diff --git a/t/sharness.d/flux-sharness.sh b/t/sharness.d/flux-sharness.sh
index bb023bdc4..8412a0c51 100644
--- a/t/sharness.d/flux-sharness.sh
+++ b/t/sharness.d/flux-sharness.sh
@@ -24,6 +24,37 @@ test_size_large() {
     echo ${size}
 }
 
+
+#
+#  Tests using test_under_flux() and which load their own modules should
+#   ensure those modules are unloaded at the end of the test for proper
+#   cleanup and test coverage (also as a general principle, module unload
+#   should be something explicitly tested).
+#
+#  The functions below ensure that every module loaded at "test_done" time
+#   when test_under_flux() was used was also loaded before test_under_flux
+#   was called.
+#
+flux_module_list() {
+    flux module list | awk '!/^Module/{print $1}' | sort
+}
+
+check_module_list() {
+    flux_module_list > module-list.final
+    while read module; do
+       grep "^$module$" module-list.initial >/dev/null 2>&1 \
+            || bad="${bad}${bad:+ }$module"
+    done < module-list.final
+    if test -n "$bad"; then
+        test -n "$logfile" \
+            && say_color error >&3 \
+                 "Error: manually loaded module(s) not unloaded: $bad"
+        # This function is run under test_eval_ so redirect
+        #  error message to &5 (saved stdout) so text doesn't disappear:
+        error >&5 2>&1 "manually loaded module(s) not unloaded: $bad"
+    fi
+}
+
 #
 #  Reinvoke a test file under a flux comms instance
 #
@@ -34,39 +65,49 @@ test_under_flux() {
     personality=${2:-full}
     log_file="$TEST_NAME.broker.log"
     if test -n "$TEST_UNDER_FLUX_ACTIVE" ; then
-        cleanup rm "${SHARNESS_TEST_DIRECTORY:-..}/$log_file"
+        test "$debug" = "t" || cleanup rm "${SHARNESS_TEST_DIRECTORY:-..}/$log_file"
+        flux_module_list > module-list.initial
+        cleanup check_module_list
         return
     fi
-    quiet="-o -q,-Slog-filename=${log_file},-Slog-forward-level=7"
     if test "$verbose" = "t" -o -n "$FLUX_TESTS_DEBUG" ; then
         flags="${flags} --verbose"
-        quiet=""
     fi
     if test "$debug" = "t" -o -n "$FLUX_TESTS_DEBUG" ; then
         flags="${flags} --debug"
     fi
+    if test "$chain_lint" = "t"; then
+        flags="${flags} --chain-lint"
+    fi
     if test -n "$logfile" -o -n "$FLUX_TESTS_LOGFILE" ; then
         flags="${flags} --logfile"
     fi
     if test -n "$SHARNESS_TEST_DIRECTORY"; then
         cd $SHARNESS_TEST_DIRECTORY
     fi
+    timeout="-o -Sinit.rc2_timeout=300"
+    if test -n "$FLUX_TEST_DISABLE_TIMEOUT"; then
+        timeout=""
+    fi
 
     if test "$personality" = "minimal"; then
         export FLUX_RC1_PATH=""
         export FLUX_RC3_PATH=""
     elif test "$personality" != "full"; then
         export FLUX_RC1_PATH=$FLUX_SOURCE_DIR/t/rc/rc1-$personality
-        export FLUX_RC3_PATH=""
-        test -x $FLUX_RC1_PATH || error "$FLUX_RC1_PATH"
+        export FLUX_RC3_PATH=$FLUX_SOURCE_DIR/t/rc/rc3-$personality
+        test -x $FLUX_RC1_PATH || error "cannot execute $FLUX_RC1_PATH"
+        test -x $FLUX_RC3_PATH || error "cannot execute $FLUX_RC3_PATH"
     else
         unset FLUX_RC1_PATH
         unset FLUX_RC3_PATH
     fi
 
+    logopts="-o -Slog-filename=${log_file},-Slog-forward-level=7"
     TEST_UNDER_FLUX_ACTIVE=t \
     TERM=${ORIGINAL_TERM} \
-      exec flux start --size=${size} ${quiet} "sh $0 ${flags}"
+      exec flux start --bootstrap=selfpmi --size=${size} ${logopts} ${timeout} \
+                     "sh $0 ${flags}"
 }
 
 mock_bootstrap_instance() {
@@ -98,4 +139,7 @@ if ! lua -e 'require "posix"'; then
     error "failed to find lua posix module in path"
 fi
 
+#  Some tests in flux don't work with --chain-lint, add a prereq for
+#   --no-chain-lint:
+test "$chain_lint" = "t" || test_set_prereq NO_CHAIN_LINT
 # vi: ts=4 sw=4 expandtab