diff --git a/tools/commands.js b/tools/commands.js
index 6b5dab658f..be786f3b8b 100644
--- a/tools/commands.js
+++ b/tools/commands.js
@@ -25,9 +25,6 @@ var cordova = require('./commands-cordova.js');
 var commandsPackages = require('./commands-packages.js');
 var execFileSync = require('./utils.js').execFileSync;
 var Console = require('./console.js').Console;
-var uniload = require('./uniload.js');
-var phantomjs = require('phantomjs');
-var child_process = require('child_process');
 
 // The architecture used by Galaxy servers; it's the architecture used
 // by 'meteor deploy'.
@@ -307,125 +304,15 @@ main.registerCommand({
   if (options['raw-logs'])
     runLog.setRawLogs(true);
 
-  // If `--test` is specified we need to start the app server, poke
-  // it with PhantomJS, and listen for test results.
-  //
-  // More specifically:
-  // 1. Establish a DDP connection to Meteor
-  // 2. Subscribe to the Velocity subscriptions that tell us 
-  //    which tests pass/fail and when all tests have completed.
-  // 3. Poke an app server with PhantomJS to run client side tests.
-  // 4. Print the results and exit with the appropriate exit code.
+  // Use `--test` to activate velocity testing.
   if (options['test']){
-    var unipackages = uniload.load({
-      packages: [ 'ddp']
-    });
-    var DDP = unipackages.ddp.DDP;
-
-    var hostPort = parseHostPort(options.port);
-    var serverUrl = "http://" + (hostPort.host || "localhost") +
-      ":" + hostPort.port;
-    var ddpConnection = DDP.connect(serverUrl);
-
-    var interval = setInterval(function(){
-      if (ddpConnection.status().status === "connected"){
-        clearInterval(interval);
-
-        ddpConnection.subscribe("VelocityTestReports", {
-          onError: function(){
-            Console.stderr.write("failed to subscribe to VelocityTestReports "
-+ "subscription");
-          }, onReady: function(){
-            this.connection.registerStore("velocityTestReports", {
-              update: function(msg){
-                if (msg.msg == "added"){
-                  var testDesc = msg.fields.framework + " : " +
-                    msg.fields.ancestors.join(":") + " => " + msg.fields.name;
-                  if(msg.fields.result == "passed"){
-                    console.log("PASSED", testDesc);
-                  } else if (msg.fields.result == "failed"){
-                    console.error("FAILED", testDesc);
-                    console.log(msg.fields.failureStackTrace)
-                  }
-                }
-              }
-            });
-          }
-        });
-
-        var reports = {};
-        function updateReport(msg){
-          var report = reports[msg.id];
-          if (! report){
-            reports[msg.id] = msg.fields;
-          } else {
-            _.extend(report, msg.fields);
-          }
-        }
-        var aggregateResult = null;
-        var isFinished = false;
-        ddpConnection.subscribe("VelocityAggregateReports", {
-          onError: function(){
-            Console.stderr.write("failed to subscribe to " +
-                                "VelocityAggregateReports subscription");
-          }, onReady: function(){
-            this.connection.registerStore("velocityAggregateReports", {
-              update: function(msg){
-                if (msg.msg === "added" || msg.msg == "changed"){
-                  updateReport(msg);
-                  var report = reports[msg.id];
-
-                  if (report.name === "aggregateResult"){
-                    aggregateResult = report.result;
-                  }
-
-                  if(report.name === "aggregateComplete" &&
-                     report.result === "completed"){
-                    setTimeout(function(){
-                      if (aggregateResult === "passed"){
-                        console.log("TESTS RAN SUCCESSFULLY")
-                        //better way to exit here?
-                        process.exit(0);
-                      }
-                      if (aggregateResult === "failed"){
-                        console.log("FAILURE");
-                        process.exit(1);
-                      }
-                    }, 2000);
-                  }
-                }
-              }
-            })
-          }
-        });
-
-        function visitWithPhantom(url){
-          var phantomScript = "require('webpage').create().open('" + url + "');";
-          child_process.execFile(
-            '/bin/bash',
-            ['-c',
-             ("exec " + phantomjs.path + " /dev/stdin <<'END'\n" +
-              phantomScript + "END\n")]);
-        }
-
-        ddpConnection.subscribe("VelocityMirrors", {
-          onError: function(err){
-            Console.stderr.write("failed to subscribe to VelocityMirrors " +
-                                 "subscription", err);
-          }, onReady: function(){
-            this.connection.registerStore("velocityMirrors", {
-              update: function(msg){
-                if (msg.msg === "added"){
-                  visitWithPhantom(msg.fields.rootUrl);
-                }
-              }
-            })
-          }
-        });
-      }
-    }, 2000);
+    var serverUrl = "http://" + (parsedHostPort.host || "localhost") +
+          ":" + parsedHostPort.port;
+    var velocity = require('./run-velocity.js');
+    velocity.runVelocity(serverUrl);
   }
 
