diff --git a/test/utils/shippable/shippable.sh b/test/utils/shippable/shippable.sh
index 90e0d5f9089..3571d3de4a4 100755
--- a/test/utils/shippable/shippable.sh
+++ b/test/utils/shippable/shippable.sh
@@ -81,6 +81,13 @@ function cleanup
             stub=""
         fi
 
+        # use python 3.7 for coverage to avoid running out of memory during coverage xml processing
+        # only use it for coverage to avoid the additional overhead of setting up a virtual environment for a potential no-op job
+        virtualenv --python /usr/bin/python3.7 ~/ansible-venv
+        set +ux
+        . ~/ansible-venv/bin/activate
+        set -ux
+
         # shellcheck disable=SC2086
         ansible-test coverage xml --color -v --requirements --group-by command --group-by version ${stub:+"$stub"}
         cp -a test/results/reports/coverage=*.xml shippable/codecoverage/