diff --git a/test/functional/feature_shutdown.py b/test/functional/feature_shutdown.py
index e435d918e..87df67f20 100755
--- a/test/functional/feature_shutdown.py
+++ b/test/functional/feature_shutdown.py
@@ -1,32 +1,39 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 # Copyright (c) 2018 The Bitcoin Core developers
 # Distributed under the MIT software license, see the accompanying
 # file COPYING or http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php.
 """Test bitcoind shutdown."""
 
 from test_framework.test_framework import BitcoinTestFramework
-from test_framework.util import assert_equal, get_rpc_proxy
+from test_framework.util import assert_equal, get_rpc_proxy, wait_until
 from threading import Thread
 
 
 def test_long_call(node):
     block = node.waitfornewblock()
     assert_equal(block['height'], 0)
 
 
 class ShutdownTest(BitcoinTestFramework):
 
     def set_test_params(self):
         self.setup_clean_chain = True
         self.num_nodes = 1
 
     def run_test(self):
         node = get_rpc_proxy(
             self.nodes[0].url, 1, timeout=600, coveragedir=self.nodes[0].coverage_dir)
+        # Force connection establishment by executing a dummy command.
+        node.getblockcount()
         Thread(target=test_long_call, args=(node,)).start()
-        # wait 1 second to ensure event loop waits for current connections to close
+        # Wait until the server is executing the above `waitfornewblock`.
+        wait_until(lambda: len(
+            self.nodes[0].getrpcinfo()['active_commands']) == 2)
+        # Wait 1 second after requesting shutdown but not before the `stop` call
+        # finishes. This is to ensure event loop waits for current connections
+        # to close.
         self.stop_node(0, wait=1000)
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     ShutdownTest().main()