diff --git a/changelog/5.bugfix b/changelog/5.bugfix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a3e1711
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/5.bugfix
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Fix issue where the -n option would still run distributed tests when pytest was run with the --collect-only option
diff --git a/testing/acceptance_test.py b/testing/acceptance_test.py
index ea5d204..f8f995f 100644
--- a/testing/acceptance_test.py
+++ b/testing/acceptance_test.py
@@ -262,6 +262,17 @@ class TestDistribution:
         child.close()
         # assert ret == 2
 
+    def test_dist_with_collectonly(self, testdir):
+        p1 = testdir.makepyfile("""
+            def test_ok():
+                pass
+        """)
+        result = testdir.runpytest(p1, "-n1", "--collect-only")
+        assert result.ret == 0
+        result.stdout.fnmatch_lines([
+            "*collected 1 item*",
+        ])
+
 
 class TestDistEach:
     def test_simple(self, testdir):
diff --git a/testing/test_plugin.py b/testing/test_plugin.py
index 319e2ec..13a51d1 100644
--- a/testing/test_plugin.py
+++ b/testing/test_plugin.py
@@ -44,6 +44,36 @@ def test_auto_detect_cpus(testdir, monkeypatch):
     assert config.getoption('numprocesses') == 99
 
 
+def test_boxed_with_collect_only(testdir):
+    from xdist.plugin import pytest_cmdline_main as check_options
+    config = testdir.parseconfigure("-n1", "--boxed")
+    check_options(config)
+    assert config.option.forked
+
+    config = testdir.parseconfigure("-n1", "--collect-only")
+    check_options(config)
+    assert not config.option.forked
+
+    config = testdir.parseconfigure("-n1", "--boxed", "--collect-only")
+    check_options(config)
+    assert config.option.forked
+
+
+def test_dsession_with_collect_only(testdir):
+    from xdist.plugin import pytest_cmdline_main as check_options
+    from xdist.plugin import pytest_configure as configure
+
+    config = testdir.parseconfigure("-n1")
+    check_options(config)
+    configure(config)
+    assert config.pluginmanager.hasplugin("dsession")
+
+    config = testdir.parseconfigure("-n1", "--collect-only")
+    check_options(config)
+    configure(config)
+    assert not config.pluginmanager.hasplugin("dsession")
+
+
 class TestDistOptions:
     def test_getxspecs(self, testdir):
         config = testdir.parseconfigure("--tx=popen", "--tx", "ssh=xyz")
diff --git a/xdist/plugin.py b/xdist/plugin.py
index 93231e8..a19515d 100644
--- a/xdist/plugin.py
+++ b/xdist/plugin.py
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ def pytest_addhooks(pluginmanager):
 
 @pytest.mark.trylast
 def pytest_configure(config):
-    if config.getoption("dist") != "no":
+    if config.getoption("dist") != "no" and not config.getvalue("collectonly"):
         from xdist.dsession import DSession
         session = DSession(config)
         config.pluginmanager.register(session, "dsession")