diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 71607aa297..742df701d0 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 *_test
 *.ipch # vscode/intellisense precompiled header
 *~
+__pycache__/
 .ccache/
 .cproject
 .deps/
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index b0662fc1de..65a3fc0f8f 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@ stages:
   before_script:
     - test -w "${CCACHE_DIR}" && export PATH="/usr/lib/ccache:${PATH}"
     - test -n "${OOT_BUILD_WORKSPACE}" && mkdir "${OOT_BUILD_WORKSPACE}" && cd "${OOT_BUILD_WORKSPACE}"
+    - pip3 install pytest requests || pip install pytest requests || true
   script:
     - *configure
     - make -j${BUILD_PARALLEL_JOBS:-1} -k all V=1
@@ -256,6 +257,7 @@ stages:
   before_script:
     - *setup_interfaces
     - *setup_softhsm
+    - pip3 install pytest requests || pip install pytest requests || true
   script:
     - cd bin/tests/system
     - make -j${TEST_PARALLEL_JOBS:-1} -k check V=1 || make -j${TEST_PARALLEL_JOBS:-1} -k recheck V=1
@@ -441,6 +443,7 @@ pylint:
   before_script:
     - pip3 install pylint
     - PYTHONPATH="$PYTHONPATH:$CI_PROJECT_DIR/bin/python"
+    - pip3 install pytest requests || pip install pytest requests
   script:
     - *configure
     - pylint --rcfile $CI_PROJECT_DIR/.pylintrc $(git ls-files '*.py' | grep -v 'ans\.py')
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/.gitignore b/bin/tests/system/.gitignore
index 0c66e8d2cc..d7c9c7b1bc 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/.gitignore
+++ b/bin/tests/system/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+__pycache__
 dig.out*
 rndc.out*
 nsupdate.out*
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in b/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in
index 85f8df69e4..4088fb4411 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in
+++ b/bin/tests/system/conf.sh.in
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ PERL=$(command -v "@PERL@")
 PSSUSPEND=
 
 PYTHON=$(command -v "@PYTHON@")
+PYTEST=@PYTEST@
 
 #
 # Determine if we support various optional features.
@@ -127,3 +128,5 @@ HAVEZLIB=${ZLIB_LIBS:+1}
 LMDB_LIBS="@LMDB_LIBS@"
 NZD=${LMDB_LIBS:+1}
 CRYPTO=@CRYPTO@
+
+export HAVEXMLSTATS HAVEJSONSTATS
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/run.sh.in b/bin/tests/system/run.sh.in
index 5e4095ea67..4e8f5cc6b9 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/run.sh.in
+++ b/bin/tests/system/run.sh.in
@@ -108,6 +108,39 @@ fi
 # true, the last digit of EXTRAPORTn is "n".
 eval "$(${srcdir}/get_ports.sh -p "$baseport")"
 
+restart=false
+
+start_servers_failed() {
+    echoinfo "I:$systest:starting servers failed"
+    echofail "R:$systest:FAIL"
+    echoend  "E:$systest:$(date_with_args)"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+start_servers() {
+    echoinfo "I:$systest:starting servers"
+    if $restart; then
+        $PERL start.pl --restart --port "$PORT" "$systest" || start_fail
+    else
+        restart=true
+        $PERL start.pl --port "$PORT" "$systest" || start_fail
+    fi
+}
+
+stop_servers_failed() {
+    echoinfo "I:$systest:stopping servers failed"
+    echofail "R:$systest:FAIL"
+    echoend  "E:$systest:$(date_with_args)"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+stop_servers() {
+    if $stopservers; then
+        echoinfo "I:$systest:stopping servers"
+        $PERL stop.pl "$systest" || stop_servers_failed
+    fi
+}
+
 echostart "S:$systest:$(date_with_args)"
 echoinfo  "T:$systest:1:A"
 echoinfo  "A:$systest:System test $systest"
@@ -161,16 +194,40 @@ then
    ( cd "${systest}" && $SHELL setup.sh "$@" )
 fi
 
-# Start name servers running
-if ! $PERL ${srcdir}/start.pl --port "$PORT" "$systest"; then
-    echofail "R:$systest:FAIL"
-    echoend  "E:$systest:$(date_with_args)"
-    exit 1
+
+status=0
+run=0
+# Run the tests
+if [ -r "$systest/tests.sh" ]; then
+    start_servers
+    ( cd "$systest" && $SHELL tests.sh "$@" )
+    status=$?
+    run=$((run+1))
+    stop_servers
 fi
 
-# Run the tests
-( cd "${systest}" && $SHELL tests.sh "$@" )
-status=$?
+if [ -n "$PYTEST" ]; then
+    run=$((run+1))
+    for test in $(cd "${systest}" && find . -name "tests*.py"); do
+	start_servers
+	rm -f "$systest/$test.status"
+	test_status=0
+	(cd "$systest" && "$PYTEST" -v "$test" "$@" || echo "$?" > "$test.status") | SYSTESTDIR="$systest" cat_d
+	if [ -f "$systest/$test.status" ]; then
+	    echo_i "FAILED"
+	    test_status=$(cat "$systest/$test.status")
+	fi
+	status=$((status+test_status))
+	stop_servers
+    done
+else
+    echoinfo "I:$systest:pytest not installed, skipping python tests"
+fi
+
+if [ "$run" -eq "0" ]; then
+    echoinfo "I:$systest:No tests were found and run"
+    status=255
+fi
 
 if $stopservers
 then
@@ -179,11 +236,6 @@ else
     exit $status
 fi
 
-# Shutdown
-$PERL ${srcdir}/stop.pl "$systest"
-
-status=$((status + $?))
-
 if [ $status != 0 ]; then
     echofail "R:$systest:FAIL"
     # Do not clean up - we need the evidence.
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 8ad62afb27..458bd6cda2 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -276,6 +276,11 @@ AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_PERLMOD_TIME_HIRES],
 AM_PATH_PYTHON([3.4], [], [:])
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_PYTHON], [test "$PYTHON" != ":"])
 
+AC_PATH_PROGS([PYTEST], [pytest-3 pytest pytest-pypy], [])
+AS_IF([test -z "$PYTEST"],
+      [AC_MSG_WARN([pytest not found, some system tests will be skipped])])
+AC_SUBST([PYTEST])
+
 AX_PYTHON_MODULE([dns])
 AM_CONDITIONAL([HAVE_PYMOD_DNS], [test "$HAVE_PYMOD_DNS" = "yes"])