diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index ad0287b..b4770ab 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ env.PrependENVPath("PATH", os.getenv("PATH"))
 
 opts = env.SetupOptions()
 
-opts.Add(BoolVariable("run_ovdl_tests", "Build and run the openvic dataloader tests", env.is_standalone))
+opts.Add(BoolVariable("build_ovdl_tests", "Build and run the openvic dataloader tests", env.is_standalone))
+opts.Add(BoolVariable("run_ovdl_tests", "Run the openvic dataloader tests", False))
 opts.Add(
     BoolVariable(
         "build_ovdl_library",
@@ -68,6 +69,9 @@ library_name = "libopenvic-dataloader{}{}".format(suffix, env["LIBSUFFIX"])
 default_args = []
 
 if env["run_ovdl_tests"]:
+    env["build_ovdl_tests"] = True
+
+if env["build_ovdl_tests"]:
     env["build_ovdl_library"] = True
 
 if env["build_ovdl_library"]:
@@ -100,8 +104,11 @@ if env["build_ovdl_headless"]:
     )
     default_args += [headless_program]
 
-if env["run_ovdl_tests"]:
-    SConscript("tests/SCsub", "env")
+if env["build_ovdl_tests"]:
+    tests_env = SConscript("tests/SCsub", "env")
+
+    if env["run_ovdl_tests"]:
+        tests_env.RunUnitTest()
 
 # Add compiledb if the option is set
 if env.get("compiledb", False):
diff --git a/tests/SCsub b/tests/SCsub
index 19e35dd..d5894db 100644
--- a/tests/SCsub
+++ b/tests/SCsub
@@ -10,16 +10,20 @@ def UnitTestPostAction(target=None, source=None, env=None):
     return subprocess.run([target[0].path]).returncode
 
 
-def UnitTest(env, **kwargs):
+def BuildUnitTest(env, **kwargs):
     test = env.Program(**kwargs)
-    unit_test_action = env.Action(UnitTestPostAction, None)
-    test_post_action = env.AddPostAction(test, unit_test_action)
     env.NoCache(test)
-    env.AlwaysBuild(test_post_action)
     return test
 
 
-SConsEnvironment.UnitTest = UnitTest
+def RunUnitTest(env):
+    unit_test_action = env.Action(UnitTestPostAction, None)
+    test_post_action = env.AddPostAction(env.unit_test, unit_test_action)
+    env.AlwaysBuild(test_post_action)
+
+
+SConsEnvironment.BuildUnitTest = BuildUnitTest
+SConsEnvironment.RunUnitTest = RunUnitTest
 
 Import("env")
 
@@ -51,7 +55,9 @@ SConscript("deps/SCsub", {"env": tests_env})
 if env["ubuntu_gcc_invalid_char_hang_bug"]:
     tests_env.Append(CPPDEFINES=["_OVDL_TEST_UBUNTU_GCC_12_BUG_"])
 
-tests_program = tests_env.UnitTest(
+tests_env.unit_test = tests_env.BuildUnitTest(
     source=tests_env.tests_sources, target=os.path.join(BINDIR, tests_name), PROGSUFFIX=".tests" + env["PROGSUFFIX"]
 )
-Default(tests_program)
+Default(tests_env.unit_test)
+
+Return("tests_env")