diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index df181f058..56bc3e07e 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -211,7 +211,8 @@ jobs:
 
     environment:
       <<: *UTF_8_ENVIRONMENT
-      TAHOE_LAFS_TOX_ENVIRONMENT: "pypy27-coverage"
+      # We don't do coverage since it makes PyPy far too slow:
+      TAHOE_LAFS_TOX_ENVIRONMENT: "pypy27"
 
 
   c-locale:
diff --git a/.circleci/run-tests.sh b/.circleci/run-tests.sh
index 48f500280..764651c40 100755
--- a/.circleci/run-tests.sh
+++ b/.circleci/run-tests.sh
@@ -68,6 +68,10 @@ export SUBUNITREPORTER_OUTPUT_PATH="${SUBUNIT2}"
 export TAHOE_LAFS_TRIAL_ARGS="${TAHOE_LAFS_TRIAL_ARGS:---reporter=subunitv2-file --rterrors}"
 export PIP_NO_INDEX="1"
 
+# Make output unbuffered, so progress reports from subunitv2-file get streamed
+# and notify CircleCI we're still alive.
+export PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
+
 if [ "${ALLOWED_FAILURE}" = "yes" ]; then
     alternative="true"
 else
diff --git a/newsfragments/3401.minor b/newsfragments/3401.minor
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e69de29bb