diff --git a/.github/workflows/xtest.yml b/.github/workflows/xtest.yml
index ec5b1af3..33f35956 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/xtest.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/xtest.yml
@@ -371,20 +371,20 @@ jobs:
       - name: Validate xtest helper library (tests of the test harness and its utilities)
         if: ${{ !inputs }}
         run: |-
-          pytest test_nano.py test_self.py
+          pytest -n auto test_nano.py test_self.py
         working-directory: otdftests/xtest
 
       ######## RUN THE TESTS #############
       - name: Run legacy decryption tests
         run: |-
-          pytest -ra -v --focus "$FOCUS_SDK" test_legacy.py
+          pytest -n auto -ra -v --focus "$FOCUS_SDK" test_legacy.py
         working-directory: otdftests/xtest
         env:
           PLATFORM_DIR: "../../${{ steps.run-platform.outputs.platform-working-dir }}"
       - name: Run all standard xtests
         if: ${{ env.FOCUS_SDK == 'all' }}
         run: |-
-          pytest -ra -v test_tdfs.py
+          pytest -n auto -ra -v test_tdfs.py
         working-directory: otdftests/xtest
         env:
           PLATFORM_DIR: "../../${{ steps.run-platform.outputs.platform-working-dir }}"
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run xtests focusing on a specific SDK
         if: ${{ env.FOCUS_SDK != 'all' }}
         run: |-
-          pytest -ra -v --focus "$FOCUS_SDK" test_tdfs.py
+          pytest -n auto -ra -v --focus "$FOCUS_SDK" test_tdfs.py
         working-directory: otdftests/xtest
         env:
           PLATFORM_DIR: "../../${{ steps.run-platform.outputs.platform-working-dir }}"
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run attribute based configuration tests
         if: ${{ steps.multikas.outputs.supported == 'true' }}
         run: |-
-          pytest -ra -v --focus "$FOCUS_SDK" test_abac.py
+          pytest -n auto -ra -v --focus "$FOCUS_SDK" test_abac.py
         working-directory: otdftests/xtest
         env:
           PLATFORM_DIR: "../../${{ steps.run-platform.outputs.platform-working-dir }}"
diff --git a/xtest/requirements.txt b/xtest/requirements.txt
index 3bf2d2a0..eabb42a0 100644
--- a/xtest/requirements.txt
+++ b/xtest/requirements.txt
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ pycparser==2.22
 pydantic==2.9.1
 pydantic_core==2.23.3
 pytest==8.3.2
+pytest-xdist==3.7.0
 requests==2.32.4
 typing_extensions==4.12.2
 urllib3==2.2.2