diff --git a/doc/languages-frameworks/octave.section.md b/doc/languages-frameworks/octave.section.md
index 55c5d511581d..44b241c4fc0a 100644
--- a/doc/languages-frameworks/octave.section.md
+++ b/doc/languages-frameworks/octave.section.md
@@ -76,6 +76,17 @@ See [Symbolic](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/master/pkgs/development/oct
 `requiredOctavePackages`
 : This is a special dependency that ensures the specified Octave packages are dependent on others, and are made available simultaneously when loading them in Octave.
 
+### Testing Octave packages {#sssec-testing-octave-packages}
+
+Octave packages built using the `buildOctavePackage` function do not have a `checkPhase` or `installCheckPhase`.
+Instead, the tests `testOctaveBuildEnv` and `testOctavePkgTests` are added to the package's `passthru.tests`.
+
+`passthru.tests.testOctaveBuildEnv` tests whether the package can be used by `octave.withPackages` successfully.
+
+`passthru.tests.testOctavePkgTests` runs a `pkg test` command for the package.
+If the package needs additional inputs to successfully run the tests, the `nativeOctavePkgTestInputs` attribute can be specified.
+If the package needs environment variables to be set to successfully run the tests, ensure that `__structuredAttrs = true;` in the package, then set the environment variables you need in `octavePkgTestEnv` (which should be an attrset where the key is the name of the variable and the value is its value (as a string)).
+
 ### Installing Octave Packages {#sssec-installing-octave-packages}
 
 By default, the `buildOctavePackage` function does _not_ install the requested package into Octave for use.
diff --git a/doc/redirects.json b/doc/redirects.json
index 03285903666e..862a81446182 100644
--- a/doc/redirects.json
+++ b/doc/redirects.json
@@ -695,6 +695,9 @@
   "footnote-stdenv-find-inputs-location.__back.0": [
     "index.html#footnote-stdenv-find-inputs-location.__back.0"
   ],
+  "sssec-testing-octave-packages": [
+    "index.html#sssec-testing-octave-packages"
+  ],
   "strictflexarrays1": [
     "index.html#strictflexarrays1"
   ],
diff --git a/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/build-octave-package.nix b/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/build-octave-package.nix
index 66bab3c03b14..ba60b3872902 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/build-octave-package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/build-octave-package.nix
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@
   # requiredOctavePackages are ALSO installed into octave.
   requiredOctavePackages ? [ ],
 
+  # Dependencies and `env` for octave package tests,
+  # which are run with .passthru.tests.testOctavePkgTests
+  nativeOctavePkgTestInputs ? [ ],
+  octavePkgTestEnv ? { },
+
   preBuild ? "",
 
   meta ? { },
@@ -74,6 +79,7 @@ let
   # itself, causing everything to fail.
   attrs' = removeAttrs attrs [
     "nativeBuildInputs"
+    "nativeOctavePkgTestInputs"
     "passthru"
   ];
 in
@@ -143,7 +149,9 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation (
         testOctaveBuildEnv = (octave.withPackages (os: [ finalAttrs.finalPackage ])).overrideAttrs (old: {
           name = "${finalAttrs.name}-pkg-install";
         });
-        testOctavePkgTests = callPackage ./run-pkg-test.nix { } finalAttrs.finalPackage;
+        testOctavePkgTests = callPackage ./run-pkg-test.nix {
+          inherit nativeOctavePkgTestInputs octavePkgTestEnv;
+        } finalAttrs.finalPackage;
       }
       // passthru.tests or { };
     };
diff --git a/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/run-pkg-test.nix b/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/run-pkg-test.nix
index 4665fc92f527..fccf397b41db 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/run-pkg-test.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/run-pkg-test.nix
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 {
   octave,
   runCommand,
+  nativeOctavePkgTestInputs,
+  octavePkgTestEnv,
 }:
 package:
 
@@ -8,7 +10,10 @@ runCommand "${package.name}-pkg-test"
   {
     nativeBuildInputs = [
       (octave.withPackages (os: [ package ]))
-    ];
+    ]
+    ++ nativeOctavePkgTestInputs;
+
+    env = octavePkgTestEnv;
   }
   ''
     { octave-cli --eval 'pkg test ${package.pname}' || touch FAILED_ERRCODE; } \
diff --git a/pkgs/development/octave-modules/image/default.nix b/pkgs/development/octave-modules/image/default.nix
index 37e42d34adfb..4f424e3a4f94 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/octave-modules/image/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/octave-modules/image/default.nix
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
   buildOctavePackage,
   lib,
   fetchurl,
+  mesa,
+  gnuplot,
+  makeFontsConf,
+  writableTmpDirAsHomeHook,
 }:
 
 buildOctavePackage rec {
@@ -13,6 +17,16 @@ buildOctavePackage rec {
     sha256 = "sha256-pYY8E5LZd+pPNwzFVH4EsXY8K3fXs6Hyz2zYweXkmRk=";
   };
 
+  nativeOctavePkgTestInputs = [
+    mesa
+    gnuplot
+    writableTmpDirAsHomeHook
+  ];
+
+  octavePkgTestEnv.FONTCONFIG_FILE = makeFontsConf { fontDirectories = [ ]; };
+
+  __structuredAttrs = true;
+
   meta = {
     homepage = "https://gnu-octave.github.io/packages/image/";
     license = lib.licenses.gpl3Plus;
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/octave-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/octave-packages.nix
index e9a8a13608ec..e440e979d5ce 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/octave-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/octave-packages.nix
@@ -116,7 +116,14 @@ makeScope newScope (
       inherit (pkgs) gsl;
     };
 
-    image = callPackage ../development/octave-modules/image { };
+    image = callPackage ../development/octave-modules/image {
+      inherit (pkgs)
+        mesa
+        gnuplot
+        makeFontsConf
+        writableTmpDirAsHomeHook
+        ;
+    };
 
     image-acquisition = callPackage ../development/octave-modules/image-acquisition { };