diff --git a/Rakefile b/Rakefile
index 52b51cdc8..72d55f0a3 100644
--- a/Rakefile
+++ b/Rakefile
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ end
   
 RSpec::Core::RakeTask.new(:spec_with_chrome) do |t|
   t.rspec_opts = %w[--color]
+  #jruby buffers the progress formatter so travis doesnt see output often enough
+  t.rspec_opts << '--format documentation' if RUBY_PLATFORM=='java'
   t.pattern = './spec{,/*/**}/*{_spec.rb,_spec_chrome.rb}'
 end