diff --git a/t/load_rexfile.t b/t/load_rexfile.t
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..78463787e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/load_rexfile.t
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+use 5.010001;
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+
+our $VERSION = '9999.99.99_99'; # VERSION
+
+use Test::More;
+use Test::Output;
+use File::Temp;
+use File::Spec;
+
+use Rex::CLI;
+## no critic (RequireTrailingCommaAtNewline);
+## no critic (ProhibitPostfixControls, WhileDiamondDefaultAssignment);
+## no critic (ProhibitPunctuationVars, ProhibitPackageVars);
+## no critic (RequireCheckedSyscalls, RequireCheckedClose);
+## no critic (RegularExpressions);
+## no critic (Carping, ProhibitNoWarnings, DuplicateLiteral);
+
+#diag 'create some rexfiles to test...';
+my $fh      = undef;
+my $testdir = File::Temp->newdir( 'rextest.XXXX', TMPDIR => 1, CLEANUP => 1 );
+while (<DATA>) {
+  last if /^__END__$/;
+  if (/^@@ *(\S+)$/) {
+
+    #diag "prepare file $1";
+    close $fh if $fh;
+    open $fh, '>', File::Spec->catfile( $testdir, $1 ) or die $!;
+    next;
+  }
+  print {$fh} $_ if $fh;
+}
+close $fh if $fh;
+
+our $exit_was_called = undef;
+
+# we must disable Rex::CLI::exit() sub imported from Rex::Commands
+no warnings 'redefine';
+local *Rex::CLI::exit = sub { $exit_was_called = 1 };
+use warnings 'redefine';
+
+#
+# enable this to debug!
+#
+$::QUIET = 1;
+
+#$Rex::Logger::no_color = 1;
+my $logfile = File::Spec->catfile( $testdir, 'log' );
+Rex::Config->set_log_filename($logfile);
+
+# NOW TEST
+
+# No Rexfile warning (via Rex::Logger)
+Rex::CLI::load_rexfile( File::Spec->catfile( $testdir, 'no_Rexfile' ) );
+my $content = _get_log();
+like( $content, qr/WARN - No Rexfile found/,
+  'No Rexfile warning (via logger)' );
+
+# Valid Rexfile
+_reset_test();
+output_like {
+  Rex::CLI::load_rexfile( File::Spec->catfile( $testdir, 'Rexfile_noerror' ) );
+}
+qr/^$/, qr/^$/, 'No stdout/stderr messages on valid Rexfile';
+$content = _get_log();
+is( $content, q{}, 'No warnings on valid Rexfile (via logger)' );
+
+# Rexfile with warnings
+_reset_test();
+output_like {
+  Rex::CLI::load_rexfile( File::Spec->catfile( $testdir, 'Rexfile_warnings' ) );
+}
+qr/^$/, qr/^$/, 'No stdout/stderr messages on Rexfile with warnings';
+$content = _get_log();
+ok( !$exit_was_called, 'sub load_rexfile() not exit' );
+like(
+  $content,
+  qr/WARN - You have some code warnings/,
+  'Code warnings via logger'
+);
+like( $content, qr/This is warning/, 'warn() warning via logger' );
+like(
+  $content,
+  qr/Use of uninitialized value \$undef/,
+  'perl warning via logger'
+);
+unlike(
+  $content,
+  qr#at /loader/0x#,
+  'loader prefix is filtered in warnings report'
+);
+
+# Rexfile with fatal errors
+_reset_test();
+output_like {
+  Rex::CLI::load_rexfile( File::Spec->catfile( $testdir, 'Rexfile_fatal' ) );
+}
+qr/^$/, qr/^$/, 'No stdout/stderr messages on Rexfile with errors';
+$content = _get_log();
+ok( $exit_was_called, 'sub load_rexfile() aborts' );
+like( $content, qr/ERROR - Compile time errors/, 'Fatal errors via logger' );
+like( $content, qr/syntax error at/, 'syntax error is fatal error via logger' );
+unlike(
+  $content,
+  qr#at /loader/0x#,
+  'loader prefix is filtered in errors report'
+);
+
+# Now print messages to STDERR/STDOUT
+# Valid Rexfile
+_reset_test();
+output_like {
+  Rex::CLI::load_rexfile(
+    File::Spec->catfile( $testdir, 'Rexfile_noerror_print' ) );
+}
+qr/^This is STDOUT message$/, qr/^This is STDERR message$/,
+  'Correct stdout/stderr messages printed from valid Rexfile';
+$content = _get_log();
+is( $content, q{},
+  'No warnings via logger on valid Rexfile that print messages' );
+
+# Rexfile with warnings
+_reset_test();
+output_like {
+  Rex::CLI::load_rexfile(
+    File::Spec->catfile( $testdir, 'Rexfile_warnings_print' ) );
+}
+qr/^This is STDOUT message$/, qr/^This is STDERR message$/,
+  'Correct stdout/stderr messages printed from Rexfile with warnings';
+$content = _get_log();
+like(
+  $content,
+  qr/WARN - You have some code warnings/,
+  'Code warnings exist via logger'
+);
+
+# Rexfile with fatal errors
+_reset_test();
+output_like {
+  Rex::CLI::load_rexfile(
+    File::Spec->catfile( $testdir, 'Rexfile_fatal_print' ) );
+}
+qr/^$/, qr/^$/,
+  'No stdout/stderr messages printed from Rexfile that has errors';
+$content = _get_log();
+ok( $exit_was_called, 'sub load_rexfile() aborts' );
+like(
+  $content,
+  qr/ERROR - Compile time errors/,
+  'Fatal errors exist via logger'
+);
+
+done_testing;
+
+# from logger.t
+sub _get_log {
+  ## no critic (LocalVars)
+  local $/;
+
+  open my $fh, '<', $logfile or die $!;
+  my $loglines = <$fh>;
+  close $fh;
+
+  return $loglines;
+}
+
+sub _reset_test {
+  $exit_was_called = undef;
+
+  # reset log
+  open my $fh, '>', $logfile or die $!;
+  close $fh;
+
+  # reset require
+  delete $INC{'__Rexfile__.pm'};
+
+  return;
+}
+
+__DATA__
+@@ Rexfile_noerror
+use Rex;
+user 'testuser';
+task test => sub { say "test1" };
+
+@@ Rexfile_warnings
+use Rex;
+use warnings;
+warn 'This is warning';
+my $undef; my $warn = 'warn'.$undef;
+user 'testuser';
+task test => sub { say "test2" };
+
+@@ Rexfile_fatal
+use Rex;
+aaaabbbbcccc
+task test => sub { say "test3" };
+
+@@ Rexfile_noerror_print
+use Rex;
+user 'testuser';
+print STDERR 'This is STDERR message';
+print STDOUT 'This is STDOUT message';
+task test2 => sub { say "test4" };
+
+@@ Rexfile_warnings_print
+use Rex;
+use warnings;
+warn 'This is warning';
+my $undef; my $warn = 'warn'.$undef;
+print STDERR 'This is STDERR message';
+print STDOUT 'This is STDOUT message';
+user 'testuser';
+task test2 => sub { say "test5" };
+
+@@ Rexfile_fatal_print
+use Rex;
+print STDERR 'This is STDERR message';
+print STDOUT 'This is STDOUT message';
+aaaabbbbcccc
+print STDERR 'This is STDERR message';
+print STDOUT 'This is STDOUT message';
+task test2 => sub { say "test6" };
+