diff --git a/libpathod/pathod.py b/libpathod/pathod.py
index 6b3deaa68..9b0f4ac17 100644
--- a/libpathod/pathod.py
+++ b/libpathod/pathod.py
@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ class APILogClear(tornado.web.RequestHandler):
         self.write("OK")
 
 
+class APIShutdown(tornado.web.RequestHandler):
+    def post(self):
+        tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance().stop()
+        self.write("OK")
+
+
 class _Page(tornado.web.RequestHandler):
     def render(self, name, **kwargs):
         tornado.web.RequestHandler.render(self, name + ".html", **kwargs)
@@ -134,6 +140,7 @@ class PathodApp(tornado.web.Application):
                 (r"/log/([0-9]+)", OneLog),
                 (r"/help", Help),
                 (r"/preview", Preview),
+                (r"/api/shutdown", APIShutdown),
                 (r"/api/log", APILog),
                 (r"/api/log/clear", APILogClear),
                 (r"/p/.*", RequestPathod, settings),
@@ -204,12 +211,28 @@ class PathodApp(tornado.web.Application):
         return self.log
 
 
-# begin nocover
+def make_app(staticdir=None, anchors=()):
+    """
+        staticdir: A directory for static assets referenced in response patterns.
+        anchors: A sequence of strings of the form "pattern=pagespec"
+    """
+    settings = dict(
+        staticdir=staticdir
+    )
+    application = PathodApp(**settings)
+    for i in anchors:
+        rex, spec = utils.parse_anchor_spec(i, settings)
+        application.add_anchor(rex, spec)
+    return application
+
+
 def make_server(application, port, address, ssl_options):
     """
-        Returns the bound port. This will match the passed port, unless the
-        passed port was 0. In that case, an arbitrary empty port will be bound
-        to, and this new port will be returned. 
+        Returns a (server, port) tuple. 
+
+        The returned port will match the passed port, unless the passed port
+        was 0. In that case, an arbitrary empty port will be bound to, and this
+        new port will be returned.
     """
     http_server = tornado.httpserver.HTTPServer(
         application,
@@ -221,8 +244,12 @@ def make_server(application, port, address, ssl_options):
         sn = i.getsockname()
         if sn[0] == address:
             port = sn[1]
-    return port
+    return http_server, port
 
 
-def run():
+# begin nocover
+def run(server):
     tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance().start()
+    server.stop()
+    tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance().close()
+
diff --git a/libpathod/test.py b/libpathod/test.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6728b60cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libpathod/test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+import threading
+import requests
+import Queue
+import pathod
+
+class PaThread(threading.Thread):
+    def __init__(self, q, app):
+        threading.Thread.__init__(self)
+        self.q = q
+        self.app = app
+        self.port = None
+
+    def run(self):
+        self.server, self.port = pathod.make_server(self.app, 0, "127.0.0.1", None)
+        self.q.put(self.port)
+        pathod.run(self.server)
+
+
+class Daemon:
+    def __init__(self, staticdir=None, anchors=()):
+        self.app = pathod.make_app(staticdir=staticdir, anchors=anchors)
+        self.q = Queue.Queue()
+        self.thread = PaThread(self.q, self.app)
+        self.thread.start()
+        self.port = self.q.get(True, 5)
+
+    def clear(self):
+        pass
+
+    def shutdown(self):
+        requests.post("http://localhost:%s/api/shutdown"%self.port)
diff --git a/pathod b/pathod
index 6245fc415..946da92df 100755
--- a/pathod
+++ b/pathod
@@ -31,16 +31,11 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
         help='SSL cert file. If not specified, a default cert is used.'
     )
     args = parser.parse_args()
-    settings = dict(
-        staticdir=args.staticdir
-    )
-    application = pathod.PathodApp(**settings)
-    for i in args.anchors:
-        try:
-            rex, spec = utils.parse_anchor_spec(i, settings)
-        except utils.AnchorError, v:
-            parser.error(str(v))
-        application.add_anchor(rex, spec)
+
+    try:
+        app = pathod.make_app(staticdir=args.staticdir, anchors=args.anchors)
+    except utils.AnchorError, v:
+        parser.error(str(v))
 
     if args.ssl:
         ssl = dict(
@@ -50,8 +45,8 @@ if __name__ == "__main__":
     else:
         ssl = None
     try:
-        port = pathod.make_server(application, args.port, args.address, ssl)
+        server, port = pathod.make_server(app, args.port, args.address, ssl)
         print "%s listening on port %s"%(version.NAMEVERSION, port)
-        pathod.run()
+        pathod.run(server)
     except KeyboardInterrupt:
         pass
diff --git a/test/test_pathod.py b/test/test_pathod.py
index bb78e094a..af02239e3 100644
--- a/test/test_pathod.py
+++ b/test/test_pathod.py
@@ -57,7 +57,15 @@ class uPages(libpry.AutoTree):
         assert "".join(page._write_buffer)
 
 
+class u_make_server(libpry.AutoTree):
+    def test_simple(self):
+        app = pathod.PathodApp()
+        assert pathod.make_server(app, 0, "127.0.0.1", None)
+
+
 
 tests = [
     uApplication(),
+    #uPages(),
+    u_make_server()
 ]
diff --git a/test/test_test.py b/test/test_test.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6e80dd772
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_test.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+import time
+import libpry
+import requests
+from libpathod import test
+
+
+class uDaemon(libpry.AutoTree):
+    def test_startstop(self):
+        d = test.Daemon()
+        rsp = requests.get("http://localhost:%s/p/202"%d.port)
+        assert rsp.ok
+        assert rsp.status_code == 202
+        d.shutdown()
+        rsp = requests.get("http://localhost:%s/p/202"%d.port)
+        assert not rsp.ok
+
+
+
+tests = [
+    uDaemon()
+]