diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 21948f90fe016242f929e2383e826454b8c5953c..ea35b4c189d35fc9e4d4e70eea3150a8031387e2 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ project('chatty', 'c',        version: '0.1.2',
 i18n = import('i18n')
 gnome = import('gnome')
 
+top_inc = include_directories('.')
+src_inc = include_directories('src')
+
 config_h = configuration_data()
 config_h.set_quoted('GETTEXT_PACKAGE', 'purism-chatty')
 config_h.set_quoted('LOCALEDIR', join_paths(get_option('prefix'), get_option('localedir')))
@@ -85,6 +88,7 @@ libm_dep = cc.find_library('m')
 
 subdir('data')
 subdir('src')
+subdir('tests')
 subdir('po')
 
 meson.add_install_script('build-aux/meson/postinstall.py')
diff --git a/src/chatty-settings.c b/src/chatty-settings.c
index d10eac10c5b946e188d3834ae6a204275bef93ce..923a2f4b5d4e021b4a144850c1fac00ab652042a 100644
--- a/src/chatty-settings.c
+++ b/src/chatty-settings.c
@@ -308,7 +308,10 @@ chatty_settings_get_default (void)
   static ChattySettings *self;
 
   if (!self)
-    self = g_object_new (CHATTY_TYPE_SETTINGS, NULL);
+    {
+      self = g_object_new (CHATTY_TYPE_SETTINGS, NULL);
+      g_object_add_weak_pointer (G_OBJECT (self), (gpointer *)&self);
+    }
 
   return self;
 }
diff --git a/src/meson.build b/src/meson.build
index e2cf79ced93589933f153097f927a4639d016f9c..8d3fc1261d4670b39a507246370eff223bec616f 100644
--- a/src/meson.build
+++ b/src/meson.build
@@ -2,11 +2,14 @@ version_h = vcs_tag(command: ['git', 'rev-parse', 'HEAD'],
 		    input: 'version.h.in',
 		    output: 'version.h')
 
+libsrc = [
+  'chatty-settings.c',
+]
+
 chatty_sources = [
   'main.c',
   'chatty-application.c',
   'chatty-window.c',
-  'chatty-settings.c',
   'chatty-dialogs.c',
   'chatty-account.c',
   'chatty-message-list.c',
@@ -48,7 +51,14 @@ chatty_sources += gnome.compile_resources('chatty-resources',
   c_name: 'chatty'
 )
 
