diff --git a/core/tests/Makefile b/core/tests/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..21f7bffa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+NAME=sems_tests
+
+SIP_STACK_DIR=../sip
+SIP_STACK=$(SIP_STACK_DIR)/sip_stack.a
+CORE_SRCS=$(filter-out ../sems.cpp , $(wildcard ../*.cpp))
+CORE_HDRS=$(CORE_SRCS:.cpp=.h)
+CORE_OBJS=$(CORE_SRCS:.cpp=.o)
+CORE_DEPS=$(subst ../,,$(CORE_SRCS:.cpp=.d))
+
+SRCS=$(wildcard *.cpp)
+HDRS=$(SRCS:.cpp=.h)
+OBJS=$(SRCS:.cpp=.o)
+DEPS=$(SRCS:.cpp=.d)
+
+CPPFLAGS += -I..
+
+
+.PHONY: all
+all: ../../Makefile.defs
+	-@$(MAKE) core_deps  && $(MAKE) deps    && \
+	  $(MAKE) $(NAME)
+
+.PHONY: sip_stack
+sip_stack:
+	-@echo ""
+	-@echo "making SIP stack"
+	-@cd $(SIP_STACK_DIR); $(MAKE) all
+
+SIP_STACK: sip_stack
+
+.PHONY: clean
+clean:
+	rm -f $(OBJS) $(DEPS) $(CORE_DEPS) $(CORE_OBJS) $(NAME)
+
+.PHONY: deps
+deps: $(DEPS)
+
+.PHONY: core_deps
+core_deps: $(CORE_DEPS)
+
+COREPATH=..
+include ../../Makefile.defs
+
+# implicit rules
+%.o : %.cpp %.d ../../Makefile.defs
+	$(CXX) -c -o $@ $< $(CPPFLAGS) $(CXXFLAGS)
+
+%.d : %.cpp %.h ../../Makefile.defs
+	$(CXX) -MM $< $(CPPFLAGS) $(CXXFLAGS) > $@
+
+%.d : ../%.cpp ../%.h ../../Makefile.defs
+	$(CXX) -MM $< $(CPPFLAGS) $(CXXFLAGS) > $@
+
+$(NAME): $(OBJS) $(CORE_OBJS) $(SIP_STACK) ../../Makefile.defs
+	-@echo ""
+	-@echo "making $(NAME)"
+	$(LD) -o $(NAME) $(OBJS) $(CORE_OBJS) $(SIP_STACK) $(LDFLAGS) $(EXTRA_LDFLAGS)
+
+
+ifeq '$(NAME)' '$(MAKECMDGOALS)'
+include $(DEPS) $(CORE_DEPS)
+endif
+
+
diff --git a/core/tests/sems_tests.cpp b/core/tests/sems_tests.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..24197048
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/sems_tests.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+
+#include "log.h"
+
+
+
+
+int main(int argc, char* argv[])
+{
+  init_logging();
+  log_stderr = true;
+  log_level = 3;
+  DBG("yeah!\n");
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/core/tests/sems_tests.h b/core/tests/sems_tests.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b