diff --git a/config/config_test.go b/config/config_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6379960fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/config_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+package config
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestDefaultConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	// set up some defaults
+	cfg := DefaultConfig()
+	assert.NotNil(cfg.P2P)
+	assert.NotNil(cfg.Mempool)
+	assert.NotNil(cfg.Consensus)
+
+	// check the root dir stuff...
+	cfg.SetRoot("/foo")
+	cfg.Genesis = "bar"
+	cfg.DBPath = "/opt/data"
+	cfg.Mempool.WalPath = "wal/mem/"
+
+	assert.Equal("/foo/bar", cfg.GenesisFile())
+	assert.Equal("/opt/data", cfg.DBDir())
+	assert.Equal("/foo/wal/mem", cfg.Mempool.WalDir())
+
+}
diff --git a/config/toml_test.go b/config/toml_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d8f372aee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/toml_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+package config
+
+import (
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func ensureFiles(t *testing.T, rootDir string, files ...string) {
+	for _, f := range files {
+		p := rootify(rootDir, f)
+		_, err := os.Stat(p)
+		assert.Nil(t, err, p)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEnsureRoot(t *testing.T) {
+	assert, require := assert.New(t), require.New(t)
+
+	// setup temp dir for test
+	tmpDir, err := ioutil.TempDir("", "config-test")
+	require.Nil(err)
+	defer os.RemoveAll(tmpDir)
+
+	// create root dir
+	EnsureRoot(tmpDir)
+
+	// make sure config is set properly
+	data, err := ioutil.ReadFile(filepath.Join(tmpDir, "config.toml"))
+	require.Nil(err)
+	assert.Equal([]byte(defaultConfig("anonymous")), data)
+
+	ensureFiles(t, tmpDir, "data")
+}
+
+func TestEnsureTestRoot(t *testing.T) {
+	assert, require := assert.New(t), require.New(t)
+
+	testName := "ensureTestRoot"
+
+	// create root dir
+	cfg := ResetTestRoot(testName)
+	rootDir := cfg.RootDir
+
+	// make sure config is set properly
+	data, err := ioutil.ReadFile(filepath.Join(rootDir, "config.toml"))
+	require.Nil(err)
+	assert.Equal([]byte(testConfig("anonymous")), data)
+
+	// TODO: make sure the cfg returned and testconfig are the same!
+
+	ensureFiles(t, rootDir, "data", "genesis.json", "priv_validator.json")
+}