c4f07 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/index.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/assert/lib/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 export * from './assertion';
+export * from './canonicalize-assets';
 export * from './expect';
 export * from './inspector';
 export * from './synth-utils';
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/test.layers.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/test.layers.ts
index 3ec35f172f382..d5d76901152f8 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/test.layers.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/test.layers.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { expect, haveResource, ResourcePart } from '@aws-cdk/assert';
+import { canonicalizeTemplate, expect, haveResource, ResourcePart, SynthUtils } from '@aws-cdk/assert';
 import * as s3 from '@aws-cdk/aws-s3';
 import * as cdk from '@aws-cdk/core';
 import * as cxapi from '@aws-cdk/cx-api';
@@ -85,9 +85,9 @@ export = testCase({
     });
 
     // THEN
-    expect(stack).to(haveResource('AWS::Lambda::LayerVersion', {
+    expect(canonicalizeTemplate(SynthUtils.toCloudFormation(stack))).to(haveResource('AWS::Lambda::LayerVersion', {
       Metadata: {
-        'aws:asset:path': 'asset.8811a2632ac5564a08fd269e159298f7e497f259578b0dc5e927a1f48ab24d34',
+        'aws:asset:path': 'asset.Asset1Hash',
         'aws:asset:property': 'Content',
       },
     }, ResourcePart.CompleteDefinition));
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cfnspec/build-tools/create-missing-libraries.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cfnspec/build-tools/create-missing-libraries.ts
index d2cb97e565a29..8dc5687b5dba2 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cfnspec/build-tools/create-missing-libraries.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cfnspec/build-tools/create-missing-libraries.ts
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ async function main() {
     ]);
 
     await write('jest.config.js', [
-      "const baseConfig = require('../../../tools/cdk-build-tools/config/jest.config');",
+      "const baseConfig = require('cdk-build-tools/config/jest.config');",
       'module.exports = baseConfig;',
     ]);
 
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/custom-resource-provider/test.custom-resource-provider.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/custom-resource-provider/test.custom-resource-provider.ts
index 47bdbce65e852..c8fb3940a2ae4 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/custom-resource-provider/test.custom-resource-provider.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/core/test/custom-resource-provider/test.custom-resource-provider.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import * as fs from 'fs';
-import { Test } from 'nodeunit';
 import * as path from 'path';
-import { CustomResourceProvider, CustomResourceProviderRuntime, Duration, Size, Stack } from '../../lib';
+import { Test } from 'nodeunit';
+import { CustomResourceProvider, CustomResourceProviderRuntime, Duration, Size, Stack, AssetStaging } from '../../lib';
 import { toCloudFormation } from '../util';
 
