diff --git a/src/app/main.cpp b/src/app/main.cpp
index 81d9ff84f94e475608d221593f2be1191d80e3b6..4b2d15b723958a8f4560cbc786999b315b91627f 100644
--- a/src/app/main.cpp
+++ b/src/app/main.cpp
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ static const char HELP_OPTION4[] = "--help";
 static const char VERSION_OPTION[] = "-version";
 static const char CLIENT_OPTION[] = "-client";
 static const char SETTINGS_OPTION[] = "-settingspath";
+static const char TEST_OPTION[] = "-test";
 static const char PID_OPTION[] = "-pid";
 static const char BLOCK_OPTION[] = "-block";
 static const char PLUGINPATH_OPTION[] = "-pluginpath";
@@ -319,6 +320,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     QStringList customPluginPaths;
     QStringList arguments = app.arguments(); // adapted arguments list is passed to plugin manager later
     QMutableStringListIterator it(arguments);
+    bool testOptionProvided = false;
     while (it.hasNext()) {
         const QString &arg = it.next();
         if (arg == QLatin1String(SETTINGS_OPTION)) {
@@ -333,8 +335,15 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
                 customPluginPaths << QDir::fromNativeSeparators(it.next());
                 it.remove();
             }
+        } else if (arg == QLatin1String(TEST_OPTION)) {
+            testOptionProvided = true;
         }
     }
+    if (settingsPath.isEmpty() && testOptionProvided) {
+        settingsPath = QDir::tempPath() + QString::fromLatin1("/qtc-%1-test-settings")
+                .arg(QLatin1String(Core::Constants::IDE_VERSION_LONG));
+        settingsPath = QDir::cleanPath(settingsPath);
+    }
     if (!settingsPath.isEmpty())
         QSettings::setPath(QSettings::IniFormat, QSettings::UserScope, settingsPath);
 
diff --git a/src/libs/extensionsystem/pluginmanager.cpp b/src/libs/extensionsystem/pluginmanager.cpp
index 22d7837ebf98c2d6dba58583547448b4dc1da925..ae837fd1151d442f389c74c0421efa0bc19c1478 100644
--- a/src/libs/extensionsystem/pluginmanager.cpp
+++ b/src/libs/extensionsystem/pluginmanager.cpp
@@ -614,7 +614,8 @@ void PluginManager::formatOptions(QTextStream &str, int optionIndentation, int d
 #ifdef WITH_TESTS
     formatOption(str, QString::fromLatin1(OptionsParser::TEST_OPTION)
                  + QLatin1String(" <plugin>[,testfunction[:testdata]]..."), QString(),
-                 QLatin1String("Run plugin's tests"), optionIndentation, descriptionIndentation);
+                 QLatin1String("Run plugin's tests (by default a separate settings path is used)"),
+                 optionIndentation, descriptionIndentation);
     formatOption(str, QString::fromLatin1(OptionsParser::TEST_OPTION) + QLatin1String(" all"),
                  QString(), QLatin1String("Run tests from all plugins"),
                  optionIndentation, descriptionIndentation);