+
   var runAll = require('./run-all.js');
   return runAll.run(options.appDir, {
     proxyPort: parsedHostPort.port,
diff --git a/tools/run-velocity.js b/tools/run-velocity.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e74df0637d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/run-velocity.js
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+var Console = require('./console.js').Console;
+var uniload = require('./uniload.js');
+
+var phantomjs = require('phantomjs');
+var child_process = require('child_process');
+var _ = require('underscore');
+
+
+// XXX comment
+//
+// More specifically:
+// 1. Establish a DDP connection to Meteor
+// 2. Subscribe to the Velocity subscriptions that tell us
+//    which tests pass/fail and when all tests have completed.
+// 3. Poke an app server with PhantomJS to run client side tests.
+// 4. Print the results and exit with the appropriate exit code.
+var runVelocity = function (url) {
+  var unipackages = uniload.load({
+    packages: [ 'ddp']
+  });
+  var DDP = unipackages.ddp.DDP;
+
+  var ddpConnection = DDP.connect(url);
+
+  var interval = setInterval(function(){
+    if (ddpConnection.status().status === "connected"){
+      clearInterval(interval);
+
+      ddpConnection.subscribe("VelocityTestReports", {
+        onError: function(){
+          Console.stderr.write("failed to subscribe to VelocityTestReports "
+                               + "subscription");
+        }, onReady: function(){
+          this.connection.registerStore("velocityTestReports", {
+            update: function(msg){
+              if (msg.msg == "added"){
+                var testDesc = msg.fields.framework + " : " +
+                      msg.fields.ancestors.join(":") + " => " + msg.fields.name;
+                if(msg.fields.result == "passed"){
+                  console.log("PASSED", testDesc);
+                } else if (msg.fields.result == "failed"){
+                  console.error("FAILED", testDesc);
+                  console.log(msg.fields.failureStackTrace)
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          });
+        }
+      });
+
+      var reports = {};
+      function updateReport(msg){
+        var report = reports[msg.id];
+        if (! report){
+          reports[msg.id] = msg.fields;
+        } else {
+          _.extend(report, msg.fields);
+        }
+      }
+      var aggregateResult = null;
+      var isFinished = false;
+      ddpConnection.subscribe("VelocityAggregateReports", {
+        onError: function(){
+          Console.stderr.write("failed to subscribe to " +
+                               "VelocityAggregateReports subscription");
+        }, onReady: function(){
+          this.connection.registerStore("velocityAggregateReports", {
+            update: function(msg){
+              if (msg.msg === "added" || msg.msg == "changed"){
+                updateReport(msg);
+                var report = reports[msg.id];
+
+                if (report.name === "aggregateResult"){
+                  aggregateResult = report.result;
+                }
+
+                if(report.name === "aggregateComplete" &&
+                   report.result === "completed"){
+                  setTimeout(function(){
+                    if (aggregateResult === "passed"){
+                      console.log("TESTS RAN SUCCESSFULLY");
+                      //better way to exit here?
+                      process.exit(0);
+                    }
+                    if (aggregateResult === "failed"){
+                      console.log("FAILURE");
+                      process.exit(1);
+                    }
+                  }, 2000);
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          });
+        }
+      });
+
+      function visitWithPhantom(url){
+        var phantomScript = "require('webpage').create().open('" + url + "');";
+        child_process.execFile(
+          '/bin/bash',
+          ['-c',
+           ("exec " + phantomjs.path + " /dev/stdin <<'END'\n" +
+            phantomScript + "END\n")]);
+      }
+
+      ddpConnection.subscribe("VelocityMirrors", {
+        onError: function(err){
+          Console.stderr.write("failed to subscribe to VelocityMirrors " +
+                               "subscription", err);
+        }, onReady: function(){
+          this.connection.registerStore("velocityMirrors", {
+            update: function(msg){
+              if (msg.msg === "added"){
+                visitWithPhantom(msg.fields.rootUrl);
+              }
+            }
+          });
+        }
+      });
+    }
+  }, 2000);
+};
+
+exports.runVelocity = runVelocity;