diff --git a/src/riak_test_escript.erl b/src/riak_test_escript.erl
index 9e92ff81c..f48ab8acf 100644
--- a/src/riak_test_escript.erl
+++ b/src/riak_test_escript.erl
@@ -25,17 +25,26 @@
 -export([add_deps/1]).
 
 main(Args) ->
-    {ParsedArgs, HarnessArgs, Tests} = prepare(Args),
-    OutDir = proplists:get_value(outdir, ParsedArgs),
-    Results = execute(Tests, OutDir, report(ParsedArgs), HarnessArgs),
-    finalize(Results, ParsedArgs).
+    case prepare(Args) of 
+        ok -> 
+            ok;
+        {ParsedArgs, HarnessArgs, Tests} ->
+            OutDir = proplists:get_value(outdir, ParsedArgs),
+            Results = execute(Tests, OutDir, report(ParsedArgs), HarnessArgs),
+            finalize(Results, ParsedArgs)
+    end.
 
 prepare(Args) ->
-    {ParsedArgs, _, Tests} = ParseResults = parse_args(Args),
-    io:format("Tests to run: ~p~n", [Tests]),
-    ok = erlang_setup(ParsedArgs),
-    ok = test_setup(ParsedArgs),
-    ParseResults.
+    case parse_args(Args) of
+        {ParsedArgs, _, Tests} = ParseResults ->
+            io:format("Tests to run: ~p~n", [Tests]),
+            ok = erlang_setup(ParsedArgs),
+            ok = test_setup(ParsedArgs),
+            ParseResults;
+        ok ->
+            io:format("No tests to run.~n"),
+	    ok
+    end.
 
 execute(Tests, Outdir, Report, HarnessArgs) ->
     TestCount = length(Tests),
@@ -66,6 +75,7 @@ cli_options() ->
  {config,             $c, "conf",     string,     "specifies the project configuration"},
  {tests,              $t, "tests",    string,     "specifies which tests to run"},
  {suites,             $s, "suites",   string,     "which suites to run"},
+ {groups,             $g, "groups",   string,     "specifiy a list of test groups to run"},
  {dir,                $d, "dir",      string,     "run all tests in the specified directory"},
  {skip,               $x, "skip",     string,     "list of tests to skip in a directory"},
  {verbose,            $v, "verbose",  undefined,  "verbose output"},
@@ -119,23 +129,40 @@ parse_args(Args) ->
 help_or_parse_args({ok, {[], _}}) ->
     print_help();
 help_or_parse_args({ok, {ParsedArgs, HarnessArgs}}) ->
-    help_or_parse_tests(ParsedArgs, HarnessArgs, lists:member(help, ParsedArgs));
+    help_or_parse_tests(ParsedArgs, 
+                        HarnessArgs, 
+                        lists:member(help, ParsedArgs),
+                        args_invalid(ParsedArgs));
 help_or_parse_args(_) ->
     print_help().
 
-help_or_parse_tests(_, _, true) ->
+help_or_parse_tests(_, _, true, _) ->
+    print_help();
+help_or_parse_tests(_, _, false, true) ->
     print_help();
-help_or_parse_tests(ParsedArgs, HarnessArgs, false) ->
+help_or_parse_tests(ParsedArgs, HarnessArgs, false, false) ->
     %% Have to load the `riak_test' config prior to assembling the
     %% test metadata
     load_initial_config(ParsedArgs),
 
-    TestData = compose_test_data(ParsedArgs),
+    Groups = proplists:get_all_values(groups, ParsedArgs),
+    TestData = load_tests(Groups, ParsedArgs),
+    
     Tests = which_tests_to_run(report(ParsedArgs), TestData),
     Offset = rt_config:get(offset, undefined),
     Workers = rt_config:get(workers, undefined),
     shuffle_tests(ParsedArgs, HarnessArgs, Tests, Offset, Workers).
 
+args_invalid(ParsedArgs) ->
+    case { proplists:is_defined(groups, ParsedArgs), 
+           proplists:is_defined(tests, ParsedArgs) } of
+        {true, true} ->
+            io:format("--groups and --tests are currently mutually exclusive.~n~n"),
+	    true;
+	{_, _} ->
+            false
+    end.
+    
 load_initial_config(ParsedArgs) ->
     %% Loads application defaults
     application:load(riak_test),
@@ -231,9 +258,11 @@ maybe_teardown(true, TestResults, Coverage, Verbose) ->
     end,
     ok.
 
