diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a874b5d..d67a36f 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ endef
 $(foreach n,$(NAMES),$(eval $(call template,$(n))))
 
 BINS:=$(foreach n,$(NAMES),$($(n).BINS)) $(B)/api/main
-LIBS:=$(foreach n,$(NAMES),$($(n).LIBS)) $(B)/common/run
+LIBS:=$(foreach n,$(NAMES),$($(n).LIBS)) $(B)/common/runtest
 ERRS:=$(BINS:%=%.err)
 
 debug:
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ debug:
 define target_template
 $(1).ERRS:=$$(filter $(B)/$(1)/%,$$(ERRS))
 $(B)/$(1)/all: $(B)/$(1)/REPORT
-# TODO: $(B)/common/run collides with the run binary target
 $(B)/$(1)/run: $(B)/$(1)/cleanerr $(B)/$(1)/REPORT
 $(B)/$(1)/cleanerr:
 	rm -f $$(filter-out $(B)/$(1)/%-static.err,$$($(1).ERRS))
@@ -72,7 +71,7 @@ $(B)/common/libtest.a: $(common.OBJS)
 	$(AR) rc $@ $^
 	$(RANLIB) $@
 
-$(ERRS): $(B)/common/run | $(BDIRS)
+$(ERRS): $(B)/common/runtest | $(BDIRS)
 $(BINS) $(LIBS): $(B)/common/libtest.a
 $(OBJS): src/common/test.h | $(BDIRS)
 $(BDIRS):
@@ -89,7 +88,7 @@ $(api.OBJS):CFLAGS+=-DX_PS -DX_TPS -DX_SS
 all:$(B)/REPORT
 run:$(B)/REPORT
 clean:
-	rm -f $(OBJS) $(BINS) $(LIBS) $(B)/common/libtest.a $(B)/common/run $(B)/*/*.err
+	rm -f $(OBJS) $(BINS) $(LIBS) $(B)/common/libtest.a $(B)/common/runtest $(B)/*/*.err
 cleanall: clean
 	rm -f $(B)/REPORT $(B)/*/REPORT
 $(B)/REPORT:
@@ -117,7 +116,7 @@ $(B)/%: $(B)/%.o
 %.ld.err: %
 	touch $@
 %.err: %
-	$(B)/common/run ./$< 2>/dev/null >$@ || true
+	$(B)/common/runtest ./$< >$@ || true
 
 .PHONY: all run clean cleanall
 
diff --git a/README b/README
index 61b0722..aa50091 100644
--- a/README
+++ b/README
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ may be used to simplify the code like
 #define T2(f,w) (result=(f), result==(w) || (t_error("%s failed: got %s, want %s\n", #f, result, w),0))
 
 binaries should be possible to run from arbitrary directory.
-the build system runs the tests using the src/common/run tool which
+the build system runs the tests using the src/common/runtest tool which
 kills the test process after a timeout and reports the exit status
 in case of failure
 
