diff --git a/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config.txt b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config/etc/group b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config/etc/group
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config/etc/gshadow b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config/etc/gshadow
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config/etc/passwd b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config/etc/passwd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config/etc/shadow b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/config/etc/shadow
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/cppw.test b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/cppw.test
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..a0c2095b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/cppw.test
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -e
+
+cd $(dirname $0)
+
+. ../../common/config.sh
+. ../../common/log.sh
+
+log_start "$0" "cppw can copy a shadow file even if there were no shadow file"
+
+save_config
+
+# restore the files on exit
+trap 'log_status "$0" "FAILURE"; restore_config' 0
+
+change_config
+
+echo -n "Remove /etc/shadow..."
+rm -f /etc/shadow
+echo "done"
+
+echo -n "Use cppw (cppw -s data/shadow)..."
+cppw -s data/shadow 2>tmp/cppw.err && exit 1 || {
+	status=$?
+}
+echo "OK"
+
+echo -n "Check returned status ($status)..."
+test "$status" = "1"
+echo "OK"
+
+echo "cppw reported:"
+echo "======================================================================="
+cat tmp/cppw.err
+echo "======================================================================="
+echo -n "Check the usage message..."
+diff -au data/cppw.err tmp/cppw.err
+echo "usage message OK."
+rm -f tmp/cppw.err
+
+echo -n "Check the passwd file..."
+../../common/compare_file.pl config/etc/passwd /etc/passwd
+echo "OK"
+echo -n "Check the group file..."
+../../common/compare_file.pl config/etc/group /etc/group
+echo "OK"
+echo -n "Check the shadow file..."
+test ! -f /etc/shadow
+echo "OK"
+echo -n "Check the gshadow file..."
+../../common/compare_file.pl config/etc/gshadow /etc/gshadow
+echo "OK"
+
+log_status "$0" "SUCCESS"
+restore_config
+trap '' 0
+
diff --git a/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/data/cppw.err b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/data/cppw.err
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0c7d649e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/data/cppw.err
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+cppw: /etc/shadow: No such file or directory
+cppw: /etc/shadow is unchanged
diff --git a/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/data/shadow b/tests/cptools/12_cppw-s_no_shadow_file/data/shadow
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b