diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yml b/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yml
index eac3504e4..44df1c2d5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yml
@@ -123,6 +123,9 @@ jobs:
       with:
         python-version: '3.9'
 
+    - name: install python dependencies
+      run: pip install -r python/test_requirements.txt
+
     - name: create ci signature file for the dpdk cache key
       if:   matrix.dpdk != '' || matrix.dpdk_shared != ''
       # This will collect most of DPDK related lines, so hash will be different
diff --git a/Documentation/intro/install/general.rst b/Documentation/intro/install/general.rst
index c4300cd53..711fb98a4 100644
--- a/Documentation/intro/install/general.rst
+++ b/Documentation/intro/install/general.rst
@@ -181,6 +181,10 @@ following to obtain better warnings:
   come from the "hacking" flake8 plugin. If it's not installed, the warnings
   just won't occur until it's run on a system with "hacking" installed.
 
+- the python packages listed in "python/test_requirements.txt" (compatible
+  with pip). If they are installed, the pytest-based Python unit tests will
+  be run.
+
 You may find the ovs-dev script found in ``utilities/ovs-dev.py`` useful.
 
 .. _general-install-reqs:
diff --git a/python/automake.mk b/python/automake.mk
index 0d29e9eb0..f22dd88a9 100644
--- a/python/automake.mk
+++ b/python/automake.mk
@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ ovs_pyfiles = \
 	python/ovs/vlog.py \
 	python/ovs/winutils.py
 
+ovs_pytests = \
+	python/ovs/tests/test_kv.py
+
 # These python files are used at build time but not runtime,
 # so they are not installed.
 EXTRA_DIST += \
@@ -66,12 +69,14 @@ EXTRA_DIST += \
 EXTRA_DIST += \
 	python/ovs/compat/sortedcontainers/LICENSE \
 	python/README.rst \
-	python/setup.py
+	python/setup.py \
+	python/test_requirements.txt
 
 # C extension support.
 EXTRA_DIST += python/ovs/_json.c
 
-PYFILES = $(ovs_pyfiles) python/ovs/dirs.py $(ovstest_pyfiles)
+PYFILES = $(ovs_pyfiles) python/ovs/dirs.py $(ovstest_pyfiles) $(ovs_pytests)
+
 EXTRA_DIST += $(PYFILES)
 PYCOV_CLEAN_FILES += $(PYFILES:.py=.py,cover)
 
