diff --git a/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/btf_kind.c b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/btf_kind.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ff37126b6bc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/testing/selftests/bpf/prog_tests/btf_kind.c
@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0
+/* Copyright (c) 2023, Oracle and/or its affiliates. */
+
+#include <test_progs.h>
+#include <bpf/btf.h>
+#include <bpf/libbpf.h>
+
+/* verify kind encoding exists for each kind */
+void test_btf_kind_encoding(struct btf *btf)
+{
+	const struct btf_header *hdr;
+	const void *raw_btf;
+	__u32 raw_size;
+
+	raw_btf = btf__raw_data(btf, &raw_size);
+	if (!ASSERT_OK_PTR(raw_btf, "btf__raw_data"))
+		return;
+
+	hdr = raw_btf;
+
+	ASSERT_GT(hdr->kind_layout_off, hdr->str_off, "kind layout off");
+	ASSERT_EQ(hdr->kind_layout_len, sizeof(struct btf_kind_layout) * NR_BTF_KINDS,
+		  "kind_layout_len");
+}
+
+static void write_raw_btf(const char *btf_path, void *raw_btf, size_t raw_size)
+{
+	int fd = open(btf_path, O_WRONLY | O_CREAT);
+
+	write(fd, raw_btf, raw_size);
+	close(fd);
+}
+
+/* fabricate an unrecognized kind at BTF_KIND_MAX + 1, and after adding
+ * the appropriate struct/typedefs to the BTF such that it recognizes
+ * this kind, ensure that parsing of BTF containing the unrecognized kind
+ * can succeed.
+ */
+void test_btf_kind_decoding(struct btf *btf)
+{
+	__s32 int_id, unrec_id, id, id2;
+	struct btf_type *t;
+	char btf_path[64];
+	const void *raw_btf;
+	void *new_raw_btf;
+	struct btf *new_btf;
+	struct btf_header *hdr;
+	struct btf_kind_layout *k;
+	__u32 raw_size;
+
+	int_id = btf__add_int(btf, "test_char", 1, BTF_INT_CHAR);
+	if (!ASSERT_GT(int_id, 0, "add_int_id"))
+		return;
+
+	/* now create our type with unrecognized kind by adding a typedef kind
+	 * we will overwrite it with our unrecognized kind value.
+	 */
+	unrec_id = btf__add_typedef(btf, "unrec_kind", int_id);
+	if (!ASSERT_GT(unrec_id, 0, "add_unrec_id"))
+		return;
+
+	/* add an id after it that we will look up to verify we can parse
+	 * beyond unrecognized kinds.
+	 */
+	id = btf__add_typedef(btf, "test_lookup", int_id);
+	if (!ASSERT_GT(id, 0, "add_test_lookup_id"))
+		return;
+	id2 = btf__add_typedef(btf, "test_lookup2", int_id);
+	if (!ASSERT_GT(id2, 0, "add_test_lookup_id2"))
+		return;
+
+	raw_btf = (void *)btf__raw_data(btf, &raw_size);
+	if (!ASSERT_OK_PTR(raw_btf, "btf__raw_data"))
+		return;
+
+	new_raw_btf = calloc(1, raw_size + sizeof(*k));
+	memcpy(new_raw_btf, raw_btf, raw_size);
+
+	/* add new layout description */
+	hdr = new_raw_btf;
+	hdr->kind_layout_len += sizeof(*k);
+	k = new_raw_btf + hdr->hdr_len + hdr->kind_layout_off;
+	k[NR_BTF_KINDS].flags = BTF_KIND_LAYOUT_OPTIONAL;
+	k[NR_BTF_KINDS].info_sz = 0;
+	k[NR_BTF_KINDS].elem_sz = 0;
+
+	/* now modify our typedef added above to be an unrecognized kind. */
+	t = (void *)hdr + hdr->hdr_len + hdr->type_off + sizeof(struct btf_type) +
+		sizeof(__u32);
+	t->info = (NR_BTF_KINDS << 24);
+
+	/* now write our BTF to a raw file, ready for parsing. */
+	snprintf(btf_path, sizeof(btf_path), "/tmp/btf_kind.%d", getpid());
+
+	write_raw_btf(btf_path, new_raw_btf, raw_size + sizeof(*k));
+
+	/* verify parsing succeeds, and that we can read type info past
+	 * the unrecognized kind.
