diff --git a/api/src/test/AppTest.php b/api/src/test/AppTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e9b521d741
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/test/AppTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * EGroupware Api: Application test base class
+ *
+ * @link http://www.stylite.de
+ * @package api
+ * @subpackage test
+ * @author Nathan Gray
+ * @copyright (c) 2016 Nathan Gray
+ * @license http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php GPL - GNU General Public License
+ * @version $Id$
+ */
+
+namespace EGroupware\Api\Test;
+
+require_once realpath(__DIR__.'/../loader/common.php');	// autoloader & check_load_extension
+
+use PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase as TestCase;
+use EGroupware\Api;
+
+/**
+ * Base class for application tests, loads the egroupware environment
+ *
+ * It's not best practice to require the session for every test, but so much
+ * is reliant on the session that it's just easier.  By "not best practice",
+ * I mean this is pretty bad, but better than manual testing.
+ *
+ * Each test case (extending class) should get its own session, but session is
+ * shared between tests inside.
+ *
+ * The login information is pulled from doc/phpunit.xml.  Run tests from the
+ * command line using 'phpunit -c doc/phpunit.xml'
+ *
+ * Extend this class into <appname>/test/ or <appname>/src/test/ to test one
+ * small aspect of an application.
+ */
+abstract class AppTest extends TestCase
+{
+	/**
+	 * Start session once before each test case
+	 */
+	public static function setUpBeforeClass()
+	{
+		// These globals pulled from the test config (phpunit.xml)
+		static::load_egw($GLOBALS['EGW_USER'],$GLOBALS['EGW_PASSWORD'], $GLOBALS['EGW_DOMAIN']);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * End session when done - every test case gets its own session
+	 */
+	public static function tearDownAfterClass()
+	{
+		if($GLOBALS['egw'])
+		{
+			if($GLOBALS['egw']->session)
+			{
+				$GLOBALS['egw']->session->destroy(
+					$GLOBALS['egw']->session->sessionid,
+					$GLOBALS['egw']->session->kp3
+				);
+			}
+			unset($GLOBALS['egw']);
+		}
+		unset($GLOBALS['egw_info']);
+		unset($GLOBALS['_SESSION']);
+		$_SESSION = array();
+	}
+
+	/**
+	* Start the eGW session, exits on wrong credentials
+	*
+	* @param string $user
+	* @param string $passwd
+	* @param string $domain
+	*/
+	public static function load_egw($user,$passwd,$domain='default')
+	{
+		$_REQUEST['domain'] = $domain;
+		$GLOBALS['egw_login_data'] = array(
+			'login'  => $user,
+			'passwd' => $passwd,
+			'passwd_type' => 'text',
+		);
+
+		if (ini_get('session.save_handler') == 'files' && !is_writable(ini_get('session.save_path')) && is_dir('/tmp') && is_writable('/tmp'))
+		{
+			ini_set('session.save_path','/tmp');	// regular users may have no rights to apache's session dir
+		}
+
+		$GLOBALS['egw_info'] = array(
+			'flags' => array(
+				'currentapp' => 'api',
+				'noheader' => true,
+				'autocreate_session_callback' => __NAMESPACE__ . '\AppTest::create_session',
+				'no_exception_handler' => 'cli',
+				'noapi' => false,
+			)
+		);
+
+		include(realpath(__DIR__ . '/../../../header.inc.php'));
+
+		require_once realpath(__DIR__.'/../loader/common.php');	// autoloader & check_load_extension
+
+		// egw is normally created when a file is loaded using require_once
+		if(!$GLOBALS['egw'])
+		{
+			// From Api/src/loader.php
+			$GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['domain'] = Api\Session::search_instance(
+				isset($_POST['login']) ? $_POST['login'] : (isset($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER']) ? $_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] : $_SERVER['REMOTE_USER']),
+				Api\Session::get_request('domain'),$GLOBALS['egw_info']['server']['default_domain'],
+				array($_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'], $_SERVER['SERVER_NAME']),$GLOBALS['egw_domain']);
+
+			$GLOBALS['egw_info']['server']['db_host'] = $GLOBALS['egw_domain'][$GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['domain']]['db_host'];
+			$GLOBALS['egw_info']['server']['db_port'] = $GLOBALS['egw_domain'][$GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['domain']]['db_port'];
+			$GLOBALS['egw_info']['server']['db_name'] = $GLOBALS['egw_domain'][$GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['domain']]['db_name'];
+			$GLOBALS['egw_info']['server']['db_user'] = $GLOBALS['egw_domain'][$GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['domain']]['db_user'];
+			$GLOBALS['egw_info']['server']['db_pass'] = $GLOBALS['egw_domain'][$GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['domain']]['db_pass'];
+			$GLOBALS['egw_info']['server']['db_type'] = $GLOBALS['egw_domain'][$GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['domain']]['db_type'];
+
+			$GLOBALS['egw'] = new Api\Egw(array_keys($GLOBALS['egw_domain']));
+		}
+	}
+
+
+	/**
+	* callback to authenticate with the user/pw specified on the commandline
+	*
+	* @param array &$account account_info with keys 'login', 'passwd' and optional 'passwd_type'
+	* @return boolean/string true if we allow the access and account is set, a sessionid or false otherwise
+	*/
+	public static function create_session(&$account)
+	{
+		if (!($sessionid = $GLOBALS['egw']->session->create($GLOBALS['egw_login_data'])))
+		{
+			echo lang("Wrong account or password !!!")."\n\n";
+		}
+		unset($GLOBALS['egw_login_data']);
+		return $sessionid;
+	}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/doc/phpunit.xml b/doc/phpunit.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6615225ed7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/phpunit.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!-- Run tests using phpunit -c doc/phpunit.xml -->
+<phpunit
+    colors="true">
+	<php>
+        <var name="EGW_DOMAIN" value="default" />
+        <var name="EGW_USER" value="demo" />
+        <var name="EGW_PASSWORD" value="guest" />
+    </php>
+    <testsuites>
+        <testsuite name="Api tests">
+            <directory>../api/src/test/</directory>
+        </testsuite>
+		<testsuite name="Apps with test directory">
+			<directory>../*/test/</directory>
+		</testsuite>
+		<testsuite name="Apps with namespace">
+			<directory>../*/src/test/</directory>
+			<directory>../*/src/*/test/</directory>
+		</testsuite>
+    </testsuites>
+</phpunit>