diff --git a/eth/api_tracer_test.go b/eth/api_tracer_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..58a006da263
--- /dev/null
+++ b/eth/api_tracer_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+// Copyright 2019 The go-ethereum Authors
+// This file is part of the go-ethereum library.
+//
+// The go-ethereum library is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+// it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
+// the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+// (at your option) any later version.
+//
+// The go-ethereum library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+// but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+// MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
+// GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
+//
+// You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
+// along with the go-ethereum library. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+package eth
+
+import (
+	"math/big"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/rawdb"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/state"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/core/vm"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/internal/ethapi"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/params"
+)
+
+// dummyMsg implements core.Message to allow passing it to execution
+type dummyMsg struct{}
+
+func (m dummyMsg) From() common.Address { return common.Address{} }
+func (m dummyMsg) Nonce() uint64        { return 0 }
+func (m dummyMsg) CheckNonce() bool     { return false }
+func (m dummyMsg) To() *common.Address  { return &common.Address{0xde, 0xad} }
+func (m dummyMsg) GasPrice() *big.Int   { return new(big.Int) }
+func (m dummyMsg) Gas() uint64          { return 100000 }
+func (m dummyMsg) Value() *big.Int      { return new(big.Int) }
+func (m dummyMsg) Data() []byte         { return []byte{} }
+
+// TestTraceTx tests some very basic stuff about the tracing
+func TestTraceTx(t *testing.T) {
+	statedb, _ := state.New(common.Hash{}, state.NewDatabase(rawdb.NewMemoryDatabase()), nil)
+	dest := common.Address{0xde, 0xad}
+	statedb.SetCode(dest, []byte{
+		byte(vm.PUSH1), 0x01, // PUSH1 1
+		byte(vm.PUSH1), 0x01, // PUSH1 1
+		byte(vm.PUSH1), 0x01, // PUSH1 1
+		byte(vm.PUSH1), 0x01, // PUSH1 1
+		byte(vm.JUMPDEST), // JUMPDEST
+		byte(vm.SSTORE),
+		byte(vm.LT), // LT
+
+	})
+	statedb.Commit(false)
+
+	vmctx := vm.Context{
+		CanTransfer: func(db vm.StateDB, addresses common.Address, i *big.Int) bool {
+			return true
+		},
+		Transfer: func(db vm.StateDB, addresses common.Address, addresses2 common.Address, i *big.Int) {},
+		GetHash: func(u uint64) common.Hash {
+			return common.Hash{}
+		},
+		BlockNumber: new(big.Int),
+		Time:        new(big.Int),
+		GasLimit:    8000000,
+		Difficulty:  new(big.Int),
+		GasPrice:    new(big.Int),
+	}
+	tracer := vm.NewStructLogger(nil)
+	vmenv := vm.NewEVM(vmctx, statedb, params.MainnetChainConfig, vm.Config{Debug: true, Tracer: tracer})
+	core.ApplyMessage(vmenv, dummyMsg{}, new(core.GasPool).AddGas(1000000))
+	formatted := ethapi.FormatLogs(tracer.StructLogs())
+
+	if exp, got := 8, len(formatted); exp != got {
+		t.Fatalf("trace length wrong, got %d, exp %d", got, exp)
+	}
+	if exp, got := uint64(3), formatted[6].GasCost; exp != got {
+		t.Fatalf("gas cost wrong, got %d, exp %d", got, exp)
+	}
+	//for i, log := range formatted {
+	//	fmt.Printf("%d : %v %v\n", i, log.Op, log.GasCost)
+	//}
+}