diff --git a/packages/ember-application/lib/system/engine-instance.js b/packages/ember-application/lib/system/engine-instance.js
index c480644aeb3..afce71314d2 100644
--- a/packages/ember-application/lib/system/engine-instance.js
+++ b/packages/ember-application/lib/system/engine-instance.js
@@ -181,9 +181,12 @@ const EngineInstance = EmberObject.extend(RegistryProxyMixin, ContainerProxyMixi
       '-view-registry:main',
       `renderer:-${env.isInteractive ? 'dom' : 'inert'}`,
       'service:-document',
-      'event_dispatcher:main'
     ];
 
+    if (env.isInteractive) {
+      singletons.push('event_dispatcher:main');
+    }
+
     singletons.forEach(key => this.register(key, parent.lookup(key), { instantiate: false }));
 
     this.inject('view', '_environment', '-environment:main');
diff --git a/packages/ember-application/tests/system/application_instance_test.js b/packages/ember-application/tests/system/application_instance_test.js
index 6995296b1f7..c427023b979 100644
--- a/packages/ember-application/tests/system/application_instance_test.js
+++ b/packages/ember-application/tests/system/application_instance_test.js
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ QUnit.test('customEvents added to the application before setupEventDispatcher',
   assert.expect(1);
 
   appInstance = run(() => ApplicationInstance.create({ application }));
+  appInstance.setupRegistry();
 
   application.customEvents = {
     awesome: 'sauce'
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@ QUnit.test('customEvents added to the application before setupEventDispatcher',
   assert.expect(1);
 
   run(() => appInstance = ApplicationInstance.create({ application }));
+  appInstance.setupRegistry();
 
   application.customEvents = {
     awesome: 'sauce'
@@ -97,6 +99,7 @@ QUnit.test('customEvents added to the application instance before setupEventDisp
   assert.expect(1);
 
   appInstance = run(() => ApplicationInstance.create({ application }));
+  appInstance.setupRegistry();
 
   appInstance.customEvents = {
     awesome: 'sauce'
diff --git a/packages/ember-application/tests/system/visit_test.js b/packages/ember-application/tests/system/visit_test.js
index cd66de11d6f..2ef8696d9a9 100644
--- a/packages/ember-application/tests/system/visit_test.js
+++ b/packages/ember-application/tests/system/visit_test.js
@@ -369,6 +369,52 @@ moduleFor('Ember.Application - visit()', class extends ApplicationTestCase {
     });
   }
 
+  [`@test visit() does not setup the event_dispatcher:main if isInteractive is false (with Engines) GH#15615`](assert) {
+    assert.expect(3);
+
+    this.router.map(function() {
+      this.mount('blog');
+    });
+
+    this.addTemplate('application', '<h1>Hello world</h1>{{outlet}}');
+    this.add('event_dispatcher:main', {
+      create() { throw new Error('should not happen!'); }
+    });
+
+    // Register engine
+    let BlogEngine = Engine.extend({
+      init(...args) {
+        this._super.apply(this, args);
+        this.register('template:application', compile('{{cache-money}}'));
+        this.register('template:components/cache-money', compile(`
+          <p>Dis cache money</p>
+        `));
+        this.register('component:cache-money', Component.extend({}));
+      }
+    });
+    this.add('engine:blog', BlogEngine);
+
+    // Register engine route map
+    let BlogMap = function() {};
+    this.add('route-map:blog', BlogMap);
+
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      this.$('#qunit-fixture').children().length, 0,
+      'there are no elements in the fixture element'
+    );
+
+    return this.visit('/blog', { isInteractive: false }).then(instance => {
+      assert.ok(
+        instance instanceof ApplicationInstance,
+        'promise is resolved with an ApplicationInstance'
+      );
+      assert.strictEqual(
+        this.$().find('p').text(), 'Dis cache money',
+        'Engine component is resolved'
+      );
+    });
+  }
+
   [`@test visit() on engine resolves engine component`](assert) {
     assert.expect(2);
 
diff --git a/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/integration/event-dispatcher-test.js b/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/integration/event-dispatcher-test.js
index 58f68169a62..d861d9ae74c 100644
--- a/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/integration/event-dispatcher-test.js
+++ b/packages/ember-glimmer/tests/integration/event-dispatcher-test.js
@@ -209,15 +209,6 @@ moduleFor('EventDispatcher#setup', class extends RenderingTest {
     this.render(`{{x-foo}}`);
   }
 
