diff --git a/unittest/force-styles/CMakeLists.txt b/unittest/force-styles/CMakeLists.txt
index 1db4298b29..7c69ab8087 100644
--- a/unittest/force-styles/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/unittest/force-styles/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -28,7 +28,9 @@ target_link_libraries(pair_style PRIVATE lammps style_tests)
 file(GLOB MOL_PAIR_TESTS LIST_DIRECTORIES false ${TEST_INPUT_FOLDER}/mol-pair-*.yaml)
 foreach(TEST ${MOL_PAIR_TESTS})
   string(REGEX REPLACE "^.*mol-pair-(.*)\.yaml" "MolPairStyle:\\1" TNAME ${TEST})
-  add_test(NAME ${TNAME} COMMAND pair_style ${TEST}
+  add_test(NAME ${TNAME}
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -DTEST_EXECUTABLE=$<TARGET_FILE:pair_style>
+    -DTEST_INPUT=${TEST} -DTEST_NAME=${TNAME} -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/TestRunner.cmake
     WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
 endforeach()
 
@@ -36,7 +38,9 @@ endforeach()
 file(GLOB ATOMIC_PAIR_TESTS LIST_DIRECTORIES false ${TEST_INPUT_FOLDER}/atomic-pair-*.yaml)
 foreach(TEST ${ATOMIC_PAIR_TESTS})
   string(REGEX REPLACE "^.*atomic-pair-(.*)\.yaml" "AtomicPairStyle:\\1" TNAME ${TEST})
-  add_test(NAME ${TNAME} COMMAND pair_style ${TEST}
+  add_test(NAME ${TNAME}
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -DTEST_EXECUTABLE=$<TARGET_FILE:pair_style>
+    -DTEST_INPUT=${TEST} -DTEST_NAME=${TNAME} -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/TestRunner.cmake
     WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
   set_tests_properties(${TNAME} PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT "LAMMPS_POTENTIALS=${LAMMPS_POTENTIALS_DIR}")
 endforeach()
@@ -45,7 +49,9 @@ endforeach()
 file(GLOB MANYBODY_PAIR_TESTS LIST_DIRECTORIES false ${TEST_INPUT_FOLDER}/manybody-pair-*.yaml)
 foreach(TEST ${MANYBODY_PAIR_TESTS})
   string(REGEX REPLACE "^.*manybody-pair-(.*)\.yaml" "ManybodyPairStyle:\\1" TNAME ${TEST})
-  add_test(NAME ${TNAME} COMMAND pair_style ${TEST}
+  add_test(NAME ${TNAME}
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -DTEST_EXECUTABLE=$<TARGET_FILE:pair_style>
+    -DTEST_INPUT=${TEST} -DTEST_NAME=${TNAME} -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/TestRunner.cmake
     WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
   set_tests_properties(${TNAME} PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT "LAMMPS_POTENTIALS=${LAMMPS_POTENTIALS_DIR}")
 endforeach()
@@ -57,7 +63,9 @@ target_link_libraries(bond_style PRIVATE lammps style_tests)
 file(GLOB BOND_TESTS LIST_DIRECTORIES false ${TEST_INPUT_FOLDER}/bond-*.yaml)
 foreach(TEST ${BOND_TESTS})
   string(REGEX REPLACE "^.*bond-(.*)\.yaml" "BondStyle:\\1" TNAME ${TEST})
-  add_test(NAME ${TNAME} COMMAND bond_style ${TEST}
+  add_test(NAME ${TNAME}
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -DTEST_EXECUTABLE=$<TARGET_FILE:bond_style>
+    -DTEST_INPUT=${TEST} -DTEST_NAME=${TNAME} -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/TestRunner.cmake
     WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
 endforeach()
 
@@ -68,7 +76,8 @@ target_link_libraries(angle_style PRIVATE lammps style_tests)
 file(GLOB ANGLE_TESTS LIST_DIRECTORIES false ${TEST_INPUT_FOLDER}/angle-*.yaml)
 foreach(TEST ${ANGLE_TESTS})
   string(REGEX REPLACE "^.*angle-(.*)\.yaml" "AngleStyle:\\1" TNAME ${TEST})
-  add_test(NAME ${TNAME} COMMAND angle_style ${TEST}
+  add_test(NAME ${TNAME}
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -DTEST_EXECUTABLE=$<TARGET_FILE:angle_style>
+    -DTEST_INPUT=${TEST} -DTEST_NAME=${TNAME} -P ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/TestRunner.cmake
     WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR})
 endforeach()
-
diff --git a/unittest/force-styles/TestRunner.cmake b/unittest/force-styles/TestRunner.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..325704137c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/unittest/force-styles/TestRunner.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# workaround to allow passing extra arguments to test runs
+# through ctest via a TEST_ARGS environment variable
+# This can be used to, e.g. reset reference data for individual
+# tests from the build folder with "env TEST_ARGS=-u ctest -R sometest"
+execute_process(COMMAND ${TEST_EXECUTABLE} ${TEST_INPUT} $ENV{TEST_ARGS} RESULT_VARIABLE rv)
+if(NOT "${rv}" STREQUAL "0")
+  message(FATAL_ERROR "Test ${TEST_NAME} failed with status ${rv}")
+endif()