diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 40a97d3b0..430d80eff 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -94,10 +94,15 @@ target_compile_options(test_main PUBLIC
     $<$<CXX_COMPILER_ID:Intel>:-diag-disable=1786>)
 target_include_directories(test_main PUBLIC
     thirdparty/doctest
-    thirdparty/fifo_map
     ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/include)
 target_link_libraries(test_main PUBLIC ${NLOHMANN_JSON_TARGET_NAME})
 
+# thirdparty/fifo_map is only used by the #972 regression test, so only
+# test-regression1 needs it on its include path (see json_test_set_test_options
+# below), rather than every test-* target via test_main.
+add_library(fifo_map_include INTERFACE)
+target_include_directories(fifo_map_include INTERFACE thirdparty/fifo_map)
+
 #############################################################################
 # define test- and standard-specific build settings
 #############################################################################
@@ -131,6 +136,9 @@ json_test_set_test_options(test-disabled_exceptions
 # raise timeout of expensive Unicode test
 json_test_set_test_options(test-unicode4 TEST_PROPERTIES TIMEOUT 3000)
 
+# only the #972 regression test needs thirdparty/fifo_map on its include path
+json_test_set_test_options(test-regression1 LINK_LIBRARIES fifo_map_include)
+
 #############################################################################
 # add unit tests
 #############################################################################
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-regression1.cpp b/tests/src/unit-regression1.cpp
index 43cd18438..8f0d4c747 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-regression1.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-regression1.cpp
@@ -1482,7 +1482,23 @@ TEST_CASE("regression tests 1")
 
     SECTION("issue #972 - Segmentation fault on G++ when trying to assign json string literal to custom json type")
     {
+        // this assignment used to crash outright
         my_json const foo = R"([1, 2, 3])"_json;
+
+        // fifo_map is the adapter the docs recommend for keeping object keys
+        // in insertion order (see docs/mkdocs/docs/features/object_order.md
+        // and docs/mkdocs/docs/features/types/template_parameters.md); check
+        // that recommendation actually holds, including through erase() and
+        // inserting a new key. The comparator is stateful, so this avoids
+        // deep copies of "order" (see #1763, #5649).
+        my_json order = my_json::parse(R"({"z":1,"a":2,"m":{"y":1,"b":2}})");
+        CHECK(order.dump() == R"({"z":1,"a":2,"m":{"y":1,"b":2}})");
+
+        order.erase("z");
+        CHECK(order.dump() == R"({"a":2,"m":{"y":1,"b":2}})");
+
+        order["new_key"] = 3;
+        CHECK(order.dump() == R"({"a":2,"m":{"y":1,"b":2},"new_key":3})");
     }
 
     SECTION("issue #977 - Assigning between different json types")