diff --git a/zproject/computed_settings.py b/zproject/computed_settings.py
index e852bdf23b..96fac4d7b9 100644
--- a/zproject/computed_settings.py
+++ b/zproject/computed_settings.py
@@ -100,8 +100,6 @@ else:
     IS_WORKER = False
 
 
-# This is overridden in test_settings.py for the test suites
-TEST_SUITE = False
 # This is overridden in test_settings.py for the test suites
 PUPPETEER_TESTS = False
 # This is overridden in test_settings.py for the test suites
diff --git a/zproject/configured_settings.py b/zproject/configured_settings.py
index 8e920cfcfe..66037087a8 100644
--- a/zproject/configured_settings.py
+++ b/zproject/configured_settings.py
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 # DEFAULT VALUES FOR SETTINGS
 ########################################################################
 
+import os
+
 # For any settings that are not set in the site-specific configuration file
 # (/etc/zulip/settings.py in production, or dev_settings.py or test_settings.py
 # in dev and test), we want to initialize them to sane defaults.
@@ -11,6 +13,8 @@ from .default_settings import *  # noqa: F403 isort: skip
 # Import prod_settings after determining the deployment/machine type
 from .config import PRODUCTION
 
+TEST_SUITE = os.getenv("ZULIP_TEST_SUITE") == "true"
+
 if PRODUCTION:  # nocoverage
     from .prod_settings import *  # noqa: F403 isort: skip
 else:
diff --git a/zproject/dev_settings.py b/zproject/dev_settings.py
index 9e31b9b2eb..05f335a747 100644
--- a/zproject/dev_settings.py
+++ b/zproject/dev_settings.py
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ from zproject.settings_types import SCIMConfigDict
 
 ZULIP_ADMINISTRATOR = "desdemona+admin@zulip.com"
 
+# Initiatize TEST_SUITE early, so other code can rely on the setting.
+TEST_SUITE = os.getenv("ZULIP_TEST_SUITE") == "true"
+
 # We want LOCAL_UPLOADS_DIR to be an absolute path so that code can
 # chdir without having problems accessing it.  Unfortunately, this
 # means we need a duplicate definition of DEPLOY_ROOT with the one in
diff --git a/zproject/test_extra_settings.py b/zproject/test_extra_settings.py
index 0b4924d820..1028ce58f9 100644
--- a/zproject/test_extra_settings.py
+++ b/zproject/test_extra_settings.py
@@ -82,7 +82,6 @@ AUTH_LDAP_REVERSE_EMAIL_SEARCH = LDAPSearch(
     "ou=users,dc=zulip,dc=com", ldap.SCOPE_ONELEVEL, "(mail=%(email)s)"
 )
 
-TEST_SUITE = True
 RATE_LIMITING = False
 RATE_LIMITING_AUTHENTICATE = False
 # Don't use RabbitMQ from the test suite -- the user_profile_ids for
diff --git a/zproject/test_settings.py b/zproject/test_settings.py
index f8751e3330..228cbfee6c 100644
--- a/zproject/test_settings.py
+++ b/zproject/test_settings.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import os
 # it can be set there, at the right place in the settings.py flow.
 # Ick.
 os.environ["EXTERNAL_HOST"] = os.getenv("TEST_EXTERNAL_HOST", "testserver")
+os.environ["ZULIP_TEST_SUITE"] = "true"
 
 from .settings import *  # noqa: F403 isort: skip
 from .test_extra_settings import *  # noqa: F403 isort: skip