diff --git a/configure/CONFIG_BASE b/configure/CONFIG_BASE
index ad963ba94..54d19f2cd 100644
--- a/configure/CONFIG_BASE
+++ b/configure/CONFIG_BASE
@@ -68,5 +68,6 @@ TAPTOJUNIT                 = $(PERL) $(TOOLS)/tap-to-junit-xml.pl
 PROVE                      = $(PERL) $(TOOLS)/epicsProve.pl
 PROVE.tap                  = $(PROVE) --ext .tap --exec "$(CAT)"
 
-TEST_FAILURE_FILE          = $(TOP)/.tests-failed
+TEST_FAILURE_FILENAME      = .tests-failed
+TEST_FAILURE_FILE          = $(TOP)/$(TEST_FAILURE_FILENAME)
 PROVE_FAILURE              = echo $(abspath .)>> $(TEST_FAILURE_FILE)
diff --git a/configure/RULES_MODULES b/configure/RULES_MODULES
index 08ebb3e10..a163ce18d 100644
--- a/configure/RULES_MODULES
+++ b/configure/RULES_MODULES
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@
 #           -include $(TOP)/../CONFIG_SITE.local
 
 # Add checked-out submodules to DIRS
-DIRS += $(subst /Makefile,,$(wildcard $(addsuffix /Makefile, $(SUBMODULES))))
+LIVE_SUBMODULES = $(subst /Makefile,,$(wildcard $(addsuffix /Makefile, $(SUBMODULES))))
+DIRS += $(LIVE_SUBMODULES)
 
 include $(CONFIG)/RULES_DIRS
 
@@ -45,3 +46,13 @@ realclean:
 	$(RM) $(wildcard RELEASE.*.local)
 
 .PHONY: RELEASE.host realclean
+
+# Append all our live submodule failure files
+FAILURE_FILES = $(addsuffix /$(TEST_FAILURE_FILENAME), $(LIVE_SUBMODULES))
+
+runtests: | $(addsuffix $(DIVIDER)runtests, $(LIVE_SUBMODULES))
+	@$(TOUCH) $(FAILURE_FILES)
+	@$(CAT) $(FAILURE_FILES) >> $(TEST_FAILURE_FILE)
+test-results: | $(addsuffix $(DIVIDER)test-results, $(LIVE_SUBMODULES))
+	@$(TOUCH) $(FAILURE_FILES)
+	@$(CAT) $(FAILURE_FILES) >> $(TEST_FAILURE_FILE)
diff --git a/configure/RULES_TOP b/configure/RULES_TOP
index c2b77d64c..b956839ec 100644
--- a/configure/RULES_TOP
+++ b/configure/RULES_TOP
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ uninstall$(DIVIDER)%:
 	$(RMDIR) $(addsuffix /$(subst uninstall$(DIVIDER),,$@), \
 	    $(INSTALL_LOCATION_BIN) $(INSTALL_LOCATION_LIB))
 
+runtests test-results:
+	@$(PERL) $(TOOLS)/testFailures.pl $(TEST_FAILURE_FILE)
+
 else
   #
   # Using a disabled rule aborts
@@ -63,8 +66,7 @@ endif # DISABLE_TOP_RULES
 before-runtests before-test-results: rm-failure-file
 rm-failure-file:
 	@$(RM) $(TEST_FAILURE_FILE)
-runtests test-results:
-	$(PERL) $(TOOLS)/testFailures.pl $(TEST_FAILURE_FILE)
+	@$(TOUCH) $(TEST_FAILURE_FILE)
 
 help:
 	@echo "Usage: gnumake [options] [target] ..."
diff --git a/src/tools/testFailures.pl b/src/tools/testFailures.pl
index e19d00006..3007957e3 100644
--- a/src/tools/testFailures.pl
+++ b/src/tools/testFailures.pl
@@ -22,12 +22,17 @@ use warnings;
 die "Usage: testFailures.pl .tests-failed\n"
     unless @ARGV == 1;
 
+# No file means success.
 open FAILURES, '<', shift or
     exit 0;
-my @failures = <FAILURES>;
+chomp(my @failures = <FAILURES>);
 close FAILURES;
 
+# A file with just empty lines also mean success
+my @dirs = grep {$_} @failures;
+exit 0 unless @dirs;
+
 print "\nTest failures were reported in:\n",
-    (map {"    $_"} @failures), "\n";
+    (map {"    $_\n"} @dirs), "\n\n";
 
 exit 1;