diff --git a/artiq/test/coredevice/test_compile.py b/artiq/test/coredevice/test_compile.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0efb5eb8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/artiq/test/coredevice/test_compile.py
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+import os
+import sys
+import subprocess
+import unittest
+import tempfile
+from artiq.coredevice.comm_mgmt import CommMgmt
+from artiq.test.hardware_testbench import ExperimentCase
+from artiq.experiment import *
+
+
+artiq_root = os.getenv("ARTIQ_ROOT")
+
+
+class CheckLog(EnvExperiment):
+    def build(self):
+        self.setattr_device("core")
+
+    @kernel
+    def run(self):
+        core_log("test_artiq_compile")
+
+
+class TestCompile(ExperimentCase):
+    def test_compile(self):
+        core_addr = self.device_mgr.get_desc("core")["arguments"]["host"]
+        mgmt = CommMgmt(core_addr)
+        mgmt.clear_log()
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as tmp:
+            db_path = os.path.join(artiq_root, "device_db.py")
+            subprocess.call([sys.executable, "-m", "artiq.frontend.artiq_compile", "--device-db", db_path,
+                "-e", "CheckLog", "-o", os.path.join(tmp, "check_log.elf"), __file__])
+            subprocess.call([sys.executable, "-m", "artiq.frontend.artiq_run", "--device-db", db_path,
+                os.path.join(tmp, "check_log.elf")])
+        log = mgmt.get_log()
+        self.assertIn("test_artiq_compile", log)
+        mgmt.close()