diff --git a/Rakefile b/Rakefile
index 60db5c761..26db855ad 100644
--- a/Rakefile
+++ b/Rakefile
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ def setup_globals
   $manpages                =  $programs.collect { |name| "doc/man/#{name}.1" }
 
   $system_includes         = "-I. -Ilib -Ilib/avilib-0.6.10 -Ilib/utf8-cpp/source -Ilib/pugixml/src -Isrc"
-  $system_libdirs          = "-Llib/avilib-0.6.10 -Llib/librmff -Llib/pugixml/src -Lsrc/common -Lsrc/input -Lsrc/output -Lsrc/mpegparser -Lsrc/merge -Lsrc/info -Lsrc/extract -Lsrc/propedit"
+  $system_libdirs          = "-Llib/avilib-0.6.10 -Llib/librmff -Llib/pugixml/src -Lsrc/common"
 
   $source_directories      =  %w{lib/avilib-0.6.10 lib/librmff src src/input src/output src/common src/common/chapters src/common/compression src/common/strings src/common/tags src/common/xml
                                  src/mmg src/mmg/header_editor src/mmg/options src/mmg/tabs src/extract src/propedit src/merge src/info src/mpegparser}
diff --git a/rake.d/gtest.rb b/rake.d/gtest.rb
index 00ffebe37..0a771cd15 100644
--- a/rake.d/gtest.rb
+++ b/rake.d/gtest.rb
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env ruby
 
-gtest_apps = %w{common}
-gtest_libs = {
-  'common' => [],
-}
+gtest_apps = %w{common propedit}
 
 namespace :tests do
   desc "Build and run the unit tests"
@@ -19,6 +16,11 @@ $build_system_modules[:gtest] = {
   end,
 
   :define_tasks => lambda do
+    gtest_libs = {
+      'common'   => [],
+      'propedit' => [ :mtxpropedit ],
+    }
+
     #
     # Google Test framework
     #
@@ -27,13 +29,18 @@ $build_system_modules[:gtest] = {
       sources([ 'lib/gtest/src' ], :type => :dir).
       create
 
+    Library.
+      new('tests/unit/libmtxunittest').
+      sources('tests/unit', :type => :dir).
+      create
+
     gtest_apps.each do |app|
       Application.
         new("tests/unit/#{app}/#{app}").
         description("Build the unit tests executable for '#{app}'").
         aliases("unit_tests_#{app}").
         sources([ "tests/unit/#{app}" ], :type => :dir).
-        libraries($common_libs, gtest_libs[app], :gtest, :pthread).
+        libraries(gtest_libs[app], :mtxunittest, $common_libs, :gtest, :pthread).
         create
     end
   end,
diff --git a/rake.d/target.rb b/rake.d/target.rb
index 343df2bad..1c5a8db4b 100644
--- a/rake.d/target.rb
+++ b/rake.d/target.rb
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ class Target
       when :mtxinfo     then "src/info/libmtxinfo.a"
       when :mtxextract  then "src/extract/libmtxextract.a"
       when :mtxpropedit then "src/propedit/libmtxpropedit.a"
+      when :mtxunittest then "tests/unit/libmtxunittest.a"
       when :avi         then "lib/avilib-0.6.10/libavi.a"
       when :rmff        then "lib/librmff/librmff.a"
       when :pugixml     then "lib/pugixml/src/libpugixml.a"
@@ -129,6 +130,14 @@ class Target
       when :boost_system     then c(:BOOST_SYSTEM_LIB)
       when :qt               then c(:QT_LIBS)
       when :wxwidgets        then c(:WXWIDGETS_LIBS)
+      when :mpegparser       then [ '-Lsrc/mpegparser', '-lmpegparser'  ]
+      when :mtxinput         then [ '-Lsrc/input',      '-lmtxinput'    ]
+      when :mtxoutput        then [ '-Lsrc/output',     '-lmtxoutput'   ]
+      when :mtxmerge         then [ '-Lsrc/merge',      '-lmtxmerge'    ]
+      when :mtxinfo          then [ '-Lsrc/info',       '-lmtxinfo'     ]
+      when :mtxextract       then [ '-Lsrc/extract',    '-lmtxextract'  ]
+      when :mtxpropedit      then [ '-Lsrc/propedit',   '-lmtxpropedit' ]
+      when :mtxunittest      then [ '-Ltests/unit',     '-lmtxunittest' ]
       when String            then entry
       else                        "-l#{entry}"
       end
diff --git a/tests/unit/common/common.cpp b/tests/unit/common/common.cpp
index cf66419e3..13a126fc6 100644
--- a/tests/unit/common/common.cpp
+++ b/tests/unit/common/common.cpp
@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 #include "common/common_pch.h"
 