+	 */
+	new_btf = btf__parse_raw(btf_path);
+	if (ASSERT_OK_PTR(new_btf, "btf__parse_raw")) {
+		ASSERT_EQ(btf__find_by_name_kind(new_btf, "test_lookup",
+						 BTF_KIND_TYPEDEF), id,
+			  "verify_id_lookup");
+		ASSERT_EQ(btf__find_by_name_kind(new_btf, "test_lookup2",
+						 BTF_KIND_TYPEDEF), id2,
+			  "verify_id2_lookup");
+
+		/* verify the kernel can handle unrecognized kinds. */
+		ASSERT_EQ(btf__load_into_kernel(new_btf), 0, "btf_load_into_kernel");
+	}
+	btf__free(new_btf);
+
+	/* next, change info_sz to equal sizeof(struct btf_type); this means the
+	 * "test_lookup" kind will be reinterpreted as a singular info element
+	 * following the unrecognized kind.
+	 */
+	k[NR_BTF_KINDS].info_sz = sizeof(struct btf_type);
+	write_raw_btf(btf_path, new_raw_btf, raw_size + sizeof(*k));
+
+	new_btf = btf__parse_raw(btf_path);
+	if (ASSERT_OK_PTR(new_btf, "btf__parse_raw")) {
+		ASSERT_EQ(btf__find_by_name_kind(new_btf, "test_lookup",
+						 BTF_KIND_TYPEDEF), -ENOENT,
+			  "verify_id_not_found");
+		/* id of "test_lookup2" will be id2 -1 as we have removed one type */
+		ASSERT_EQ(btf__find_by_name_kind(new_btf, "test_lookup2",
+						 BTF_KIND_TYPEDEF), id2 - 1,
+			  "verify_id_lookup2");
+
+		/* verify the kernel can handle unrecognized kinds. */
+		ASSERT_EQ(btf__load_into_kernel(new_btf), 0, "btf_load_into_kernel");
+	}
+	btf__free(new_btf);
+
+	/* next, change elem_sz to equal sizeof(struct btf_type)/2 and set
+	 * vlen associated with unrecognized type to 2; this allows us to verify
+	 * vlen-specified BTF can still be parsed.
+	 */
+	k[NR_BTF_KINDS].info_sz = 0;
+	k[NR_BTF_KINDS].elem_sz = sizeof(struct btf_type)/2;
+	t->info |= 2;
+	write_raw_btf(btf_path, new_raw_btf, raw_size + sizeof(*k));
+
+	new_btf = btf__parse_raw(btf_path);
+	if (ASSERT_OK_PTR(new_btf, "btf__parse_raw")) {
+		ASSERT_EQ(btf__find_by_name_kind(new_btf, "test_lookup",
+						 BTF_KIND_TYPEDEF), -ENOENT,
+			  "verify_id_not_found");
+		/* id of "test_lookup2" will be id2 -1 as we have removed one type */
+		ASSERT_EQ(btf__find_by_name_kind(new_btf, "test_lookup2",
+						 BTF_KIND_TYPEDEF), id2 - 1,
+			  "verify_id_lookup2");
+
+		/* verify the kernel can handle unrecognized kinds. */
+		ASSERT_EQ(btf__load_into_kernel(new_btf), 0, "btf_load_into_kernel");
+	}
+	btf__free(new_btf);
+
+	/* next, change kind to required (no optional flag) and ensure parsing fails. */
+	k[NR_BTF_KINDS].flags = 0;
+	write_raw_btf(btf_path, new_raw_btf, raw_size + sizeof(*k));
+
+	new_btf = btf__parse_raw(btf_path);
+	ASSERT_ERR_PTR(new_btf, "btf__parse_raw_required");
+
+	free(new_raw_btf);
+	unlink(btf_path);
+}
+
+void test_btf_kind(void)
+{
+	LIBBPF_OPTS(btf_new_opts, opts);
+
+	opts.add_kind_layout = true;
+
+	struct btf *btf = btf__new_empty_opts(&opts);
+
+	if (!ASSERT_OK_PTR(btf, "btf_new"))
+		return;
+
+	if (test__start_subtest("btf_kind_encoding"))
+		test_btf_kind_encoding(btf);
+	if (test__start_subtest("btf_kind_decoding"))
+		test_btf_kind_decoding(btf);
+	btf__free(btf);
+}
