diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c785d8d..c3461e1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -83,6 +83,24 @@ A base configuration can itself extend another one. Paths (`patch_dir`,
 `rosdistro_snapshot`, `rosdistro_additional_recipes`, `conda_index` files) are relative
 to the file that sets them.
 
+## Package tests
+
+`tests/<package>.yaml` (next to `vinca.yaml`, or next to a configuration it extends)
+becomes the `tests` section of the package's recipe. Selectors that test `ros_distro`
+are resolved by vinca, so one test file can serve several distributions; all other
+selectors are left to rattler-build:
+
+```yaml
+tests:
+  - script:
+      - if: ros_distro in ["humble", "jazzy"]
+        then:
+          - if: osx
+            then: export ROS_LOCALHOST_ONLY=1 && launch_test smoke_test.py
+        else:
+          - launch_test smoke_test.py
+```
+
 ## Package naming
 
 The optional `package_name_mode` setting controls the transition from legacy distro-qualified names such as `ros-humble-rclcpp` to ROS-major-version names such as `ros2-rclcpp`:
diff --git a/vinca/main.py b/vinca/main.py
index 96d210a..dd06b2c 100644
--- a/vinca/main.py
+++ b/vinca/main.py
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@
     source_reference,
 )
 from .template import write_recipe, write_recipe_package
+from .v1_selectors import evaluate_distro_selectors
 
 unsatisfied_deps = set()
 distro = None
@@ -499,8 +500,10 @@ def parse_package(pkg, distro, vinca_conf, path):
 
     if test := vinca_conf.get("_tests", {}).get(final_name):
         # parse as yaml
-        text = test.read_text()
-        test_content = ruamel.yaml.safe_load(text)
+        text = test.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        test_content = evaluate_distro_selectors(
+            ruamel.yaml.safe_load(text), ros_distro=config.ros_distro
+        )
         recipe["test"] = test_content
 
     for p in pkg["authors"]:
diff --git a/vinca/template.py b/vinca/template.py
index 6aa5c1e..1a13046 100644
--- a/vinca/template.py
+++ b/vinca/template.py
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
     get_pkg_additional_info,
     get_pkg_build_number,
 )
+from vinca.v1_selectors import evaluate_distro_selectors
 from vinca.variants import VariantsMode, get_recipe_variants, get_variants_mode
 
 TEMPLATE = """\
@@ -146,8 +147,10 @@ def write_recipe(source, outputs, vinca_conf, distro, single_file=True):
                 test := vinca_conf["_tests"].get(package_name)
             ):
                 print("Using test: ", test)
-                text = test.read_text()
-                test_content = yaml.safe_load(text)
+                text = test.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+                test_content = evaluate_distro_selectors(
+                    yaml.safe_load(text), ros_distro=config.ros_distro
+                )
                 meta["tests"] = test_content["tests"]
 
             recipe_dir = (Path("recipes") / package_name).absolute()
diff --git a/vinca/test_distro_selectors.py b/vinca/test_distro_selectors.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ebc0c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vinca/test_distro_selectors.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+from vinca.v1_selectors import evaluate_distro_selectors
+
+TEST = {
+    "tests": [
+        {
+            "script": [
+                {
+                    "if": 'ros_distro in ["humble", "jazzy"]',
+                    "then": [{"if": "osx", "then": "old-osx"}],
+                    "else": [{"if": "osx", "then": "new-osx"}],
+                },
+                {"if": 'ros_distro == "humble"', "then": ["humble-only"]},
+                {"if": "linux", "then": "linux-cmd"},
+            ]
+        }
+    ]
+}
+
+
+def test_distro_selectors_are_resolved_platform_ones_kept():
+    humble = evaluate_distro_selectors(TEST, ros_distro="humble")
+    assert humble["tests"][0]["script"] == [
+        {"if": "osx", "then": "old-osx"},
+        "humble-only",
+        {"if": "linux", "then": "linux-cmd"},
+    ]
+
+    rolling = evaluate_distro_selectors(TEST, ros_distro="rolling")
+    assert rolling["tests"][0]["script"] == [
+        {"if": "osx", "then": "new-osx"},
+        {"if": "linux", "then": "linux-cmd"},
+    ]
diff --git a/vinca/v1_selectors.py b/vinca/v1_selectors.py
index 49720c7..b9da3c8 100644
--- a/vinca/v1_selectors.py
+++ b/vinca/v1_selectors.py
@@ -168,3 +168,44 @@ def evaluate_selectors(
     ctx = _platform_flags(target_platform)
 
     return _process_node(copy.deepcopy(data), ctx)
+
+
+def _process_distro_node(node: Any, ctx: Mapping[str, Any]) -> Any | None:
+    """Like _process_node, but only for selectors that mention ``ros_distro``;
+    other selectors (e.g. platform ones) are left for rattler-build."""
+    if (
+        isinstance(node, Mapping)
+        and "if" in node
+        and "then" in node
+        and "ros_distro" in str(node["if"])
+    ):
+        branch = "then" if _eval_condition(str(node["if"]), ctx) else "else"
+        if branch in node:
+            return _process_distro_node(node[branch], ctx)
+        return None
+    if isinstance(node, MutableMapping):
+        mapping_out: dict[str, Any] = {}
+        for k, v in node.items():
+            new = _process_distro_node(v, ctx)
+            if new is not None:
+                mapping_out[k] = new
+        return mapping_out
+    if isinstance(node, Sequence) and not isinstance(node, (str, bytes)):
+        sequence_out: list[Any] = []
+        for item in node:
+            new = _process_distro_node(item, ctx)
+            if new is None:
+                continue
+            if isinstance(new, list):
+                sequence_out.extend(new)
+            else:
+                sequence_out.append(new)
+        return sequence_out
+    return node
+
+
+def evaluate_distro_selectors(data: Any, *, ros_distro: str | None) -> Any:
+    """Return *data* with the selectors that test ``ros_distro`` evaluated, e.g.
+    ``- if: ros_distro in ["humble", "jazzy"]``, so one test file can serve several
+    distributions. Selectors without ``ros_distro`` are kept unchanged."""
+    return _process_distro_node(copy.deepcopy(data), {"ros_distro": ros_distro})