diff --git a/t/README b/t/README
index 1326fd7505..886bbec5bc 100644
--- a/t/README
+++ b/t/README
@@ -211,6 +211,11 @@ appropriately before running "make".
 	'.stress-<nr>' suffix, and the trash directory of the failed
 	test job is renamed to end with a '.stress-failed' suffix.
 
+--stress-limit=<N>::
+	When combined with --stress run the test script repeatedly
+	this many times in each of the parallel jobs or until one of
+	them fails, whichever comes first.
+
 You can also set the GIT_TEST_INSTALLED environment variable to
 the bindir of an existing git installation to test that installation.
 You still need to have built this git sandbox, from which various
diff --git a/t/test-lib-functions.sh b/t/test-lib-functions.sh
index 92cf8f812c..969e2ba6da 100644
--- a/t/test-lib-functions.sh
+++ b/t/test-lib-functions.sh
@@ -1289,7 +1289,7 @@ test_set_port () {
 			port=$(($port + 10000))
 		fi
 		;;
-	*[^0-9]*|0*)
+	*[!0-9]*|0*)
 		error >&7 "invalid port number: $port"
 		;;
 	*)
diff --git a/t/test-lib.sh b/t/test-lib.sh
index 42b1a0aa7f..8665b0a9b6 100644
--- a/t/test-lib.sh
+++ b/t/test-lib.sh
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ do
 	--stress=*)
 		stress=${opt#--*=}
 		case "$stress" in
-		*[^0-9]*|0*|"")
+		*[!0-9]*|0*|"")
 			echo "error: --stress=<N> requires the number of jobs to run" >&2
 			exit 1
 			;;
@@ -157,6 +157,17 @@ do
 			;;
 		esac
 		;;
+	--stress-limit=*)
+		stress_limit=${opt#--*=}
+		case "$stress_limit" in
+		*[!0-9]*|0*|"")
+			echo "error: --stress-limit=<N> requires the number of repetitions" >&2
+			exit 1
+			;;
+		*)	# Good.
+			;;
+		esac
+		;;
 	*)
 		echo "error: unknown test option '$opt'" >&2; exit 1 ;;
 	esac
@@ -242,8 +253,10 @@ then
 				exit 1
 			' TERM INT
 
-			cnt=0
-			while ! test -e "$stressfail"
+			cnt=1
+			while ! test -e "$stressfail" &&
+			      { test -z "$stress_limit" ||
+				test $cnt -le $stress_limit ; }
 			do
 				$TEST_SHELL_PATH "$0" "$@" >"$TEST_RESULTS_BASE.stress-$job_nr.out" 2>&1 &
 				test_pid=$!
@@ -266,6 +279,7 @@ then
 
 	if test -f "$stressfail"
 	then
+		stress_exit=1
 		echo "Log(s) of failed test run(s):"
 		for failed_job_nr in $(sort -n "$stressfail")
 		do