diff --git a/tests/libtest/first.c b/tests/libtest/first.c
index 745ed9fe56c3790e28ffe262356d8f50ce7b9231..9e585eace6dd02da4f55e5396cfff1211f037975 100644
--- a/tests/libtest/first.c
+++ b/tests/libtest/first.c
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ int select_test (int num_fds, fd_set *rd, fd_set *wr, fd_set *exc,
 }
 
 char *arg2=NULL;
+char *arg3=NULL;
 
 int main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
@@ -67,6 +68,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
   if(argc>2)
     arg2=argv[2];
 
+  if(argc>3)
+    arg3=argv[3];
+
   URL = argv[1]; /* provide this to the rest */
 
   fprintf(stderr, "URL: %s\n", URL);
diff --git a/tests/libtest/test.h b/tests/libtest/test.h
index c7064f82eaf8931e1f8891aa44ef6358ba42b23c..fba51a720488f18f0bf62726cdbe2c7c7ff29e7a 100644
--- a/tests/libtest/test.h
+++ b/tests/libtest/test.h
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 #define TEST_ERR_RUNS_FOREVER   99
 
 extern char *arg2; /* set by first.c to the argv[2] or NULL */
+extern char *arg3; /* set by first.c to the argv[3] or NULL */
 
 int select_test (int num_fds, fd_set *rd, fd_set *wr, fd_set *exc,
                  struct timeval *tv);