diff --git a/circus/tests/support.py b/circus/tests/support.py
index 38964ccdc..794a9c75e 100644
--- a/circus/tests/support.py
+++ b/circus/tests/support.py
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ def start_arbiter(self, cmd='support.run_process',
                       stdout_stream=None, debug=True, **kw):
         testfile, arbiter = self._create_circus(
             cmd, stdout_stream=stdout_stream,
-            debug=debug, async=True, **kw)
+            debug=debug, use_async=True, **kw)
         self.test_file = testfile
         self.arbiter = arbiter
         self.arbiters.append(arbiter)
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ def get_tmpfile(self, content=None):
 
     @classmethod
     def _create_circus(cls, callable_path, plugins=None, stats=False,
-                       async=False, arbiter_kw=None, **kw):
+                       use_async=False, arbiter_kw=None, **kw):
         fd, testfile = mkstemp()
         os.close(fd)
         wdir = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ def _create_circus(cls, callable_path, plugins=None, stats=False,
             arbiter_kw['stats_endpoint'] = "tcp://127.0.0.1:%d" % _gp()
             arbiter_kw['statsd_close_outputs'] = not debug
 
-        if async:
+        if use_async:
             arbiter_kw['background'] = False
             arbiter_kw['loop'] = get_ioloop()
         else:
diff --git a/circus/tests/test_client.py b/circus/tests/test_client.py
index 9a56a11d0..a0cfca026 100644
--- a/circus/tests/test_client.py
+++ b/circus/tests/test_client.py
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ def run_with_hooks(self, hooks):
         self.stream = QueueStream()
         self.errstream = QueueStream()
         dummy_process = 'circus.tests.support.run_process'
-        return self._create_circus(dummy_process, async=True,
+        return self._create_circus(dummy_process, use_async=True,
                                    stdout_stream={'stream': self.stream},
                                    stderr_stream={'stream': self.errstream},
                                    hooks=hooks)
diff --git a/circus/tests/test_watcher.py b/circus/tests/test_watcher.py
index 5dd857cef..4299ed18c 100644
--- a/circus/tests/test_watcher.py
+++ b/circus/tests/test_watcher.py
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ def run_with_hooks(self, hooks, streams=False):
         return self._create_circus(dummy_process,
                                    stdout_stream=stdout_stream,
                                    stderr_stream=stderr_stream,
-                                   hooks=hooks, debug=True, async=True)
+                                   hooks=hooks, debug=True, use_async=True)
 
     @tornado.gen.coroutine
     def _stop(self):
@@ -601,7 +601,7 @@ class RespawnTest(TestCircus):
     def test_not_respawning(self):
         oneshot_process = 'circus.tests.test_watcher.oneshot_process'
         testfile, arbiter = self._create_circus(oneshot_process,
-                                                respawn=False, async=True)
+                                                respawn=False, use_async=True)
         yield arbiter.start()
         watcher = arbiter.watchers[-1]
         try: