diff --git a/MAINTAINERS b/MAINTAINERS
index d2e977affb..103fcb472f 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS
+++ b/MAINTAINERS
@@ -3603,6 +3603,7 @@ F: hw/remote/vfio-user-obj.c
 F: include/hw/remote/vfio-user-obj.h
 F: hw/remote/iommu.c
 F: include/hw/remote/iommu.h
+F: tests/avocado/vfio-user.py
 
 EBPF:
 M: Jason Wang <jasowang@redhat.com>
diff --git a/tests/avocado/vfio-user.py b/tests/avocado/vfio-user.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ced304d770
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/avocado/vfio-user.py
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+# vfio-user protocol sanity test
+#
+# This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL, version 2 or
+# later.  See the COPYING file in the top-level directory.
+
+
+import os
+import socket
+import uuid
+
+from avocado_qemu import QemuSystemTest
+from avocado_qemu import wait_for_console_pattern
+from avocado_qemu import exec_command
+from avocado_qemu import exec_command_and_wait_for_pattern
+
+from avocado.utils import network
+from avocado.utils import wait
+
+class VfioUser(QemuSystemTest):
+    """
+    :avocado: tags=vfiouser
+    """
+    KERNEL_COMMON_COMMAND_LINE = 'printk.time=0 '
+    timeout = 20
+
+    def _get_free_port(self):
+        port = network.find_free_port()
+        if port is None:
+            self.cancel('Failed to find a free port')
+        return port
+
+    def validate_vm_launch(self, vm):
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'as init process',
+                                 'Kernel panic - not syncing', vm=vm)
+        exec_command(self, 'mount -t sysfs sysfs /sys', vm=vm)
+        exec_command_and_wait_for_pattern(self,
+                                          'cat /sys/bus/pci/devices/*/uevent',
+                                          'PCI_ID=1000:0060', vm=vm)
+
+    def launch_server_startup(self, socket, *opts):
+        server_vm = self.get_vm()
+        server_vm.add_args('-machine', 'x-remote,vfio-user=on')
+        server_vm.add_args('-nodefaults')
+        server_vm.add_args('-device', 'megasas,id=sas1')
+        server_vm.add_args('-object', 'x-vfio-user-server,id=vfioobj1,'
+                           'type=unix,path='+socket+',device=sas1')
+        for opt in opts:
+            server_vm.add_args(opt)
+        server_vm.launch()
+        return server_vm
+
+    def launch_server_hotplug(self, socket):
+        server_vm = self.get_vm()
+        server_vm.add_args('-machine', 'x-remote,vfio-user=on')
+        server_vm.add_args('-nodefaults')
+        server_vm.launch()
+        server_vm.qmp('device_add', args_dict=None, conv_keys=None,
+                      driver='megasas', id='sas1')
+        obj_add_opts = {'qom-type': 'x-vfio-user-server',
+                        'id': 'vfioobj', 'device': 'sas1',
+                        'socket': {'type': 'unix', 'path': socket}}
+        server_vm.qmp('object-add', args_dict=obj_add_opts)
+        return server_vm
+
+    def launch_client(self, kernel_path, initrd_path, kernel_command_line,
+                      machine_type, socket, *opts):
+        client_vm = self.get_vm()
+        client_vm.set_console()
+        client_vm.add_args('-machine', machine_type)
+        client_vm.add_args('-accel', 'kvm')
+        client_vm.add_args('-cpu', 'host')
+        client_vm.add_args('-object',
+                           'memory-backend-memfd,id=sysmem-file,size=2G')
+        client_vm.add_args('--numa', 'node,memdev=sysmem-file')
+        client_vm.add_args('-m', '2048')
+        client_vm.add_args('-kernel', kernel_path,
+                           '-initrd', initrd_path,
+                           '-append', kernel_command_line)
+        client_vm.add_args('-device',
+                           'vfio-user-pci,socket='+socket)
