diff --git a/bin/ch-test b/bin/ch-test
index 2788eed42..db7c281fc 100755
--- a/bin/ch-test
+++ b/bin/ch-test
@@ -88,6 +88,8 @@ EOF
 
 bats_vmin=1.2.0  # FIXME: get from configure somehow?
 
+ch_build_unpack_all="argenv quick copy almalinux_8ch debian_11ch hello multistage seccomp"
+
 
 ### Functions
 
@@ -197,6 +199,9 @@ dir_tar_check_file () {
     for f in "$@"; do
         if [[ -f ${CH_TEST_TARDIR}/${f} ]]; then
             return 0
+        elif [[ "$f" == *"chtest"* ]] && [[ -n "$ch_build_unpack_list" ]]; then
+            # chtest not needed for build-unpack phase
+            return 0
         else
             missing+=("${CH_TEST_TARDIR}/${f}")
         fi
@@ -398,7 +403,7 @@ test_make () {
     local tag
     printf "finding tests compatible with %s phase settings ...\n" "$phase"
     case $phase in
-    build|build-images)
+    build|build-images|build-unpack)
         for i in $images $examples; do
            if test_make_check_image "$i"; then
                echo "found: $i"
@@ -461,7 +466,7 @@ test_make () {
 }
 
 test_make_auto () {
-    local mode
+    local mode # mode is the test phase
     mode=$1;shift
     if [[ $mode != tag ]]; then
         printf "# Do not edit this file; it's autogenerated\n\n"
@@ -495,7 +500,7 @@ test_make_auto () {
                     fatal "test_make_auto: unknown build type"
                     ;;
             esac
-        elif [[ $mode == run ]];then
+        elif [[ $mode == run || $mode == build-unpack ]];then
             test_make_template_print 'unpack.bats.in'
         else
              fatal "test_make_auto: invalid mode '$mode'"
@@ -669,6 +674,17 @@ test_one_file () {
     bats "$one_file"
 }
 
+test_build_unpack () {
+    case $phase in
+    build)
+        bats "${TMP_}/build_auto.bats"
+        ;;
+    run)
+        bats "${TMP_}/run_auto.bats"
+        ;;
+    esac
+}
+
 test_rootemu () {
     if command -v ch-image > /dev/null 2>&1; then
         bats force-auto.bats
@@ -816,10 +832,11 @@ fi
 if [[ $# == 0 ]]; then
     usage 1
 fi
+ch_build_unpack_list=""
 while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     opt=$1; shift
     case $opt in
-    all|build|build-images|clean|examples|mk-perm-dirs|rm-perm-dirs|rootemu|run)
+    all|build|build-images|build-unpack|clean|examples|mk-perm-dirs|rm-perm-dirs|rootemu|run)
         require_unset phase
         phase=$opt
         ;;
@@ -855,6 +872,11 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     -h|--help)
         usage 0
         ;;
+    -i)
+        phase=build-unpack
+        ch_build_unpack_list+=" $1"
+        shift
+        ;;
     --img-dir)
         require_unset imgdir
         imgdir=$1; shift
@@ -945,6 +967,8 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     esac
 done
 
+export ch_build_unpack_list
+
 printf 'ch-run:       %s (%s)\n' "${ch_bin}/ch-run" "$ch_libc"
 printf 'bats:         %s (%s)\n' "$bats" "$bats_version"
 if [[    $(printf "%s\n%s" "$bats_version" "$bats_vmin" | sort -V | head -1) \
@@ -978,7 +1002,7 @@ if [[ $phase = one-file ]]; then
 fi
 
 printf "%-21s %s" 'phase:' "$phase"
-if [[ $phase = one-file ]]; then
+if [[ $phase = one-file || $phase = build-unpack ]]; then
     printf ': %s (%s)' "$one_file" "$ch_one_test"
 fi
 if [[ -z $phase ]]; then
@@ -1168,6 +1192,24 @@ case $phase in
         test_build
         win
         ;;
+    build-unpack)
+        if [[ -z "$ch_build_unpack_list" ]]; then
+            # Assume “build-unpack” was specified without “-i” being called,
+            # build and upack all images.
+            ch_build_unpack_list="$ch_build_unpack_all"
+        fi
+        phase=build
+        dir_tar_mk
+        builder_check
+        test_make
+        test_build_unpack
+
+        phase=run
+        dir_img_mk
+        dir_tar_check
+        test_make
+        test_build_unpack
+        ;;
     clean)
         dirs_unpriv_rm
         if [[ -d $TMP_ ]] && [[ -e $TMP_/build_auto.bats ]]; then
diff --git a/doc/ch-test.rst b/doc/ch-test.rst
index 405e7f541..4bbdff11a 100644
--- a/doc/ch-test.rst
+++ b/doc/ch-test.rst
@@ -90,8 +90,10 @@ allows trading off thoroughness versus time.
     Create the filesystem permissions directories. Requires
     :code:`--perm-dirs`.
 
-  :code:`build-images`
-    Build images from :code:`build` phase, without running the associated tests.
+  :code:`build-unpack`
+    Build and unpack images only, without running the associated tests. By
+    default, build/unpack all images from the *build* phase. If :code:`-i` is
+    given, build/unpack those images only.
 
   :code:`clean`
     Delete automatically-generated test files, and packed and unpacked image
@@ -107,8 +109,8 @@ allows trading off thoroughness versus time.
     where you must specify the corresponding Dockerfile or :code:`Build` file
     instead. This is somewhat brittle and typically used for development or
     debugging. For example, it does not check whether the pre-requisites of
-    whatever is in the file are satisfied. Often running :code:`build` and
-    :code:`run` first is sufficient, but this varies.
+    whatever is in the file are satisfied. Often running :code:`build-unpack`
+    and first is sufficient, but this varies.
 
     If :code:`TEST` is also given, then run only tests with name containing
     that string, skipping the others. The separator is a literal colon. If the
@@ -159,6 +161,10 @@ Additional arguments:
   :code:`-h`, :code:`--help`
     Print usage and then exit.
 
+  :code:`-i IMG`
+    Build and unpack specified image (:code:`IMG`); can be repeated for
+    multiple images. Implies :code:`build-unpack` as the phase.
+
   :code:`--img-dir DIR`
     Set unpacked images directory to :code:`DIR`. In a multi-node allocation,
     this directory may not be shared between nodes. Default:
diff --git a/test/common.bash b/test/common.bash
index c9f7a1d30..23f6a635a 100644
--- a/test/common.bash
+++ b/test/common.bash
@@ -252,6 +252,16 @@ scope () {
             return 0
         fi
     fi
+    if [[ -n $ch_build_unpack_list ]]; then
+        for image in $ch_build_unpack_list; do
+            if [[ $BATS_TEST_DESCRIPTION == *"build $image"* \
+                 || $BATS_TEST_DESCRIPTION == *"builder to archive $image"* \
+                 || $BATS_TEST_DESCRIPTION == *"unpack $image"* ]]; then
+                return 0
+            fi
+        done
+        skip 'per -i'
+    fi
     case $1 in  # $1 is the test’s scope
         quick)
             ;;  # always run quick-scope tests