diff --git a/src/charon-tkm/Makefile.am b/src/charon-tkm/Makefile.am
index 4939c074a..03694e3f7 100644
--- a/src/charon-tkm/Makefile.am
+++ b/src/charon-tkm/Makefile.am
@@ -39,14 +39,15 @@ build_charon: build_charon.gpr src/charon-tkm.c
 build_tests: build_tests.gpr
 	@$(GPRBUILD) -p $< $(BUILD_OPTS) $(TEST_OPTS)
 
-check-tkm: build_tests
+check: build_tests
+	if test -z "${TESTS_TKM}"; then \
+		echo -e >&2 \
+			"\nSome TKM tests are not enabled, by deafult, because they have" \
+			"\nto be run as root and require a running TKM daemon. They may" \
+			"\nbe enabled by defining the TESTS_TKM environment variable.\n"; \
+	fi
 	@LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$(LIBPT) obj/tests
 
-check:
-	@echo "TKM tests are not run automatically because they have to be run as root" >&2
-	@echo "and require a properly configured TKM daemon to be running." >&2
-	@echo "They can be run from '$(abs_builddir)' with 'make check-tkm'" >&2
-
 install: build_charon
 	$(INSTALL) -m 755 obj/charon-tkm $(DESTDIR)$(ipsecdir)
 
diff --git a/src/charon-tkm/tests/keymat_tests.c b/src/charon-tkm/tests/keymat_tests.c
index eea589c09..ff6a6c8c7 100644
--- a/src/charon-tkm/tests/keymat_tests.c
+++ b/src/charon-tkm/tests/keymat_tests.c
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ START_TEST(test_derive_ike_keys)
 	aead_t * const aead = keymat->keymat_v2.keymat.get_aead(&keymat->keymat_v2.keymat, TRUE);
 	fail_if(!aead, "AEAD is NULL");
 
-	fail_if(aead->get_key_size(aead) != 96, "Key size mismatch %d",
+	fail_if(aead->get_key_size(aead) != 1, "Key size mismatch %d",
 			aead->get_key_size(aead));
 	fail_if(aead->get_block_size(aead) != 16, "Block size mismatch %d",
 			aead->get_block_size(aead));
diff --git a/src/charon-tkm/tests/tests.c b/src/charon-tkm/tests/tests.c
index 150a6d437..c09936a37 100644
--- a/src/charon-tkm/tests/tests.c
+++ b/src/charon-tkm/tests/tests.c
@@ -41,21 +41,31 @@ static test_configuration_t tests[] = {
 	{ .suite = NULL, }
 };
 
-static bool tkm_initialized = false;
+static bool tkm_initialized, use_tkm;
 
 static bool test_runner_init(bool init)
 {
 	bool result = TRUE;
 
-	if (init)
+	if (init && use_tkm)
 	{
+		int level = LEVEL_SILENT;
+		char *verbosity;
+
 		libcharon_init();
-		lib->settings->set_int(lib->settings,
-							   "test-runner.filelog.stdout.default", 0);
+		verbosity = getenv("TESTS_VERBOSITY");
+		if (verbosity)
+		{
+			level = atoi(verbosity);
+		}
+		lib->settings->set_int(lib->settings, "%s.filelog.stderr.default",
+			lib->settings->get_int(lib->settings, "%s.filelog.stderr.default",
+								   level, lib->ns), lib->ns);
 		charon->load_loggers(charon);
 
 		/* Register TKM specific plugins */
 		static plugin_feature_t features[] = {
+			PLUGIN_PROVIDE(CUSTOM, "tkm"),
 			PLUGIN_REGISTER(NONCE_GEN, tkm_nonceg_create),
 				PLUGIN_PROVIDE(NONCE_GEN),
 			PLUGIN_CALLBACK(kernel_ipsec_register, tkm_kernel_ipsec_create),
@@ -98,6 +108,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
 	bool result;
 
+	use_tkm = getenv("TESTS_TKM") != NULL;
+
 	/* disable leak detective because of how tkm_init/deinit is called, which
 	 * does not work otherwise due to limitations of the external libraries */
 	setenv("LEAK_DETECTIVE_DISABLE", "1", 1);
diff --git a/src/charon-tkm/tests/tests.h b/src/charon-tkm/tests/tests.h
index 0214a413e..a93837c7c 100644
--- a/src/charon-tkm/tests/tests.h
+++ b/src/charon-tkm/tests/tests.h
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 TEST_SUITE(make_id_manager_tests)
 TEST_SUITE(make_chunk_map_tests)
 TEST_SUITE(make_utility_tests)
-TEST_SUITE(make_nonceg_tests)
-TEST_SUITE(make_diffie_hellman_tests)
-TEST_SUITE(make_keymat_tests)
+TEST_SUITE_DEPEND(make_nonceg_tests, CUSTOM, "tkm")
+TEST_SUITE_DEPEND(make_diffie_hellman_tests, CUSTOM, "tkm")
+TEST_SUITE_DEPEND(make_keymat_tests, CUSTOM, "tkm")
 TEST_SUITE(make_kernel_sad_tests)