diff --git a/src/common/run.c b/src/common/run.c
deleted file mode 100644
index 36f3c5e..0000000
--- a/src/common/run.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,75 +0,0 @@
-#include <stdlib.h>
-#include <string.h>
-#include <errno.h>
-#include <signal.h>
-#include <time.h>
-#include <sys/types.h>
-#include <sys/wait.h>
-#include <sys/time.h>
-#include <sys/resource.h>
-#include <unistd.h>
-#include "test.h"
-
-static void handler(int s)
-{
-}
-
-static int start(char *argv[])
-{
-	int pid;
-
-	pid = fork();
-	if (pid == 0) {
-		t_setrlim(RLIMIT_STACK, 100*1024);
-		t_setrlim(RLIMIT_CPU, 2);
-		execv(argv[0], argv);
-		t_error("%s exec failed: %s\n", argv[0], strerror(errno));
-		exit(1);
-	}
-	if (pid == -1) {
-		t_error("%s fork failed: %s\n", argv[0], strerror(errno));
-		exit(-1);
-	}
-	return pid;
-}
-
-int main(int argc, char *argv[])
-{
-	int status;
-	sigset_t set;
-	int timeout = 0;
-	int sig = 0;
-	int pid;
-
-	if (argc < 2) {
-		t_error("usage: ./run cmd [args..]\n");
-		return -1;
-	}
-	argv++;
-	sigemptyset(&set);
-	sigaddset(&set, SIGCHLD);
-	sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, &set, 0);
-	signal(SIGCHLD, handler);
-	pid = start(argv);
-	if (sigtimedwait(&set, 0, &(struct timespec){5,0}) == -1) {
-		if (errno == EAGAIN)
-			timeout = 1;
-		if (kill(pid, SIGKILL) == -1)
-			t_error("%s kill failed: %s\n", argv[0], strerror(errno));
-	}
-	if (waitpid(pid, &status, 0) != pid) {
-		t_error("%s waitpid failed: %s\n", argv[0], strerror(errno));
-		return -1;
-	}
-	if (WIFEXITED(status)) {
-		if (WEXITSTATUS(status) == 0)
-			return 0;
-		t_printf("FAIL %s [status %d]\n", argv[0], WEXITSTATUS(status));
-	} else if (timeout) {
-		t_printf("FAIL %s [timed out]\n", argv[0]);
-	} else if (WIFSIGNALED(status)) {
-		t_printf("FAIL %s [signal %s]\n", argv[0], strsignal(WTERMSIG(status)));
-	} else
-		t_printf("FAIL %s [unknown]\n", argv[0]);
-	return 1;
-}
diff --git a/src/common/runtest.c b/src/common/runtest.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..95e615e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/common/runtest.c
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <signal.h>
+#include <time.h>
+#include <sys/types.h>
+#include <sys/wait.h>
+#include <sys/time.h>
+#include <sys/resource.h>
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include "test.h"
+
+static void handler(int s)
+{
+}
+
+static int start(char *argv[])
+{
+	int pid;
+
+	pid = fork();
+	if (pid == 0) {
+		t_setrlim(RLIMIT_STACK, 100*1024);
+		t_setrlim(RLIMIT_CPU, 2);
+		execv(argv[0], argv);
+		t_error("%s exec failed: %s\n", argv[0], strerror(errno));
+		exit(1);
+	}
+	if (pid == -1) {
+		t_error("%s fork failed: %s\n", argv[0], strerror(errno));
+		exit(-1);
+	}
+	return pid;
+}
+
+int main(int argc, char *argv[])
+{
+	int status;
+	sigset_t set;
+	int timeout = 0;
+	int sig = 0;
+	int pid;
+
+	if (argc < 2) {
+		t_error("usage: ./runtest cmd [args..]\n");
+		return -1;
+	}
+	argv++;
+	sigemptyset(&set);
+	sigaddset(&set, SIGCHLD);
+	sigprocmask(SIG_BLOCK, &set, 0);
+	signal(SIGCHLD, handler);
+	pid = start(argv);
+	if (sigtimedwait(&set, 0, &(struct timespec){5,0}) == -1) {
+		if (errno == EAGAIN)
+			timeout = 1;
+		if (kill(pid, SIGKILL) == -1)
+			t_error("%s kill failed: %s\n", argv[0], strerror(errno));
+	}
+	if (waitpid(pid, &status, 0) != pid) {
+		t_error("%s waitpid failed: %s\n", argv[0], strerror(errno));
+		return -1;
+	}
+	if (WIFEXITED(status)) {
+		if (WEXITSTATUS(status) == 0)
+			return t_status;
+		t_printf("FAIL %s [status %d]\n", argv[0], WEXITSTATUS(status));
+	} else if (timeout) {
+		t_printf("FAIL %s [timed out]\n", argv[0]);
+	} else if (WIFSIGNALED(status)) {
+		t_printf("FAIL %s [signal %s]\n", argv[0], strsignal(WTERMSIG(status)));
+	} else
+		t_printf("FAIL %s [unknown]\n", argv[0]);
+	return 1;
+}