diff --git a/ctdb/tests/eventscripts/scripts/local.sh b/ctdb/tests/eventscripts/scripts/local.sh
index 6d7de894651..4c2d8fe6dd2 100644
--- a/ctdb/tests/eventscripts/scripts/local.sh
+++ b/ctdb/tests/eventscripts/scripts/local.sh
@@ -698,7 +698,11 @@ simple_test ()
     _extra_header=$(_extra_header)
 
     echo "Running eventscript \"$script $event${1:+ }$*\""
-    _out=$($TEST_COMMAND_TRACE "${CTDB_BASE}/events.d/$script" "$event" "$@" 2>&1)
+    _trace=""
+    if $TEST_COMMAND_TRACE ; then
+	_trace="sh -x"
+    fi
+    _out=$($_trace "${CTDB_BASE}/events.d/$script" "$event" "$@" 2>&1)
 
     result_check "$_extra_header"
 }
diff --git a/ctdb/tests/onnode/README b/ctdb/tests/onnode/README
index 162faae0211..5bb69524df2 100644
--- a/ctdb/tests/onnode/README
+++ b/ctdb/tests/onnode/README
@@ -26,13 +26,11 @@ Examples:
 
   Run only the specified tests.
 
-* ONNODE="bash -x stubs/onnode-buggy-001" ../run_tests.sh ./0090.sh
-  ONNODE="bash -x ../../tools/onnode" ../run_tests.sh ./0090.sh
+* ONNODE="stubs/onnode-buggy-001" ../run_tests.sh -X ./0090.sh
+  ../run_tests.sh -X ./0090.sh
 
-  Debug the specified test or test failure.  The test will fail
-  because the bash trace output will be included in the test output.
-  However, this at least makes it easy to trace onnode while running
-  the test...
+  Debug the specified test or test failure by tracing onnode with
+  "bash -x".  The test will fail because the bash trace output will be
+  included in the test output.
 
-  To see if the test pases, the -x can be dropped... so command-line
-  editing can be kept to a minimum.
+  To see if the test pases, the -X can be dropped...
diff --git a/ctdb/tests/onnode/scripts/local.sh b/ctdb/tests/onnode/scripts/local.sh
index d6dd41c293a..35fd013540f 100644
--- a/ctdb/tests/onnode/scripts/local.sh
+++ b/ctdb/tests/onnode/scripts/local.sh
@@ -67,7 +67,12 @@ simple_test ()
 	_sort="sort"
     fi
 
-    _out=$("$@" 2>&1)
+    if $TEST_COMMAND_TRACE ; then
+	_onnode=$(which "$1") ; shift
+	_out=$(bash -x "$_onnode" "$@" 2>&1)
+    else
+	_out=$("$@" 2>&1)
+    fi
     _rc=$?
     _out=$(echo "$_out" | $_sort )
 
diff --git a/ctdb/tests/scripts/run_tests b/ctdb/tests/scripts/run_tests
index 7a86301c951..d4eab4d847e 100755
--- a/ctdb/tests/scripts/run_tests
+++ b/ctdb/tests/scripts/run_tests
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ exit_on_fail=false
 no_header=false
 
 export TEST_VERBOSE=false
-export TEST_COMMAND_TRACE=""
+export TEST_COMMAND_TRACE=false
 export TEST_CAT_RESULTS_OPTS=""
 export TEST_DIFF_RESULTS=false
 export TEST_LOCAL_DAEMONS  # No default, developer can "override"!
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ while true ; do
 	-q) quiet=true ; shift ;;
 	-s) with_summary=true ; shift ;;
 	-v) TEST_VERBOSE=true ; shift ;;
-	-X) TEST_COMMAND_TRACE="sh -x" ; shift ;;
+	-X) TEST_COMMAND_TRACE=true ; shift ;;
 	-A) TEST_CAT_RESULTS_OPTS="-A" ; shift ;;
 	-D) TEST_DIFF_RESULTS=true ; shift ;;
 	-H) no_header=true ; shift ;;