diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/billing.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/billing.js
index 308add068d..01f1084db6 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/billing.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/billing.js
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ const helpers = mock_esm("../../static/js/billing/helpers", {
     set_tab: () => {},
 });
 
+zrequire("billing/billing");
+
 run_test("initialize", (override) => {
     let token_func;
 
@@ -69,7 +71,7 @@ run_test("initialize", (override) => {
     $("#payment-method").data = (key) =>
         document.querySelector("#payment-method").getAttribute("data-" + key);
 
-    zrequire("billing/billing");
+    $.get_initialize_function()();
 
     assert(set_tab_called);
     assert(stripe_checkout_configure_called);
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/common.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/common.js
index 5192f75a0f..409c85849f 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/common.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/common.js
@@ -16,7 +16,9 @@ const common = zrequire("common");
 
 run_test("basics", () => {
     common.autofocus("#home");
+    $.get_initialize_function()();
     assert($("#home").is_focused());
+    $.clear_initialize_function();
 });
 
 run_test("phrase_match", () => {
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_edit.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_edit.js
index 38d8e2591b..d0033a27aa 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_edit.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/stream_edit.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ const {run_test} = require("../zjsunit/test");
 const $ = require("../zjsunit/zjquery");
 
 const noop = () => {};
-stub_templates(() => noop);
+stub_templates(() => "<stub>");
 
 const page_params = set_global("page_params", {});
 mock_cjs("jquery", $);
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/support.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/support.js
index 5f9b07a2d6..8b4625d351 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/support.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/support.js
@@ -14,9 +14,10 @@ const dom = new JSDOM(template, {pretendToBeVisual: true});
 const document = dom.window.document;
 
 mock_cjs("jquery", $);
+zrequire("../js/analytics/support");
 
 run_test("scrub_realm", () => {
-    zrequire("../js/analytics/support");
+    $.get_initialize_function()();
     const click_handler = $("body").get_on_handler("click", ".scrub-realm-button");
 
     const fake_this = $.create("fake-.scrub-realm-button");
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/upgrade.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/upgrade.js
index 6f2f08c58c..5b7a5a3424 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/upgrade.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/upgrade.js
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ set_global("page_params", {
 mock_cjs("jquery", $);
 
 const helpers = zrequire("../js/billing/helpers");
+zrequire("../js/billing/upgrade");
 
 run_test("initialize", (override) => {
     let token_func;
@@ -103,7 +104,7 @@ run_test("initialize", (override) => {
     $("#autopay-form").data = (key) =>
         document.querySelector("#autopay-form").getAttribute("data-" + key);
 
-    zrequire("../js/billing/upgrade");
+    $.get_initialize_function()();
 
     const e = {
         preventDefault: noop,
diff --git a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/index.js b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/index.js
index 8fe80a406a..42ac10531f 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/index.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/index.js
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ function short_tb(tb) {
 }
 
 function run_one_module(file) {
+    zjquery.clear_initialize_function();
     zjquery.clear_all_elements();
     console.info("running test " + path.basename(file, ".js"));
     test.set_current_file_name(file);
diff --git a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/zjquery.js b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/zjquery.js
index 9c2d92e2a6..5348ee4824 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/zjsunit/zjquery.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/zjsunit/zjquery.js
@@ -486,13 +486,21 @@ function make_zjquery() {
         return proxy;
     }
 
+    let initialize_function;
+
     const zjquery = function (arg, arg2) {
         if (typeof arg === "function") {
-            // If somebody is passing us a function, we emulate
-            // jQuery's behavior of running this function after
-            // page load time.  But there are no pages to load,
-            // so we just call it right away.
-            arg();
+            if (initialize_function) {
+                throw new Error(`
+                    We are trying to avoid the $(...) mechanism
+                    for initializing modules in our codebase,
+                    and the code that you are compiling/running
+                    has tried to do this twice.  Please either
+                    clean up the real code or reduce the scope
+                    of what you are testing in this test module.
+                `);
+            }
+            initialize_function = arg;
             return undefined;
         }
 
@@ -533,6 +541,14 @@ function make_zjquery() {
         return elems.get(selector);
     };
 
+    zjquery.get_initialize_function = function () {
+        return initialize_function;
+    };
+
+    zjquery.clear_initialize_function = function () {
+        initialize_function = undefined;
+    };
+
     zjquery.create = function (name, opts) {
         assert(!elems.has(name), "You already created an object with this name!!");
         const elem = new_elem(name, opts);
diff --git a/static/js/common.js b/static/js/common.js
index 83657cf299..7d9bd3526e 100644
--- a/static/js/common.js
+++ b/static/js/common.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ if (module.hot) {
 
 export const status_classes = "alert-error alert-success alert-info alert-warning";
 
+// TODO: Move this to the portico codebase.
 export function autofocus(selector) {
     $(() => {
         $(selector).trigger("focus");