diff --git a/pkgs/shells/bash/bash-completion/default.nix b/pkgs/shells/bash/bash-completion/default.nix
index 8463b1750d1..e5ef70e43a9 100644
--- a/pkgs/shells/bash/bash-completion/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/shells/bash/bash-completion/default.nix
@@ -30,6 +30,10 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
     python3Packages.pexpect
     python3Packages.pytest
     bashInteractive
+
+    # use xdist to speed up the test run, just like upstream:
+    # https://github.com/scop/bash-completion/blob/009bf2228c68894629eb6fd17b3dc0f1f6d67615/test/requirements.txt#L4
+    python3Packages.pytest_xdist
   ];
 
   # - ignore test_gcc on ARM because it assumes -march=native
@@ -40,7 +44,7 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
   # - ignore test_ls because impure logic
   # - ignore test_screen because it assumes vt terminals exist
   checkPhase = ''
-    pytest . \
+    pytest -n $NIX_BUILD_CORES . \
       ${stdenv.lib.optionalString (stdenv.hostPlatform.isAarch64 || stdenv.hostPlatform.isAarch32) "--ignore=test/t/test_gcc.py"} \
       --ignore=test/t/test_chsh.py \
       --ignore=test/t/test_ether_wake.py \