diff --git a/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-aws-sdk/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/xray/handlers/TracingHandlerLambdaTest.java b/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-aws-sdk/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/xray/handlers/TracingHandlerLambdaTest.java
index c56a02fe..1ca05b71 100644
--- a/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-aws-sdk/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/xray/handlers/TracingHandlerLambdaTest.java
+++ b/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-aws-sdk/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/xray/handlers/TracingHandlerLambdaTest.java
@@ -73,11 +73,6 @@ public void testSamplingOverrideFalseInLambda() throws Exception {
     public void testSamplingOverrideTrueInLambda() {
         Emitter mockedEmitted = Mockito.mock(DefaultEmitter.class);
 
-        AWSXRayRecorder recorder = AWSXRayRecorderBuilder.standard()
-                .withSamplingStrategy(new NoSamplingStrategy())
-                .withEmitter(mockedEmitted)
-                .build();
-
         TraceHeader header = TraceHeader.fromString(TRACE_HEADER);
 
         PowerMockito.stub(PowerMockito.method(
@@ -85,6 +80,11 @@ public void testSamplingOverrideTrueInLambda() {
         PowerMockito.stub(PowerMockito.method(
                 LambdaSegmentContextResolver.class, "getLambdaTaskRoot")).toReturn("/var/task");
 
+        AWSXRayRecorder recorder = AWSXRayRecorderBuilder.standard()
+                .withSamplingStrategy(new NoSamplingStrategy())
+                .withEmitter(mockedEmitted)
+                .build();
+
         Mockito.doAnswer(invocation -> { return true; }).when(mockedEmitted).sendSubsegment(any());
 
         lambdaTestHelper(recorder, "testTrue", true);
@@ -95,11 +95,6 @@ public void testSamplingOverrideTrueInLambda() {
     public void testSamplingOverrideMixedInLambda() {
         Emitter mockedEmitted = Mockito.mock(DefaultEmitter.class);
 
-        AWSXRayRecorder recorder = AWSXRayRecorderBuilder.standard()
-                .withSamplingStrategy(new NoSamplingStrategy())
-                .withEmitter(mockedEmitted)
-                .build();
-
         TraceHeader header = TraceHeader.fromString(TRACE_HEADER);
 
         PowerMockito.stub(PowerMockito.method(
@@ -107,6 +102,11 @@ public void testSamplingOverrideMixedInLambda() {
         PowerMockito.stub(PowerMockito.method(
                 LambdaSegmentContextResolver.class, "getLambdaTaskRoot")).toReturn("/var/task");
 
+        AWSXRayRecorder recorder = AWSXRayRecorderBuilder.standard()
+                .withSamplingStrategy(new NoSamplingStrategy())
+                .withEmitter(mockedEmitted)
+                .build();
+
         Mockito.doAnswer(invocation -> { return true; }).when(mockedEmitted).sendSubsegment(any());
 
         lambdaTestHelper(recorder, "test1", true);
diff --git a/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-core/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/xray/AWSXRayRecorder.java b/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-core/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/xray/AWSXRayRecorder.java
index 045a5d9e..2a6b0213 100644
--- a/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-core/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/xray/AWSXRayRecorder.java
+++ b/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-core/src/main/java/com/amazonaws/xray/AWSXRayRecorder.java
@@ -164,9 +164,13 @@ public AWSXRayRecorder() {
         }
 
         segmentContextResolverChain = new SegmentContextResolverChain();
-        segmentContextResolverChain.addResolver(new LambdaSegmentContextResolver());
-        segmentContextResolverChain.addResolver(new ThreadLocalSegmentContextResolver());
-
+        LambdaSegmentContextResolver lambdaSegmentContextResolver = new LambdaSegmentContextResolver();
+        if (lambdaSegmentContextResolver.resolve() != null) {
+            segmentContextResolverChain.addResolver(lambdaSegmentContextResolver);
+        } else {
+            segmentContextResolverChain.addResolver(new ThreadLocalSegmentContextResolver());
+        }
+        
         segmentListeners = new ArrayList<>();
 
         awsRuntimeContext = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
diff --git a/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-core/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/xray/AWSXRayRecorderTest.java b/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-core/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/xray/AWSXRayRecorderTest.java
index 08680b7a..812c03a5 100644
--- a/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-core/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/xray/AWSXRayRecorderTest.java
+++ b/aws-xray-recorder-sdk-core/src/test/java/com/amazonaws/xray/AWSXRayRecorderTest.java
@@ -967,10 +967,6 @@ public void testDefaultContextMissingBehaviorEnd() {
 
     @Test
     public void testMalformedTraceId() {
-        AWSXRayRecorder recorder = AWSXRayRecorderBuilder.standard()
-            .withSamplingStrategy(new NoSamplingStrategy())
-            .build();
-
         TraceHeader malformedHeader = TraceHeader.fromString("malformedTraceID");
 
         PowerMockito.stub(PowerMockito.method(
@@ -981,6 +977,10 @@ public void testMalformedTraceId() {
                 LambdaSegmentContextResolver.class, "getLambdaTaskRoot"))
                 .toReturn("/var/task");
 
+        AWSXRayRecorder recorder = AWSXRayRecorderBuilder.standard()
+            .withSamplingStrategy(new NoSamplingStrategy())
+            .build();
+
         recorder.beginSubsegment("Test");
 
         // Sanity checks that this is a NoOpSubsegment. (We cannot compare the instance of the private class directly)