diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 24817d80622b7aa5b0ffa66285c185e2164d1695..f2fd9cf1e10144c81a7e320f36f3ecbe35efeab4 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -62,7 +62,6 @@ documents those changes that are of interest to users and administrators.
     job container where if the step was canceled would also cancel the stepd
     erroneously.
  -- Make sure the slurmstepd blocks signals like SIGTERM correctly.
- -- When submitting a --test-only job respect the -M option.
  -- SPANK - When slurm_spank_init_post_opt() fails return error correctly.
  -- When revoking a sibling job in the federation we want to send a start
     message before purging the job record to get the uid of the revoked job.
diff --git a/src/api/allocate.c b/src/api/allocate.c
index f28cdb84c2aca8fda8542942a6d9aadf318976c0..d3a45fc4f15fbbd41133f63cb2553a49cc8f9cd0 100644
--- a/src/api/allocate.c
+++ b/src/api/allocate.c
@@ -604,17 +604,7 @@ int slurm_job_will_run(job_desc_msg_t *req)
 		cluster_name = working_cluster_rec->name;
 	else
 		cluster_name = slurmctld_conf.cluster_name;
-
-	/*
-	 * If clusters is defined then slurmdb_get_first_avail_cluster() has
-	 * already been called and figured out the fastest cluster and a
-	 * will_run to the cluster is all that is needed. However if specific
-	 * clusters have been requested and the local cluster is in a federated
-	 * then check all of the clusters in the federation for the fastest
-	 * cluster.
-	 */
-	if (!req->clusters &&
-	    !slurm_load_federation(&ptr) &&
+	if (!slurm_load_federation(&ptr) &&
 	    cluster_in_federation(ptr, cluster_name))
 		rc = _fed_job_will_run(req, &will_run_resp, ptr);
 	else
diff --git a/src/common/slurmdb_defs.c b/src/common/slurmdb_defs.c
index 54cf55f6fa3af46122c5d81cbb064e2c0fae0b04..fbf8dd6e0ec884210cd4884bdb454d45f9a38a5e 100644
--- a/src/common/slurmdb_defs.c
+++ b/src/common/slurmdb_defs.c
@@ -3006,6 +3006,7 @@ extern int slurmdb_get_first_avail_cluster(job_desc_msg_t *req,
 	ListIterator itr;
 	List cluster_list = NULL;
 	List ret_list = NULL;
+	List tried_feds = list_create(NULL);
 
 	*cluster_rec = NULL;
 	cluster_list = slurmdb_get_info_cluster(cluster_names);
@@ -3030,14 +3031,24 @@ extern int slurmdb_get_first_avail_cluster(job_desc_msg_t *req,
 	ret_list = list_create(_destroy_local_cluster_rec);
 	itr = list_iterator_create(cluster_list);
 	while ((working_cluster_rec = list_next(itr))) {
+		/* only try one cluster from each federation */
+		if (working_cluster_rec->fed.id &&
+		    list_find_first(tried_feds, slurm_find_char_in_list,
+				    working_cluster_rec->fed.name))
+			continue;
+
 		if ((local_cluster = _job_will_run(req))) {
 			list_append(ret_list, local_cluster);
+			if (working_cluster_rec->fed.id)
+				list_append(tried_feds,
+					    working_cluster_rec->fed.name);
 		} else {
 			error("Problem with submit to cluster %s: %m",
 			      working_cluster_rec->name);
 		}
 	}
 	list_iterator_destroy(itr);
+	FREE_NULL_LIST(tried_feds);
 
 	/* restore working_cluster_rec in case it was already set */
 	if (*cluster_rec) {