diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 0010cdb..edfc2ac 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 *.pyc
 *.db3
 *.swp
+.pytest_cache
 venv/
diff --git a/pytest.ini b/pytest.ini
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c067b05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pytest.ini
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+[pytest]
+DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE = settings
+norecursedirs = .git layers
+
diff --git a/tests/test_update.py b/tests/test_update.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e00775d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_update.py
@@ -0,0 +1,195 @@
+# layerindex-web - tests for update script
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2018 Intel Corporation
+#
+# Licensed under the MIT license, see COPYING.MIT for details
+
+# NOTE: requires pytest-django. Run using "pytest" from the root
+# of the repository (add -s to avoid suppressing the output of commands
+# when working on the tests)
+
+# NOTE: for these tests to work with MySQL / MariaDB and Django 1.11, you will need
+# to set the transaction isolation mode to READ COMMITTED (basically set
+# transaction-isolation = READ-COMMITTED in the [mysqld] section of /etc/my.cnf)
+
+# NOTE: we cannot practically save and restore the database between tests (since
+# we want these tests to work with any database backend) nor use transactions
+# (since we need to launch the update script which uses a separate database
+# connection), thus these tests cannot depend upon eachother - i.e. they must
+# not touch the test layer(s) in a manner that would affect any other test. In
+# practice that means separate recipes for each test.
+
+import sys
+import os
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+import pytest
+
+basepath = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), '..'))
+
+def run_cmd(cmd, cwd=None):
+    if not cwd:
+        cwd = basepath
+    subprocess.check_call(cmd, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT, shell=True, cwd=cwd)
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def enable_db_access_for_all_tests(db):
+    pass
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def db_access_without_rollback_and_truncate(request, django_db_setup, django_db_blocker):
+    django_db_blocker.unblock()
+    request.addfinalizer(django_db_blocker.restore)
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def backup_settings(tmpdir_factory):
+    stmpdir = tmpdir_factory.mktemp('settings')
+    settingsfile = os.path.join(basepath, 'settings.py')
+    backupfile = os.path.join(stmpdir, 'settings.bak')
+    shutil.copy(settingsfile, backupfile)
+    yield settingsfile
+    shutil.copy(backupfile, settingsfile)
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def hack_settings(backup_settings):
+    # It's horrific to have to do this, but we need to have additional
+    # scripts connect to the testing database and not whatever's in settings.py
+    # on disk right now, and this appears to be the only real way to do that
+    from django.conf import settings
+    with open(backup_settings, 'a') as f:
+        f.write('\nDATABASES = %s\n' % settings.DATABASES)
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def import_layer(hack_settings):
+    run_cmd("layerindex/tools/import_layer.py git://git.openembedded.org/openembedded-core -s meta openembedded-core")
+    run_cmd("layerindex/tools/import_layer.py git://git.yoctoproject.org/meta-layerindex-test -s meta-layerindex-test")
+    run_cmd("layerindex/update.py -l meta-layerindex-test")
+
+def test_example_recipe(import_layer):
+    from layerindex.models import Branch, LayerItem, LayerBranch
+    layer = LayerItem.objects.get(name='meta-layerindex-test')
+    layerbranch = LayerBranch.objects.get(layer__name='meta-layerindex-test')
+    found = False
+    for recipe in layerbranch.recipe_set.all():
+        if recipe.pn == 'example':
+            if found:
+                assert False, 'Duplicate example recipe in database'
+            assert recipe.pv == '0.1'
+            assert recipe.summary == 'Example recipe'
+            assert recipe.description == 'An example recipe used to test the OE layer index update script'
+            assert recipe.license == 'MIT'
+            assert recipe.filename == 'example_0.1.bb'
+            assert recipe.filepath == 'recipes-example/example'
+            # section is currently relying on what's set by bitbake.conf
+            assert recipe.section == 'base'
+            assert recipe.provides.split() == ['example']
+            assert recipe.blacklisted == ''
+            # homepage bugtracker bbclassextend inherits
+            # dependencies
+            found = True
+    if not found:
+        assert False, "Expected 'example' recipe not in database"
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def repo(db_access_without_rollback_and_truncate):
