diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index 6f2ee4077..03979a3dd 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ if 'clean' in COMMAND_LINE_TARGETS:
 if 'test-clean' in COMMAND_LINE_TARGETS:
     removeDirectory('build/test')
     removeDirectory('test/work')
+    removeDirectory('build/python_minimal')
 
 # ******************************************************
 # *** Set system-dependent defaults for some options ***
@@ -1789,6 +1790,21 @@ if any(target.startswith('test') for target in COMMAND_LINE_TARGETS):
     env['testNames'] = []
     env['test_results'] = env.Command('test_results', [], testResults.printReport)
 
+    if env['python2_package'] == 'none' and env['python3_package'] == 'none':
+        # copy scripts from the full Cython module
+        test_py_int = env.Command('#build/python_minimal/cantera/__init__.py',
+                                  '#interfaces/python_minimal/cantera/__init__.py',
+                                  Copy('$TARGET', '$SOURCE'))
+        for script in ['ctml_writer', 'ck2cti']:
+            s = env.Command('#build/python_minimal/cantera/{}.py'.format(script),
+                            '#interfaces/cython/cantera/{}.py'.format(script),
+                            Copy('$TARGET', '$SOURCE'))
+            env.Depends(test_py_int, s)
+
+        env.Depends(env['test_results'], test_py_int)
+
+        env['python_cmd'] = sys.executable
+
     # Tests written using the gtest framework, the Python unittest module,
     # or the Matlab xunit package.
     VariantDir('build/test', 'test', duplicate=0)
diff --git a/test/SConscript b/test/SConscript
index d63038faa..8aafcc98f 100644
--- a/test/SConscript
+++ b/test/SConscript
@@ -209,14 +209,15 @@ def addMatlabTest(script, testName, dependencies=None, env_vars=()):
 
     return run_program
 
-if localenv['python_package'] in ('full', 'minimal'):
+if localenv['python2_package'] in ('full', 'minimal'):
     python_env_vars = {'PYTHONPATH': localenv['pythonpath_build2'],
-                       'PYTHON_CMD': localenv.subst('$python_cmd')}
-elif localenv['python3_package'] == 'y':
+                       'PYTHON_CMD': localenv.subst('$python2_cmd')}
+elif localenv['python3_package'] in ('full', 'minimal'):
     python_env_vars = {'PYTHONPATH': localenv['pythonpath_build3'],
                        'PYTHON_CMD': localenv.subst('$python3_cmd')}
 else:
-    python_env_vars = {} # Tests calling ck2cti or ctml_writer will fail
+    python_env_vars = {'PYTHONPATH': '../../build/python_minimal',
+                       'PYTHON_CMD': localenv.subst('$python_cmd')}
 
 
 # Instantiate tests
diff --git a/test_problems/SConscript b/test_problems/SConscript
index 267247760..17ec0fdf4 100644
--- a/test_problems/SConscript
+++ b/test_problems/SConscript
@@ -19,16 +19,18 @@ if localenv['OS'] == 'Linux':
 else:
     cantera_libs = localenv['cantera_libs']
 
-if localenv['python_package'] in ('full', 'minimal'):
+if localenv['python2_package'] in ('full', 'minimal'):
     localenv['ENV']['PYTHONPATH'] = localenv['pythonpath_build2']
-    localenv['ENV']['PYTHON_CMD'] = localenv.subst('$python_cmd')
+    localenv['ENV']['PYTHON_CMD'] = localenv.subst('$python2_cmd')
     haveConverters = True
-elif localenv['python3_package'] == 'y':
+elif localenv['python3_package'] in ('full', 'minimal'):
     localenv['ENV']['PYTHONPATH'] = localenv['pythonpath_build3']
     localenv['ENV']['PYTHON_CMD'] = localenv.subst('$python3_cmd')
     haveConverters = True
 else:
-    haveConverters = False
+    localenv['ENV']['PYTHONPATH'] = '../../build/python_minimal'
+    localenv['ENV']['PYTHON_CMD'] = localenv.subst('$python_cmd')
+    haveConverters = True
 
 localenv['ENV']['CANTERA_DATA'] = pjoin(os.getcwd(), '..', 'build', 'data')