-compose_test_data(ParsedArgs) ->
+load_tests([], ParsedArgs) ->
     RawTestList = proplists:get_all_values(tests, ParsedArgs),
-    TestList = lists:foldl(fun(X, Acc) -> string:tokens(X, ", ") ++ Acc end, [], RawTestList),
+    TestList = lists:foldl(fun(X, Acc) -> 
+                               string:tokens(X, ", ") ++ Acc 
+                           end, [], RawTestList),
     %% Parse Command Line Tests
     {CodePaths, SpecificTests} =
         lists:foldl(fun extract_test_names/2,
@@ -246,8 +275,35 @@ compose_test_data(ParsedArgs) ->
     Dirs = proplists:get_all_values(dir, ParsedArgs),
     SkipTests = string:tokens(proplists:get_value(skip, ParsedArgs, []), [$,]),
     DirTests = lists:append([load_tests_in_dir(Dir, SkipTests) || Dir <- Dirs]),
-    Project = list_to_binary(rt_config:get(rt_project, "undefined")),
+    compose_test_data(DirTests, SpecificTests, ParsedArgs);
+load_tests(RawGroupList, ParsedArgs) ->
+    Groups = lists:foldl(fun(X, Acc) -> 
+                             string:tokens(X, ", ") ++ Acc 
+                         end, [], RawGroupList),
+    Dirs = proplists:get_value(dir, ParsedArgs, ["./ebin"]),
+    AllDirTests = lists:append([load_tests_in_dir(Dir, []) || Dir <- Dirs]),
+    DirTests = get_group_tests(AllDirTests, Groups),
+    compose_test_data(DirTests, [], ParsedArgs).
+
+get_group_tests(Tests, Groups) ->
+    lists:filter(fun(Test) ->
+                     Mod = list_to_atom(Test),
+                     Attrs = Mod:module_info(attributes),
+                     match_group_attributes(Attrs, Groups)
+                 end, Tests).
+
+match_group_attributes(Attributes, Groups) ->
+    case proplists:get_value(test_type, Attributes) of
+	undefined ->
+	    false;
+	TestTypes ->
+	    lists:member(true, 
+			 [ TestType == list_to_atom(Group) 
+			   || Group <- Groups, TestType <- TestTypes ])
+    end.
 
+compose_test_data(DirTests, SpecificTests, ParsedArgs) ->
+    Project = list_to_binary(rt_config:get(rt_project, "undefined")),
     Backends = case proplists:get_all_values(backend, ParsedArgs) of
         [] -> [undefined];
         Other -> Other
@@ -259,6 +315,7 @@ compose_test_data(ParsedArgs) ->
     TestFoldFun = test_data_fun(rt:get_version(), Project, Backends, Upgrades),
     lists:foldl(TestFoldFun, [], lists:usort(DirTests ++ SpecificTests)).
 
+
 test_data_fun(Version, Project, Backends, Upgrades) ->
     fun(Test, Tests) ->
             [{list_to_atom(Test),
@@ -492,3 +549,4 @@ so_kill_riak_maybe() ->
             io:format("Leaving Riak Up... "),
             rt:whats_up()
     end.
+
diff --git a/tests/bucket_types.erl b/tests/bucket_types.erl
index 4f05ea19c..95290cfd5 100644
--- a/tests/bucket_types.erl
+++ b/tests/bucket_types.erl
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 -include_lib("eunit/include/eunit.hrl").
 -include("rt.hrl").
 
+-test_type([bucket_types]).
+
 properties() ->
     CustomConfig = rt_cluster:augment_config(riak_core,
                                              {default_bucket_props, [{n_val, 2}]},
diff --git a/tests/ensemble_basic.erl b/tests/ensemble_basic.erl
index 5e2b308d2..1f2d71e04 100644
--- a/tests/ensemble_basic.erl
+++ b/tests/ensemble_basic.erl
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
 -export([confirm/0]).
 -include_lib("eunit/include/eunit.hrl").
 
+-test_type([ensemble]).
+
 confirm() ->
     NumNodes = 5,
     NVal = 5,
diff --git a/tests/http_bucket_types.erl b/tests/http_bucket_types.erl
index 290e40d74..809e018c9 100644
--- a/tests/http_bucket_types.erl
+++ b/tests/http_bucket_types.erl
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 -include_lib("riakc/include/riakc.hrl").
 -include("rt.hrl").
 
+-test_type([bucket_types, http]).
+
 properties() ->
     CustomConfig = rt_cluster:augment_config(riak_core,
                                              {default_bucket_props, [{n_val, 2}]},