diff --git a/tests/networkxml2firewalltest.c b/tests/networkxml2firewalltest.c
index 80ba510d14..91336a0c55 100644
--- a/tests/networkxml2firewalltest.c
+++ b/tests/networkxml2firewalltest.c
@@ -152,14 +152,6 @@ testCompareXMLToIPTablesHelper(const void *data)
     return result;
 }
 
-static bool
-hasNetfilterTools(void)
-{
-    return virFileIsExecutable(IPTABLES_PATH) &&
-        virFileIsExecutable(IP6TABLES_PATH) &&
-        virFileIsExecutable(EBTABLES_PATH);
-}
-
 
 static int
 mymain(void)
@@ -179,11 +171,6 @@ mymain(void)
     } while (0)
 
     if (virFirewallSetBackend(VIR_FIREWALL_BACKEND_DIRECT) < 0) {
-        if (!hasNetfilterTools()) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "iptables/ip6tables/ebtables tools not present");
-            return EXIT_AM_SKIP;
-        }
-
         return EXIT_FAILURE;
     }
 
@@ -203,7 +190,8 @@ mymain(void)
     return ret == 0 ? EXIT_SUCCESS : EXIT_FAILURE;
 }
 
-VIR_TEST_MAIN_PRELOAD(mymain, VIR_TEST_MOCK("virgdbus"))
+VIR_TEST_MAIN_PRELOAD(mymain, VIR_TEST_MOCK("virgdbus"),
+                      VIR_TEST_MOCK("virfirewall"))
 
 #else /* ! defined (__linux__) */
 
diff --git a/tests/nwfilterebiptablestest.c b/tests/nwfilterebiptablestest.c
index 5f504cbe64..65b63959fb 100644
--- a/tests/nwfilterebiptablestest.c
+++ b/tests/nwfilterebiptablestest.c
@@ -482,14 +482,6 @@ testNWFilterEBIPTablesApplyDropAllRules(const void *opaque G_GNUC_UNUSED)
     return ret;
 }
 
-static bool
-hasNetfilterTools(void)
-{
-    return virFileIsExecutable(IPTABLES_PATH) &&
-        virFileIsExecutable(IP6TABLES_PATH) &&
-        virFileIsExecutable(EBTABLES_PATH);
-}
-
 
 static int
 mymain(void)
@@ -497,11 +489,6 @@ mymain(void)
     int ret = 0;
 
     if (virFirewallSetBackend(VIR_FIREWALL_BACKEND_DIRECT) < 0) {
-        if (!hasNetfilterTools()) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "iptables/ip6tables/ebtables tools not present");
-            return EXIT_AM_SKIP;
-        }
-
         return EXIT_FAILURE;
     }
 
@@ -543,4 +530,4 @@ mymain(void)
     return ret == 0 ? EXIT_SUCCESS : EXIT_FAILURE;
 }
 
-VIR_TEST_MAIN(mymain)
+VIR_TEST_MAIN_PRELOAD(mymain, VIR_TEST_MOCK("virfirewall"))
diff --git a/tests/nwfilterxml2firewalltest.c b/tests/nwfilterxml2firewalltest.c
index 560372b802..6709cc15fd 100644
--- a/tests/nwfilterxml2firewalltest.c
+++ b/tests/nwfilterxml2firewalltest.c
@@ -431,14 +431,6 @@ testCompareXMLToIPTablesHelper(const void *data)
     return result;
 }
 
-static bool
-hasNetfilterTools(void)
-{
-    return virFileIsExecutable(IPTABLES_PATH) &&
-        virFileIsExecutable(IP6TABLES_PATH) &&
-        virFileIsExecutable(EBTABLES_PATH);
-}
-
 
 static int
 mymain(void)
@@ -456,10 +448,6 @@ mymain(void)
     } while (0)
 
     if (virFirewallSetBackend(VIR_FIREWALL_BACKEND_DIRECT) < 0) {
-        if (!hasNetfilterTools()) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "iptables/ip6tables/ebtables tools not present");
-            return EXIT_AM_SKIP;
-        }
         return EXIT_FAILURE;
     }
 
@@ -506,7 +494,7 @@ mymain(void)
     return ret == 0 ? EXIT_SUCCESS : EXIT_FAILURE;
 }
 
-VIR_TEST_MAIN(mymain)
+VIR_TEST_MAIN_PRELOAD(mymain, VIR_TEST_MOCK("virfirewall"))
 
 #else /* ! defined (__linux__) */
 
diff --git a/tests/virfirewalltest.c b/tests/virfirewalltest.c
index 8e65fa8524..ac039f3bbf 100644
--- a/tests/virfirewalltest.c
+++ b/tests/virfirewalltest.c
@@ -1034,24 +1034,12 @@ testFirewallQuery(const void *opaque G_GNUC_UNUSED)
     return ret;
 }
 
-static bool
-hasNetfilterTools(void)
-{
-    return virFileIsExecutable(IPTABLES_PATH) &&
-        virFileIsExecutable(IP6TABLES_PATH) &&
-        virFileIsExecutable(EBTABLES_PATH);
-}
 
 static int
 mymain(void)
 {
     int ret = 0;
 
-    if (!hasNetfilterTools()) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "iptables/ip6tables/ebtables tools not present");
-        return EXIT_AM_SKIP;
-    }
-
 # define RUN_TEST_DIRECT(name, method) \
     do { \
         struct testFirewallData data; \
@@ -1100,7 +1088,8 @@ mymain(void)
     return ret == 0 ? EXIT_SUCCESS : EXIT_FAILURE;
 }
 
-VIR_TEST_MAIN_PRELOAD(mymain, VIR_TEST_MOCK("virgdbus"))
+VIR_TEST_MAIN_PRELOAD(mymain, VIR_TEST_MOCK("virgdbus"),
+                      VIR_TEST_MOCK("virfirewall"))
 
 #else /* ! defined (__linux__) */