diff --git a/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng b/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng
index 9d3775d37c..dd55a99d17 100644
--- a/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng
+++ b/docs/schemas/domaincommon.rng
@@ -768,58 +768,60 @@
   <!-- All the cpu related tunables would go in the cputune -->
   <define name="cputune">
     <element name="cputune">
-      <optional>
-        <element name="shares">
-          <ref name="cpushares"/>
-        </element>
-      </optional>
-      <optional>
-        <element name="period">
-          <ref name="cpuperiod"/>
-        </element>
-      </optional>
-      <optional>
-        <element name="quota">
-          <ref name="cpuquota"/>
-        </element>
-      </optional>
-      <optional>
-        <element name="emulator_period">
-          <ref name="cpuperiod"/>
-        </element>
-      </optional>
-      <optional>
-        <element name="emulator_quota">
-          <ref name="cpuquota"/>
-        </element>
-      </optional>
-      <zeroOrMore>
-        <element name="vcpupin">
-          <attribute name="vcpu">
-            <ref name="vcpuid"/>
-          </attribute>
-          <attribute name="cpuset">
-            <ref name="cpuset"/>
-          </attribute>
-        </element>
-      </zeroOrMore>
-      <optional>
-        <element name="emulatorpin">
-          <attribute name="cpuset">
-            <ref name="cpuset"/>
-          </attribute>
-        </element>
-      </optional>
-      <zeroOrMore>
-        <element name="iothreadpin">
-          <attribute name="iothread">
-            <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
-          </attribute>
-          <attribute name="cpuset">
-            <ref name="cpuset"/>
-          </attribute>
-        </element>
-      </zeroOrMore>
+      <interleave>
+        <optional>
+          <element name="shares">
+            <ref name="cpushares"/>
+          </element>
+        </optional>
+        <optional>
+          <element name="period">
+            <ref name="cpuperiod"/>
+          </element>
+        </optional>
+        <optional>
+          <element name="quota">
+            <ref name="cpuquota"/>
+          </element>
+        </optional>
+        <optional>
+          <element name="emulator_period">
+            <ref name="cpuperiod"/>
+          </element>
+        </optional>
+        <optional>
+          <element name="emulator_quota">
+            <ref name="cpuquota"/>
+          </element>
+        </optional>
+        <zeroOrMore>
+          <element name="vcpupin">
+            <attribute name="vcpu">
+              <ref name="vcpuid"/>
+            </attribute>
+            <attribute name="cpuset">
+              <ref name="cpuset"/>
+            </attribute>
+          </element>
+        </zeroOrMore>
+        <optional>
+          <element name="emulatorpin">
+            <attribute name="cpuset">
+              <ref name="cpuset"/>
+            </attribute>
+          </element>
+        </optional>
+        <zeroOrMore>
+          <element name="iothreadpin">
+            <attribute name="iothread">
+              <ref name="unsignedInt"/>
+            </attribute>
+            <attribute name="cpuset">
+              <ref name="cpuset"/>
+            </attribute>
+          </element>
+        </zeroOrMore>
+      </interleave>
     </element>
   </define>
 
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-cputune-iothreads.xml b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-cputune-iothreads.xml
index 435d0ae702..c8cc02516a 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-cputune-iothreads.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-cputune-iothreads.xml
@@ -6,14 +6,15 @@
   <vcpu placement='static'>2</vcpu>
   <iothreads>2</iothreads>
   <cputune>
-    <shares>2048</shares>
-    <period>1000000</period>
-    <quota>-1</quota>
-    <vcpupin vcpu='0' cpuset='0'/>
-    <vcpupin vcpu='1' cpuset='1'/>
-    <emulatorpin cpuset='1'/>
-    <iothreadpin iothread='1' cpuset='2'/>
+    <!-- intentionally in odd order -->
     <iothreadpin iothread='2' cpuset='3'/>
+    <iothreadpin iothread='1' cpuset='2'/>
+    <emulatorpin cpuset='1'/>
+    <vcpupin vcpu='1' cpuset='1'/>
+    <vcpupin vcpu='0' cpuset='0'/>
+    <quota>-1</quota>
+    <period>1000000</period>
+    <shares>2048</shares>
   </cputune>
   <os>
     <type arch='i686' machine='pc'>hvm</type>
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2xmloutdata/qemuxml2xmlout-cputune-iothreads.xml b/tests/qemuxml2xmloutdata/qemuxml2xmlout-cputune-iothreads.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3684483549
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2xmloutdata/qemuxml2xmlout-cputune-iothreads.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+<domain type='qemu'>
+  <name>QEMUGuest1</name>
+  <uuid>c7a5fdbd-edaf-9455-926a-d65c16db1809</uuid>
+  <memory unit='KiB'>219136</memory>
+  <currentMemory unit='KiB'>219136</currentMemory>
+  <vcpu placement='static'>2</vcpu>
+  <iothreads>2</iothreads>
+  <cputune>
+    <shares>2048</shares>
+    <period>1000000</period>
+    <quota>-1</quota>
+    <vcpupin vcpu='1' cpuset='1'/>
+    <vcpupin vcpu='0' cpuset='0'/>
+    <emulatorpin cpuset='1'/>
+    <iothreadpin iothread='2' cpuset='3'/>
+    <iothreadpin iothread='1' cpuset='2'/>
+  </cputune>
+  <os>
+    <type arch='i686' machine='pc'>hvm</type>
+    <boot dev='hd'/>
+  </os>
+  <clock offset='utc'/>
+  <on_poweroff>destroy</on_poweroff>
+  <on_reboot>restart</on_reboot>
+  <on_crash>destroy</on_crash>
+  <devices>
+    <emulator>/usr/bin/qemu</emulator>
+    <disk type='block' device='disk'>
+      <source dev='/dev/HostVG/QEMUGuest1'/>
+      <target dev='hda' bus='ide'/>
+      <address type='drive' controller='0' bus='0' target='0' unit='0'/>
+    </disk>
+    <controller type='usb' index='0'/>
+    <controller type='ide' index='0'/>
+    <controller type='pci' index='0' model='pci-root'/>
+    <memballoon model='virtio'/>
+  </devices>
+</domain>
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c b/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
index d269fb3332..195929145a 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2xmltest.c
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ mymain(void)
 
     DO_TEST("smp");
     DO_TEST("iothreads");
-    DO_TEST("cputune-iothreads");
+    DO_TEST_DIFFERENT("cputune-iothreads");
     DO_TEST("iothreads-disk");
     DO_TEST("lease");
     DO_TEST("event_idx");