diff --git a/.bazelrc b/.bazelrc
index 1eb348b6cb4eca1abfbc6bd375c0a13910cf48d1..0a1bc1da54d7e6a7a372a6ff8c81ee6116183369 100644
--- a/.bazelrc
+++ b/.bazelrc
@@ -27,3 +27,5 @@ common --extra_toolchains=@rules_zstd//zstd/toolchain/zstd:built
 
 # User-specific .bazelrc
 try-import %workspace%/.bazelrc.user
+
+build --action_env BAZEL_DO_NOT_DETECT_CPP_TOOLCHAIN=1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.bazelrc.ci b/.bazelrc.ci
index 2493d29127b8a89def55e1b97439b422f9bc8bde..4d385a4c83bd41582a719e508fb282aff2734b83 100644
--- a/.bazelrc.ci
+++ b/.bazelrc.ci
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ common --lockfile_mode=error
 # These locations are cached on the CI
 build:local --disk_cache=${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/.cache/bazel/disk
 build:local --repository_cache=${CI_PROJECT_DIR}/.cache/bazel/repo
+build:local --action_env BAZEL_DO_NOT_DETECT_CPP_TOOLCHAIN=1
 
 # Use remote cache/execution for our builds
 build:remote --remote_executor=${CI_REMOTE_EXECUTOR}
@@ -62,3 +63,4 @@ build:remote --nolegacy_important_outputs
 
 # Describe remote executors
 build:remote --extra_execution_platforms=@toolchain_utils//toolchain/platform:amd64-linux
+
diff --git a/MODULE.bazel b/MODULE.bazel
index e6744440e518a7c62072250fae392e4623bd8e5c..714aef38e0fab9ff450a0c9f5f43a5b1f8255de9 100644
--- a/MODULE.bazel
+++ b/MODULE.bazel
@@ -14,7 +14,8 @@ bazel_dep(name = "download_utils", version = "1.0.0-beta.2")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_tar", version = "1.0.0-beta.3")
 bazel_dep(name = "rules_zstd", version = "1.0.0-beta.3")
 bazel_dep(name = "platforms", version = "0.0.10")
-
+bazel_dep(name = "rules_go", version = "0.49.0")
+bazel_dep(name = "rules_cc", version = "0.0.9")
 bazel_dep(name = "hermetic_cc_toolchain", version = "3.1.0", dev_dependency = True)
 
