diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ebccae78b..a43c24386 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -56,7 +56,17 @@ Makefile.in
 /bash/virt-ls
 /bash/virt-sysprep
 /bash/virt-sparsify
-/build-aux
+/build-aux/.gitignore
+/build-aux/compile
+/build-aux/config.guess
+/build-aux/config.sub
+/build-aux/depcomp
+/build-aux/install-sh
+/build-aux/ltmain.sh
+/build-aux/missing
+/build-aux/snippet/
+/build-aux/test-driver
+/build-aux/ylwrap
 /builder/.depend
 /builder/index-parse.c
 /builder/index-parse.h
diff --git a/build-aux/guestfs-test-driver b/build-aux/guestfs-test-driver
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..8aeb837b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build-aux/guestfs-test-driver
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+#! /bin/sh
+# test-driver - basic testsuite driver script.
+
+scriptversion=2013-07-13.22; # UTC
+
+# Copyright (C) 2011-2015 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+#
+# This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option)
+# any later version.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+# As a special exception to the GNU General Public License, if you
+# distribute this file as part of a program that contains a
+# configuration script generated by Autoconf, you may include it under
+# the same distribution terms that you use for the rest of that program.
+
+# This file is maintained in Automake, please report
+# bugs to <bug-automake@gnu.org> or send patches to
+# <automake-patches@gnu.org>.
+
+# Make unconditional expansion of undefined variables an error.  This
+# helps a lot in preventing typo-related bugs.
+set -u
+
+usage_error ()
+{
+  echo "$0: $*" >&2
+  print_usage >&2
+  exit 2
+}
+
+print_usage ()
+{
+  cat <<END
+Usage:
+  test-driver --test-name=NAME --log-file=PATH --trs-file=PATH
+              [--expect-failure={yes|no}] [--color-tests={yes|no}]
+              [--enable-hard-errors={yes|no}] [--]
+              TEST-SCRIPT [TEST-SCRIPT-ARGUMENTS]
+The '--test-name', '--log-file' and '--trs-file' options are mandatory.
+END
+}
+
+test_name= # Used for reporting.
+log_file=  # Where to save the output of the test script.
+trs_file=  # Where to save the metadata of the test run.
+expect_failure=no
+color_tests=no
+enable_hard_errors=yes
+while test $# -gt 0; do
+  case $1 in
+  --help) print_usage; exit $?;;
+  --version) echo "test-driver $scriptversion"; exit $?;;
+  --test-name) test_name=$2; shift;;
+  --log-file) log_file=$2; shift;;
+  --trs-file) trs_file=$2; shift;;
+  --color-tests) color_tests=$2; shift;;
+  --expect-failure) expect_failure=$2; shift;;
+  --enable-hard-errors) enable_hard_errors=$2; shift;;
+  --) shift; break;;
+  -*) usage_error "invalid option: '$1'";;
+   *) break;;
+  esac
+  shift
+done
+
+missing_opts=
+test x"$test_name" = x && missing_opts="$missing_opts --test-name"
+test x"$log_file"  = x && missing_opts="$missing_opts --log-file"
+test x"$trs_file"  = x && missing_opts="$missing_opts --trs-file"
+if test x"$missing_opts" != x; then
+  usage_error "the following mandatory options are missing:$missing_opts"
+fi
+
+if test $# -eq 0; then
+  usage_error "missing argument"
+fi
+
+if test $color_tests = yes; then
+  # Keep this in sync with 'lib/am/check.am:$(am__tty_colors)'.
+  red='' # Red.
+  grn='' # Green.
+  lgn='' # Light green.
+  blu='' # Blue.
+  mgn='' # Magenta.
+  std=''     # No color.
+else
+  red= grn= lgn= blu= mgn= std=
+fi
+
+do_exit='rm -f $log_file $trs_file; (exit $st); exit $st'
+trap "st=129; $do_exit" 1
+trap "st=130; $do_exit" 2
+trap "st=141; $do_exit" 13
+trap "st=143; $do_exit" 15
+
+# Test script is run here.
+start_t="$(date +'%s')"
+"$@" >$log_file 2>&1
+estatus=$?
+end_t="$(date +'%s')"
+
+if test $enable_hard_errors = no && test $estatus -eq 99; then
+  tweaked_estatus=1
+else
+  tweaked_estatus=$estatus
+fi
+
+case $tweaked_estatus:$expect_failure in
+  0:yes) col=$red res=XPASS recheck=yes gcopy=yes;;
+  0:*)   col=$grn res=PASS  recheck=no  gcopy=no;;
+  77:*)  col=$blu res=SKIP  recheck=no  gcopy=yes;;
+  99:*)  col=$mgn res=ERROR recheck=yes gcopy=yes;;
+  *:yes) col=$lgn res=XFAIL recheck=no  gcopy=yes;;
+  *:*)   col=$red res=FAIL  recheck=yes gcopy=yes;;
+esac
+
+# Report the test outcome and exit status in the logs, so that one can
+# know whether the test passed or failed simply by looking at the '.log'
+# file, without the need of also peaking into the corresponding '.trs'
+# file (automake bug#11814).
+echo "$res $test_name (exit status: $estatus)" >>$log_file
+
+# Report outcome to console.
+echo "${col}${res}${std}: $test_name"
+
+# Register the test result, and other relevant metadata.
+echo ":test-result: $res" > $trs_file
+echo ":global-test-result: $res" >> $trs_file
+echo ":recheck: $recheck" >> $trs_file
+echo ":copy-in-global-log: $gcopy" >> $trs_file
+echo ":guestfs-time: $(($end_t - $start_t))" >> $trs_file
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index f1a31b373..fc8858e3b 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ dnl the website 'index.html' file.
 AC_SUBST([RELEASE_DATE], [2015-11-04])
 
 AC_CONFIG_AUX_DIR([build-aux])
+AC_REQUIRE_AUX_FILE([guestfs-test-driver])
 
 dnl Initialize automake.
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE(foreign subdir-objects) dnl NB: Do not [quote] this parameter.
diff --git a/subdir-rules.mk b/subdir-rules.mk
index 92d4bda7b..7582ec78b 100644
--- a/subdir-rules.mk
+++ b/subdir-rules.mk
@@ -40,3 +40,5 @@ $(top_builddir)/generator/generator:
 	else \
 	  echo "warning: Run 'make' at the top level to build $@"; \
 	fi
+
+LOG_DRIVER = env $(SHELL) $(top_srcdir)/build-aux/guestfs-test-driver