diff --git a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd/run-ptest b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd/run-ptest
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..b2204b96d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd/run-ptest
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Run systemd's installed meson unit tests in ptest format.
+# systemd's -Dinstall-tests=true installs run-unit-tests.py plus the
+# unit-tests/test-* binaries; run-unit-tests.py already emits PASS:/SKIP: lines.
+set -u
+here="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+for cand in "$here/run-unit-tests.py" "$here/tests/run-unit-tests.py" /usr/lib/systemd/tests/run-unit-tests.py; do
+    [ -f "$cand" ] && { python3 "$cand" 2>&1; exit 0; }
+done
+echo "FAIL: systemd-ptest (run-unit-tests.py not found)"
+exit 1
diff --git a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_261.2.bb b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_261.2.bb
index 80e1aa07d1..dfd2b7c0c9 100644
--- a/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_261.2.bb
+++ b/meta/recipes-core/systemd/systemd_261.2.bb
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ DEPENDS:append:libc-musl = " libucontext"
 
 SECTION = "base/shell"
 
-inherit useradd pkgconfig meson perlnative update-rc.d update-alternatives systemd gettext bash-completion manpages features_check mime
+inherit useradd pkgconfig meson perlnative update-rc.d update-alternatives systemd gettext bash-completion manpages features_check mime ptest
 
 # unmerged-usr support is deprecated upstream, taints the system and will be
 # removed in the near future. Fail the build if it is not enabled.
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ SRC_URI += " \
            file://systemd-pager.sh \
            file://0001-binfmt-Don-t-install-dependency-links-at-install-tim.patch \
            file://0003-Do-not-create-var-log-README.patch \
+file://run-ptest \
            "
 
 PAM_PLUGINS = " \
@@ -937,3 +938,18 @@ python do_warn_musl() {
         bb.warn("Using systemd with musl is experimental, see https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/9ca4334/NEWS#L524 for details")
 }
 addtask warn_musl before do_configure
+
+# ptest support: systemd's meson 'install-tests' option installs the unit-test
+# binaries and run-unit-tests.py under ${prefix}/lib/systemd/tests. Package them
+# into systemd-ptest and drive them via run-ptest. [YOCTO #16386]
+EXTRA_OEMESON:append = " -Dinstall-tests=true"
+
+do_install_ptest() {
+    install -d ${D}${PTEST_PATH}
+    if [ -d ${D}${prefix}/lib/systemd/tests ]; then
+        cp -r ${D}${prefix}/lib/systemd/tests/* ${D}${PTEST_PATH}/
+    fi
+}
+
+RDEPENDS:${PN}-ptest += "${PN} python3-core bash"
+INSANE_SKIP:${PN}-ptest += "dev-deps debug-files"