diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 3a1de77..4ca6c5b 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -72,3 +72,12 @@ noinst_PROGRAMS = tocktest
 clean-local:
 	rm -f obj/*.o obj/*.hi
 	rmdir obj
+
+get-cgtests:
+	svn co https://subversion.frmb.org/pubsvn/cgtests/branches/tock cgtests
+
+make-cgtests-c: get-cgtests
+	./compile-cgtests --backend=c
+
+make-cgtests-cpp: get-cgtests
+	./compile-cgtests --backend=cppcsp
diff --git a/compile-cgtests b/compile-cgtests
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..151876d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compile-cgtests
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#! /bin/sh
+
+for t in cgtests/cgtest??.occ
+do
+	echo "Compiling " $t
+	./tock --output=${t%%.occ} $@ $t
+done
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index d76ebc2..42fc866 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ if test "x$ac_cv_prog_cc_c99" = "xno"; then
   ccsp_kroc_available=false
 fi
 
-#Check that they have alex, GHC, kroc, and the CCSP headers:
+#Check that they have alex, GHC, kroc, svn and the CCSP headers:
 AC_CHECK_PROG([HAVE_GHC],[ghc],[true],[false])
 if test "x$HAVE_GHC" = "xfalse"; then
   AC_MSG_ERROR([ghc not found])
@@ -38,6 +38,13 @@ if test "x$HAVE_KROC" = "xfalse"; then
   ccsp_kroc_available=false
 fi
 
+AC_CHECK_PROG([HAVE_SVN],[svn],[true],[false])
+if test "x$HAVE_SVN" = "xfalse"; then
+  AC_MSG_WARN([svn (Subversion) not found; you will not be able to fetch the occam cgtests from the public repository])
+fi
+
+#TODO test that they have the right GHC libraries installed (such as hunit, mtl)
+
 AC_LANG(C)
 AC_CHECK_HEADER([cifccsp.h],[HAVE_CIFCCSP=true],[HAVE_CIFCCSP=false])