diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 35aded4..7a6fcb3 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 doc/index.html: doc/index.md
 	pandoc -t html -f gfm < $< > $@
 
+check:
+	sh test/run.sh
+
 watch:
 	find . -type f | entr -c -d sh test/run.sh
diff --git a/dunlin.fnl b/dunlin.fnl
index d7a62c8..277ed81 100644
--- a/dunlin.fnl
+++ b/dunlin.fnl
@@ -34,3 +34,5 @@
    (.. socketdir "/dunlin.sock")))
 
 (Gtk.main)
+
+;; NO-TESTING
diff --git a/keymap.fnl b/keymap.fnl
index dd0f8e7..a720824 100644
--- a/keymap.fnl
+++ b/keymap.fnl
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 (local { : Gdk } (require :lgi))
 (local { : view } (require :fennel))
 (local lume (require :lume))
-(import-macros {: trace} :macros)
+(import-macros {: trace : describe : expect : expect=} :macros)
 
 (local modifier-keyvals
        ;; we need to detect and discard modifier-only key events when
@@ -73,11 +73,13 @@
     (table.insert chars (Gdk.keyval_name keyval))
     (table.concat chars  "-")))
 
-(let [v (index->string "103:0")] (assert (= v "g") v))
-(let [v (index->string "65:0")] (assert (= v "A") v))
-(let [v (index->string "120:4")] (assert (= v "C-x") v))
-(let [v (index->string "100:8")] (assert (= v "M-d") v))
-(let [v (index->string "100:12")] (assert (= v "C-M-d") v))
+(describe
+ index->string
+ (expect= (index->string "103:0") "g")
+ (expect= (index->string "65:0") "A")
+ (expect= (index->string "120:4") "C-x")
+ (expect= (index->string "100:8") "M-d")
+ (expect= (index->string "100:12") "C-M-d"))
 
 (fn command? [tbl]
   ;; a keymap entry has a string as key, a command
@@ -101,10 +103,12 @@
       [k1] (. tbl k1)
       x tbl)))
 
-(let [v (ref {:a 1} [:a])] (assert (= v 1) v))
-(let [v (ref {:a {:c 7}} [:a :c])] (assert (= v 7) v))
-(let [v (ref {:a {:c 7}} [:a ])] (assert (match v {:c 7} true) (view v)))
-(let [v (ref {:a {:c 7}} [:z :d])] (assert (not v) v))
+(describe
+ ref
+ (let [v (ref {:a 1} [:a])] (expect= v 1))
+ (let [v (ref {:a {:c 7}} [:a :c])] (expect= v 7))
+ (let [v (ref {:a {:c 7}} [:a ])] (expect= v {:c 7}))
+ (let [v (ref {:a {:c 7}} [:z :d])] (expect (not v))))
 
 
 (fn recogniser [source-keymap]
diff --git a/macros.fnl b/macros.fnl
index 2d8c349..e6afc23 100644
--- a/macros.fnl
+++ b/macros.fnl
@@ -1,7 +1,27 @@
-
 (fn trace [x]
   `(do
      (print :trace ,(view x) (view ,x))
      ,x))
 
-{ : trace }
+(fn expect [assertion]
+  (let [msg (.. "expectation failed: " (view assertion))]
+    `(when (not ,assertion)
+       (assert false ,msg))))
+
+(fn expect= [actual expected]
+  `(let [view# (. (require :fennel) :view)
+         ve# (view# ,expected)
+         va# (view# ,actual)]
+     (when (not (= ve# va#))
+       (assert false
+               (.. "\nexpected " ve# "\ngot " va#)
+               ))))
+
+(fn describe [thing & body]
+  (when _G.RUNNING_TESTS
+    `(do (print "# " ,(view thing))
+         ,(unpack body))))
+
+{ : trace : expect : expect= : describe }
+
+;; NO-TESTING
diff --git a/test/run.sh b/test/run.sh
index d774a4c..a37e503 100644
--- a/test/run.sh
+++ b/test/run.sh
@@ -2,3 +2,8 @@
 for i in test/*.fnl; do
     fennel --correlate $i && echo $i OK
 done
+for i in *.fnl; do
+    grep -q NO-TESTING "$i" && continue
+    [ "$i" = "macros.fnl" ] && continue
+    fennel test/test-helper.fnl $i && echo $i OK
+done
diff --git a/test/test-helper.fnl b/test/test-helper.fnl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af2de49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test-helper.fnl
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+(local fennel (require :fennel))
+(local specials (require :fennel.specials))
+
+(local compiler-env
+       (doto (. (specials.make-compiler-env) :_G)
+         (tset "RUNNING_TESTS" true)))
+
+(each [_ f (ipairs arg)]
+  (fennel.dofile f { :correlate true :compilerEnv compiler-env }))