diff --git a/scripts/Makefile b/scripts/Makefile
index b72035d90d..8b2f8d6e8a 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile
+++ b/scripts/Makefile
@@ -143,11 +143,10 @@ prepare:
 	mono buildtemp/nuget.exe install Microsoft.Net.ToolsetCompilers -pre
 
 # this is an internal target, it's not intended to be called manually
-internal-prepare-exec_env: runps.sh $(POWERSHELL_RUN_TARGETS)
+internal-prepare-exec_env: runps.sh $(POWERSHELL_RUN_TARGETS) dotnetlibs/corerun
 	rm -rf exec_env
-	mkdir exec_env
-	mkdir exec_env/app_base
-	mkdir exec_env/app_base/Modules
+	mkdir -p exec_env/app_base/Modules
+	mkdir -p exec_env/testrun
 	cp ../src/monad/monad/miscfiles/display/*.ps1xml exec_env/app_base
 	cp ../src/monad/monad/miscfiles/types/CoreClr/*.ps1xml exec_env/app_base
 	cp -r ../src/monad/monad/miscfiles/modules/* exec_env/app_base/Modules
@@ -180,8 +179,8 @@ pester-tests: $(POWERSHELL_RUN_TARGETS) dotnetlibs/corerun dotnetlibs/Microsoft.
 	# execute the pester tests, pester needs a TEMP environment variable to be set
 	cd exec_env/app_base && PSMODULEPATH=$(shell pwd)/exec_env/app_base/Modules LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./corerun powershell-simple.exe 'cd ../../../src/pester-tests; $$env:TEMP="/tmp"; invoke-pester'
 
-test: dotnetlibs/ps_test_runner.exe dotnetlibs/corerun dotnetlibs/api-ms-win-core-registry-l1-1-0.dll pester-tests
-	cd dotnetlibs && LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./corerun ps_test_runner.exe
+test: internal-prepare-exec_env $(addprefix $(TESTRUN_FOLDER)/, ps_test.dll xunit.console.netcore.exe xunit.runner.utility.dll xunit.abstractions.dll xunit.execution.dll) dotnetlibs/corerun
+	cd exec_env/testrun && PSMODULEPATH=$(shell pwd)/exec_env/app_base/Modules LD_LIBRARY_PATH=../app_base ../app_base/corerun xunit.console.netcore.exe ps_test.dll
 
 # this is an internal target, it's not intended to be called manually
 internal-prepare-debugclr:
diff --git a/scripts/tests.mk b/scripts/tests.mk
index 60dd299df6..0c1b033624 100644
--- a/scripts/tests.mk
+++ b/scripts/tests.mk
@@ -1,14 +1,9 @@
 TEST_FOLDER=../src/ps_test
+TESTRUN_FOLDER=exec_env/testrun
 TEST_SRCS=$(addprefix $(TEST_FOLDER)/, test_*.cs)
 
-dotnetlibs/xunit%: $(MONAD_EXT)/xunit/xunit%
+$(TESTRUN_FOLDER)/xunit%: $(MONAD_EXT)/xunit/xunit%
 	cp -f $^ $@
 
-dotnetlibs/ps_test.dll: $(TEST_SRCS) $(addprefix dotnetlibs/, xunit.core.dll xunit.assert.dll System.Management.Automation.dll Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Management.dll $(ASSEMBLY_LOAD_CONTEXT_TARGET))
-	$(CSC) -out:$@ -noconfig -nostdlib -target:library $(addprefix -r:dotnetlibs/, System.Management.Automation.dll $(ASSEMBLY_LOAD_CONTEXT_TARGET) xunit.core.dll xunit.assert.dll) ${COREREF} $(TEST_SRCS)
-
-dotnetlibs/ps_test_runner.exe: $(TEST_FOLDER)/ps_test.cs $(addprefix dotnetlibs/, ps_test.dll System.Management.Automation.dll Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Management.dll $(ASSEMBLY_LOAD_CONTEXT_TARGET) xunit.core.dll xunit.assert.dll)
-	$(CSC) -out:$@ -noconfig -nostdlib -target:exe $(addprefix -r:dotnetlibs/, ps_test.dll System.Management.Automation.dll $(ASSEMBLY_LOAD_CONTEXT_TARGET) xunit.core.dll xunit.assert.dll) ${COREREF} $<
-
-xunit: $(addprefix dotnetlibs/, ps_test.dll corerun xunit.console.netcore.exe xunit.runner.utility.dll xunit.abstractions.dll xunit.execution.dll) internal-prepare-exec_env
-	cd exec_env/app_base && PSMODULEPATH=$(shell pwd)/exec_env/app_base/Modules LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./corerun xunit.console.netcore.exe ps_test.dll
+$(TESTRUN_FOLDER)/ps_test.dll: $(TEST_SRCS) $(addprefix $(TESTRUN_FOLDER)/, xunit.core.dll xunit.assert.dll) $(addprefix dotnetlibs/, System.Management.Automation.dll Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.Management.dll $(ASSEMBLY_LOAD_CONTEXT_TARGET))
+	$(CSC) -out:$@ -noconfig -nostdlib -target:library $(addprefix -r:$(TESTRUN_FOLDER)/, xunit.core.dll xunit.assert.dll) $(addprefix -r:dotnetlibs/, System.Management.Automation.dll $(ASSEMBLY_LOAD_CONTEXT_TARGET)) ${COREREF} $(TEST_SRCS)