-#include "gtest/gtest.h"
+#include "tests/unit/init.h"
 
 int
 main(int argc,
      char **argv) {
   ::testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
+  ::mtxut::init_suite();
   return RUN_ALL_TESTS();
 }
diff --git a/tests/unit/init.cpp b/tests/unit/init.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a1d1b46db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/init.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/*
+   mkvmerge -- utility for splicing together matroska files
+   from component media subtypes
+
+   Distributed under the GPL
+   see the file COPYING for details
+   or visit http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
+
+   helper functions for unit tests
+
+   Written by Moritz Bunkus <moritz@bunkus.org>.
+*/
+
+#include "common/common_pch.h"
+
+#include "tests/unit/init.h"
+
+#include "src/common/unique_numbers.h"
+
+namespace {
+
+void
+mxmsg_handler(unsigned int level,
+              std::string const &message) {
+  if (MXMSG_WARNING == level)
+    g_warning_issued = true;
+
+  else if (MXMSG_ERROR == level)
+    throw mtxut::mxerror_x{message};
+}
+
+}
+
+void
+mtxut::init_suite() {
+  clear_list_of_unique_numbers(UNIQUE_ALL_IDS);
+  mtx_common_init("UNITTESTS");
+
+  set_mxmsg_handler(MXMSG_INFO,    mxmsg_handler);
+  set_mxmsg_handler(MXMSG_WARNING, mxmsg_handler);
+  set_mxmsg_handler(MXMSG_ERROR,   mxmsg_handler);
+}
+
+void
+mtxut::init_case() {
+  clear_list_of_unique_numbers(UNIQUE_ALL_IDS);
+  g_warning_issued = false;
+}
diff --git a/tests/unit/init.h b/tests/unit/init.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e937edc0f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/init.h
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+/*
+   mkvmerge -- utility for splicing together matroska files
+   from component media subtypes
+
+   Distributed under the GPL
+   see the file COPYING for details
+   or visit http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html
+
+   definitions for helper functions for unit tests
+
+   Written by Moritz Bunkus <moritz@bunkus.org>.
+*/
+
+#ifndef MTX_TESTS_UNIT_INIT_H
+#define MTX_TESTS_UNIT_INIT_H
+
+#include "common/common_pch.h"
+
+#include "gtest/gtest.h"
+
+extern bool g_warning_issued;
+
+namespace mtxut {
+
+class mxerror_x: public std::exception {
+protected:
+  std::string m_message;
+
+public:
+  mxerror_x(std::string const &message)
+    : m_message{message}
+  {
+  }
+
+  virtual ~mxerror_x() throw() { }
+
+
+  virtual const char *what() const throw() {
+    return m_message.c_str();
+  }
+
+  virtual std::string error() const throw() {
+    return m_message;
+  }
+};
+
+void init_suite();
+void init_case();
+
+}
+
+#endif // MTX_TESTS_UNIT_INIT_H
diff --git a/tests/unit/propedit/Rakefile b/tests/unit/propedit/Rakefile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d2942860f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/propedit/Rakefile
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env ruby
+
+$build_unit_tests = true
+
+import ['..', '../..', '../../..'].collect { |subdir| FileList[File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/#{subdir}/build-config.in"].to_a }.flatten.compact.first.gsub(/build-config.in/, 'Rakefile')
+
+# Local Variables:
+# mode: ruby
+# End:
diff --git a/tests/unit/propedit/chapter_target.cpp b/tests/unit/propedit/chapter_target.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..99bd10f1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/propedit/chapter_target.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#include "common/common_pch.h"
+
+#include "propedit/chapter_target.h"
+
+#include "gtest/gtest.h"
+
+namespace {
+
+TEST(ChapterTarget, Basics) {
+  chapter_target_c ct;
+
+  EXPECT_TRUE(ct.has_changes());
+}
+
+
+}
diff --git a/tests/unit/propedit/propedit b/tests/unit/propedit/propedit
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..a5df3b641
Binary files /dev/null and b/tests/unit/propedit/propedit differ
diff --git a/tests/unit/propedit/propedit.cpp b/tests/unit/propedit/propedit.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..13a126fc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/propedit/propedit.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#include "common/common_pch.h"
+
+#include "tests/unit/init.h"
+
+int
+main(int argc,
+     char **argv) {
+  ::testing::InitGoogleTest(&argc, argv);
+  ::mtxut::init_suite();
+  return RUN_ALL_TESTS();
+}