diff --git a/src/runtime.cc b/src/runtime.cc
index d5b9562..656fdb8 100644
--- a/src/runtime.cc
+++ b/src/runtime.cc
@@ -425,6 +425,15 @@
   CHECK(class_loader.get() != NULL);
 
   Thread::Current()->SetClassLoaderOverride(Decode<ClassLoader*>(env, class_loader.get()));
+
+  ScopedLocalRef<jclass> Thread_class(env, env->FindClass("java/lang/Thread"));
+  CHECK(Thread_class.get() != NULL);
+  jfieldID contextClassLoader = env->GetFieldID(Thread_class.get(),
+                                                "contextClassLoader",
+                                                "Ljava/lang/ClassLoader;");
+  CHECK(contextClassLoader != NULL);
+  ScopedLocalRef<jobject> self_jobject(env, AddLocalReference<jobject>(env, self->GetPeer()));
+  env->SetObjectField(self_jobject.get(), contextClassLoader, class_loader.get());
 }
 
 void Runtime::Start() {
diff --git a/src/thread.cc b/src/thread.cc
index c5f9095..8dc81c2 100644
--- a/src/thread.cc
+++ b/src/thread.cc
@@ -733,8 +733,6 @@
 
   // Finish attaching the main thread.
   Thread::Current()->CreatePeer("main", false);
-  const Field* Thread_contextClassLoader = FindFieldOrDie(Thread_class , "contextClassLoader", "Ljava/lang/ClassLoader;");
-  Thread_contextClassLoader->SetObject(self->GetPeer(), self->GetClassLoaderOverride());
 
   InitBoxingMethods();
   class_linker->RunRootClinits();