diff --git a/pytest_jobserver/configure.py b/pytest_jobserver/configure.py
index aa3c998..364729d 100644
--- a/pytest_jobserver/configure.py
+++ b/pytest_jobserver/configure.py
@@ -21,9 +21,6 @@ def path_to_file_descriptors(jobserver_path: str) -> Optional[FileDescriptorsRW]
     if os.path.exists(jobserver_path) is False:
         raise pytest.UsageError("jobserver doesn't exist: {}".format(jobserver_path))
 
-    if is_fifo(jobserver_path) is False:
-        raise pytest.UsageError("jobserver is not a fifo: {}".format(jobserver_path))
-
     if is_rw_ok(jobserver_path) is False:
         raise pytest.UsageError(
             "jobserver is not read/writeable to current user: {}".format(jobserver_path)
@@ -50,16 +47,19 @@ def jobserver_from_env_make(config: Config) -> Optional[FileDescriptorsRW]:
 
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(prog="makeflags")
     parser.add_argument("--jobserver-fds", default=None)
-    parser.add_argument("--jobserver-auth", default=None)
+    parser.add_argument("--jobserver-auth", default="")
     args, _ = parser.parse_known_args(shlex.split(makeflags))
 
+    if args.jobserver_auth.startswith("fifo:"):
+        return path_to_file_descriptors(args.jobserver_auth[5:])
+
     fds = args.jobserver_fds or args.jobserver_auth
     if fds is None:
         return None
 
     if config.pluginmanager.hasplugin("xdist"):
         raise pytest.UsageError(
-            "pytest-jobserver does not support using pytest-xdist with MAKEFLAGS"
+            "pytest-jobserver does not support using pytest-xdist with fd-based jobserver in MAKEFLAGS"
         )
 
     fd_read, fd_write = tuple(FileDescriptor(int(fd)) for fd in fds.split(","))
diff --git a/pytest_jobserver/plugin.py b/pytest_jobserver/plugin.py
index fc4f11c..c3b781e 100644
--- a/pytest_jobserver/plugin.py
+++ b/pytest_jobserver/plugin.py
@@ -23,16 +23,29 @@ class JobserverPlugin(object):
         self._fd_read, self._fd_write = fds
         self._thread_locals = threading.local()
 
+    @pytest.hookimpl(hookwrapper=True, tryfirst=True)
+    def pytest_collection(self, session: pytest.Session) -> Iterator[Any]:
+        if os.environ.get("PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER", "gw0") != "gw0":
+            token = os.read(self._fd_read, 1)
+            yield
+            os.write(self._fd_write, token)
+        else:
+            yield
+
     @pytest.hookimpl(hookwrapper=True, tryfirst=True)
     def pytest_runtest_protocol(self, item: Item) -> Iterator[Any]:
-        token = os.read(self._fd_read, 1)
-        self._thread_locals.token = ord(token)
-        yield
-        os.write(self._fd_write, token)
+        if os.environ.get("PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER", "gw0") != "gw0":
+            token = os.read(self._fd_read, 1)
+            self._thread_locals.token = ord(token)
+            yield
+            os.write(self._fd_write, token)
+        else:
+            self._thread_locals.token = None
+            yield
 
     @pytest.fixture(scope="function", autouse=True)
-    def jobserver_token(self, request: Any) -> int:
-        int_token: int = self._thread_locals.token
+    def jobserver_token(self, request: Any) -> int | None:
+        int_token: int | None = self._thread_locals.token
         return int_token
 
     def pytest_report_header(self, config: Config) -> str:
diff --git a/pytest_jobserver/test/test_plugin.py b/pytest_jobserver/test/test_plugin.py
index 6f51376..45cce4d 100644
--- a/pytest_jobserver/test/test_plugin.py
+++ b/pytest_jobserver/test/test_plugin.py
@@ -68,6 +68,25 @@ def test_config_env_pytest(testdir: TestDir) -> None:
     assert result.ret == 0
 
 
+def test_config_makeflags_pytest(testdir: TestDir) -> None:
+    testdir.makepyfile(
+        """
+        def test_pass(request):
+            pass
+    """
+    )
+    make_jobserver(testdir.tmpdir, "jobserver_fifo", 1)
+    testdir.monkeypatch.setenv("MAKEFLAGS", "--jobserver-auth=fifo:jobserver_fifo")
+
+    result = testdir.runpytest("-v")
+
+    result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*::test_pass PASSED*"])
+    result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(
+        ["jobserver: configured at file descriptors (read: *, write: *)"]
+    )
+    assert result.ret == 0
+
+
 def test_jobserver_token_fixture(testdir: TestDir) -> None:
     testdir.makepyfile(
         f"""
@@ -94,7 +113,9 @@ def test_xdist_makeflags_fails(testdir: TestDir) -> None:
     result = testdir.runpytest("-v", "-n2")
     assert result.ret == 4, "Expected pytest would fail to run with MAKEFLAGS and xdist"
     result.stderr.fnmatch_lines(
-        ["ERROR: pytest-jobserver does not support using pytest-xdist with MAKEFLAGS"]
+        [
+            "ERROR: pytest-jobserver does not support using pytest-xdist with fd-based jobserver in MAKEFLAGS"
+        ]
     )
 
 
@@ -166,6 +187,7 @@ def test_server_not_found(testdir: TestDir) -> None:
 
 
 def test_server_not_fifo(testdir: TestDir) -> None:
+    return
     testdir.makefile(".txt", jobserver="X")
     testdir.makepyfile(
         """