diff --git a/src/core/ddsc/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/src/core/ddsc/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 9020dd14be..91b8af18d8 100644
--- a/src/core/ddsc/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/core/ddsc/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -101,9 +101,25 @@ set(ddsc_test_sources
     "test_oneliner.h"
     "cdrstream.c"
     "serdata_keys.c"
-    "psmx.c"
   )
 
+# PSMX tests are tricky in a static build: we have a PSMX plugin that is based on Cyclone
+# so we can test the interface even when Iceoryx is not available, but supporting that
+# plugin is too complicated in a static build: it introduces a circular dependency and
+# that's too hard for me in CMake.
+#
+# On most platforms (Linux, Windows, macOS) we could still load it dynamically but that
+# fails to work because the shared library then includes its own copy of Cyclone DDS and
+# then the access to the application readers that the plugin needs is no longer possible
+# because they live in the other copy of the library.
+#
+# Fortunately, running them with Iceoryx doesn't suffer from this.  If we simply skip
+# these tests in a static build without Iceoryx and then we ensure the static build on CI
+# uses Iceoryx, we should be good.
+if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS OR (ENABLE_ICEORYX AND NOT DEFINED ENV{COLCON}))
+  list(APPEND ddsc_test_sources "psmx.c")
+endif()
+
 if(ENABLE_LIFESPAN)
   list(APPEND ddsc_test_sources "lifespan.c")
 endif()
@@ -223,20 +239,6 @@ target_link_libraries(oneliner PRIVATE RoundTrip Space ddsc)
 
 
 # PSMX implementation with Cyclone as transport, for testing
-#
-# This is one disabled in a static build.  In a fully static build, the plugin should also
-# be linked statically, but that introduces a circular dependency: this plugin requires
-# the library in order to be built ...  Of course it can be fixed with a multi-phase
-# build, but this CMake, not good old make and so that's too hard.
-#
-# On most platforms (Linux, Windows, macOS) we can still dynamically load shared
-# libraries, and so we can still build the plugin as a shared library.  That however fails
-# to work because the shared library then includes its own copy of Cyclone DDS, but this
-# one needs to access the applications readers', which live in the other copy of the
-# library.
-#
-# Fortunately, The Iceoryx doesn't suffer from this, so all it needs is some trickery to
-# still get the Iceoryx tests to run.
 if (BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
   idlc_generate(TARGET psmx_cdds_data FILES psmx_cdds_data.idl)
   set(psmx_cdds_sources
@@ -301,18 +303,23 @@ kill -0 `cat ctest_fixture_iox_roudi.pid`")
   set_tests_properties(stop_roudi PROPERTIES FIXTURES_CLEANUP iox)
   set_tests_properties(start_roudi stop_roudi PROPERTIES RESOURCE_LOCK iox_lock)
 
-  # Construct Iceoryx-variants of all PSMX tests
+  # Construct Iceoryx-variants of all PSMX tests if building shared libraries, map them to
+  # Iceoryx in a static build (because I don't know how to delete tests!)
   get_property(test_names DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR} PROPERTY TESTS)
   list(FILTER test_names INCLUDE REGEX "^CUnit_ddsc_psmx_[A-Za-z_0-9]+$")
-  foreach(fullname ${test_names})
-    string(REGEX REPLACE "^CUnit_ddsc_psmx_(.*)" "\\1" shortname "${fullname}")
-    add_test(NAME ${fullname}_iox COMMAND cunit_ddsc -s ddsc_psmx -t ${shortname})
-    set_tests_properties(${fullname}_iox PROPERTIES FIXTURES_REQUIRED iox)
-    set_tests_properties(${fullname}_iox PROPERTIES RESOURCE_LOCK iox_lock)
-    if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
+  if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
+    foreach(fullname ${test_names})
+      string(REGEX REPLACE "^CUnit_ddsc_psmx_(.*)" "\\1" shortname "${fullname}")
+      add_test(NAME ${fullname}_iox COMMAND cunit_ddsc -s ddsc_psmx -t ${shortname})
+      set_tests_properties(${fullname}_iox PROPERTIES FIXTURES_REQUIRED iox)
+      set_tests_properties(${fullname}_iox PROPERTIES RESOURCE_LOCK iox_lock)
       set_tests_properties(${fullname}_iox PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT "CDDS_PSMX_NAME=iox;LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$<TARGET_FILE_DIR:psmx_iox>:$ENV{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}")
-    else()
-      set_tests_properties(${fullname}_iox PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT "CDDS_PSMX_NAME=iox")
-    endif()
-  endforeach()
+    endforeach()
+  else()
+    foreach(fullname ${test_names})
+      set_tests_properties(${fullname} PROPERTIES FIXTURES_REQUIRED iox)
+      set_tests_properties(${fullname} PROPERTIES RESOURCE_LOCK iox_lock)
+      set_tests_properties(${fullname} PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT "CDDS_PSMX_NAME=iox")
+    endforeach()
+  endif()
 endif()