diff --git a/python/ovs/tests/test_kv.py b/python/ovs/tests/test_kv.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e81804d49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/ovs/tests/test_kv.py
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+import pytest
+
+from ovs.flows.kv import KVParser, KeyValue
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "input_data,expected",
+    [
+        (
+            (
+                "cookie=0x0, duration=147566.365s, table=0, n_packets=39, n_bytes=2574, idle_age=65534, hard_age=65534",  # noqa: E501
+                None,
+            ),
+            [
+                KeyValue("cookie", 0),
+                KeyValue("duration", "147566.365s"),
+                KeyValue("table", 0),
+                KeyValue("n_packets", 39),
+                KeyValue("n_bytes", 2574),
+                KeyValue("idle_age", 65534),
+                KeyValue("hard_age", 65534),
+            ],
+        ),
+        (
+            (
+                "load:0x4->NXM_NX_REG13[],load:0x9->NXM_NX_REG11[],load:0x8->NXM_NX_REG12[],load:0x1->OXM_OF_METADATA[],load:0x1->NXM_NX_REG14[],mod_dl_src:0a:58:a9:fe:00:02,resubmit(,8)",  # noqa: E501
+                None,
+            ),
+            [
+                KeyValue("load", "0x4->NXM_NX_REG13[]"),
+                KeyValue("load", "0x9->NXM_NX_REG11[]"),
+                KeyValue("load", "0x8->NXM_NX_REG12[]"),
+                KeyValue("load", "0x1->OXM_OF_METADATA[]"),
+                KeyValue("load", "0x1->NXM_NX_REG14[]"),
+                KeyValue("mod_dl_src", "0a:58:a9:fe:00:02"),
+                KeyValue("resubmit", ",8"),
+            ],
+        ),
+        (
+            ("l1(l2(l3(l4())))", None),
+            [KeyValue("l1", "l2(l3(l4()))")]
+        ),
+        (
+            ("l1(l2(l3(l4()))),foo:bar", None),
+            [KeyValue("l1", "l2(l3(l4()))"), KeyValue("foo", "bar")],
+        ),
+        (
+            ("enqueue:1:2,output=2", None),
+            [KeyValue("enqueue", "1:2"), KeyValue("output", 2)],
+        ),
+        (
+            ("value_to_reg(100)->someReg[10],foo:bar", None),
+            [
+                KeyValue("value_to_reg", "(100)->someReg[10]"),
+                KeyValue("foo", "bar"),
+            ],
+        ),
+    ],
+)
+def test_kv_parser(input_data, expected):
+    input_string = input_data[0]
+    decoders = input_data[1]
+    tparser = KVParser(input_string, decoders)
+    tparser.parse()
+    result = tparser.kv()
+    assert len(expected) == len(result)
+    for i in range(0, len(result)):
+        assert result[i].key == expected[i].key
+        assert result[i].value == expected[i].value
+        kpos = result[i].meta.kpos
+        kstr = result[i].meta.kstring
+        vpos = result[i].meta.vpos
+        vstr = result[i].meta.vstring
+        assert input_string[kpos : kpos + len(kstr)] == kstr
+        if vpos != -1:
+            assert input_string[vpos : vpos + len(vstr)] == vstr
diff --git a/python/test_requirements.txt b/python/test_requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6aaee13e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/test_requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+pytest
+netaddr
+pyparsing
diff --git a/tests/atlocal.in b/tests/atlocal.in
index a0ad239ec..2426416a0 100644
--- a/tests/atlocal.in
+++ b/tests/atlocal.in
@@ -222,3 +222,22 @@ export OVS_CTL_TIMEOUT
 # matter break everything.
 ASAN_OPTIONS=detect_leaks=0:abort_on_error=true:log_path=asan:$ASAN_OPTIONS
 export ASAN_OPTIONS
+
+# Check whether Python test requirements are available.
+REQUIREMENT_PATH=$abs_top_srcdir/python/test_requirements.txt $PYTHON3 -c '
+import os
+import pathlib
+import pkg_resources
+
+with pathlib.Path(os.path.join(os.getenv("REQUIREMENT_PATH"))).open() as reqs:
+    for req in pkg_resources.parse_requirements(reqs):
+        try:
+            pkg_resources.require(str(req))
+        except pkg_resources.DistributionNotFound:
+            sys.exit(2)
+'
+case $? in
+    0) HAVE_PYTEST=yes ;;
+    2) HAVE_PYTEST=no ;;
+    *) echo "$0: unexpected error probing Python unit test requirements" >&2 ;;
+esac
diff --git a/tests/automake.mk b/tests/automake.mk
index 80422679e..1aefac29d 100644
--- a/tests/automake.mk
+++ b/tests/automake.mk
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ TESTSUITE_AT = \
 	tests/ovsdb-rbac.at \
 	tests/ovs-vsctl.at \
 	tests/ovs-xapi-sync.at \
+	tests/pytest.at \
 	tests/stp.at \
 	tests/rstp.at \
 	tests/interface-reconfigure.at \
diff --git a/tests/pytest.at b/tests/pytest.at
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..44a88ed98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/pytest.at
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+AT_BANNER([Python unit tests])
+
+# Run pytest unit tests.
+AT_SETUP([Pytest unit tests - Python3])
+AT_SKIP_IF([test "$HAVE_PYTEST" = "no"])
+AT_CHECK([python -m pytest $top_srcdir/python/ovs],[0], [ignore], [ignore])
+AT_CLEANUP()
diff --git a/tests/testsuite.at b/tests/testsuite.at
index 58adfa09c..14a28b517 100644
--- a/tests/testsuite.at
+++ b/tests/testsuite.at
@@ -78,3 +78,4 @@ m4_include([tests/mcast-snooping.at])
 m4_include([tests/packet-type-aware.at])
 m4_include([tests/nsh.at])
 m4_include([tests/drop-stats.at])
+m4_include([tests/pytest.at])