+libchatty = static_library(
+  'libchatty', libsrc,
+  install: false,
+  dependencies: chatty_deps,
+)
+
 executable('chatty', chatty_sources,
   dependencies: chatty_deps,
+  link_with: libchatty,
   install: true,
 )
diff --git a/tests/meson.build b/tests/meson.build
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c59d227bf70d5f1b18f936019094be46f180fdcb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/meson.build
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+tests_inc = [
+  top_inc,
+  src_inc,
+]
+
+env = environment()
+env.set('G_TEST_SRCDIR', meson.current_source_dir())
+env.set('G_TEST_BUILDDIR', meson.current_build_dir())
+env.set('GSETTINGS_SCHEMA_DIR', join_paths(meson.build_root(), 'data'))
+env.set('MALLOC_CHECK_', '2')
+# Guaranteed to be random: https://xkcd.com/221
+env.set('MALLOC_PERTURB_', '4')
+
+test_items = [
+  'settings',
+]
+
+foreach item: test_items
+  t = executable(
+    item,
+    item + '.c',
+    include_directories: tests_inc,
+    link_with: libchatty,
+    dependencies: chatty_deps,
+  )
+  test(item, t, env: env)
+endforeach
diff --git a/tests/settings.c b/tests/settings.c
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..766cc0fcc1bb4e4846071e804e9bc86b37529d69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/settings.c
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+/* -*- mode: c; c-basic-offset: 2; indent-tabs-mode: nil; -*- */
+/* settings.c
+ *
+ * Copyright 2019 Purism SPC
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ *
+ * Author(s):
+ *   Mohammed Sadiq <sadiq@sadiqpk.org>
+ *
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+ */
+
+#undef NDEBUG
+#undef G_DISABLE_ASSERT
+#undef G_DISABLE_CHECKS
+#undef G_DISABLE_CAST_CHECKS
+#undef G_LOG_DOMAIN
+
+#include <glib.h>
+
+#include "chatty-settings.h"
+
+static void
+set_settings_bool (ChattySettings *settings,
+                   gboolean        value)
+{
+  g_assert_true (CHATTY_IS_SETTINGS (settings));
+  g_object_set (settings,
+                "send-receipts", value,
+                "send-typing", value,
+                "show-offline-buddies", value,
+                "greyout-offline-buddies", value,
+                "blur-idle-buddies", value,
+                "indicate-unknown-contacts", value,
+                "return-sends-message", value,
+                NULL);
+}
+
+static void
+check_settings_true (ChattySettings *settings)
+{
+  g_assert_true (CHATTY_IS_SETTINGS (settings));
+
+  set_settings_bool (settings, TRUE);
+
+  g_assert_true (chatty_settings_get_send_receipts (settings));
+  g_assert_true (chatty_settings_get_send_typing (settings));
+  g_assert_true (chatty_settings_get_show_offline_buddies (settings));
+  g_assert_true (chatty_settings_get_greyout_offline_buddies (settings));
+  g_assert_true (chatty_settings_get_blur_idle_buddies (settings));
+  g_assert_true (chatty_settings_get_indicate_unkown_contacts (settings));
+  g_assert_true (chatty_settings_get_return_sends_message (settings));
+}
+
+static void
+check_settings_false (ChattySettings *settings)
+{
+  g_assert_true (CHATTY_IS_SETTINGS (settings));
+
+  set_settings_bool (settings, FALSE);
+
+  g_assert_false (chatty_settings_get_send_receipts (settings));
+  g_assert_false (chatty_settings_get_send_typing (settings));
+  g_assert_false (chatty_settings_get_show_offline_buddies (settings));
+  g_assert_false (chatty_settings_get_greyout_offline_buddies (settings));
+  g_assert_false (chatty_settings_get_blur_idle_buddies (settings));
+  g_assert_false (chatty_settings_get_indicate_unkown_contacts (settings));
+  g_assert_false (chatty_settings_get_return_sends_message (settings));
+}
+
+static void
+test_settings_all_bool (void)
+{
+  ChattySettings *settings;
+
+  settings = chatty_settings_get_default ();
+  check_settings_true (settings);
+  g_object_unref (settings);
+
+  /*
+   * Test again with a new settings to see
+   * if settings are saved to gsettings
+   */
+  settings = chatty_settings_get_default ();
+  check_settings_true (settings);
+  g_object_unref (settings);
+
+  settings = chatty_settings_get_default ();
+  check_settings_false (settings);
+  g_object_unref (settings);
+
+  settings = chatty_settings_get_default ();
+  check_settings_false (settings);
+  g_object_unref (settings);
+}
+
+static void
+test_settings_first_start (void)
+{
+  ChattySettings *settings;
+  g_autoptr(GSettings) gsettings = NULL;
+  gboolean first_start;
+
+  /* Reset the “first-start” settings */
+  gsettings = g_settings_new ("sm.puri.Chatty");
+  g_settings_reset (gsettings, "first-start");
+
+  settings = chatty_settings_get_default ();
+  g_assert_true (CHATTY_IS_SETTINGS (settings));
+  g_object_get (settings, "first-start", &first_start, NULL);
+  g_assert_true (first_start);
+  g_assert_true (chatty_settings_get_first_start (settings));
+  g_object_unref (settings);
+
+  /*
+   * create a new object, and check again.  Everytime the settings
+   * is finalized (ie, the program ends) “first-start” should be
+   * set.
+   */
+  settings = chatty_settings_get_default ();
+  g_assert_true (CHATTY_IS_SETTINGS (settings));
+  g_object_get (settings, "first-start", &first_start, NULL);
+  g_assert_false (first_start);
+  g_assert_false (chatty_settings_get_first_start (settings));
+  g_object_unref (settings);
+}
+
+int
+main (int   argc,
+      char *argv[])
+{
+  g_test_init (&argc, &argv, NULL);
+
+  g_setenv ("GSETTINGS_BACKEND", "memory", TRUE);
+
+  g_test_add_func ("/settings/first_start", test_settings_first_start);
+  g_test_add_func ("/settings/all_bool", test_settings_all_bool);
+
+  return g_test_run ();
+}