diff --git a/tools/release.js b/tools/release.js
index 860be75a11..ea2b469171 100644
--- a/tools/release.js
+++ b/tools/release.js
@@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ release.usingRightReleaseForApp = function (appDir) {
 release.latestDownloaded = function () {
   if (! files.usesWarehouse())
     throw new Error("called from checkout?");
+  // For self-test only.
+  if (process.env.METEOR_TEST_LATEST_RELEASE)
+    return process.env.METEOR_TEST_LATEST_RELEASE;
   var ret = warehouse.latestRelease();
   if (! ret)
     throw new Error("no releases available?");
diff --git a/tools/selftest.js b/tools/selftest.js
index f2c23e8a5c..e973f9f377 100644
--- a/tools/selftest.js
+++ b/tools/selftest.js
@@ -386,6 +386,11 @@ _.extend(Sandbox.prototype, {
     env.METEOR_SESSION_FILE = path.join(self.root, '.meteorsession');
     if (self.warehouse)
       env.METEOR_WAREHOUSE_DIR = self.warehouse;
+    // By default (ie, with no mock warehouse and no --release arg) we should be
+    // testing the actual release this is built in, so we pretend that it is the
+    // latest release.
+    if (!self.warehouse && release.current.isProperRelease())
+      env.METEOR_TEST_LATEST_RELEASE = release.current.name;
 
     return new Run(self.execPath, {
       sandbox: self,
@@ -410,6 +415,12 @@ _.extend(Sandbox.prototype, {
     var self = this;
     files.cp_r(path.join(__dirname, 'tests', 'apps', template),
                path.join(self.cwd, to));
+    // If the test isn't explicitly managing a mock warehouse, ensure that apps
+    // run with our release by default.
+    if (!self.warehouse && release.current.isProperRelease()) {
+      self.write(path.join(self.cwd, to, '.meteor/release'),
+                 release.current.name);
+    }
   },
 
   // Change the cwd to be used for subsequent runs. For example: