diff --git a/src/Makefile.test.include b/src/Makefile.test.include
--- a/src/Makefile.test.include
+++ b/src/Makefile.test.include
@@ -194,10 +194,14 @@
 bitcoin_test_clean : FORCE
 	rm -f $(CLEAN_BITCOIN_TEST) $(test_test_bitcoin_OBJECTS) $(TEST_BINARY)
 
-check-local: $(BITCOIN_TESTS:.cpp=.cpp.test)
+check-local: check-extra-secp256k1 $(BITCOIN_TESTS:.cpp=.cpp.test) check-extra-misc
+
+check-extra-secp256k1:
+	$(AM_V_at)$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) -C secp256k1 check
+
+check-extra-misc:
 	@echo "Running test/util/bitcoin-util-test.py..."
 	$(top_builddir)/test/util/bitcoin-util-test.py
-	$(AM_V_at)$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) -C secp256k1 check
 if EMBEDDED_UNIVALUE
 	$(AM_V_at)$(MAKE) $(AM_MAKEFLAGS) -C univalue check
 endif