diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 90a8393c1a..286cacb7de 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -81,6 +81,22 @@ jobs:
             export PATH="$GOBIN:$PATH"
             make test_cli
 
+  test_examples:
+    <<: *defaults
+    parallelism: 1
+    steps:
+      - attach_workspace:
+          at: /tmp/workspace
+      - restore_cache:
+          key: v1-pkg-cache
+      - restore_cache:
+          key: v1-tree-{{ .Environment.CIRCLE_SHA1 }}
+      - run:
+          name: Test examples
+          command: |
+            export PATH="$GOBIN:$PATH"
+            make test_examples
+
   test_sim_modules:
     <<: *defaults
     parallelism: 1
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b35e3f5c9a..de5f6956f2 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -132,6 +132,10 @@ test: test_unit
 test_cli:
 	@go test -count 1 -p 1 `go list github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/cmd/gaia/cli_test` -tags=cli_test
 
+test_examples:
+	@go test -count 1 -p 1 `go list github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/examples/basecoin/cli_test` -tags=cli_test
+	@go test -count 1 -p 1 `go list github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/examples/democoin/cli_test` -tags=cli_test
+
 test_unit:
 	@go test $(PACKAGES_NOSIMULATION)
 
diff --git a/examples/basecoin/cli_test/cli_test.go b/examples/basecoin/cli_test/cli_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3a33135e39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/basecoin/cli_test/cli_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package clitest
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/server"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/tests"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+var (
+	basecoindHome = ""
+)
+
+func init() {
+	basecoindHome = getTestingHomeDir()
+}
+
+func TestInitStartSequence(t *testing.T) {
+	os.RemoveAll(basecoindHome)
+	servAddr, port, err := server.FreeTCPAddr()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	executeInit(t)
+	executeStart(t, servAddr, port)
+}
+
+func executeInit(t *testing.T) {
+	var (
+		chainID string
+		initRes map[string]json.RawMessage
+	)
+	out := tests.ExecuteT(t, fmt.Sprintf("basecoind --home=%s init", basecoindHome), "")
+	err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(out), &initRes)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	err = json.Unmarshal(initRes["chain_id"], &chainID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func executeStart(t *testing.T, servAddr, port string) {
+	proc := tests.GoExecuteTWithStdout(t, fmt.Sprintf("basecoind start --home=%s --rpc.laddr=%v", basecoindHome, servAddr))
+	defer proc.Stop(false)
+	tests.WaitForTMStart(port)
+}
+
+func getTestingHomeDir() string {
+	tmpDir := os.TempDir()
+	basecoindHome := fmt.Sprintf("%s%s.test_basecoind", tmpDir, string(os.PathSeparator))
+	return basecoindHome
+}
diff --git a/examples/democoin/cli_test/cli_test.go b/examples/democoin/cli_test/cli_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2db2fff096
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/democoin/cli_test/cli_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package clitest
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/server"
+	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/tests"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+var (
+	democoindHome = ""
+)
+
+func init() {
+	democoindHome = getTestingHomeDir()
+}
+
+func TestInitStartSequence(t *testing.T) {
+	os.RemoveAll(democoindHome)
+	servAddr, port, err := server.FreeTCPAddr()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	executeInit(t)
+	executeStart(t, servAddr, port)
+}
+
+func executeInit(t *testing.T) {
+	var (
+		chainID string
+		initRes map[string]json.RawMessage
+	)
+	out := tests.ExecuteT(t, fmt.Sprintf("democoind --home=%s init", democoindHome), "")
+	err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(out), &initRes)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	err = json.Unmarshal(initRes["chain_id"], &chainID)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+}
+
+func executeStart(t *testing.T, servAddr, port string) {
+	proc := tests.GoExecuteTWithStdout(t, fmt.Sprintf("democoind start --home=%s --rpc.laddr=%v", democoindHome, servAddr))
+	defer proc.Stop(false)
+	tests.WaitForTMStart(port)
+}
+
+func getTestingHomeDir() string {
+	tmpDir := os.TempDir()
+	democoindHome := fmt.Sprintf("%s%s.test_democoind", tmpDir, string(os.PathSeparator))
+	return democoindHome
+}