diff --git a/lib/tests/modules.sh b/lib/tests/modules.sh
index 9c69df2bd9b..58231a35636 100755
--- a/lib/tests/modules.sh
+++ b/lib/tests/modules.sh
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ evalConfig() {
     local attr=$1
     shift;
     local script="import ./default.nix { modules = [ $@ ];}"
-    nix-instantiate -E "$script" -A "$attr" --eval-only
+    nix-instantiate --timeout 1 -E "$script" -A "$attr" --eval-only
 }
 
 reportFailure() {
@@ -39,31 +39,32 @@ checkConfigOutput() {
 
 checkConfigError() {
     local errorContains=$1
+    local err=""
     shift;
-    if evalConfig "$@" 1>/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    if err==$(evalConfig "$@" 2>&1 >/dev/null); then
         echo 2>&1 "error: Expected error code, got exit code 0, while evaluating"
         reportFailure "$@"
         return 1
-    fi
-
-    if evalConfig "$@" 2>&1 >/dev/null | grep --silent "$errorContains" ; then
-        pass=$((pass + 1))
-        return 0;
     else
-        echo 2>&1 "error: Expected error matching '$errorContains', while evaluating"
-        reportFailure "$@"
-        return 1
+        if echo "$err" | grep --silent "$errorContains" ; then
+            pass=$((pass + 1))
+            return 0;
+        else
+            echo 2>&1 "error: Expected error matching '$errorContains', while evaluating"
+            reportFailure "$@"
+            return 1
+        fi
     fi
 }
 
-checkConfigOutput "false" config.enable 
+checkConfigOutput "false" config.enable ./declare-enable.nix
 checkConfigError 'The option .* defined in .* does not exist.' config.enable ./define-enable.nix
 set -- config.enable ./declare-enable.nix ./define-enable.nix
 checkConfigOutput "true" "$@"
 checkConfigOutput "false" "$@" ./define-force-enable.nix
 checkConfigOutput "false" "$@" ./define-enable-force.nix
 
-checkConfigError 'attribute .foo. .* not found' config.loaOfSub.foo.enable ./declare-loaOfSub-any-enable.nix
+checkConfigError 'attribute .*foo.* .* not found' config.loaOfSub.foo.enable ./declare-loaOfSub-any-enable.nix
 checkConfigOutput 'false' config.loaOfSub.foo.enable ./declare-loaOfSub-any-enable.nix ./define-loaOfSub-foo.nix
 set -- config.loaOfSub.foo.enable ./declare-loaOfSub-any-enable.nix ./define-loaOfSub-foo-enable.nix
 checkConfigOutput 'true' "$@"
@@ -72,12 +73,12 @@ checkConfigOutput 'false' "$@" ./define-loaOfSub-force-foo-enable.nix
 checkConfigOutput 'false' "$@" ./define-loaOfSub-foo-force-enable.nix
 checkConfigOutput 'false' "$@" ./define-loaOfSub-foo-enable-force.nix
 
-checkConfigError 'attribute .bar. .* not found' config.loaOfSub.bar.enable ./declare-loaOfSub-any-enable.nix ./define-loaOfSub-foo.nix
+checkConfigError 'attribute .*bar.* .* not found' config.loaOfSub.bar.enable ./declare-loaOfSub-any-enable.nix ./define-loaOfSub-foo.nix
 checkConfigOutput 'false' config.loaOfSub.bar.enable ./declare-loaOfSub-any-enable.nix ./define-loaOfSub-foo.nix ./define-loaOfSub-bar.nix
 set -- config.loaOfSub.bar.enable ./declare-loaOfSub-any-enable.nix ./define-loaOfSub-foo.nix ./define-loaOfSub-bar-enable.nix
 checkConfigOutput 'true' "$@"
-checkConfigError 'attribute .bar. .* not found' "$@" ./define-force-loaOfSub-foo-enable.nix
-checkConfigError 'attribute .bar. .* not found' "$@" ./define-loaOfSub-force-foo-enable.nix
+checkConfigError 'attribute .*bar.* .* not found' "$@" ./define-force-loaOfSub-foo-enable.nix
+checkConfigError 'attribute .*bar.* .* not found' "$@" ./define-loaOfSub-force-foo-enable.nix
 checkConfigOutput 'true' "$@" ./define-loaOfSub-foo-force-enable.nix
 checkConfigOutput 'true' "$@" ./define-loaOfSub-foo-enable-force.nix
 
diff --git a/lib/tests/release.nix b/lib/tests/release.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e7fb52f6766
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/tests/release.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+{ nixpkgs }:
+
+with import ./../.. { };
+with lib;
+
+stdenv.mkDerivation {
+  name = "nixpkgs-lib-tests";
+  buildInputs = [ nix ];
+  NIX_PATH="nixpkgs=${nixpkgs}";
+
+  buildCommand = ''
+    datadir="${nix}/share"
+    export TEST_ROOT=$(pwd)/test-tmp
+    export NIX_STORE_DIR=$TEST_ROOT/store
+    export NIX_LOCALSTATE_DIR=$TEST_ROOT/var
+    export NIX_LOG_DIR=$TEST_ROOT/var/log/nix
+    export NIX_STATE_DIR=$TEST_ROOT/var/nix
+    export NIX_DB_DIR=$TEST_ROOT/db
+    export NIX_CONF_DIR=$TEST_ROOT/etc
+    export NIX_MANIFESTS_DIR=$TEST_ROOT/var/nix/manifests
+    export NIX_BUILD_HOOK=
+    export PAGER=cat
+    cacheDir=$TEST_ROOT/binary-cache
+    nix-store --init
+
+    cd ${nixpkgs}/lib/tests
+    ./modules.sh
+
+    touch $out
+  '';
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/release.nix b/pkgs/top-level/release.nix
index 47026336403..534080668ec 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/release.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/release.nix
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ let
     { tarball = import ./make-tarball.nix { inherit nixpkgs officialRelease; };
 
       manual = import ../../doc;
+      lib.tests = import ../../lib/tests/release.nix { inherit nixpkgs; };
 
       unstable = pkgs.releaseTools.aggregate
         { name = "nixpkgs-${jobs.tarball.version}";
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ let
           constituents =
             [ jobs.tarball
               jobs.manual
+              jobs.lib.tests
               jobs.stdenv.x86_64-linux
               jobs.stdenv.i686-linux
               jobs.stdenv.x86_64-darwin