diff --git a/tests/test-selection-transfer.lua b/tests/test-selection-transfer.lua
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8a877720
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-selection-transfer.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,235 @@
+-- Test the selection ownership and transfer API
+
+local runner = require("_runner")
+local spawn = require("awful.spawn")
+
+-- Assemble data for the large transfer that will be done later
+local large_transfer_piece = "a"
+for _ = 1, 25 do
+    large_transfer_piece = large_transfer_piece .. large_transfer_piece
+end
+large_transfer_piece = large_transfer_piece .. large_transfer_piece .. large_transfer_piece
+
+local large_transfer_piece_count = 3
+local large_transfer_size = #large_transfer_piece * large_transfer_piece_count
+
+local header = [[
+local lgi = require("lgi")
+local Gdk = lgi.Gdk
+local Gtk = lgi.Gtk
+local GLib = lgi.GLib
+local function assert_equal(a, b)
+    assert(a == b,
+        string.format("%s == %s", a or "nil/false", b or "nil/false"))
+end
+local clipboard = Gtk.Clipboard.get(Gdk.SELECTION_CLIPBOARD)
+]]
+
+local acquire_and_clear_clipboard = header .. [[
+clipboard:set_text("This is an experiment", -1)
+GLib.idle_add(GLib.PRIORITY_DEFAULT, Gtk.main_quit)
+Gtk.main()
+]]
+
+local done_footer = [[
+io.stdout:write("done")
+io.stdout:flush()
+]]
+
+local check_targets_and_text = header .. [[
+local targets = clipboard:wait_for_targets()
+assert_equal(targets[1]:name(), "TARGETS")
+assert_equal(targets[2]:name(), "UTF8_STRING")
+assert_equal(#targets, 2)
+assert_equal(clipboard:wait_for_text(), "Hello World!")
+]] .. done_footer
+
+local check_large_transfer = header
+    .. string.format("\nassert_equal(#clipboard:wait_for_text(), %d)\n", large_transfer_size)
+    .. done_footer
+
+local check_empty_selection = header .. [[
+assert_equal(clipboard:wait_for_targets(), nil)
+assert_equal(clipboard:wait_for_text(), nil)
+]] .. done_footer
+
+local selection
+local selection_released
+local continue
+
+local function wait_a_bit(count)
+    if continue or count == 5 then
+        return true
+    end
+end
+
+runner.run_steps{
+    function()
+        -- Get the selection
+        local s = assert(selection_acquire("CLIPBOARD"),
+            "Failed to acquire the clipboard selection")
+
+        -- Steal selection ownership from ourselves and test that it works
+        local s_released
+        s:connect_signal("release", function() s_released = true end)
+
+        selection = assert(selection_acquire("CLIPBOARD"),
+            "Failed to acquire the clipboard selection")
+
+        assert(s_released)
+
+        -- Now test selection transfers
+        selection = assert(selection_acquire("CLIPBOARD"),
+            "Failed to acquire the clipboard selection")
+        selection:connect_signal("request", function(_, target, transfer)
+            if target == "TARGETS" then
+                transfer:send{
+                    format = "atom",
+                    data = { "TARGETS", "UTF8_STRING" },
+                }
+            elseif target == "UTF8_STRING" then
+                transfer:send{ data = "Hello World!" }
+            end
+        end)
+        awesome.sync()
+        spawn.with_line_callback({ "lua", "-e", check_targets_and_text },
+            { stdout = function(line)
+                assert(line == "done", "Unexpected line: " .. line)
+                continue = true
+            end })
+        return true
+    end,
+
+    function()
+        -- Wait for the test to succeed
+        if not continue then
+            return
+        end
+        continue = false
+
+        -- Now test piece-wise selection transfers
+        selection = assert(selection_acquire("CLIPBOARD"),
+            "Failed to acquire the clipboard selection")
+        selection:connect_signal("request", function(_, target, transfer)
+            if target == "TARGETS" then
+                transfer:send{
+                    format = "atom",
+                    data = { "TARGETS", "UTF8_STRING" },
+                }
+            elseif target == "UTF8_STRING" then
+                local offset = 1
+                local data = "Hello World!"
+                local function send_piece()
+                    local piece = data:sub(offset, offset)
+                    transfer:send{
+                        data = piece,
+                        continue = piece ~= ""
+                    }
+                    offset = offset + 1
+                end
+                transfer:connect_signal("continue", send_piece)
+                send_piece()
+            end
+        end)
+        awesome.sync()
+        spawn.with_line_callback({ "lua", "-e", check_targets_and_text },
+            { stdout = function(line)
+                assert(line == "done", "Unexpected line: " .. line)
+                continue = true
+            end })
+        return true
+    end,
+
+    function()
+        -- Wait for the test to succeed
+        if not continue then
+            return
+        end
+        continue = false
+
+        -- Now test a huge transfer
+        selection = assert(selection_acquire("CLIPBOARD"),
+            "Failed to acquire the clipboard selection")
+        selection:connect_signal("request", function(_, target, transfer)
+            if target == "TARGETS" then
+                transfer:send{
+                    format = "atom",
+                    data = { "TARGETS", "UTF8_STRING" },
+                }
+            elseif target == "UTF8_STRING" then
+                local count = 0
+                local function send_piece()
+                    count = count + 1
+                    local done = count == large_transfer_piece_count
+                    transfer:send{
+                        data = large_transfer_piece,
+                        continue = not done,
+                    }
+                end
+                transfer:connect_signal("continue", send_piece)
+                send_piece()
+            end
+        end)
+        awesome.sync()
+        spawn.with_line_callback({ "lua", "-e", check_large_transfer },
+            { stdout = function(line)
+                assert(line == "done", "Unexpected line: " .. line)
+                continue = true
+            end })
+        return true
+    end,
+
+    wait_a_bit,
+    wait_a_bit,
+    wait_a_bit,
+    wait_a_bit,
+    wait_a_bit,
+
+    function()
+        -- Wait for the test to succeed
+        if not continue then
+            return
+        end
+        continue = false
+
+        -- Now test that :release() works
+        selection:release()
+        awesome.sync()
+        spawn.with_line_callback({ "lua", "-e", check_empty_selection },
+            { stdout = function(line)
+                assert(line == "done", "Unexpected line: " .. line)
+                continue = true
+            end })
+
+        return true
+    end,
+
+    function()
+        -- Wait for the test to succeed
+        if not continue then
+            return
+        end
+        continue = false
+
+        -- Test for "release" signal when we lose selection
+        selection = assert(selection_acquire("CLIPBOARD"),
+            "Failed to acquire the clipboard selection")
+        selection:connect_signal("release", function() selection_released = true end)
+        awesome.sync()
+        spawn.with_line_callback({ "lua", "-e", acquire_and_clear_clipboard },
+            { exit = function() continue = true end })
+        return true
+    end,
+
+    function()
+        -- Wait for the previous test to succeed
+        if not continue then
+            return
+        end
+        continue = false
+        assert(selection_released)
+        return true
+    end,
+}
+
+-- vim: filetype=lua:expandtab:shiftwidth=4:tabstop=8:softtabstop=4:textwidth=80