diff --git a/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/kvm-f14-url.xml b/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/kvm-f14-url.xml
index 323f6a667..84bc59c76 100644
--- a/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/kvm-f14-url.xml
+++ b/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/kvm-f14-url.xml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
   <features>
     <acpi/><apic/><pae/>
   </features>
-  <cpu match='exact'>
+  <cpu mode='custom' match='exact'>
     <model>core2duo</model>
     <vendor>Intel</vendor>
     <feature policy='require' name='pbe'/>
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@
   <features>
     <acpi/><apic/><pae/>
   </features>
-  <cpu match='exact'>
+  <cpu mode='custom' match='exact'>
     <model>core2duo</model>
     <vendor>Intel</vendor>
     <feature policy='require' name='pbe'/>
diff --git a/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/qemu-plain.xml b/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/qemu-plain.xml
index 55ed250d6..adf71e20b 100644
--- a/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/qemu-plain.xml
+++ b/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/qemu-plain.xml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
   <features>
     <acpi/><apic/><pae/>
   </features>
-  <cpu match='exact'>
+  <cpu mode='custom' match='exact'>
     <model>Penryn</model>
   </cpu>
   <clock offset="utc"/>
diff --git a/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/w2k3-cdrom.xml b/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/w2k3-cdrom.xml
index 32c47b0e0..ca8db9e15 100644
--- a/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/w2k3-cdrom.xml
+++ b/tests/cli-test-xml/compare/w2k3-cdrom.xml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
   <features>
     <acpi/><apic/><pae/>
   </features>
-  <cpu>
+  <cpu mode='custom'>
     <topology sockets='1' cores='4' threads='1'/>
   </cpu>
   <clock offset="localtime"/>
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
   <features>
     <acpi/><apic/><pae/>
   </features>
-  <cpu>
+  <cpu mode='custom'>
     <topology sockets='1' cores='4' threads='1'/>
   </cpu>
   <clock offset="localtime"/>
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@
   <features>
     <acpi/><apic/><pae/>
   </features>
-  <cpu>
+  <cpu mode='custom'>
     <topology sockets='1' cores='4' threads='1'/>
   </cpu>
   <clock offset="localtime"/>
diff --git a/tests/xmlconfig-xml/boot-cpuset.xml b/tests/xmlconfig-xml/boot-cpuset.xml
index 64beafe0c..3b4dc0ed1 100644
--- a/tests/xmlconfig-xml/boot-cpuset.xml
+++ b/tests/xmlconfig-xml/boot-cpuset.xml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
   <features>
     <acpi/><apic/>
   </features>
-  <cpu match='minimum'>
+  <cpu mode='custom' match='minimum'>
     <model>footest</model>
     <vendor>Intel</vendor>
     <topology sockets='4' cores='5' threads='2'/>
diff --git a/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-cpumode-in.xml b/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-cpumode-in.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..efe15f7bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-cpumode-in.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+<domain type="kvm">
+  <name>TestGuest</name>
+  <currentMemory>204800</currentMemory>
+  <memory>409600</memory>
+  <uuid>12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012</uuid>
+  <os>
+    <type arch="i686">hvm</type>
+    <boot dev="hd"/>
+  </os>
+  <vcpu cpuset="1-3">4</vcpu>
+  <devices>
+    <emulator>/usr/lib/xen/bin/qemu-dm</emulator>
+    <disk type="block" device="cdrom">
+      <target dev="hdc" bus="ide"/>
+      <readonly/>
+    </disk>
+  </devices>
+  <cpu mode="host-passthrough"/>
+</domain>
diff --git a/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-cpumode-out.xml b/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-cpumode-out.xml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..23cc3e3c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-cpumode-out.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<domain type="kvm">
+  <name>TestGuest</name>
+  <currentMemory>204800</currentMemory>
+  <memory>409600</memory>
+  <uuid>12345678-1234-1234-1234-123456789012</uuid>
+  <os>
+    <type arch="i686">hvm</type>
+    <boot dev="hd"/>
+  </os>
+  <vcpu cpuset="1-3">4</vcpu>
+  <devices>
+    <emulator>/usr/lib/xen/bin/qemu-dm</emulator>
+    <disk type="block" device="cdrom">
+      <target dev="hdc" bus="ide"/>
+      <readonly/>
+    </disk>
+  </devices>
+  <cpu mode="custom" match="exact">
+    <model>qemu64</model>
+  </cpu>
+</domain>
diff --git a/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-guest-out.xml b/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-guest-out.xml
index f77a24ba9..7a498fd2d 100644
--- a/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-guest-out.xml
+++ b/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-guest-out.xml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
   <numatune>
     <memory nodeset="2,4,6"/>
   </numatune>
-  <cpu match="strict">
+  <cpu match="strict" mode="custom">
     <model>qemu64</model>
     <vendor>qemuvendor</vendor>
     <topology sockets="4" cores="3" threads="1"/>
diff --git a/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-minimal-guest-out.xml b/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-minimal-guest-out.xml
index 4095d9b17..c9df30abb 100644
--- a/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-minimal-guest-out.xml
+++ b/tests/xmlparse-xml/change-minimal-guest-out.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <seclabel model="testSecurity" type="static">
     <label>frob</label>
   </seclabel>
-  <cpu match="exact">
+  <cpu mode="custom" match="exact">
     <model>foobar</model>
     <topology cores="4" sockets="1" threads="1"/>
     <feature policy="forbid" name="x2apic"/>
diff --git a/tests/xmlparse.py b/tests/xmlparse.py
index 65db8a879..716ed4344 100644
--- a/tests/xmlparse.py
+++ b/tests/xmlparse.py
@@ -232,6 +232,20 @@ class XMLParseTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
         self._alter_compare(guest.get_xml_config(), outfile)
 
+    def testAlterCpuMode(self):
+        infile  = "tests/xmlparse-xml/change-cpumode-in.xml"
+        outfile = "tests/xmlparse-xml/change-cpumode-out.xml"
+        guest = virtinst.Guest(conn=conn,
+                               parsexml=file(infile).read())
+
+        check = self._make_checker(guest.cpu)
+        check("mode", "host-passthrough", "custom")
+        check("mode", "custom", "host-model")
+        # mode will be "custom"
+        check("model", None, "qemu64")
+
+        self._alter_compare(guest.get_xml_config(), outfile)
+
     def testAlterDisk(self):
         """
         Test changing VirtualDisk() parameters after parsing