--- /dev/null
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+
+use PostgresNode;
+use TestLib;
+use Test::More tests => 9;
+
+my $tempdir = TestLib::tempdir;
+
+command_fails_like([ 'pg_ctl', '-D', "$tempdir/nonexistent", 'promote' ],
+                                  qr/directory .* does not exist/,
+                                  'pg_ctl promote with nonexistent directory');
+
+my $node_primary = get_new_node('primary');
+$node_primary->init(allows_streaming => 1);
+
+command_fails_like([ 'pg_ctl', '-D', $node_primary->data_dir, 'promote' ],
+                                  qr/PID file .* does not exist/,
+                                  'pg_ctl promote of not running instance fails');
+
+$node_primary->start;
+
+command_fails_like([ 'pg_ctl', '-D', $node_primary->data_dir, 'promote' ],
+                                  qr/not in standby mode/,
+                                  'pg_ctl promote of primary instance fails');
+
+my $node_standby = get_new_node('standby');
+$node_primary->backup('my_backup');
+$node_standby->init_from_backup($node_primary, 'my_backup', has_streaming => 1);
+$node_standby->start;
+
+is($node_standby->safe_psql('postgres', 'SELECT pg_is_in_recovery()'),
+   't', 'standby is in recovery');
+
+command_ok([ 'pg_ctl', '-D', $node_standby->data_dir, 'promote' ],
+                  'pg_ctl promote of standby runs');
+
+ok($node_standby->poll_query_until('postgres', 'SELECT NOT pg_is_in_recovery()'),
+   'promoted standby is not in recovery');
 
   program_version_ok
   program_options_handling_ok
   command_like
+  command_fails_like
 
   $windows_os
 );
        like($stdout, $expected_stdout, "$test_name: matches");
 }
 
+sub command_fails_like
+{
+       my ($cmd, $expected_stderr, $test_name) = @_;
+       my ($stdout, $stderr);
+       print("# Running: " . join(" ", @{$cmd}) . "\n");
+       my $result = IPC::Run::run $cmd, '>', \$stdout, '2>', \$stderr;
+       ok(!$result, "$test_name: exit code not 0");
+       like($stderr, $expected_stderr, "$test_name: matches");
+}
+
 1;