diff --git a/bazel/labgrid/runner/runner.py b/bazel/labgrid/runner/runner.py
index 8905e2af6836fdebcb9b4eab147be0bdea1775fc..d42c658b1dd2ddb91519c435f99125f8b60d0c95 100644
--- a/bazel/labgrid/runner/runner.py
+++ b/bazel/labgrid/runner/runner.py
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ class Runner:
 
         Transfers will be attempted on a non zero exit code.
         """
-        for download in downloads:
+        for download in downloads + self._default_downloads():
             remote, local = self._resolve(download)
             # FIXME: Check if file exists with `@ape//ape:test` instead of assuming any error is due to a missing file
             try:
@@ -112,7 +112,9 @@ class Runner:
 
     def run(self, cmd: str, env: Mapping[str, str] = {}) -> int:
         """Run a command on the device with given environment variables."""
-        cmd = f"cd {self._exec_root} && {self._tools.env(env, cmd)}"
+        cmd = (
+            f"cd {self._exec_root} && {self._tools.env(self._default_env() | env, cmd)}"
+        )
         out, err, code = self._run(cmd, check=False)
         for line in out:
             stdout.write(f"{line}{linesep}")
@@ -168,3 +170,29 @@ class Runner:
     def _read_path(self, cmd):
         out, _, _ = self._run(cmd)
         return PurePath(linesep.join(out).rstrip())
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _default_env():
+        inherit_env = ["BAZEL_TEST", "TEST_TOTAL_SHARDS", "TEST_SHARD_INDEX"]
+
+        env = {
+            "XML_OUTPUT_FILE": "results.xml",
+            "TEST_SHARD_STATUS_FILE": "test.shard",
+        }
+
+        return {k: environ.get(k) for k in inherit_env if k in environ} | {
+            k: v for k, v in env.items() if k in environ
+        }
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _default_downloads():
+        get = {
+            "XML_OUTPUT_FILE": "results.xml",
+            "TEST_SHARD_STATUS_FILE": "test.shard",
+        }
+
+        return [
+            FileTransfer(v, environ.get(k), optional=True)
+            for k, v in get.items()
+            if k in environ
+        ]
diff --git a/e2e/test/BUILD.bazel b/e2e/test/BUILD.bazel
index 5aa1ead5601bdea1a96dd3ff4c25cbf278aff19c..4e243aff1611e66adc5d31f7e7162bfca41b1008 100644
--- a/e2e/test/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/e2e/test/BUILD.bazel
@@ -137,3 +137,30 @@ labgrid_test(
     },
     platform = "@rules_labgrid//labgrid/platform:localhost",
 )
+
+write_file(
+    name = "assert-sharding",
+    out = "sharding.py",
+    content = [
+        "from os import environ",
+        "from pathlib import Path",
+        "assert int(environ['TEST_TOTAL_SHARDS']) == 2",
+        "assert int(environ['TEST_SHARD_INDEX']) in [0, 1]",
+        "Path(environ['TEST_SHARD_STATUS_FILE']).touch()",
+    ],
+)
+
+py_binary(
+    name = "inner-sharding",
+    srcs = ["sharding.py"],
+    main = "sharding.py",
+    deps = ["@rules_python//python/runfiles"],
+)
+
+labgrid_test(
+    name = "sharding",
+    size = "small",
+    src = ":inner-sharding",
+    platform = "@rules_labgrid//labgrid/platform:localhost",
+    shard_count = 2,
+)
diff --git a/labgrid/test/rule.bzl b/labgrid/test/rule.bzl
index d8ad436f7e138058a378ea1e61f6e7f981442ac1..d88cb2098f15afb8ef65244760c76bc7788c353a 100644
--- a/labgrid/test/rule.bzl
+++ b/labgrid/test/rule.bzl
@@ -65,22 +65,11 @@ def _env(pair):
     key, value = pair
     return ["--env", "{}={}".format(key, value)]
 
-def _get(pair):
-    key, value = pair
-    return ["--get", "{}:{}".format(key, value)]
-
 def _files(targets):
     return [f for t in targets for f in t.files.to_list()]
 
 def implementation(ctx):
-    env = _run_env(ctx.attr.src) | {k: _expand(ctx, ctx.attr.data, v) for k, v in ctx.attr.env.items()} | {
-        "XML_OUTPUT_FILE": "results.xml",
-        "BAZEL_TEST": "1",
-    }
-
-    get = {
-        "results.xml?": "${XML_OUTPUT_FILE}",
-    }
+    env = _run_env(ctx.attr.src) | {k: _expand(ctx, ctx.attr.data, v) for k, v in ctx.attr.env.items()}
 
     arguments = ctx.actions.declare_file("{}.args".format(ctx.label.name))
     args = ctx.actions.args()
@@ -88,7 +77,6 @@ def implementation(ctx):
     args.add(to_rlocation_path(ctx, ctx.executable._run))
     args.add_all(["--program-prefix", paths.dirname(ctx.executable.src.short_path)])
     args.add_all(env.items(), map_each = _env)
-    args.add_all(get.items(), map_each = _get)
     args.add("--")
     args.add(to_rlocation_path(ctx, ctx.executable.src))
     ctx.actions.write(output = arguments, content = args)