diff --git a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/namespace.js b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/namespace.js
index 4d95b8fb8f..eafe3a4bc2 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/namespace.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/namespace.js
@@ -12,12 +12,6 @@ exports.set_global = function (name, val) {
         `);
     }
 
-    // Add this for debugging and to allow with_overrides
-    // to know that we're dealing with stubbed code.
-    if (typeof val === "object") {
-        val._patched_with_set_global = true;
-    }
-
     if (!(name in old_globals)) {
         if (!(name in global)) {
             new_globals.add(name);
@@ -116,16 +110,7 @@ exports.with_overrides = function (test_function) {
             throw new TypeError(`We cannot override a function for ${typeof obj} objects`);
         }
 
-        if (obj[func_name] === undefined) {
-            if (obj !== global.$ && !obj._patched_with_set_global) {
-                throw new Error(`
-                    It looks like you are overriding ${func_name}
-                    for a module that never defined it, which probably
-                    indicates that you have a typo or are doing
-                    something hacky in the test.
-                `);
-            }
-        } else if (typeof obj[func_name] !== "function") {
+        if (obj[func_name] !== undefined && typeof obj[func_name] !== "function") {
             throw new TypeError(`
                 You are overriding a non-function with a function.
                 This is almost certainly an error.