diff --git a/tests/run-tasks.yml b/tests/run-tasks.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea56720
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/run-tasks.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+---
+- name: Run the tasklist {{ task }}
+  hosts: all
+  tasks:
+    - include_tasks: "{{ task }}"
diff --git a/tests/tasks/assert-device_absent.yml b/tests/tasks/assert-device_absent.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..06be2b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tasks/assert-device_absent.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+---
+- setup:
+- assert:
+    name: "assert that {{ interface }} is absent"
+    that: "{{ not interface in ansible_interfaces }}"
+    msg: "{{ interface }} is in ansible_interfaces: {{ ansible_interfaces }}"
diff --git a/tests/tasks/assert-device_present.yml b/tests/tasks/assert-device_present.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c09bd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tasks/assert-device_present.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+---
+# need to run setup again when this is just a task to make sure ansible_interfaces is correct
+- setup:
+- assert:
+    name: "assert that {{ interface }} is present"
+    that: "{{ interface in ansible_interfaces }}"
+    msg: "{{ interface }} is not in ansible_interfaces: {{ ansible_interfaces }}"
diff --git a/tests/tasks/create-and-remove-interface.yml b/tests/tasks/create-and-remove-interface.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9bebf6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tasks/create-and-remove-interface.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+---
+- include_tasks: show-interfaces.yml
+- include_tasks: manage-test-interface.yml
+  vars:
+    state: absent
+- include_tasks: show-interfaces.yml
+- include_tasks: assert-device_absent.yml
+
+- include_tasks: manage-test-interface.yml
+  vars:
+    state: present
+- include_tasks: show-interfaces.yml
+- include_tasks: assert-device_present.yml
+
+- include_tasks: manage-test-interface.yml
+  vars:
+    state: absent
+- include_tasks: show-interfaces.yml
+- include_tasks: assert-device_absent.yml
diff --git a/tests/tasks/make-profile-absent.yml b/tests/tasks/make-profile-absent.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..95496aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tasks/make-profile-absent.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+---
+- name: Remove {{ profile }}
+  hosts: all
+  vars:
+    network_connections:
+      - name: "{{ profile }}"
+        state: absent
+  roles:
+    - linux-system-roles.network
diff --git a/tests/tasks/make-profile-down.yml b/tests/tasks/make-profile-down.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5087240
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tasks/make-profile-down.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+---
+- name: Set {{ profile }} down
+  hosts: all
+  vars:
+    network_connections:
+      - name: "{{ profile }}"
+        state: down
+  roles:
+    - linux-system-roles.network
diff --git a/tests/tasks/manage-test-interface.yml b/tests/tasks/manage-test-interface.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d6add8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tasks/manage-test-interface.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+---
+- fail:
+    msg: "state needs to be present or absent, not '{{ state }}'"
+  when: state not in ["present", "absent"]
+
+- fail:
+    msg: "type needs to be dummy, tap or veth, not '{{ type }}'"
+  when: type not in ["dummy", "tap", "veth"]
+
+# run setup again to make sure ansible_interfaces is accurate
+- setup:
+
+  # veth
+- name: Create veth interface {{ interface }}
+  shell: ip link add {{ interface }} type veth peer name peer{{ interface }}
+  when: "type == 'veth' and state == 'present' and interface not in ansible_interfaces"
+
+- name: Delete veth interface {{ interface }}
+  shell: ip link del {{ interface }} type veth
+  when: "type == 'veth' and state == 'absent' and interface in ansible_interfaces"
+
+  # dummy
+- name: Create dummy interface {{ interface }}
+  shell: ip link add "{{ interface }}" type dummy
+  when: "type == 'dummy' and state == 'present' and interface not in ansible_interfaces"
+
+- name: Delete dummy interface {{ interface }}
+  shell: ip link del "{{ interface }}" type dummy
+  when: "type == 'dummy' and state == 'absent' and interface in ansible_interfaces"
+
+  # tap
+- name: Create tap interface {{ interface }}
+  shell: ip tuntap add dev {{ interface }} mode tap
+  when: "type == 'tap' and state == 'present' and interface not in ansible_interfaces"
+
+- name: Delete tap interface {{ interface }}
+  shell: ip tuntap del dev {{ interface }} mode tap
+  when: "type == 'tap' and state == 'absent' and interface in ansible_interfaces"
diff --git a/tests/tasks/show-interfaces.yml b/tests/tasks/show-interfaces.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a4b8c44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tasks/show-interfaces.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+---
+- debug:
+    msg: "ansible_interfaces: {{ ansible_interfaces }}"
diff --git a/tests/tests_helpers-and-asserts.yml b/tests/tests_helpers-and-asserts.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..33f3e84
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tests_helpers-and-asserts.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+---
+- name: Check that creating and removing test devices and assertions work
+  hosts: all
+  tasks:
+    - name: test veth interface management
+      include_tasks: tasks/create-and-remove-interface.yml
+      vars:
+        type: veth
+        interface: veth1298
+
+    - name: test veth interface management
+      include_tasks: tasks/create-and-remove-interface.yml
+      vars:
+        type: dummy
+        interface: dummy1298
+
+# FIXME: when: does not seem to work with include_tasks, therefore this cannot be safely tested for now
+#    - name: test tap interfaces
+#      include_tasks: tasks/create-and-remove-interface.yml type=tap interface=tap1298
+#      when: ansible_distribution_major_version > 6
+#      # ip tuntap does not exist on RHEL6
+#      # FIXME: Maybe use some other tool to manage devices, openvpn can do this,
+#      # but it is in EPEL