 # Register LabGrid toolchains
diff --git a/WORKSPACE b/WORKSPACE
index e69de29bb2d1d6434b8b29ae775ad8c2e48c5391..c6ea7fffc6c4d9c0a715a255a9364c31b648a251 100644
--- a/WORKSPACE
+++ b/WORKSPACE
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+workspace(name = "Catch2")
+
+load("@bazel_tools//tools/build_defs/repo:http.bzl", "http_archive")
+
+http_archive(
+    name = "catch2",
+    strip_prefix = "Catch2-3.1.1",
+    urls = ["https://github.com/catchorg/Catch2/archive/v3.1.1.tar.gz"],
+)
diff --git a/labgrid/test_runner/BUILD.bazel b/labgrid/test_runner/BUILD.bazel
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..b348672c5e8df3bd09c83791fc4a0360d910ab9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/labgrid/test_runner/BUILD.bazel
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+load("@rules_cc//cc:defs.bzl", "cc_binary", "cc_library")
+load("@rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_binary")
+load("@rules_python//python:defs.bzl", "py_test")
+
+cc_library(
+    name = "my_lib",
+    srcs = ["my_lib.cpp"],
+    hdrs = ["my_lib.h"],
+)
+
+cc_binary(
+    name = "test_binary",
+    srcs = ["test_binary.cpp"],
+    deps = [
+        ":my_lib",
+        "@catch2//:catch2_main",
+    ],
+)
+
+go_binary(
+    name = "runner",
+    srcs = ["main.go"],
+    data = [":test_binary"],
+    env = {"XML_OUTPUT_FILE": "/your_xml_output_path/"},  #when using bazel test - bazel will ignore it
+    pure = "on",
+    visibility = ["//:__subpackages__"],
+)
+
+py_test(
+    name = "some-test",
+    srcs = ["some-test.py"],
+    data = [
+        ":runner",
+        ":test_binary",
+    ],
+    deps = ["@rules_python//python/runfiles"],
+)
diff --git a/labgrid/test_runner/main.go b/labgrid/test_runner/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9eaefd850218199d15a8ce9f6b62d187890f21a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/labgrid/test_runner/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+)
+
+func main() {
+	var redirToFile bool
+	binary_path := flag.String("binary", "", "binary path")
+	flag.BoolVar(&redirToFile, "redir", false, "redirect output to XML_OUTPUT_FILE")
+	flag.Parse()
+	binary_abs_path, _ := filepath.Abs(*binary_path)
+	runner_exe_path, err := os.Executable()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+
+	runner_path := filepath.Dir(runner_exe_path)
+	xmlOutputPath := os.Getenv("XML_OUTPUT_FILE") //the default filename of bazel XML_OUTPUT_FILE is test.xml
+	if xmlOutputPath == "" {
+		fmt.Println("XML_OUTPUT_FILE was empty")
+		xmlOutputPath = runner_path
+	} else if !filepath.IsAbs(xmlOutputPath) {
+		fmt.Println("XML_OUTPUT_FILE was relative")
+		xmlOutputPath = filepath.Join(runner_path, xmlOutputPath)
+	}
+	cmd := exec.Command("")
+	if redirToFile {
+		cmd = exec.Command(binary_abs_path, fmt.Sprintf("> %s", xmlOutputPath))
+
+	} else {
+		cmd = exec.Command(binary_abs_path)
+	}
+	cmd.Env = os.Environ()
+	cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, fmt.Sprintf("XML_OUTPUT_FILE=%s", xmlOutputPath))
+	err_run := cmd.Run()
+	if err_run != nil {
+		fmt.Println(err_run)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/labgrid/test_runner/my_lib.cpp b/labgrid/test_runner/my_lib.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c2b164bfcc8d328dc74fbfd0e58b0e5d7ecd8bf4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/labgrid/test_runner/my_lib.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#include "my_lib.h"
+
+int add(int a, int b)
+{
+    return a + b;
+}
+
+int multiply(int a, int b)
+{
+    return a * b;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/labgrid/test_runner/my_lib.h b/labgrid/test_runner/my_lib.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..da55205aa70f814d31436a798dda01f06b88ed0b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/labgrid/test_runner/my_lib.h
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+int add(int a, int b);
+int multiply(int a, int b);
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/labgrid/test_runner/some-test.py b/labgrid/test_runner/some-test.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..9e63e59f768cf5b4a296a3d8fa0c3144263122b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/labgrid/test_runner/some-test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import subprocess
+import unittest
+from python.runfiles import Runfiles
+import os
+import xml.etree.ElementTree as et
+
+class TestGoBinary(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_go_binary(self):
+        runfiles = Runfiles.Create()
+        go_binary = runfiles.Rlocation("rules_labgrid/labgrid/test_runner/runner_/runner")
+        test_binary = runfiles.Rlocation("rules_labgrid/labgrid/test_runner/test_binary")
+        result  = subprocess.run(
+            [go_binary,f"-binary={test_binary}"],
+            stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+            stderr=subprocess.PIPE
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(result.returncode,0,"error")
+        xml_output_file = os.getenv("XML_OUTPUT_FILE","not-found")
+        with open(xml_output_file,"r") as f:
+            output_real_data = f.read()
+            print(output_real_data)
+        try:
+            et.parse(xml_output_file)
+            self.assertTrue(True)
+        except Exception:
+                self.assertTrue(False,"failed to parse xml file")
+
+if __name__ =="__main__":
+    unittest.main()
diff --git a/labgrid/test_runner/test_binary.cpp b/labgrid/test_runner/test_binary.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d57045640011ba61b6214b242b91aaf0f373b2b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/labgrid/test_runner/test_binary.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#define CATCH_CONFIG_MAIN
+#include <catch2/catch_test_macros.hpp>
+#include "my_lib.h"
+
+TEST_CASE("Addition", "[add]")
+{
+    REQUIRE(add(2, 3) == 5);
+}
+TEST_CASE("Multiplication", "[multiply]")
+{
+    REQUIRE(multiply(2, 5) == 10);
+}
\ No newline at end of file