@@ -78,10 +78,14 @@ public class MergeAgentFilesMojo extends AbstractMojo {
 public void execute() throws MojoExecutionException, MojoFailureException {
 String agentOutputDirectory = agentOutputDirectoryFor(target, NativeExtension.Context.valueOf(context));
 File baseDir = new File(agentOutputDirectory);
-Path nativeImageExecutable = Utils.getNativeImage();
-File mergerExecutable = tryInstall(nativeImageExecutable);
-List<File> sessionDirectories = sessionDirectoriesFrom(baseDir.listFiles()).collect(Collectors.toList());
-invokeMerge(mergerExecutable, sessionDirectories, baseDir);
+if (baseDir.exists()) {
+Path nativeImageExecutable = Utils.getNativeImage();
+File mergerExecutable = tryInstall(nativeImageExecutable);
+List<File> sessionDirectories = sessionDirectoriesFrom(baseDir.listFiles()).collect(Collectors.toList());
+invokeMerge(mergerExecutable, sessionDirectories, baseDir);
+} else {
+getLog().debug("Agent output directory " + baseDir + " doesn't exist. Skipping merge.");
+}
 }
 
 private File tryInstall(Path nativeImageExecutablePath) {

@@ -78,15 +78,26 @@ public class NativeExtension extends AbstractMavenLifecycleParticipant {
 * and within the Maven POM as values of the {@code name} attribute in
 * {@code <options name="...">}.
 */
-enum Context { main, test };
+enum Context {main, test}
 
 static String testIdsDirectory(String baseDir) {
 return baseDir + File.separator + "test-ids";
 }
 
 static String buildAgentArgument(String baseDir, Context context, List<String> agentOptions) {
 List<String> options = new ArrayList<>(agentOptions);
-options.add("config-output-dir=" + agentOutputDirectoryFor(baseDir, context) + File.separator + SharedConstants.AGENT_SESSION_SUBDIR);
+String effectiveOutputDir = agentOutputDirectoryFor(baseDir, context);
+if (context == Context.test) {
+// We need to the config dir IF, and only IF, we are running tests, because
+// test execution can be forked into a separate process and there's a race condition.
+// We have to special case testing here instead of using a generic strategy THEN
+// invoke the merging tool, because there's no way in Maven to do something as easy
+// as finalizing a goal (that is, let me do the merge AFTER you're done executing tests,
+// or invoking exec, or whatever, because what I need to do actually participates into
+// the same unit of work !).
+effectiveOutputDir = effectiveOutputDir + File.separator + SharedConstants.AGENT_SESSION_SUBDIR;
+}
+options.add("config-output-dir=" + effectiveOutputDir);
 return "-agentlib:native-image-agent=" + String.join(",", options);
 }
 
@@ -153,18 +164,24 @@ public void afterProjectsRead(MavenSession session) throws MavenExecutionExcepti
 Context context = exec.getGoals().stream().anyMatch("test"::equals) ? Context.test : Context.main;
 Xpp3Dom agentResourceDirectory = findOrAppend(configuration, "agentResourceDirectory");
 agentResourceDirectory.setValue(agentOutputDirectoryFor(target, context));
-List<String> goals = new ArrayList<>();
-goals.add("merge-agent-files");
-goals.addAll(exec.getGoals());
-exec.setGoals(goals);
-Xpp3Dom agentContext = findOrAppend(configuration, "context");
-agentContext.setValue(context.name());
+if (context == Context.test) {
+setupMergeAgentFiles(exec, configuration, context);
+}
 });
 }
 });
 }
 }
 
+private static void setupMergeAgentFiles(PluginExecution exec, Xpp3Dom configuration, Context context) {
+List<String> goals = new ArrayList<>();
+goals.add("merge-agent-files");
+goals.addAll(exec.getGoals());
+exec.setGoals(goals);
+Xpp3Dom agentContext = findOrAppend(configuration, "context");
+agentContext.setValue(context.name());
+}
+
 private static void withPlugin(Build build, String artifactId, Consumer<? super Plugin> consumer) {
 build.getPlugins()
 .stream()
@@ -204,6 +221,7 @@ private static String getSelectedOptionsName(MavenSession session) {
 * {@code <options>} elements whose names match the name of the supplied {@code context}
 * or {@code selectedOptionsName} and for unnamed, shared {@code <options>} elements,
 * and returns a list of the collected agent options.
+*
 * @param nativePlugin the {@code native-maven-plugin}; never null
 * @param context the current execution context; never null
 * @param selectedOptionsName the name of the set of custom agent options activated
@@ -260,9 +278,12 @@ private static void processOptionNodes(Xpp3Dom options, List<String> optionsList
 private static boolean parseBoolean(String description, String value) {
 value = assertNotEmptyAndTrim(value, description + " must have a value").toLowerCase();
 switch (value) {
-case "true": return true;
-case "false": return false;
-default: throw new IllegalStateException(description + " must have a value of 'true' or 'false'");
+case "true":
+return true;
+case "false":
+return false;
+default:
+throw new IllegalStateException(description + " must have a value of 'true' or 'false'");
 }
 }
 
@@ -304,15 +325,20 @@ private static void configureJunitListener(Plugin surefirePlugin, String testIds
 
 private static void updatePluginConfiguration(Plugin plugin, BiConsumer<PluginExecution, ? super Xpp3Dom> consumer) {
 plugin.getExecutions().forEach(exec -> {
-Xpp3Dom configuration = (Xpp3Dom) exec.getConfiguration();
-if (configuration == null) {
-configuration = new Xpp3Dom("configuration");
-exec.setConfiguration(configuration);
-}
+Xpp3Dom configuration = configurationBlockOf(exec);
 consumer.accept(exec, configuration);
 });
 }
 
+private static Xpp3Dom configurationBlockOf(PluginExecution exec) {
+Xpp3Dom configuration = (Xpp3Dom) exec.getConfiguration();
+if (configuration == null) {
+configuration = new Xpp3Dom("configuration");
+exec.setConfiguration(configuration);
+}
+return configuration;
+}
+
 private static Xpp3Dom findOrAppend(Xpp3Dom parent, String childName) {
 Xpp3Dom child = parent.getChild(childName);
 if (child == null) {