diff --git a/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/build-octave-package.nix b/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/build-octave-package.nix
index 43760c6c511e..a040eb49b206 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/build-octave-package.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/interpreters/octave/build-octave-package.nix
@@ -64,12 +64,19 @@ let
     writeRequiredOctavePackagesHook
   ] ++ nativeBuildInputs;
 
-  passthru' = {
-    updateScript = [
-      ../../../../maintainers/scripts/update-octave-packages
-      (builtins.unsafeGetAttrPos "pname" octave.pkgs.${attrs.pname}).file
-    ];
-  } // passthru;
+  passthru' =
+    {
+      updateScript = [
+        ../../../../maintainers/scripts/update-octave-packages
+        (builtins.unsafeGetAttrPos "pname" octave.pkgs.${attrs.pname}).file
+      ];
+    }
+    // passthru
+    // {
+      tests = {
+        testOctaveBuildEnv = octave.withPackages (ps: [ self ]);
+      } // passthru.tests or { };
+    };
 
   # This step is required because when
   # a = { test = [ "a" "b" ]; }; b = { test = [ "c" "d" ]; };
@@ -82,63 +89,64 @@ let
     "passthru"
   ];
 
+  self = stdenv.mkDerivation (
+    {
+      packageName = "${fullLibName}";
+      # The name of the octave package ends up being
+      # "octave-version-package-version"
+      name = "${octave.pname}-${octave.version}-${fullLibName}";
+
+      # This states that any package built with the function that this returns
+      # will be an octave package. This is used for ensuring other octave
+      # packages are installed into octave during the environment building phase.
+      isOctavePackage = true;
+
+      OCTAVE_HISTFILE = "/dev/null";
+
+      inherit src;
+
+      inherit dontPatch patches patchPhase;
+
+      dontConfigure = true;
+
+      enableParallelBuilding = enableParallelBuilding;
+
+      requiredOctavePackages = requiredOctavePackages';
+
+      nativeBuildInputs = nativeBuildInputs';
+
+      buildInputs = buildInputs ++ requiredOctavePackages';
+
+      propagatedBuildInputs = propagatedBuildInputs ++ [ texinfo ];
+
+      preBuild =
+        if preBuild == "" then
+          ''
+            # This trickery is needed because Octave expects a single directory inside
+            # at the top-most level of the tarball.
+            tar --transform 's,^,${fullLibName}/,' -cz * -f ${fullLibName}.tar.gz
+          ''
+        else
+          preBuild;
+
+      buildPhase = ''
+        runHook preBuild
+
+        mkdir -p $out
+        octave-cli --eval "pkg build $out ${fullLibName}.tar.gz"
+
+        runHook postBuild
+      '';
+
+      # We don't install here, because that's handled when we build the environment
+      # together with Octave.
+      dontInstall = true;
+
+      passthru = passthru';
+
+      inherit meta;
+    }
+    // attrs'
+  );
 in
-stdenv.mkDerivation (
-  {
-    packageName = "${fullLibName}";
-    # The name of the octave package ends up being
-    # "octave-version-package-version"
-    name = "${octave.pname}-${octave.version}-${fullLibName}";
-
-    # This states that any package built with the function that this returns
-    # will be an octave package. This is used for ensuring other octave
-    # packages are installed into octave during the environment building phase.
-    isOctavePackage = true;
-
-    OCTAVE_HISTFILE = "/dev/null";
-
-    inherit src;
-
-    inherit dontPatch patches patchPhase;
-
-    dontConfigure = true;
-
-    enableParallelBuilding = enableParallelBuilding;
-
-    requiredOctavePackages = requiredOctavePackages';
-
-    nativeBuildInputs = nativeBuildInputs';
-
-    buildInputs = buildInputs ++ requiredOctavePackages';
-
-    propagatedBuildInputs = propagatedBuildInputs ++ [ texinfo ];
-
-    preBuild =
-      if preBuild == "" then
-        ''
-          # This trickery is needed because Octave expects a single directory inside
-          # at the top-most level of the tarball.
-          tar --transform 's,^,${fullLibName}/,' -cz * -f ${fullLibName}.tar.gz
-        ''
-      else
-        preBuild;
-
-    buildPhase = ''
-      runHook preBuild
-
-      mkdir -p $out
-      octave-cli --eval "pkg build $out ${fullLibName}.tar.gz"
-
-      runHook postBuild
-    '';
-
-    # We don't install here, because that's handled when we build the environment
-    # together with Octave.
-    dontInstall = true;
-
-    passthru = passthru';
-
-    inherit meta;
-  }
-  // attrs'
-)
+self