diff --git a/modules/ingest-common/src/yamlRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/ingest/common/IngestCommonClientYamlTestSuiteIT.java b/modules/ingest-common/src/yamlRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/ingest/common/IngestCommonClientYamlTestSuiteIT.java
index 889fa0b101c06..e2622a49e7638 100644
--- a/modules/ingest-common/src/yamlRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/ingest/common/IngestCommonClientYamlTestSuiteIT.java
+++ b/modules/ingest-common/src/yamlRestTest/java/org/elasticsearch/ingest/common/IngestCommonClientYamlTestSuiteIT.java
@@ -15,10 +15,10 @@
 import org.elasticsearch.common.settings.Settings;
 import org.elasticsearch.common.util.concurrent.ThreadContext;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.cluster.ElasticsearchCluster;
+import org.elasticsearch.test.cluster.local.LocalClusterSpecBuilder;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.cluster.local.distribution.DistributionType;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.rest.yaml.ClientYamlTestCandidate;
 import org.elasticsearch.test.rest.yaml.ESClientYamlSuiteTestCase;
-import org.junit.ClassRule;
 
 public class IngestCommonClientYamlTestSuiteIT extends ESClientYamlSuiteTestCase {
 
@@ -38,12 +38,19 @@ protected Settings restClientSettings() {
         return Settings.builder().put(ThreadContext.PREFIX + ".Authorization", BASIC_AUTH_VALUE).build();
     }
 
-    @ClassRule
-    public static ElasticsearchCluster cluster = ElasticsearchCluster.local()
-        .distribution(DistributionType.DEFAULT)
-        .setting("xpack.security.enabled", "true")
-        .user("x_pack_rest_user", "x-pack-test-password")
-        .build();
+    public static ElasticsearchCluster cluster = createCluster();
+
+    private static ElasticsearchCluster createCluster() {
+        LocalClusterSpecBuilder<ElasticsearchCluster> clusterBuilder = ElasticsearchCluster.local()
+            .distribution(DistributionType.DEFAULT)
+            .setting("xpack.security.enabled", "true")
+            .user("x_pack_rest_user", "x-pack-test-password");
+        boolean setNodes = Boolean.parseBoolean(System.getProperty("yaml.rest.tests.set_num_nodes", "true"));
+        if (setNodes) {
+            clusterBuilder.nodes(2);
+        }
+        return clusterBuilder.build();
+    }
 
     @Override
     protected String getTestRestCluster() {