 const TEST_HANDLER = `${__dirname}/mock-provider`;
@@ -20,6 +20,16 @@ export = {
     // THEN
     test.ok(fs.existsSync(path.join(TEST_HANDLER, '__entrypoint__.js')), 'expecting entrypoint to be copied to the handler directory');
     const cfn = toCloudFormation(stack);
+
+    // The asset hash constantly changes, so in order to not have to chase it, just look
+    // it up from the output.
+    const staging = stack.node.tryFindChild('Custom:MyResourceTypeCustomResourceProvider')?.node.tryFindChild('Staging') as AssetStaging;
+    const assetHash = staging.sourceHash;
+    const paramNames = Object.keys(cfn.Parameters);
+    const bucketParam = paramNames[0];
+    const keyParam = paramNames[1];
+    const hashParam = paramNames[2];
+
     test.deepEqual(cfn, {
       Resources: {
         CustomMyResourceTypeCustomResourceProviderRoleBD5E655F: {
@@ -48,9 +58,7 @@ export = {
           Type: 'AWS::Lambda::Function',
           Properties: {
             Code: {
-              S3Bucket: {
-                Ref: 'AssetParameters925e7fbbec7bdbf0136ef5a07b8a0fbe0b1f1bb4ea50ae2154163df78aa9f226S3Bucket8B4D0E9E',
-              },
+              S3Bucket: { Ref: bucketParam },
               S3Key: {
                 'Fn::Join': [
                   '',
@@ -61,9 +69,7 @@ export = {
                         {
                           'Fn::Split': [
                             '||',
-                            {
-                              Ref: 'AssetParameters925e7fbbec7bdbf0136ef5a07b8a0fbe0b1f1bb4ea50ae2154163df78aa9f226S3VersionKeyDECB34FE',
-                            },
+                            { Ref: keyParam },
                           ],
                         },
                       ],
@@ -74,9 +80,7 @@ export = {
                         {
                           'Fn::Split': [
                             '||',
-                            {
-                              Ref: 'AssetParameters925e7fbbec7bdbf0136ef5a07b8a0fbe0b1f1bb4ea50ae2154163df78aa9f226S3VersionKeyDECB34FE',
-                            },
+                            { Ref: keyParam },
                           ],
                         },
                       ],
@@ -102,17 +106,17 @@ export = {
         },
       },
       Parameters: {
-        AssetParameters925e7fbbec7bdbf0136ef5a07b8a0fbe0b1f1bb4ea50ae2154163df78aa9f226S3Bucket8B4D0E9E: {
+        [bucketParam]: {
           Type: 'String',
-          Description: 'S3 bucket for asset "925e7fbbec7bdbf0136ef5a07b8a0fbe0b1f1bb4ea50ae2154163df78aa9f226"',
+          Description: `S3 bucket for asset "${assetHash}"`,
         },
-        AssetParameters925e7fbbec7bdbf0136ef5a07b8a0fbe0b1f1bb4ea50ae2154163df78aa9f226S3VersionKeyDECB34FE: {
+        [keyParam]: {
           Type: 'String',
-          Description: 'S3 key for asset version "925e7fbbec7bdbf0136ef5a07b8a0fbe0b1f1bb4ea50ae2154163df78aa9f226"',
+          Description: `S3 key for asset version "${assetHash}"`,
         },
-        AssetParameters925e7fbbec7bdbf0136ef5a07b8a0fbe0b1f1bb4ea50ae2154163df78aa9f226ArtifactHashEEC400F2: {
+        [hashParam]: {
           Type: 'String',
-          Description: 'Artifact hash for asset "925e7fbbec7bdbf0136ef5a07b8a0fbe0b1f1bb4ea50ae2154163df78aa9f226"',
+          Description: `Artifact hash for asset "${assetHash}"`,
         },
       },
     });
diff --git a/tools/cdk-integ-tools/bin/cdk-integ-assert.ts b/tools/cdk-integ-tools/bin/cdk-integ-assert.ts
index 300c5ddc75bf4..33b3149497541 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-integ-tools/bin/cdk-integ-assert.ts
+++ b/tools/cdk-integ-tools/bin/cdk-integ-assert.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 // Verify that all integration tests still match their expected output
+import { canonicalizeTemplate } from '@aws-cdk/assert';
 import { diffTemplate, formatDifferences } from '@aws-cdk/cloudformation-diff';
 import { DEFAULT_SYNTH_OPTIONS, IntegrationTests } from '../lib/integ-helpers';
 
@@ -20,7 +21,7 @@ async function main() {
 
     const actual = await test.cdkSynthFast(DEFAULT_SYNTH_OPTIONS);
 
-    const diff = diffTemplate(expected, actual);
+    const diff = diffTemplate(canonicalizeTemplate(expected), canonicalizeTemplate(actual));
 
     if (!diff.isEmpty) {
       failures.push(test.name);
diff --git a/tools/cdk-integ-tools/package.json b/tools/cdk-integ-tools/package.json
index 9dfb2ad3eda96..9f3d8bd2c1e43 100644
--- a/tools/cdk-integ-tools/package.json
+++ b/tools/cdk-integ-tools/package.json
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "@aws-cdk/cloudformation-diff": "0.0.0",
     "@aws-cdk/cx-api": "0.0.0",
+    "@aws-cdk/assert": "0.0.0",
     "aws-cdk": "0.0.0",
     "fs-extra": "^9.0.1",
     "yargs": "^15.3.1"