diff --git a/test/unit/test_cli.py b/test/unit/test_cli.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..07bb052
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/test_cli.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+#
+# koji command line interface plugin unit tests
+#
+
+
+import contextlib
+import io
+import koji
+from flexmock import flexmock
+
+from plugintest import PluginTest
+
+
+@PluginTest.load_plugin("cli")
+class TestCliPlugin(PluginTest):
+
+    def test_basic_invocation(self):
+        # check we get the right amount of arguments
+        # i.e. we are missing the architecture here
+        argv = ["name", "version", "distro", "target"]
+
+        f = io.StringIO()
+        with self.assertRaises(SystemExit) as cm, \
+             contextlib.redirect_stderr(f):
+            self.plugin.handle_osbuild_image(None, None, argv)
+            self.assertEqual(cm.exception.code, 2)
+            self.assertIn("osbuild-image", f.getvalue())
+        f.close()
+
+    def test_target_check(self):
+        # unknown build target
+        session = flexmock()
+
+        session.should_receive("getBuildTarget") \
+               .with_args("target") \
+               .and_return(None) \
+               .once()
+
+        argv = ["name", "version", "distro", "target", "arch1"]
+        with self.assertRaises(koji.GenericError):
+            self.plugin.handle_osbuild_image(None, session, argv)
+
+        # unknown destination tag
+        build_target = {
+            "build_tag": 23,
+            "build_tag_name": "target-build",
+            "dest_tag": 42,
+            "dest_tag_name": "target-dest"  # missing!
+        }
+
+        session = flexmock()
+
+        session.should_receive("getBuildTarget") \
+               .with_args("target") \
+               .and_return(build_target) \
+               .once()
+
+        session.should_receive("getTag") \
+               .with_args(build_target["dest_tag"]) \
+               .and_return(None) \
+               .once()
+
+        argv = ["name", "version", "distro", "target", "arch1"]
+        with self.assertRaises(koji.GenericError):
+            self.plugin.handle_osbuild_image(None, session, argv)