diff --git a/tools/apply-test.sh b/tools/apply-test.sh
index a0477301d6..1a57fcc156 100755
--- a/tools/apply-test.sh
+++ b/tools/apply-test.sh
@@ -59,8 +59,16 @@ if [[ $FOUND == "0" ]]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
+cat > applytest/primer.pp << EOF
+class helloworld {
+  notify { 'hello, world!': }
+}
+EOF
+
 sudo mkdir -p /var/run/puppet
 sudo -E bash -x ./install_modules.sh
+echo "Running apply test primer to avoid setup races when run in parallel."
+./tools/test_puppet_apply.sh applytest/primer.pp
 echo "Running apply test on these hosts:"
 find applytest -name 'puppetapplytest*.final' -print0
 find applytest -name 'puppetapplytest*.final' -print0 | \