diff --git a/tests/qtest/libqtest.c b/tests/qtest/libqtest.c
index 64ba98bc5853..53d766fe3fa5 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/libqtest.c
+++ b/tests/qtest/libqtest.c
@@ -402,6 +402,26 @@ static QTestState *G_GNUC_PRINTF(1, 0) qtest_spawn_qemu(const char *fmt, ...)
     return s;
 }
 
+QTestState *G_GNUC_PRINTF(1, 0) qtest_init_bare(const char *args)
+{
+    QTestState *s = qtest_spawn_qemu("%s", args);
+
+    /*
+     * Stopping QEMU for debugging is not supported on Windows.
+     *
+     * Using DebugActiveProcess() API can suspend the QEMU process,
+     * but gdb cannot attach to the process. Using the undocumented
+     * NtSuspendProcess() can suspend the QEMU process and gdb can
+     * attach to the process, but gdb cannot resume it.
+     */
+#ifndef _WIN32
+    if (getenv("QTEST_STOP")) {
+        kill(s->qemu_pid, SIGSTOP);
+    }
+#endif
+    return s;
+}
+
 QTestState *qtest_init_without_qmp_handshake(const char *extra_args)
 {
     QTestState *s;
@@ -459,12 +479,8 @@ QTestState *qtest_init_without_qmp_handshake(const char *extra_args)
     }
 
     /*
-     * Stopping QEMU for debugging is not supported on Windows.
-     *
-     * Using DebugActiveProcess() API can suspend the QEMU process,
-     * but gdb cannot attach to the process. Using the undocumented
-     * NtSuspendProcess() can suspend the QEMU process and gdb can
-     * attach to the process, but gdb cannot resume it.
+     * Stopping QEMU for debugging is not supported on Windows;
+     * see qtest_init_bare for more information.
      */
 #ifndef _WIN32
     if (getenv("QTEST_STOP")) {
diff --git a/tests/qtest/libqtest.h b/tests/qtest/libqtest.h
index fcf1c3c3b36f..7ca7df26a2c0 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/libqtest.h
+++ b/tests/qtest/libqtest.h
@@ -23,6 +23,18 @@
 
 typedef struct QTestState QTestState;
 
+/**
+ * qtest_init_bare:
+ * @extra_args: other arguments to pass to QEMU.  CAUTION: these
+ * arguments are subject to word splitting and shell evaluation.
+ *
+ * Return a QTestState instance without automatically creating any
+ * sockets for QMP and qtest communication.
+ *
+ * Returns: #QTestState instance.
+ */
+QTestState *qtest_init_bare(const char *args);
+
 /**
  * qtest_initf:
  * @fmt: Format for creating other arguments to pass to QEMU, formatted
diff --git a/tests/qtest/readconfig-test.c b/tests/qtest/readconfig-test.c
index 9ef870643dcd..4c11883e36eb 100644
--- a/tests/qtest/readconfig-test.c
+++ b/tests/qtest/readconfig-test.c
@@ -19,13 +19,11 @@
 #include "qapi/qmp/qstring.h"
 #include "qemu/units.h"
 
-static QTestState *qtest_init_with_config(const char *cfgdata)
+static char *qtest_write_config(const char *cfgdata)
 {
     GError *error = NULL;
-    g_autofree char *args = NULL;
     int cfgfd = -1;
-    g_autofree char *cfgpath = NULL;
-    QTestState *qts;
+    char *cfgpath;
     ssize_t ret;
 
     cfgfd = g_file_open_tmp("readconfig-test-XXXXXX", &cfgpath, &error);
@@ -38,13 +36,14 @@ static QTestState *qtest_init_with_config(const char *cfgdata)
         unlink(cfgpath);
     }
     g_assert_cmpint(ret, ==, strlen(cfgdata));
+    return cfgpath;
+}
 
-    args = g_strdup_printf("-nodefaults -machine none -readconfig %s", cfgpath);
-
-    qts = qtest_init(args);
-
+static QTestState *qtest_init_with_config(const char *cfgdata)
+{
+    g_autofree char *cfgpath = qtest_write_config(cfgdata);
+    QTestState *qts = qtest_initf("-nodefaults -machine none -readconfig %s", cfgpath);
     unlink(cfgpath);
-
     return qts;
 }
 
@@ -176,6 +175,32 @@ static void test_object_rng(void)
     qtest_quit(qts);
 }
 
+static void test_invalid_accel(void)
+{
+    const char *cfgdata =
+        "[accel]\n"
+        "foo = \"bar\"\n";
+
+    g_autofree char *cfgpath = qtest_write_config(cfgdata);
+    g_autofree char *args = g_strdup_printf("-nodefaults -machine none -readconfig %s", cfgpath);
+    QTestState *qts = qtest_init_bare(args);
+
+    qtest_set_expected_status(qts, 1);
+    qtest_wait_qemu(qts);
+    g_free(qts);
+    unlink(cfgpath);
+}
+
+static void test_valid_accel(void)
+{
+    const char *cfgdata =
+        "[accel]\n"
+        "accel = \"qtest\"\n";
+
+    QTestState *qts = qtest_init_with_config(cfgdata);
+    qtest_quit(qts);
+}
+
 int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 {
     const char *arch;
@@ -192,6 +217,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 #endif
 
     qtest_add_func("readconfig/object-rng", test_object_rng);
+    qtest_add_func("readconfig/invalid-accel", test_invalid_accel);
+    qtest_add_func("readconfig/valid-accel", test_valid_accel);
 
     return g_test_run();
 }
