diff --git a/src/bin/pg_rewind/t/008_min_recovery_point.pl b/src/bin/pg_rewind/t/008_min_recovery_point.pl
index d8ea33ab57c..f9c2cf41ba5 100644
--- a/src/bin/pg_rewind/t/008_min_recovery_point.pl
+++ b/src/bin/pg_rewind/t/008_min_recovery_point.pl
@@ -80,6 +80,13 @@ $node_3->poll_query_until('postgres', $caughtup_query)
 #
 $node_1->stop('fast');
 $node_3->promote;
+# Force a checkpoint after the promotion. pg_rewind looks at the control
+# file to determine what timeline the server is on, and that isn't updated
+# immediately at promotion, but only at the next checkpoint. When running
+# pg_rewind in remote mode, it's possible that we complete the test steps
+# after promotion so quickly that when pg_rewind runs, the standby has not
+# performed a checkpoint after promotion yet.
+$node_3->safe_psql('postgres', "checkpoint");
 
 # reconfigure node_1 as a standby following node_3
 rmtree $node_1->data_dir;
@@ -116,6 +123,8 @@ $node_1->poll_query_until('postgres', $caughtup_query)
   or die "Timed out while waiting for standby to catch up";
 
 $node_1->promote;
+# Force a checkpoint after promotion, like earlier.
+$node_1->safe_psql('postgres', "checkpoint");
 
 # Wait until nodes 1 and 3 have been fully promoted.
 $node_1->poll_query_until('postgres', "SELECT pg_is_in_recovery() <> true");
@@ -127,6 +136,9 @@ $node_3->poll_query_until('postgres', "SELECT pg_is_in_recovery() <> true");
 # see the insert on 1, as the insert on node 3 is rewound away.
 #
 $node_1->safe_psql('postgres', "INSERT INTO public.foo (t) VALUES ('keep this')");
+# 'bar' is unmodified in node 1, so it won't be overwritten by replaying the
+# WAL from node 1.
+$node_3->safe_psql('postgres', "INSERT INTO public.bar (t) VALUES ('rewind this')");
 
 # Insert more rows in node 1, to bump up the XID counter. Otherwise, if
 # rewind doesn't correctly rewind the changes made on the other node,
@@ -135,10 +147,6 @@ $node_1->safe_psql('postgres', "INSERT INTO public.foo (t) VALUES ('keep this')"
 $node_1->safe_psql('postgres', "INSERT INTO public.foo (t) VALUES ('and this')");
 $node_1->safe_psql('postgres', "INSERT INTO public.foo (t) VALUES ('and this too')");
 
-# Also insert a row in 'bar' on node 3. It is unmodified in node 1, so it won't get
-# overwritten by replaying the WAL from node 1.
-$node_3->safe_psql('postgres', "INSERT INTO public.bar (t) VALUES ('rewind this')");
-
 # Wait for node 2 to catch up
 $node_2->poll_query_until('postgres',
 	q|SELECT COUNT(*) > 1 FROM public.bar|, 't');
@@ -160,9 +168,10 @@ command_ok(
     [
         'pg_rewind',
         "--source-server=$node_1_connstr",
-        "--target-pgdata=$node_2_pgdata"
+	    "--target-pgdata=$node_2_pgdata",
+	    "--debug"
     ],
-	'pg_rewind detects rewind needed');
+	'run pg_rewind');
 
 # Now move back postgresql.conf with old settings
 move(
@@ -174,7 +183,6 @@ $node_2->start;
 # Check contents of the test tables after rewind. The rows inserted in node 3
 # before rewind should've been overwritten with the data from node 1.
 my $result;
-$result = $node_2->safe_psql('postgres', 'checkpoint');
 $result = $node_2->safe_psql('postgres', 'SELECT * FROM public.foo');
 is($result, qq(keep this
 and this