diff --git a/openbsc/tests/vty_test_runner.py b/openbsc/tests/vty_test_runner.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9d283fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openbsc/tests/vty_test_runner.py
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+# (C) 2013 by Katerina Barone-Adesi <kat.obsc@gmail.com>
+# (C) 2013 by Holger Hans Peter Freyther
+# 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 3 of the License, 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/>.
+
+import os
+import time
+import unittest
+
+import osmopy.obscvty as obscvty
+import osmopy.osmoutil as osmoutil
+
+confpath = '.'
+
+class TestVTYBase(unittest.TestCase):
+
+    def vty_command(self):
+        raise Exception("Needs to be implemented by a subclass")
+
+    def vty_app(self):
+        raise Exception("Needs to be implemented by a subclass")
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        osmo_vty_cmd = self.vty_command()[:]
+        config_index = osmo_vty_cmd.index('-c')
+        if config_index:
+            cfi = config_index + 1
+            osmo_vty_cmd[cfi] = os.path.join(confpath, osmo_vty_cmd[cfi])
+
+        try:
+            print "Launch: %s from %s" % (' '.join(osmo_vty_cmd), os.getcwd())
+            self.proc = osmoutil.popen_devnull(osmo_vty_cmd)
+        except OSError:
+            print >> sys.stderr, "Current directory: %s" % os.getcwd()
+            print >> sys.stderr, "Consider setting -b"
+        time.sleep(1)
+
+        appstring = self.vty_app()[2]
+        appport = self.vty_app()[0]
+        self.vty = obscvty.VTYInteract(appstring, "127.0.0.1", appport)
+
+    def tearDown(self):
+        self.vty = None
+        osmoutil.end_proc(self.proc)
+
+
+class TestVTYNAT(TestVTYBase):
+
+    def vty_command(self):
+        return ["./src/osmo-bsc_nat/osmo-bsc_nat", "-c",
+                "doc/examples/osmo-bsc_nat/osmo-bsc_nat.cfg"]
+
+    def vty_app(self):
+        return (4244, "src/osmo-bsc_nat/osmo-bsc_nat",  "OsmoBSCNAT", "nat")
+
+    def testMoo(self):
+        pass
+
+
+def add_nat_test(suite, workdir):
+    if not os.path.isfile(os.path.join(workdir, "src/osmo-bsc_nat/osmo-bsc_nat")):
+        print("Skipping the NAT test")
+        return
+    test = unittest.TestLoader().loadTestsFromTestCase(TestVTYNAT)
+    suite.addTest(test)
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    import argparse
+    import sys
+
+    workdir = '.'
+
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbose", dest="verbose",
+                        action="store_true", help="verbose mode")
+    parser.add_argument("-p", "--pythonconfpath", dest="p",
+                        help="searchpath for config")
+    parser.add_argument("-w", "--workdir", dest="w",
+                        help="Working directory")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    verbose_level = 1
+    if args.verbose:
+        verbose_level = 2
+
+    if args.w:
+        workdir = args.w
+
+    if args.p:
+        confpath = args.p
+
+    print "confpath %s, workdir %s" % (confpath, workdir)
+    os.chdir(workdir)
+    print "Running tests for specific VTY commands"
+    suite = unittest.TestSuite()
+    add_nat_test(suite, workdir)
+    res = unittest.TextTestRunner(verbosity=verbose_level).run(suite)
+    sys.exit(len(res.errors) + len(res.failures))