diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 233f358..5968d98 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,13 +3,36 @@ edition      = "2024"
 name         = "esp32-c_its-companion"
 rust-version = "1.88"
 version      = "0.1.0"
+default-run  = "esp32-c_its-companion"
 
 [[bin]]
 name = "esp32-c_its-companion"
 path = "./src/main.rs"
 
+[[bin]]
+name = "test"
+path = "./src/test.rs"
+required-features = ["std"]
+
 [features]
-default = ["spat"]
+default = ["esp", "spat"]
+
+# build for ESP (needed to build test for `host-tuple`)
+esp = [
+  "dep:esp-hal",
+  "dep:esp-rtos",
+  "dep:esp-bootloader-esp-idf",
+  "dep:embassy-executor",
+  "dep:embassy-time",
+  "dep:embedded-io",
+  "dep:embedded-io-async",
+  "dep:esp-alloc",
+  "dep:esp-backtrace",
+  "dep:esp-println",
+  "dep:esp-radio",
+  "dep:embassy_gps",
+]
+std = ["c-its-parser/std"]
 
 # echo CAM data on serial
 cam = ["c-its-parser/cam"]
@@ -20,9 +43,9 @@ spat = ["c-its-parser/spatem", "c-its-parser/mapem"]
 
 
 [dependencies]
-esp-hal = { version = "~1.1.0", features = ["esp32c5", "log-04", "unstable"] }
+esp-hal = { version = "~1.1.0", optional = true, features = ["esp32c5", "log-04", "unstable"] }
 
-esp-rtos = { version = "0.3.0", features = [
+esp-rtos = { version = "0.3.0", optional = true, features = [
   "embassy",
   "esp-alloc",
   "esp-radio",
@@ -30,22 +53,22 @@ esp-rtos = { version = "0.3.0", features = [
   "log-04",
 ] }
 
-esp-bootloader-esp-idf = { version = "0.5.0", features = ["esp32c5", "log-04"] }
+esp-bootloader-esp-idf = { version = "0.5.0", optional = true, features = ["esp32c5", "log-04"] }
 log                    = "0.4.27"
 
 critical-section = "1.2.0"
-embassy-executor = { version = "0.10.0", features = ["log"] }
-embassy-time = { version = "0.5.0", features = ["log"] }
-embedded-io = "0.7.1"
-embedded-io-async = "0.7.0"
-esp-alloc = "0.10.0"
-esp-backtrace = { version = "0.19.0", features = [
+embassy-executor = { version = "0.10.0", optional = true, features = ["log"] }
+embassy-time = { version = "0.5.0", optional = true, features = ["log"] }
+embedded-io = { version = "0.7.1", optional = true }
+embedded-io-async = { version = "0.7.0", optional = true }
+esp-alloc = { version = "0.10.0", optional = true }
+esp-backtrace = { version = "0.19.0", optional = true, features = [
   "esp32c5",
   "panic-handler",
   "println",
 ] }
-esp-println = { version = "0.17.0", features = ["esp32c5", "log-04"] }
-esp-radio = { version = "0.18.0", features = [
+esp-println = { version = "0.17.0", optional = true, features = ["esp32c5", "log-04"] }
+esp-radio = { version = "0.18.0", optional = true, features = [
   "esp-alloc",
   "esp32c5",
   "log-04",
@@ -54,7 +77,7 @@ esp-radio = { version = "0.18.0", features = [
   "sniffer",
 ] }
 
-embassy_gps = { version = "0.1.0", default-features = false, features = ["esp", "log-04"], git = "https://github.com/jbeyerstedt/embassy_gps.git", branch = "feat/rework-gpsfix" }
+embassy_gps = { version = "0.1.0", optional = true, default-features = false, features = ["esp", "log-04"], git = "https://github.com/jbeyerstedt/embassy_gps.git", branch = "feat/rework-gpsfix" }
 c-its-parser = { version = "2.2.2", default-features = false, features = [
   "time",
   "geo",
diff --git a/Readme.md b/Readme.md
index 02d912f..c2d3983 100644
--- a/Readme.md
+++ b/Readme.md
@@ -29,3 +29,10 @@ Connect your ESP32-C5 and run:
 ```
 cargo run --release
 ```
+
+### Run Unit Tests on Host
+The unit tests in this project are meant to be run on the host:
+
+```
+cargo test --target host-tuple --bin test --no-default-features -F std,spat
+```
diff --git a/build.rs b/build.rs
index 9272c07..7ad15d3 100644
--- a/build.rs
+++ b/build.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,13 @@
+use std::env;
+
 fn main() {
-    linker_be_nice();
-    // make sure linkall.x is the last linker script (otherwise might cause problems with flip-link)
-    println!("cargo:rustc-link-arg=-Tlinkall.x");
+    let target_arch = env::var("CARGO_CFG_TARGET_ARCH").unwrap();
+
+    if target_arch == "riscv32" {
+        linker_be_nice();
+        // make sure linkall.x is the last linker script (otherwise might cause problems with flip-link)
+        println!("cargo:rustc-link-arg=-Tlinkall.x");
+    }
 }
 
 fn linker_be_nice() {
diff --git a/src/applogic/tlc.rs b/src/applogic/tlc.rs
index ed03922..4b631c9 100644
--- a/src/applogic/tlc.rs
+++ b/src/applogic/tlc.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 use c_its_parser::standards::mapem_2_2_1::mapem_pdu_descriptions;
 use c_its_parser::standards::spatem_2_2_1::spatem_pdu_descriptions;
 use chrono::Datelike;
+#[cfg(target_arch = "riscv32")]
 use esp_println::println;
 
 pub fn handle_mapem(etsi: &mapem_pdu_descriptions::MAPEM) {
diff --git a/src/test.rs b/src/test.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0fb9fac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#![cfg(not(target_arch = "riscv32"))]
+
+extern crate alloc;
+
+mod applogic;
+mod cache;
+
+fn main() {
+    // dummy only
+}