-  ['@test canDispatchToEventManager is deprecated in EventDispatcher'](assert) {
-    let MyDispatcher = EventDispatcher.extend({
-      canDispatchToEventManager: null
-    });
-
-    expectDeprecation(/`canDispatchToEventManager` has been deprecated/);
-    MyDispatcher.create();
-  }
-
   ['@test a rootElement can be specified'](assert) {
     this.$().append('<div id="app"></div>');
     this.dispatcher.setup({ myevent: 'myEvent' }, '#app');
@@ -260,6 +251,27 @@ moduleFor('EventDispatcher#setup', class extends RenderingTest {
   }
 });
 
+moduleFor('custom EventDispatcher subclass with #setup', class extends RenderingTest {
+  constructor() {
+    super();
+
+    let dispatcher = this.owner.lookup('event_dispatcher:main');
+    run(dispatcher, 'destroy');
+    this.owner.__container__.reset('event_dispatcher:main');
+    this.owner.unregister('event_dispatcher:main');
+  }
+
+  ['@test canDispatchToEventManager is deprecated in EventDispatcher'](assert) {
+    let MyDispatcher = EventDispatcher.extend({
+      canDispatchToEventManager: null
+    });
+    this.owner.register('event_dispatcher:main', MyDispatcher);
+
+    expectDeprecation(/`canDispatchToEventManager` has been deprecated/);
+    this.owner.lookup('event_dispatcher:main');
+  }
+});
+
 if (EMBER_IMPROVED_INSTRUMENTATION) {
   moduleFor('EventDispatcher - Instrumentation', class extends RenderingTest {
     teardown() {
diff --git a/packages/ember-views/lib/system/event_dispatcher.js b/packages/ember-views/lib/system/event_dispatcher.js
index 2a631bcbef4..c91d0031218 100644
--- a/packages/ember-views/lib/system/event_dispatcher.js
+++ b/packages/ember-views/lib/system/event_dispatcher.js
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import { deprecate } from 'ember-debug';
 import { Object as EmberObject } from 'ember-runtime';
 import jQuery from './jquery';
 import ActionManager from './action_manager';
-import { environment } from 'ember-environment';
 import fallbackViewRegistry from '../compat/fallback-view-registry';
 
 const ROOT_ELEMENT_CLASS = 'ember-application';
@@ -136,7 +135,13 @@ export default EmberObject.extend({
 
   init() {
     this._super();
-    assert('EventDispatcher should never be instantiated in fastboot mode. Please report this as an Ember bug.', environment.hasDOM);
+
+    assert('EventDispatcher should never be instantiated in fastboot mode. Please report this as an Ember bug.', (() => {
+      let owner = getOwner(this);
+      let environment = owner.lookup('-environment:main');
+
+      return environment.isInteractive;
+    })());
 
     deprecate(
       `\`canDispatchToEventManager\` has been deprecated in ${this}.`,
diff --git a/packages/internal-test-helpers/lib/test-cases/abstract-rendering.js b/packages/internal-test-helpers/lib/test-cases/abstract-rendering.js
index 0ccc7d65ec4..56833587425 100644
--- a/packages/internal-test-helpers/lib/test-cases/abstract-rendering.js
+++ b/packages/internal-test-helpers/lib/test-cases/abstract-rendering.js
@@ -12,10 +12,12 @@ const TextNode = window.Text;
 export default class AbstractRenderingTestCase extends AbstractTestCase {
   constructor() {
     super();
+    let bootOptions = this.getBootOptions();
+
     let owner = this.owner = buildOwner({
       ownerOptions: this.getOwnerOptions(),
-      bootOptions: this.getBootOptions(),
-      resolver: this.getResolver()
+      resolver: this.getResolver(),
+      bootOptions,
     });
 
     this.renderer = this.owner.lookup('renderer:-dom');
@@ -24,7 +26,9 @@ export default class AbstractRenderingTestCase extends AbstractTestCase {
 
     owner.register('event_dispatcher:main', EventDispatcher);
     owner.inject('event_dispatcher:main', '_viewRegistry', '-view-registry:main');
-    owner.lookup('event_dispatcher:main').setup(this.getCustomDispatcherEvents(), this.element);
+    if (!bootOptions || bootOptions.isInteractive !== false) {
+      owner.lookup('event_dispatcher:main').setup(this.getCustomDispatcherEvents(), this.element);
+    }
   }
 
   compile() {