diff --git a/userspace/include/unit/args.h b/userspace/include/unit/args.h
index e02cd60a4..0f9741952 100644
--- a/userspace/include/unit/args.h
+++ b/userspace/include/unit/args.h
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ struct unit_fw_args {
 
 	const char	*unit_name;
 	const char	*unit_load_path;
+	const char	*unit_to_run;
 };
 
 int core_parse_args(struct unit_fw *fw, int argc, char **argv);
diff --git a/userspace/src/args.c b/userspace/src/args.c
index 79eb83340..44f079616 100644
--- a/userspace/src/args.c
+++ b/userspace/src/args.c
@@ -155,5 +155,13 @@ int core_parse_args(struct unit_fw *fw, int argc, char **argv)
 		}
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * If there is an extra argument after the command-line options, then
+	 * it is a unit test name that need to be specifically run.
+	 */
+	if (optind < argc) {
+		args->unit_to_run = argv[optind];
+	}
+
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/userspace/src/module.c b/userspace/src/module.c
index 836d36abd..d88b392cd 100644
--- a/userspace/src/module.c
+++ b/userspace/src/module.c
@@ -77,6 +77,14 @@ static struct unit_module *load_one_module(struct unit_fw *fw,
 
 	core_vbs(fw, 1, "Loading: %s\n", dent->d_name);
 
+	if (fw->args->unit_to_run != NULL) {
+		if (strstr(dent->d_name, fw->args->unit_to_run) == NULL) {
+			core_vbs(fw, 1, "  Skipping unit (not *%s*)\n",
+				fw->args->unit_to_run);
+			return NULL;
+		}
+	}
+
 	lib_handle = dlopen(dent->d_name, RTLD_NOW);
 	if (lib_handle == NULL) {
 		core_err(fw, "Failed to load %s: %s\n",
diff --git a/userspace/src/unit_main.c b/userspace/src/unit_main.c
index c69683848..e1c25e3d5 100644
--- a/userspace/src/unit_main.c
+++ b/userspace/src/unit_main.c
@@ -70,15 +70,25 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	if (ret != 0)
 		return ret;
 
+	if (fw->results == NULL) {
+		core_msg(fw, "No tests were run!\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+
 	core_print_test_status(fw);
 
-	if (fw->results->nr_tests == 0) {
-		/* No tests were run */
-		return -1;
-	} else if ((fw->results->nr_tests - fw->results->nr_passing) != 0) {
+	if ((fw->results->nr_tests - fw->results->nr_passing) != 0) {
 		/* Some tests failed */
 		return -1;
 	}
 
+	if (fw->args->unit_to_run != NULL) {
+		/*
+		 * Just in case (especially when running in automation), return
+		 * a failure if only executed a subset of the units
+		 */
+		return -2;
+	}
+
 	return 0;
 }