diff --git a/test/parallel/test-worker-execargv.js b/test/parallel/test-worker-execargv.js
index 2d3418e4bae7da..16e46f2468dfe4 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-worker-execargv.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-worker-execargv.js
@@ -5,11 +5,13 @@ const assert = require('assert');
 // This test ensures that Workers have the ability to get
 // their own command line flags.
 
-const { Worker, isMainThread } = require('worker_threads');
+const { Worker } = require('worker_threads');
 const { StringDecoder } = require('string_decoder');
 const decoder = new StringDecoder('utf8');
 
-if (isMainThread) {
+// Do not use isMainThread so that this test itself can be run inside a Worker.
+if (!process.env.HAS_STARTED_WORKER) {
+  process.env.HAS_STARTED_WORKER = 1;
   const w = new Worker(__filename, { execArgv: ['--trace-warnings'] });
   w.stderr.on('data', common.mustCall((chunk) => {
     const error = decoder.write(chunk);