+        for opt in opts:
+            client_vm.add_args(opt)
+        client_vm.launch()
+        return client_vm
+
+    def do_test_startup(self, kernel_url, initrd_url, kernel_command_line,
+                machine_type):
+        self.require_accelerator('kvm')
+
+        kernel_path = self.fetch_asset(kernel_url)
+        initrd_path = self.fetch_asset(initrd_url)
+        socket = os.path.join('/tmp', str(uuid.uuid4()))
+        if os.path.exists(socket):
+            os.remove(socket)
+        self.launch_server_startup(socket)
+        client = self.launch_client(kernel_path, initrd_path,
+                                    kernel_command_line, machine_type, socket)
+        self.validate_vm_launch(client)
+
+    def do_test_hotplug(self, kernel_url, initrd_url, kernel_command_line,
+                machine_type):
+        self.require_accelerator('kvm')
+
+        kernel_path = self.fetch_asset(kernel_url)
+        initrd_path = self.fetch_asset(initrd_url)
+        socket = os.path.join('/tmp', str(uuid.uuid4()))
+        if os.path.exists(socket):
+            os.remove(socket)
+        self.launch_server_hotplug(socket)
+        client = self.launch_client(kernel_path, initrd_path,
+                                    kernel_command_line, machine_type, socket)
+        self.validate_vm_launch(client)
+
+    def test_vfio_user_x86_64(self):
+        """
+        :avocado: tags=arch:x86_64
+        :avocado: tags=distro:centos
+        """
+        kernel_url = ('https://archives.fedoraproject.org/pub/archive/fedora'
+                      '/linux/releases/31/Everything/x86_64/os/images'
+                      '/pxeboot/vmlinuz')
+        initrd_url = ('https://archives.fedoraproject.org/pub/archive/fedora'
+                      '/linux/releases/31/Everything/x86_64/os/images'
+                      '/pxeboot/initrd.img')
+        kernel_command_line = (self.KERNEL_COMMON_COMMAND_LINE +
+                               'console=ttyS0 rdinit=/bin/bash')
+        machine_type = 'pc'
+        self.do_test_startup(kernel_url, initrd_url, kernel_command_line,
+                             machine_type)
+
+    def test_vfio_user_aarch64(self):
+        """
+        :avocado: tags=arch:aarch64
+        :avocado: tags=distro:ubuntu
+        """
+        kernel_url = ('https://archives.fedoraproject.org/pub/archive/fedora'
+                      '/linux/releases/31/Everything/aarch64/os/images'
+                      '/pxeboot/vmlinuz')
+        initrd_url = ('https://archives.fedoraproject.org/pub/archive/fedora'
+                      '/linux/releases/31/Everything/aarch64/os/images'
+                      '/pxeboot/initrd.img')
+        kernel_command_line = (self.KERNEL_COMMON_COMMAND_LINE +
+                               'rdinit=/bin/bash console=ttyAMA0')
+        machine_type = 'virt,gic-version=3'
+        self.do_test_startup(kernel_url, initrd_url, kernel_command_line,
+                             machine_type)
+
+    def test_vfio_user_hotplug_x86_64(self):
+        """
+        :avocado: tags=arch:x86_64
+        :avocado: tags=distro:centos
+        """
+        kernel_url = ('https://archives.fedoraproject.org/pub/archive/fedora'
+                      '/linux/releases/31/Everything/x86_64/os/images'
+                      '/pxeboot/vmlinuz')
+        initrd_url = ('https://archives.fedoraproject.org/pub/archive/fedora'
+                      '/linux/releases/31/Everything/x86_64/os/images'
+                      '/pxeboot/initrd.img')
+        kernel_command_line = (self.KERNEL_COMMON_COMMAND_LINE +
+                               'console=ttyS0 rdinit=/bin/bash')
+        machine_type = 'pc'
+        self.do_test_hotplug(kernel_url, initrd_url, kernel_command_line,
+                             machine_type)
+