+    from layerindex.models import LayerItem
+    from django.conf import settings
+    fetchdir = settings.LAYER_FETCH_DIR
+    layer = LayerItem.objects.get(name='meta-layerindex-test')
+    urldir = layer.get_fetch_dir()
+    repodir = os.path.join(fetchdir, urldir)
+    yield repodir
+
+def test_move_recipe_out(import_layer, repo, db_access_without_rollback_and_truncate):
+    from layerindex.models import LayerBranch, Recipe
+    layerbranch = LayerBranch.objects.get(layer__name='meta-layerindex-test')
+    recipe = layerbranch.recipe_set.filter(pn='moveme').first()
+    assert recipe, 'No moveme recipe found'
+    os.makedirs(os.path.join(repo, 'meta-layerindex-othertest/recipes-somethingelse/moveme'))
+    run_cmd('tree', cwd=repo)
+    run_cmd('git mv meta-layerindex-test/recipes-example/moveme/moveme_0.1.bb meta-layerindex-othertest/recipes-somethingelse/moveme/moveme_0.1.bb', cwd=repo)
+    run_cmd('git commit -m "Move recipe to a different layer"', cwd=repo)
+    run_cmd("layerindex/update.py -d -l meta-layerindex-test --nofetch --nocheckout")
+    # Recipe should have been deleted by update script
+    with pytest.raises(Recipe.DoesNotExist):
+        recipe.refresh_from_db()
+
+def test_delete_recipe(import_layer, repo, db_access_without_rollback_and_truncate):
+    from layerindex.models import LayerBranch, Recipe
+    layerbranch = LayerBranch.objects.get(layer__name='meta-layerindex-test')
+    recipe = layerbranch.recipe_set.filter(pn='deleteme').first()
+    assert recipe, 'No deleteme recipe found'
+    run_cmd('git rm meta-layerindex-test/recipes-example/deleteme/deleteme_0.1.bb', cwd=repo)
+    run_cmd('git commit -m "Delete recipe"', cwd=repo)
+    run_cmd("layerindex/update.py -d -l meta-layerindex-test --nofetch --nocheckout")
+    # Recipe should have been deleted by update script
+    with pytest.raises(Recipe.DoesNotExist):
+        recipe.refresh_from_db()
+
+def test_upgrade_recipe(import_layer, repo, db_access_without_rollback_and_truncate):
+    # FIXME this test is a little simplistic
+    from layerindex.models import LayerBranch, Recipe
+    layerbranch = LayerBranch.objects.get(layer__name='meta-layerindex-test')
+    recipe = Recipe.objects.filter(layerbranch=layerbranch, pn='upgrademe').first()
+    assert recipe, 'No upgrademe recipe found'
+    oldid = recipe.id
+    run_cmd('git mv meta-layerindex-test/recipes-example/upgrademe/upgrademe_0.1.bb meta-layerindex-test/recipes-example/upgrademe/upgrademe_0.2.bb', cwd=repo)
+    run_cmd('git commit -m "Upgrade recipe"', cwd=repo)
+    run_cmd("layerindex/update.py -d -l meta-layerindex-test --nofetch --nocheckout")
+    recipe = Recipe.objects.filter(layerbranch=layerbranch, pn='upgrademe').first()
+    assert recipe.id == oldid
+    assert recipe.pv == "0.2"
+    assert recipe.filename == 'upgrademe_0.2.bb'
+    assert recipe.filepath == 'recipes-example/upgrademe'
+
+def test_add_recipe(import_layer, repo, db_access_without_rollback_and_truncate):
+    from layerindex.models import LayerBranch, Recipe
+    layerbranch = LayerBranch.objects.get(layer__name='meta-layerindex-test')
+    recipe = Recipe.objects.filter(layerbranch=layerbranch, pn='addme').first()
+    assert not recipe, 'addme recipe found when it should not have been'
+    os.makedirs(os.path.join(repo, 'meta-layerindex-test/recipes-example/addme'))
+    with open(os.path.join(repo, 'meta-layerindex-test/recipes-example/addme/addme_0.5.bb'), 'w') as f:
+        f.write('SUMMARY = "Brand new recipe"\n')
+        f.write('LICENSE = "MIT"\n')
+    run_cmd('git add meta-layerindex-test/recipes-example/addme/addme_0.5.bb', cwd=repo)
+    run_cmd('git commit -m "Add recipe"', cwd=repo)
+    run_cmd("layerindex/update.py -d -l meta-layerindex-test --nofetch --nocheckout")
+    # Recipe should have been deleted by update script
+    recipe = Recipe.objects.filter(layerbranch=layerbranch, pn='addme').first()
+    assert recipe, 'addme recipe not found'
+    assert recipe.pv == "0.5"
+    assert recipe.summary == "Brand new recipe"
+    assert recipe.license == "MIT"
+
+
+
+# FIXME test recipe modify
+# FIXME test recipe upgrade with inc merge?
+# FIXME test patches
+# FIXME test sources
+# FIXME test inherits
+
+# FIXME test distro add
+# FIXME test distro rename
+# FIXME test distro modify
+# FIXME test distro delete
+
+# FIXME test machine add
+# FIXME test machine rename
+# FIXME test machine modify
+# FIXME test machine delete
+
+# FIXME test bbappend add
+# FIXME test bbappend rename
+# FIXME test bbappend delete
+
+# FIXME test bbclass add
+# FIXME test bbclass rename
+# FIXME test bbclass delete
+
+# FIXME test modify bbclass updates dependent recipes
+# FIXME test modify inc updates dependent recipes
+
+# FIXME 'adding' a group of layers 'out of order' e.g. layer1 - require layer 5 and 4..  layer 2 - require layer 3 and 4, layer 3 - require layer 5, layer 4 require layer 5, layer 5 (no requirements)
+
+# FIXME test REST API (different module!)