diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index ea4c605d3153d7803e086cfda3310109f452427b..01816633c702eacfa14924b77ccfb15691d90ef8 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -54,8 +54,8 @@ TESTS += \
   pio_write_dist_array.run \
   test_resource_copy.parallel.run
 
-# Update pio_write.run before running tests that source it:
-pio_write_TEST_LOGS_= \
+# Update pio_write_dist_array.run before running tests that source it:
+pio_write_dist_array_TEST_LOGS_ = \
   pio_cksum_asynch.log \
   pio_cksum_fpguard.log \
   pio_cksum_grb2.log \
@@ -66,7 +66,12 @@ pio_write_TEST_LOGS_= \
   pio_cksum_nc.log \
   pio_cksum_nc2.log \
   pio_cksum_nc4.log \
-  pio_cksum_writer.log \
+  pio_cksum_writer.log
+$(pio_write_dist_array_TEST_LOGS_): pio_write_dist_array.run
+
+# Update pio_write.run before running tests that source it:
+pio_write_TEST_LOGS_ = \
+  $(pio_write_dist_array_TEST_LOGS_) \
   pio_write.parallel.log \
   pio_write_deco2d.log \
   pio_write_deco2d.parallel.log \