diff --git a/test/parallel/test-assert-builtins-not-read-from-filesystem.js b/test/parallel/test-assert-builtins-not-read-from-filesystem.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..000798aca267a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/parallel/test-assert-builtins-not-read-from-filesystem.js
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+'use strict';
+
+// Do not read filesystem when creating AssertionError messages for code in
+// builtin modules.
+
+require('../common');
+const assert = require('assert');
+
+if (process.argv[2] !== 'child') {
+  const tmpdir = require('../common/tmpdir');
+  tmpdir.refresh();
+  const { spawnSync } = require('child_process');
+  const { output, status, error } =
+    spawnSync(process.execPath,
+              ['--expose-internals', process.argv[1], 'child'],
+              { cwd: tmpdir.path, env: process.env });
+  assert.ifError(error);
+  assert.strictEqual(status, 0, `Exit code: ${status}\n${output}`);
+} else {
+  const EventEmitter = require('events');
+  const { errorCache } = require('internal/assert');
+  const { writeFileSync } = require('fs');
+  const e = new EventEmitter();
+
+  e.on('hello', assert);
+
+  let threw = false;
+  try {
+    e.emit('hello', false);
+  } catch (err) {
+    const frames = err.stack.split('\n');
+    const [, filename, line, column] = frames[1].match(/\((.+):(\d+):(\d+)\)/);
+    // Reset the cache to check again
+    const size = errorCache.size;
+    errorCache.delete(`${filename}${line - 1}${column - 1}`);
+    assert.strictEqual(errorCache.size, size - 1);
+    const data = `${'\n'.repeat(line - 1)}${' '.repeat(column - 1)}` +
+                 'ok(failed(badly));';
+
+    writeFileSync(filename, data);
+    assert.throws(
+      () => e.emit('hello', false),
+      {
+        message: 'false == true'
+      }
+    );
+    threw = true;
+
+  }
+  assert(threw);
+}
diff --git a/test/parallel/test-assert.js b/test/parallel/test-assert.js
index 56489b9e6e8b1c..12ae82475726a0 100644
--- a/test/parallel/test-assert.js
+++ b/test/parallel/test-assert.js
@@ -19,17 +19,12 @@
 // OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE
 // USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
 
-// Flags: --expose-internals
-
 'use strict';
 
 /* eslint-disable node-core/prefer-common-expectserror */
 
 const common = require('../common');
 const assert = require('assert');
-const EventEmitter = require('events');
-const { errorCache } = require('internal/assert');
-const { writeFileSync, unlinkSync } = require('fs');
 const { inspect } = require('util');
 const a = assert;
 
@@ -793,40 +788,6 @@ common.expectsError(
   }
 );
 
-// Do not try to check Node.js modules.
-{
-  const e = new EventEmitter();
-
-  e.on('hello', assert);
-
-  let threw = false;
-  try {
-    e.emit('hello', false);
-  } catch (err) {
-    const frames = err.stack.split('\n');
-    const [, filename, line, column] = frames[1].match(/\((.+):(\d+):(\d+)\)/);
-    // Reset the cache to check again
-    const size = errorCache.size;
-    errorCache.delete(`${filename}${line - 1}${column - 1}`);
-    assert.strictEqual(errorCache.size, size - 1);
-    const data = `${'\n'.repeat(line - 1)}${' '.repeat(column - 1)}` +
-                 'ok(failed(badly));';
-    try {
-      writeFileSync(filename, data);
-      assert.throws(
-        () => e.emit('hello', false),
-        {
-          message: 'false == true'
-        }
-      );
-      threw = true;
-    } finally {
-      unlinkSync(filename);
-    }
-  }
-  assert(threw);
-}
-
 common.expectsError(
   // eslint-disable-next-line no-restricted-syntax
   () => assert.throws(() => {}, 'Error message', 'message'),