diff --git a/tests/test_config.py b/tests/test_config.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c371e77a58
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+import os
+import pytest
+
+from omegaconf import OmegaConf
+from pathlib import Path
+
+os.environ['INVOKEAI_ROOT']='/tmp'
+from invokeai.app.services.config import InvokeAIAppConfig, InvokeAISettings
+from invokeai.app.invocations.generate import TextToImageInvocation
+
+init1 = OmegaConf.create(
+'''
+globals:
+  nsfw_checker: False
+  max_loaded_models: 5
+'''
+)
+
+init2 = OmegaConf.create(
+'''
+ globals:
+   nsfw_checker: True
+   max_loaded_models: 2
+'''
+)
+
+def test_use_init():
+    # note that we explicitly set omegaconf dict and argv here
+    # so that the values aren't read from ~invokeai/invokeai.yaml and
+    # sys.argv respectively.
+    conf1 = InvokeAIAppConfig(init1,[])
+    assert conf1
+    assert conf1.max_loaded_models==5
+    assert not conf1.nsfw_checker
+
+    conf2 = InvokeAIAppConfig(init2,[])
+    assert conf2
+    assert conf2.nsfw_checker
+    assert conf2.max_loaded_models==2
+    assert not hasattr(conf2,'invalid_attribute')
+    
+def test_argv_override():
+    conf = InvokeAIAppConfig(init1,['--nsfw_checker','--max_loaded=10'])
+    assert conf.nsfw_checker
+    assert conf.max_loaded_models==10
+    assert conf.outdir==Path('outputs')  # this is the default
+    
+def test_env_override():
+    # argv overrides 
+    conf = InvokeAIAppConfig(conf=init1,argv=['--max_loaded=10'])
+    assert conf.nsfw_checker==False
+    
+    os.environ['INVOKEAI_globals_nsfw_checker'] = 'True'
+    conf = InvokeAIAppConfig(conf=init1,argv=['--max_loaded=10'])
+    assert conf.nsfw_checker==True
+
+    conf = InvokeAIAppConfig(conf=init1,argv=['--no-nsfw_checker','--max_loaded=10'])
+    assert conf.nsfw_checker==False
+
+    conf = InvokeAIAppConfig(conf=init1,argv=[],max_loaded_models=20)
+    assert conf.max_loaded_models==20
+
+def test_type_coercion():
+    conf = InvokeAIAppConfig(argv=['--root=/tmp/foobar'])
+    assert conf.root==Path('/tmp/foobar')
+    assert isinstance(conf.root,Path)
+    conf = InvokeAIAppConfig(argv=['--root=/tmp/foobar'],root='/tmp/different')
+    assert conf.root==Path('/tmp/different')
+    assert isinstance(conf.root,Path)