diff --git a/Makefile-tests.am b/Makefile-tests.am
index 5d07e9ee..fd0d7208 100644
--- a/Makefile-tests.am
+++ b/Makefile-tests.am
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ testfiles = test-basic \
 	test-admin-deploy-switch \
 	test-admin-deploy-etcmerge-cornercases \
 	test-admin-deploy-uboot \
+	test-admin-instutil-set-kargs \
 	test-admin-upgrade-not-backwards \
 	test-setuid \
 	test-delta \
diff --git a/tests/test-admin-instutil-set-kargs.sh b/tests/test-admin-instutil-set-kargs.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2bd10b64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-admin-instutil-set-kargs.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2011 Colin Walters <walters@verbum.org>
+# Copyright (C) 2014 Owen Taylor <otaylor@redhat.com>
+#
+# This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
+# modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
+# License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
+# version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
+#
+# This library 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
+# Lesser General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
+# License along with this library; if not, write to the
+# Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330,
+# Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
+
+set -e
+
+. $(dirname $0)/libtest.sh
+
+echo "1..1"
+
+setup_os_repository "archive-z2" "syslinux"
+
+echo "ok setup"
+
+echo "1..5"
+
+ostree --repo=sysroot/ostree/repo pull-local --remote=testos testos-repo testos/buildmaster/x86_64-runtime
+ostree admin --sysroot=sysroot deploy --os=testos testos:testos/buildmaster/x86_64-runtime
+
+ostree admin --sysroot=sysroot instutil set-kargs FOO=BAR
+ostree admin --sysroot=sysroot instutil set-kargs FOO=BAZ FOO=BIF TESTARG=TESTVALUE
+assert_not_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*FOO=BAR'
+assert_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*FOO=BAZ .*FOO=BIF'
+assert_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*TESTARG=TESTVALUE'
+echo "ok instutil set-kargs (basic)"
+
+ostree admin --sysroot=sysroot instutil set-kargs --merge FOO=BAR
+assert_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*FOO=BAZ .*FOO=BIF .*FOO=BAR'
+assert_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*TESTARG=TESTVALUE'
+echo "ok instutil set-kargs --merge"
+
+ostree admin --sysroot=sysroot instutil set-kargs --merge --replace=FOO=XXX
+assert_not_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*FOO=BAR'
+assert_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*FOO=XXX'
+assert_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*TESTARG=TESTVALUE'
+echo "ok instutil set-kargs --replace"
+
+ostree admin --sysroot=sysroot instutil set-kargs --merge --append=FOO=BAR --append=APPENDARG=VALAPPEND --append=APPENDARG=2NDAPPEND testos:testos/buildmaster/x86_64-runtime
+assert_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*FOO=XXX.*FOO=BAR'
+assert_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*APPENDARG=VALAPPEND .*APPENDARG=2NDAPPEND'
+echo "ok instutil set-kargs --append"
+
+ostree admin --sysroot=sysroot instutil set-kargs --import-proc-cmdline
+# Here we're asserting that the *host* system has a root= kernel
+# argument.  I think it's unlikely that anyone doesn't have one, but
+# if this is not true for you, please file a bug!
+assert_file_has_content sysroot/boot/loader/entries/ostree-testos-0.conf 'options.*root=.'
+echo "ok instutil set-kargs --import-proc-cmdline"