diff --git a/nixos/tests/installer.nix b/nixos/tests/installer.nix
index 1269463d8ef5..ac333d2e9ea1 100644
--- a/nixos/tests/installer.nix
+++ b/nixos/tests/installer.nix
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ let
   # partitions and filesystems.
   testScriptFun = { bootLoader, createPartitions, grubDevice, grubUseEfi, grubIdentifier
                   , postInstallCommands, postBootCommands, extraConfig
-                  , testSpecialisationConfig, testFlakeSwitch, clevisTest, clevisFallbackTest
+                  , testSpecialisationConfig, testFlakeSwitch, testByAttrSwitch, clevisTest, clevisFallbackTest
                   , disableFileSystems
                   }:
     let
@@ -316,6 +316,119 @@ let
 
       target.shutdown()
     ''
+    + optionalString testByAttrSwitch ''
+      with subtest("Configure system with attribute set"):
+        target.succeed("""
+          mkdir /root/my-config
+          mv /etc/nixos/hardware-configuration.nix /root/my-config/
+          rm /etc/nixos/configuration.nix
+        """)
+        target.copy_from_host_via_shell(
+          "${makeConfig {
+               inherit bootLoader grubDevice grubIdentifier grubUseEfi extraConfig clevisTest;
+               forceGrubReinstallCount = 1;
+               withTestInstrumentation = false;
+            }}",
+          "/root/my-config/configuration.nix",
+        )
+        target.copy_from_host_via_shell(
+          "${./installer/byAttrWithChannel.nix}",
+          "/root/my-config/default.nix",
+        )
+      with subtest("Switch to attribute set based config with channels"):
+        target.succeed("nixos-rebuild switch --file /root/my-config/default.nix")
+
+      target.shutdown()
+
+      ${startTarget}
+
+      target.succeed("""
+        rm /root/my-config/default.nix
+      """)
+      target.copy_from_host_via_shell(
+        "${./installer/byAttrNoChannel.nix}",
+        "/root/my-config/default.nix",
+      )
+
+      target.succeed("""
+        pkgs=$(readlink -f /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels)/nixos
+        if ! [[ -e $pkgs/pkgs/top-level/default.nix ]]; then
+          echo 1>&2 "$pkgs does not seem to be a nixpkgs source. Please fix the test so that pkgs points to a nixpkgs source.";
+          exit 1;
+        fi
+        sed -e s^@nixpkgs@^$pkgs^ -i /root/my-config/default.nix
+
+      """)
+
+      with subtest("Switch to attribute set based config without channels"):
+        target.succeed("nixos-rebuild switch --file /root/my-config/default.nix")
+
+      target.shutdown()
+
+      ${startTarget}
+
+      with subtest("nix-channel command is not available anymore"):
+        target.succeed("! which nix-channel")
+
+      with subtest("builtins.nixPath is now empty"):
+        target.succeed("""
+          [[ "[ ]" == "$(nix-instantiate builtins.nixPath --eval --expr)" ]]
+        """)
+
+      with subtest("<nixpkgs> does not resolve"):
+        target.succeed("""
+          ! nix-instantiate '<nixpkgs>' --eval --expr
+        """)
+
+      with subtest("Evaluate attribute set based config in fresh env without nix-channel"):
+        target.succeed("nixos-rebuild switch --file /root/my-config/default.nix")
+
+      with subtest("Evaluate attribute set based config in fresh env without channel profiles"):
+        target.succeed("""
+          (
+            exec 1>&2
+            mkdir -p /root/restore
+            mv -v /root/.nix-channels /root/restore/
+            mv -v ~/.nix-defexpr /root/restore/
+            mkdir -p /root/restore/channels
+            mv -v /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels* /root/restore/channels/
+          )
+        """)
+        target.succeed("nixos-rebuild switch --file /root/my-config/default.nix")
+    ''
+    + optionalString (testByAttrSwitch && testFlakeSwitch) ''
+      with subtest("Restore channel profiles"):
+        target.succeed("""
+          (
+            exec 1>&2
+            mv -v /root/restore/.nix-channels /root/
+            mv -v /root/restore/.nix-defexpr ~/.nix-defexpr
+            mv -v /root/restore/channels/* /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/
+            rm -vrf /root/restore
+          )
+        """)
+
+      with subtest("Restore /etc/nixos"):
+        target.succeed("""
+          mv -v /root/my-config/hardware-configuration.nix /etc/nixos/
+        """)
+        target.copy_from_host_via_shell(
+          "${makeConfig {
+               inherit bootLoader grubDevice grubIdentifier grubUseEfi extraConfig clevisTest;
+               forceGrubReinstallCount = 1;
+            }}",
+          "/etc/nixos/configuration.nix",
+        )
+
+      with subtest("Restore /root/my-config"):
+        target.succeed("""
+          rm -vrf /root/my-config
+        """)
+
+    ''
+    + optionalString (testByAttrSwitch && !testFlakeSwitch) ''
+      target.shutdown()
+    ''
     + optionalString testFlakeSwitch ''
       ${startTarget}
 
