diff --git a/vlib/v/tests/live_test.v b/vlib/v/tests/live_test.v
index 7e096e96ad..36b18995f9 100644
--- a/vlib/v/tests/live_test.v
+++ b/vlib/v/tests/live_test.v
@@ -72,7 +72,13 @@ fn pmessage() string {
 const (
 	delay = 5
 )
-
+fn edefault(name string, default string) string {
+	res := os.getenv(name)
+	if res == '' {
+		return default
+	}
+	return res
+}
 fn main() {
 	mut info := live.info()
 	info.recheck_period_ms = 5
@@ -80,8 +86,9 @@ fn main() {
 	myprintln('DATE: ' + time.now().str())
 	pmessage()
 	pmessage()
+	max_cycles := edefault('LIVE_CYCLES', '1').int()
 	// NB: 1000 * 5 = maximum of ~5s runtime
-	for i:=0; i<1000; i++ {
+	for i:=0; i<max_cycles; i++ {
 		s := pmessage()
 		append_to_file(os.resource_abs_path(s + '.txt'), s)
 		time.sleep_ms(delay)
@@ -97,6 +104,14 @@ fn main() {
 "
 )
 
+fn edefault(name string, default string) string {
+	res := os.getenv(name)
+	if res == '' {
+		return default
+	}
+	return res
+}
+
 fn atomic_write_source(source string) {
 	// NB: here wrtiting is done in 2 steps, since os.write_file can take some time,
 	// during which the file will be modified, but it will still be not completely written.
@@ -158,7 +173,8 @@ fn wait_for_file(new string) {
 	time.sleep_ms(100)
 	expected_file := os.join_path(os.temp_dir(), new + '.txt')
 	eprintln('waiting for $expected_file ...')
-	for i := 0; i <= 400; i++ {
+	max_wait_cycles := edefault('WAIT_CYCLES', '1').int()
+	for i := 0; i <= max_wait_cycles; i++ {
 		if i % 25 == 0 {
 			vprintln('   checking ${i:-10d} for $expected_file ...')
 		}
@@ -172,8 +188,20 @@ fn wait_for_file(new string) {
 	}
 }
 
+fn setup_cycles_environment() {
+	mut max_live_cycles := 1000
+	mut max_wait_cycles := 400
+	if os.user_os() == 'macos' {
+		max_live_cycles *= 5
+		max_wait_cycles *= 5
+	}
+	os.setenv('LIVE_CYCLES', '$max_live_cycles', true)
+	os.setenv('WAIT_CYCLES', '$max_wait_cycles', true)
+}
+
 //
 fn test_live_program_can_be_compiled() {
+	setup_cycles_environment()
 	eprintln('Compiling...')
 	os.system('$vexe -live -o $genexe_file $source_file')
 	//