diff --git a/awx/main/dispatch/publish.py b/awx/main/dispatch/publish.py
index 8ff158eafae6..df39e06de3c1 100644
--- a/awx/main/dispatch/publish.py
+++ b/awx/main/dispatch/publish.py
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@
 from uuid import uuid4
 
 from django_guid import get_guid
+from django.conf import settings
 
 from . import pg_bus_conn
-from awx.main.utils import is_testing
 
 logger = logging.getLogger('awx.main.dispatch')
 
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ def apply_async(cls, args=None, kwargs=None, queue=None, uuid=None, **kw):
                 obj = cls.get_async_body(args=args, kwargs=kwargs, uuid=uuid, **kw)
                 if callable(queue):
                     queue = queue()
-                if not is_testing():
+                if not settings.DISPATCHER_MOCK_PUBLISH:
                     with pg_bus_conn() as conn:
                         conn.notify(queue, json.dumps(obj))
                 return (obj, queue)
diff --git a/awx/main/tasks/host_indirect.py b/awx/main/tasks/host_indirect.py
index 63d6453650bd..d7e9edffaf32 100644
--- a/awx/main/tasks/host_indirect.py
+++ b/awx/main/tasks/host_indirect.py
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import logging
 from typing import Tuple, Union
-import time
 
 import yaml
 
@@ -148,16 +147,11 @@ def save_indirect_host_entries(job_id: int, wait_for_events: bool = True) -> Non
 
     if wait_for_events:
         # Gate running this task on the job having all events processed, not just EOF or playbook_on_stats
-        current_events = 0
-        for _ in range(10):
-            current_events = job.job_events.count()
-            if current_events >= job.emitted_events:
-                break
-            logger.debug(f'Waiting for job_id={job_id} to finish processing events, currently {current_events} < {job.emitted_events}')
-            time.sleep(0.2)
-        else:
-            logger.warning(f'Event count {current_events} < {job.emitted_events} for job_id={job_id}, delaying processing of indirect host tracking')
+        current_events = job.job_events.count()
+        if current_events < job.emitted_events:
+            logger.info(f'Event count {current_events} < {job.emitted_events} for job_id={job_id}, delaying processing of indirect host tracking')
             return
+        job.log_lifecycle(f'finished processing {current_events} events, running save_indirect_host_entries')
 
     with transaction.atomic():
         """
diff --git a/awx/main/tasks/system.py b/awx/main/tasks/system.py
index 31d890a6bcc1..91e4d0dee5e3 100644
--- a/awx/main/tasks/system.py
+++ b/awx/main/tasks/system.py
@@ -374,7 +374,12 @@ def events_processed_hook(unified_job):
     Either one of these events could happen before the other, or there may be no events"""
     unified_job.send_notification_templates('succeeded' if unified_job.status == 'successful' else 'failed')
     if isinstance(unified_job, Job) and flag_enabled("FEATURE_INDIRECT_NODE_COUNTING_ENABLED"):
-        save_indirect_host_entries.delay(unified_job.id)
+        if unified_job.event_queries_processed is True:
+            # If this is called from callback receiver, it likely does not have updated model data
+            # a refresh now is formally robust
+            unified_job.refresh_from_db(fields=['event_queries_processed'])
+        if unified_job.event_queries_processed is False:
+            save_indirect_host_entries.delay(unified_job.id)
 
 
 @task(queue=get_task_queuename)
diff --git a/awx/main/tests/live/tests/test_indirect_host_counting.py b/awx/main/tests/live/tests/test_indirect_host_counting.py
index 00eda91db5c9..7c86eb8d313b 100644
--- a/awx/main/tests/live/tests/test_indirect_host_counting.py
+++ b/awx/main/tests/live/tests/test_indirect_host_counting.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import time
 
 from awx.main.tests.live.tests.conftest import wait_for_events
-from awx.main.tasks.host_indirect import build_indirect_host_data
+from awx.main.tasks.host_indirect import build_indirect_host_data, save_indirect_host_entries
 from awx.main.models.indirect_managed_node_audit import IndirectManagedNodeAudit
 from awx.main.models import Job
 
@@ -38,13 +38,25 @@ def test_indirect_host_counting(live_tmp_folder, run_job_from_playbook):
 
     assert job.ansible_version
 
-    # This will poll, because it depends on the background task finishing
+    # Poll for events finishing processing, because background task requires this
     for _ in range(10):
-        if IndirectManagedNodeAudit.objects.filter(job=job).exists():
+        if job.job_events.count() >= job.emitted_events:
             break
         time.sleep(0.2)
     else:
-        raise RuntimeError(f'No IndirectManagedNodeAudit records ever populated for job_id={job.id}')
+        raise RuntimeError(f'job id={job.id} never processed events')
+
+    # Task might not run due to race condition, so make it run here
+    job.refresh_from_db()
+    if job.event_queries_processed is False:
+        save_indirect_host_entries.delay(job.id, wait_for_events=False)
+        # This will poll for the background task to finish
+        for _ in range(10):
+            if IndirectManagedNodeAudit.objects.filter(job=job).exists():
+                break
+            time.sleep(0.2)
+        else:
+            raise RuntimeError(f'No IndirectManagedNodeAudit records ever populated for job_id={job.id}')
 
     assert IndirectManagedNodeAudit.objects.filter(job=job).count() == 1
     host_audit = IndirectManagedNodeAudit.objects.filter(job=job).first()
diff --git a/awx/main/tests/settings_for_test.py b/awx/main/tests/settings_for_test.py
index 5634494c3373..b7d5cdf0235f 100644
--- a/awx/main/tests/settings_for_test.py
+++ b/awx/main/tests/settings_for_test.py
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@
 # Some things make decisions based on settings.SETTINGS_MODULE, so this is done for that
 SETTINGS_MODULE = 'awx.settings.development'
 
+# Turn off task submission, because sqlite3 does not have pg_notify
+DISPATCHER_MOCK_PUBLISH = True
+
 # Use SQLite for unit tests instead of PostgreSQL.  If the lines below are
 # commented out, Django will create the test_awx-dev database in PostgreSQL to
 # run unit tests.
diff --git a/awx/main/tests/unit/test_settings.py b/awx/main/tests/unit/test_settings.py
index dae59296551b..7ff2e3f4abf6 100644
--- a/awx/main/tests/unit/test_settings.py
+++ b/awx/main/tests/unit/test_settings.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
     'CACHES',
     'DEBUG',
     'NAMED_URL_GRAPH',
+    'DISPATCHER_MOCK_PUBLISH',
 )
 
 
diff --git a/awx/settings/defaults.py b/awx/settings/defaults.py
index 51c162cdaadc..1142109704f5 100644
--- a/awx/settings/defaults.py
+++ b/awx/settings/defaults.py
@@ -424,6 +424,11 @@
 # Amount of time dispatcher will try to reconnect to database for jobs and consuming new work
 DISPATCHER_DB_DOWNTIME_TOLERANCE = 40
 
+# If you set this, nothing will ever be sent to pg_notify
+# this is not practical to use, although periodic schedules may still run slugish but functional tasks
+# sqlite3 based tests will use this
+DISPATCHER_MOCK_PUBLISH = False
+
 BROKER_URL = 'unix:///var/run/redis/redis.sock'
 CELERYBEAT_SCHEDULE = {
     'tower_scheduler': {'task': 'awx.main.tasks.system.awx_periodic_scheduler', 'schedule': timedelta(seconds=30), 'options': {'expires': 20}},