diff --git a/scripts/run_plugin_tests.py b/scripts/run_plugin_tests.py
index 61e59710..baaf1075 100755
--- a/scripts/run_plugin_tests.py
+++ b/scripts/run_plugin_tests.py
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ Discovers and runs tests for LEDMatrix plugins.
 Supports both unittest and pytest.
 """
 
+import os
+import re
+import subprocess
 import sys
 import argparse
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -68,6 +71,65 @@ def _find_tests_in_dir(directory: Path) -> list:
     return sorted(set(test_files))
 
 
+def _is_script_style(path) -> bool:
+    """True when a test file is a standalone script, not a pytest module.
+
+    Most plugin tests are written as `def main()` plus an `if __name__ ==
+    "__main__"` guard and signal through an exit code. pytest collects zero
+    items from those, so handing them to pytest printed "no tests ran" and this
+    runner reported success over work it had not done -- 151 of 248 files on a
+    fully populated rig.
+    """
+    try:
+        src = Path(path).read_text(encoding="utf-8", errors="replace")
+    except OSError:
+        return False
+    has_pytest_items = re.search(r"^\s*(def test_|class Test|async def test_)", src, re.M)
+    has_main_guard = "__main__" in src and "__name__" in src
+    return bool(has_main_guard and not has_pytest_items)
+
+
+def run_script_tests(test_files: list, verbose: bool = False) -> int:
+    """Run standalone test scripts, honouring the 0 pass / 2 skip / 1 fail
+    convention that ledmatrix-plugins' own runner established.
+
+    Scripts opt into skipping by printing "SKIP: <reason>" and exiting 2 --
+    a script that needs a tty or an LED matrix is not a regression.
+    """
+    env = dict(os.environ)
+    env.setdefault("PYTHONPATH", str(PROJECT_ROOT))
+    env.setdefault("LEDMATRIX_CORE", str(PROJECT_ROOT))
+
+    passed = skipped = failed = 0
+    failures = []
+    for path in test_files:
+        try:
+            proc = subprocess.run([sys.executable, str(path)], cwd=str(Path(path).parent),
+                                  capture_output=True, text=True, env=env,
+                                  stdin=subprocess.DEVNULL, timeout=300)
+            rc = proc.returncode
+            tail = " | ".join((proc.stdout or proc.stderr or "").strip().splitlines()[-2:])[:200]
+        except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+            rc, tail = 1, "timed out after 300s"
+        if rc == 0:
+            passed += 1
+            label = "pass"
+        elif rc == 2:
+            skipped += 1
+            label = "SKIP"
+        else:
+            failed += 1
+            label = "FAIL"
+            failures.append(f"{Path(path).name}: exit {rc} | {tail}")
+        if verbose or rc != 0:
+            print(f"  [{label}] {Path(path).name}" + (f" -- {tail}" if rc != 0 else ""))
+
+    print(f"\n{passed} passed, {skipped} skipped, {failed} failed (scripts)")
+    for f in failures:
+        print(f"  - {f}", file=sys.stderr)
+    return 1 if failed else 0
+
+
 def run_unittest_tests(test_files: list, verbose: bool = False) -> int:
     """
     Run tests using unittest.
@@ -186,11 +248,16 @@ def main():
             print("No test files found in plugins directory")
         return 0
     
-    print(f"Found {len(test_files)} test file(s)")
+    scripts = [f for f in test_files if _is_script_style(f)]
+    modules = [f for f in test_files if f not in scripts]
+
+    print(f"Found {len(test_files)} test file(s)"
+          + (f" -- {len(modules)} collectable, {len(scripts)} standalone script(s)"
+             if scripts else ""))
     for test_file in test_files:
         print(f"  - {test_file}")
     print()
-    
+
     # Determine runner
     runner = args.runner
     if runner == 'auto':
@@ -199,12 +266,21 @@ def main():
             runner = 'pytest'
         except ImportError:
             runner = 'unittest'
-    
-    # Run tests
-    if runner == 'pytest':
-        return run_pytest_tests(test_files, args.verbose, args.coverage)
-    else:
-        return run_unittest_tests(test_files, args.verbose)
+
+    # Standalone scripts cannot be collected by pytest or unittest -- run them
+    # as the scripts they are. Doing this rather than silently collecting zero
+    # items is the whole point: this runner used to report success having
+    # executed nothing.
+    rc = 0
+    if scripts:
+        rc |= run_script_tests(scripts, args.verbose)
+
+    if modules:
+        if runner == 'pytest':
+            rc |= run_pytest_tests(modules, args.verbose, args.coverage)
+        else:
+            rc |= run_unittest_tests(modules, args.verbose)
+    return rc
 
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':