diff --git a/build.gradle b/build.gradle
index 09199763b3..b20d78d4d3 100644
--- a/build.gradle
+++ b/build.gradle
@@ -168,6 +168,10 @@ allprojects {
     tasks.withType(Test) {
         // Prevent the project from creating temporary files outside of the build directory.
         systemProperties['java.io.tmpdir'] = buildDir
+
+        if (System.getProperty("test.maxParallelForks") != null) {
+            maxParallelForks = Integer.valueOf(System.getProperty("test.maxParallelForks"))
+        }
     }
 
     group 'net.corda'