diff --git a/test/integration/README.md b/test/integration/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fe7906120d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+# Swarm Integration Tests
+
+Integration tests provide end-to-end testing of Swarm.
+
+While unit tests verify the code is working as expected by relying on mocks and
+artificially created fixtures, integration tests actually use real docker
+engines and communicate with Swarm through the CLI.
+
+Note that integration tests do **not** replace unit tests.
+
+As a rule of thumb, code should be tested thoroughly with unit tests.
+Integration tests on the other hand are meant to test a specific feature end
+to end.
+
+Integration tests are written in *bash* using the
+[bats](https://github.com/sstephenson/bats) framework.
+
+## Running integration tests
+
+Start by [installing]
+(https://github.com/sstephenson/bats#installing-bats-from-source) *bats* on
+your system.
+
+The tests expect the *swarm* binary to be built and located at the root
+directory of the repo:
+```
+$ godep go build
+```
+
+In order to run all integration tests, pass *bats* the test path:
+```
+$ bats test/integration
+```
+
+## Writing integration tests
+
+[helper functions]
+(https://github.com/docker/swarm/blob/master/test/integration/helpers.bash)
+are provided in order to facilitate writing tests.
+
+```sh
+#!/usr/bin/env bats
+
+# This will load the helpers.
+load helpers
+
+@test "this is a simple test" {
+	# start_docker will start a given number of engines:
+	start_docker 2
+
+	# The address of those engines is available through $HOSTS:
+	run docker -H ${HOSTS[0]} info
+	# "run" automatically populates $status, $output and $lines.
+	# Please refer to bats documentation to find out more.
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+
+	# You can start multiple docker engines in the same test:
+	start_docker 1
+	# Their address will be *appended* to $HOSTS. Therefore, since this is the 3rd
+	# engine started, its index will be 2:
+	run docker -H ${HOSTS[2]} info  
+
+	# Additional parameters can be passed to the docker daemon:
+	start_docker 1 --label foo=bar
+
+	# start_manager will start the swarm manager, preconfigured with all engines
+	# previously started by start_engine:
+	start_manager
+
+	# You can talk with said manager by using the docker_swarm helper:
+	run docker_swarm info
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+	[ "${lines[1]}"="Nodes: 4" ]
+}
+
+# teardown is called at the end of every test.
+function teardown() {
+	# This will stop the swarm manager:
+	stop_manager
+
+	# This will stop and remove all engines launched by the test:
+	stop_docker
+}
+```