diff --git a/pytools/__init__.py b/pytools/__init__.py
index 978352257de801ad87898a49d7b9eda13a155e20..ded899c314670ddeb7c8b1721abaed405e4a21b6 100644
--- a/pytools/__init__.py
+++ b/pytools/__init__.py
@@ -2170,9 +2170,35 @@ class ProcessLogger(object):  # pylint: disable=too-many-instance-attributes
 
         import threading
         self.late_start_log_thread = threading.Thread(target=self._log_start_if_long)
+
         # Do not delay interpreter exit if thread not finished.
         self.late_start_log_thread.daemon = True
-        self.late_start_log_thread.start()
+
+        # https://github.com/firedrakeproject/firedrake/issues/1422
+        # Starting a thread may irrecoverably break various environments,
+        # e.g. MPI.
+        #
+        # Since the late-start logging is an optional 'quality-of-life'
+        # feature for interactive use, do not do it unless there is (weak)
+        # evidence of interactive use.
+        import sys
+        use_late_start_logging = sys.stdin.isatty()
+
+        import os
+        if os.environ.get("PYTOOLS_LOG_NO_THREADS", ""):
+            use_late_start_logging = False
+
+        if use_late_start_logging:
+            try:
+                self.late_start_log_thread.start()
+            except RuntimeError:
+                # https://github.com/firedrakeproject/firedrake/issues/1422
+                #
+                # Starting a thread may fail in various environments, e.g. MPI.
+                # Since the late-start logging is an optional 'quality-of-life'
+                # feature for interactive use, tolerate failures of it without
+                # warning.
+                pass
 
         self.timer = ProcessTimer()
 
diff --git a/test/test_pytools.py b/test/test_pytools.py
index 91748c82e52fc2b362023adc096116417d9db2d1..775b68b1e94f69135f19393664e5353852222a49 100644
--- a/test/test_pytools.py
+++ b/test/test_pytools.py
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 from __future__ import absolute_import, division, with_statement
 
 import sys
-
 import pytest
 
+import logging
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 
 @pytest.mark.skipif("sys.version_info < (2, 5)")
 def test_memoize_method_clear():
@@ -185,6 +187,18 @@ def test_reshaped_view():
         pytools.reshaped_view(b, -1)
 
 
+def test_processlogger():
+    logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)
+
+    from pytools import ProcessLogger
+    plog = ProcessLogger(logger, "testing the process logger",
+            long_threshold_seconds=0.01)
+
+    from time import sleep
+    with plog:
+        sleep(0.3)
+
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     if len(sys.argv) > 1:
         exec(sys.argv[1])