diff --git a/bin/tests/system/dnssec/clean.sh b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/clean.sh
index d99d2af869..f93ade4e50 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/dnssec/clean.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/clean.sh
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ rm -f ./keygen.err
 rm -f ./named.secroots.test*
 rm -f ./nosign.before
 rm -f ./ns*/*.nta
-rm -f ./ns*/managed-keys.bind* ./ns*/*.mkeys*
+rm -f ./ns*/managed-keys.bind ./ns*/managed-keys.bind.jnl ./ns*/*.mkeys*
 rm -f ./ns*/named.lock
 rm -f ./ns1/managed.key.id
 rm -f ./ns1/root.db ./ns2/example.db ./ns2/managed.db ./ns2/trusted.db
@@ -97,7 +97,6 @@ rm -f ./ns3/ttlpatch.example.db.patched
 rm -f ./ns3/unsecure.example.db ./ns3/bogus.example.db ./ns3/keyless.example.db
 rm -f ./ns3/unsupported.managed.db.tmp ./ns3/unsupported.trusted.db.tmp
 rm -f ./ns3/NSEC ./ns3/NSEC3
-rm -f ./ns4/managed-keys.bind*
 rm -f ./ns4/named_dump.db*
 rm -f ./ns6/optout-tld.db
 rm -f ./ns7/multiple.example.bk ./ns7/nsec3.example.bk ./ns7/optout.example.bk
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/dnssec/ns4/managed-keys.bind.in b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/ns4/managed-keys.bind.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..570669df3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/ns4/managed-keys.bind.in
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+; Copyright (C) Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. ("ISC")
+;
+; SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+;
+; This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+; License, v. 2.0.  If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
+; file, you can obtain one at https://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
+;
+; See the COPYRIGHT file distributed with this work for additional
+; information regarding copyright ownership.
+
+$ORIGIN .
+$TTL 0	; 0 seconds
+@			IN SOA	. . (
+				2          ; serial
+				0          ; refresh (0 seconds)
+				0          ; retry (0 seconds)
+				0          ; expire (0 seconds)
+				0          ; minimum (0 seconds)
+				)
+			KEYDATA	20221028094934 19700101000000 19700101000000 0 0 0 ; placeholder
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/dnssec/tests.sh b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/tests.sh
index 10e5fa224d..e19a3dcd2c 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/dnssec/tests.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/dnssec/tests.sh
@@ -2460,7 +2460,10 @@ status=$((status+ret))
 
 # Reconfigure caching server to use "dnssec-validation auto", and repeat
 # some of the DNSSEC validation tests to ensure that it works correctly.
+# Also setup a placeholder managed-keys zone to check if named can process it
+# correctly.
 echo_i "switching to automatic root key configuration"
+cp ns4/managed-keys.bind.in ns4/managed-keys.bind
 copy_setports ns4/named2.conf.in ns4/named.conf
 rndccmd 10.53.0.4 reconfig 2>&1 | sed 's/^/ns4 /' | cat_i
 sleep 5