@@ -399,6 +512,7 @@ let
     , enableOCR ? false, meta ? {}
     , testSpecialisationConfig ? false
     , testFlakeSwitch ? false
+    , testByAttrSwitch ? false
     , clevisTest ? false
     , clevisFallbackTest ? false
     , disableFileSystems ? false
@@ -533,7 +647,7 @@ let
       testScript = testScriptFun {
         inherit bootLoader createPartitions postInstallCommands postBootCommands
                 grubDevice grubIdentifier grubUseEfi extraConfig
-                testSpecialisationConfig testFlakeSwitch clevisTest clevisFallbackTest
+                testSpecialisationConfig testFlakeSwitch testByAttrSwitch clevisTest clevisFallbackTest
                 disableFileSystems;
       };
     };
@@ -589,6 +703,15 @@ let
     testFlakeSwitch = true;
   };
 
+  simple-test-config-by-attr = simple-test-config // {
+    testByAttrSwitch = true;
+  };
+
+  simple-test-config-from-by-attr-to-flake = simple-test-config // {
+    testByAttrSwitch = true;
+    testFlakeSwitch = true;
+  };
+
   simple-uefi-grub-config = {
     createPartitions = ''
       installer.succeed(
@@ -772,6 +895,10 @@ in {
 
   switchToFlake = makeInstallerTest "switch-to-flake" simple-test-config-flake;
 
+  switchToByAttr = makeInstallerTest "switch-to-by-attr" simple-test-config-by-attr;
+
+  switchFromByAttrToFlake = makeInstallerTest "switch-from-by-attr-to-flake" simple-test-config-from-by-attr-to-flake;
+
   # Test cloned configurations with the simple grub configuration
   simpleSpecialised = makeInstallerTest "simpleSpecialised" (simple-test-config // specialisation-test-extraconfig);
 
diff --git a/nixos/tests/installer/byAttrNoChannel.nix b/nixos/tests/installer/byAttrNoChannel.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..03293cd4a0e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nixos/tests/installer/byAttrNoChannel.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# This file gets copied into the installation
+
+let
+  nixpkgs = "@nixpkgs@";
+in
+
+{ evalConfig ? import "${nixpkgs}/nixos/lib/eval-config.nix" }:
+
+evalConfig {
+  modules = [
+    ./configuration.nix
+    ( import "${nixpkgs}/nixos/modules/testing/test-instrumentation.nix" )
+    {
+      # Disable nix channels
+      nix.channel.enable = false;
+    }
+  ];
+}
diff --git a/nixos/tests/installer/byAttrWithChannel.nix b/nixos/tests/installer/byAttrWithChannel.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..951231dcba3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nixos/tests/installer/byAttrWithChannel.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# This file gets copied into the installation
+
+{ evalConfig ? import <nixpkgs/nixos/lib/eval-config.nix> }:
+
+evalConfig {
+  modules = [
+    ./configuration.nix
+    ( import <nixpkgs/nixos/modules/testing/test-instrumentation.nix> )
+  ];
+}