diff --git a/orte/mca/ess/lsf/ess_lsf_component.c b/orte/mca/ess/lsf/ess_lsf_component.c
index 4db3d7df0f..334c6b460c 100644
--- a/orte/mca/ess/lsf/ess_lsf_component.c
+++ b/orte/mca/ess/lsf/ess_lsf_component.c
@@ -71,7 +71,8 @@ int orte_ess_lsf_component_query(mca_base_module_t **module, int *priority)
      * by mpirun in an LSF world
      */
 
-    if (NULL != getenv("LSB_JOBID") &&
+    if (ORTE_PROC_IS_DAEMON &&
+        NULL != getenv("LSB_JOBID") &&
         NULL != orte_process_info.my_hnp_uri) {
         *priority = 40;
         *module = (mca_base_module_t *)&orte_ess_lsf_module;
diff --git a/orte/mca/ess/tm/ess_tm_component.c b/orte/mca/ess/tm/ess_tm_component.c
index 8656cccf02..89a7a83c13 100644
--- a/orte/mca/ess/tm/ess_tm_component.c
+++ b/orte/mca/ess/tm/ess_tm_component.c
@@ -75,7 +75,8 @@ int orte_ess_tm_component_query(mca_base_module_t **module, int *priority)
      * by mpirun in a tm world
      */
 
-    if (NULL != getenv("PBS_JOBID") &&
+    if (ORTE_PROC_IS_DAEMON &&
+        NULL != getenv("PBS_JOBID") &&
         NULL != orte_process_info.my_hnp_uri) {
         *priority = 30;
         *module = (mca_base_module_t *)&orte_ess_tm_module;
diff --git a/orte/mca/schizo/ompi/schizo_ompi.c b/orte/mca/schizo/ompi/schizo_ompi.c
index ed2fa07586..fe6f9c25ef 100644
--- a/orte/mca/schizo/ompi/schizo_ompi.c
+++ b/orte/mca/schizo/ompi/schizo_ompi.c
@@ -420,10 +420,10 @@ static int setup_fork(orte_job_t *jdata,
      */
     opal_setenv("OMPI_MCA_orte_bound_at_launch", "1", true, &app->env);
 
-    /* tell the ESS to select the pmi component - but don't override
+    /* tell the ESS to avoid the singleton component - but don't override
      * anything that may have been provided elsewhere
      */
-    opal_setenv("OMPI_MCA_ess", "pmi", false, &app->env);
+    opal_setenv("OMPI_MCA_ess", "^singleton", false, &app->env);
 
     /* ensure that the spawned process ignores direct launch components */
     opal_setenv("OMPI_MCA_pmix", "^s1,s2,cray", true, &app->env);