diff --git a/integration/container/stop_linux_test.go b/integration/container/stop_linux_test.go
index fa7338da81..6b2e5ed889 100644
--- a/integration/container/stop_linux_test.go
+++ b/integration/container/stop_linux_test.go
@@ -78,12 +78,12 @@ func TestStopContainerWithTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 // if the request is cancelled.
 // See issue https://github.com/moby/moby/issues/45731
 func TestStopContainerWithTimeoutCancel(t *testing.T) {
-	t.Parallel()
-
 	ctx := setupTest(t)
 	apiClient := testEnv.APIClient()
 	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = apiClient.Close() })
 
+	t.Parallel()
+
 	id := container.Run(ctx, t, apiClient,
 		container.WithCmd("sh", "-c", "trap 'echo received TERM' TERM; while true; do usleep 10; done"),
 	)
diff --git a/integration/volume/volume_test.go b/integration/volume/volume_test.go
index da0b065178..90ae78abd0 100644
--- a/integration/volume/volume_test.go
+++ b/integration/volume/volume_test.go
@@ -111,9 +111,10 @@ func TestVolumesRemove(t *testing.T) {
 func TestVolumesRemoveSwarmEnabled(t *testing.T) {
 	skip.If(t, testEnv.IsRemoteDaemon, "cannot run daemon when remote daemon")
 	skip.If(t, testEnv.DaemonInfo.OSType == "windows", "TODO enable on windows")
-	t.Parallel()
 	ctx := setupTest(t)
 
+	t.Parallel()
+
 	// Spin up a new daemon, so that we can run this test in parallel (it's a slow test)
 	d := daemon.New(t)
 	d.StartAndSwarmInit(ctx, t)
diff --git a/testutil/environment/protect.go b/testutil/environment/protect.go
index 34a5cc5805..14bb569928 100644
--- a/testutil/environment/protect.go
+++ b/testutil/environment/protect.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/image"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/volume"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/errdefs"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/testutil"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel"
 	"gotest.tools/v3/assert"
 )
@@ -38,6 +39,8 @@ func newProtectedElements() protectedElements {
 // volumes, and, on Linux, plugins) from being cleaned up at the end of test
 // runs
 func ProtectAll(ctx context.Context, t testing.TB, testEnv *Execution) {
+	testutil.CheckNotParallel(t)
+
 	t.Helper()
 	ctx, span := otel.Tracer("").Start(ctx, "ProtectAll")
 	defer span.End()
diff --git a/testutil/helpers.go b/testutil/helpers.go
index 5c99e7bba4..dfc8c5d344 100644
--- a/testutil/helpers.go
+++ b/testutil/helpers.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"io"
 	"os"
+	"reflect"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
@@ -156,3 +157,21 @@ func SetContext(t TestingT, ctx context.Context) {
 func CleanupContext(t *testing.T) {
 	testContexts.Delete(t)
 }
+
+// CheckNotParallel checks if t.Parallel() was not called on the current test.
+// There's no public method to check this, so we use reflection to check the
+// internal field set by t.Parallel()
+// https://github.com/golang/go/blob/8e658eee9c7a67a8a79a8308695920ac9917566c/src/testing/testing.go#L1449
+//
+// Since this is not a public API, it might change at any time.
+func CheckNotParallel(t testing.TB) {
+	t.Helper()
+	field := reflect.ValueOf(t).Elem().FieldByName("isParallel")
+	if field.IsValid() {
+		if field.Bool() {
+			t.Fatal("t.Parallel() was called before")
+		}
+	} else {
+		t.Logf("FIXME: CheckParallel could not determine if test %s is parallel - did the t.Parallel() implementation change?", t.Name())
+	}
+}