diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b2aa3f4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Today, this repository only uses Rust for tests.  This
+# toplevel Cargo.toml helps tools like rust-analyzer understand
+# that this project contains Rust code.  We don't otherwise currently
+# use `cargo` for any part of the core build.
+[workspace]
+members = ["tests/inst"]
diff --git a/Makefile-tests.am b/Makefile-tests.am
index 23dba331..c99a7ede 100644
--- a/Makefile-tests.am
+++ b/Makefile-tests.am
@@ -431,8 +431,11 @@ if ENABLE_INSTALLED_TESTS_EXCLUSIVE
 dist_installed_test_scripts = $(_installed_or_uninstalled_test_scripts)
 installed_test_programs = $(_installed_or_uninstalled_test_programs)
 check-local:
+	echo "NOTE: Run the Rust installed tests (uninstalled) with ./tests/run-installed"
 	echo "NOTE: Exclusive installed tests are enabled; to run them, make install, then: gnome-desktop-testing-runner -p 0 libostree/"
 else
+check-local:
+	echo "NOTE: Run the Rust installed tests (uninstalled) with ./tests/run-installed"
 dist_test_scripts += $(_installed_or_uninstalled_test_scripts)
 test_programs += $(_installed_or_uninstalled_test_programs)
 endif
diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index b2588ad7..2f3cb53f 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ GITIGNOREFILES = aclocal.m4 build-aux/ buildutil/*.m4 config.h.in gtk-doc.make
 # Generated by coreos-assembler build-fast and kola
 GITIGNOREFILES += fastbuild-*.qcow2 _kola_temp/
 
+# Rust stuff
+GITIGNOREFILES += target/ Cargo.lock
+
 SUBDIRS += .
 
 if ENABLE_GTK_DOC
diff --git a/tests/inst/.gitignore b/tests/inst/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 2c96eb1b..00000000
--- a/tests/inst/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-target/
-Cargo.lock
diff --git a/tests/inst/src/sysroot.rs b/tests/inst/src/sysroot.rs
index a8ff3eb3..ce0378eb 100644
--- a/tests/inst/src/sysroot.rs
+++ b/tests/inst/src/sysroot.rs
@@ -6,10 +6,14 @@ use ostree::prelude::*;
 
 use crate::test::*;
 
+fn skip_non_ostree_host() -> bool {
+    !std::path::Path::new("/run/ostree-booted").exists()
+}
+
 #[itest]
 fn test_sysroot_ro() -> Result<()> {
     // TODO add a skipped identifier
-    if !std::path::Path::new("/run/ostree-booted").exists() {
+    if skip_non_ostree_host() {
         return Ok(());
     }
     let cancellable = Some(gio::Cancellable::new());
@@ -34,6 +38,9 @@ fn test_sysroot_ro() -> Result<()> {
 
 #[itest]
 fn test_immutable_bit() -> Result<()> {
+    if skip_non_ostree_host() {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
     // https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1867601
     cmd_has_output(sh_inline::bash_command!("lsattr -d /").unwrap(), "-i-")?;
     Ok(())
diff --git a/tests/kolainst/Makefile b/tests/kolainst/Makefile
index acfdc3b7..5dc18281 100644
--- a/tests/kolainst/Makefile
+++ b/tests/kolainst/Makefile
@@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ all:
 install:
 	install -D -m 0644 -t $(KOLA_TESTDIR) $(LIBSCRIPTS)
 	for x in $(TESTDIRS); do rsync -rlv ./$${x} $(KOLA_TESTDIR)/; done
-	install -D -m 0755 -t $(KOLA_TESTDIR)/nondestructive-rs ../inst/target/release/ostree-test
+	install -D -m 0755 -t $(KOLA_TESTDIR)/nondestructive-rs ../../target/release/ostree-test
 	install -D -m 0644 destructive-stamp.ign $(KOLA_TESTDIR)/destructive-rs/config.ign
 	./install-wrappers.sh destructive-list.txt $(KOLA_TESTDIR)/destructive-rs
diff --git a/tests/run-installed b/tests/run-installed
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..e9f9842b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run-installed
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Run this script after e.g. `sudo make install` in a development container/host
+# to run tests which operate on the installed binaries.
+set -xeuo pipefail
+dn=$(dirname $0)
+(cd ${dn}/../tests/inst && cargo run --release)