diff --git a/tests/Makefile.am b/tests/Makefile.am
index 25ac1bf0..bc657da2 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.am
+++ b/tests/Makefile.am
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 
 EXTRA_DIST = $(TESTSUITE_AT) \
   testsuite package.m4 star/README star/quicktest.sh \
-  compress.at.in
+  compress.m4
 
 DISTCLEANFILES       = atconfig $(check_SCRIPTS)
 MAINTAINERCLEANFILES = Makefile.in $(TESTSUITE)
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ $(srcdir)/package.m4: $(top_srcdir)/configure.ac
 
 TESTSUITE_AT = \
  testsuite.at\
+ compress.m4\
  T-cd.at\
  T-dir00.at\
  T-dir01.at\
@@ -70,12 +71,6 @@ TESTSUITE_AT = \
  chtype.at\
  comprec.at\
  comperr.at\
- compress-zstd.at\
- compress-xz.at\
- compress-bzip2.at\
- compress-gzip.at\
- compress-lzip.at\
- compress-lzop.at\
  checkpoint/defaults.at\
  checkpoint/interval.at\
  checkpoint/dot.at\
@@ -282,42 +277,6 @@ TESTSUITE_AT = \
  selacl01.at\
  capabs_raw01.at
 
-CLEANFILES += compress-zstd.at
-compress-zstd.at: compress.at.in
-	$(AM_V_GEN)rm -rf $@ $@-t
-	$(AM_V_at)sed 's/@tool@/zstd/g;s/@suff@/zst/g;s/@suff2@/tzst/g;' \
-	  $(srcdir)/compress.at.in > $@-t && chmod a-w $@-t && mv $@-t $@
-
-CLEANFILES += compress-gzip.at
-compress-gzip.at: compress.at.in
-	$(AM_V_GEN)rm -rf $@ $@-t
-	$(AM_V_at)sed 's/@tool@/gzip/g;s/@suff@/gz/g;s/@suff2@/tgz/g;' \
-	  $(srcdir)/compress.at.in > $@-t && chmod a-w $@-t && mv $@-t $@
-
-CLEANFILES += compress-xz.at
-compress-xz.at: compress.at.in
-	$(AM_V_GEN)rm -rf $@ $@-t
-	$(AM_V_at)sed 's/@tool@/xz/g;s/@suff@/xz/g;s/@suff2@/txz/g;' \
-	  $(srcdir)/compress.at.in > $@-t && chmod a-w $@-t && mv $@-t $@
-
-CLEANFILES += compress-bzip2.at
-compress-bzip2.at: compress.at.in
-	$(AM_V_GEN)rm -rf $@ $@-t
-	$(AM_V_at)sed 's/@tool@/bzip2/g;s/@suff@/bz2/g;s/@suff2@/tbz2/g;' \
-	  $(srcdir)/compress.at.in > $@-t && chmod a-w $@-t && mv $@-t $@
-
-CLEANFILES += compress-lzip.at
-compress-lzip.at: compress.at.in
-	$(AM_V_GEN)rm -rf $@ $@-t
-	$(AM_V_at)sed 's/@tool@/lzip/g;s/@suff@/lz/g;s/@suff2@//g;' \
-	  $(srcdir)/compress.at.in > $@-t && chmod a-w $@-t && mv $@-t $@
-
-CLEANFILES += compress-lzop.at
-compress-lzop.at: compress.at.in
-	$(AM_V_GEN)rm -rf $@ $@-t
-	$(AM_V_at)sed 's/@tool@/lzop/g;s/@suff@/lzo/g;s/@suff2@//g;' \
-	  $(srcdir)/compress.at.in > $@-t && chmod a-w $@-t && mv $@-t $@
-
 distclean-local:
 	-rm -rf download
 
diff --git a/tests/compress.at.in b/tests/compress.at.in
deleted file mode 100644
index 91a6af27..00000000
--- a/tests/compress.at.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,67 +0,0 @@
-# Process this file with autom4te to create testsuite. -*- Autotest -*-
-
-# Test suite for GNU tar.
-# Copyright 2018-2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-
-# This file is part of GNU tar.
-
-# GNU tar is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
-# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
-# the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
-# (at your option) any later version.
-
-# GNU tar is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
-# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
-# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
-# GNU General Public License for more details.
-
-# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
-# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
-
-# tar can create/decompress @tool@-compressed tarballs
-
-AT_SETUP([compress: @tool@])
-AT_KEYWORDS([compression @tool@])
-
-unset TAR_OPTIONS
-
-AT_CHECK([
-AT_GZIP_PREREQ([@tool@])
-
-touch empty
-# Create with --@tool@:
-tar --@tool@ -cf - empty 2>err > k.tar.@suff@ || exit 1
-test -s err && exit 1
-tar tf k.tar.@suff@ 2>err > out || exit 1
-test "$(cat out)" = empty || exit 1
-test -s err && exit 1
-
-# Ensure -ac works with an -f-specified .@suff@-suffixed name.
-tar -acf k2.tar.@suff@ empty 2>err > out || exit 1
-cmp k2.tar.@suff@ k.tar.@suff@ || exit 1
-test -s err && exit 1
-
-# Extraction: ensure the .@suff@ suffix is recognized.
-rm -f empty || exit 1
-tar xf k.tar.@suff@ 2>err > out || exit 1
-test -s err && exit 1
-test -f empty || exit 1
-
-if test -n '@suff2@'; then
-  # Extraction: ensure the .@suff2@ suffix is also recognized.
-  mv k.tar.@suff@ k.@suff2@ || exit 1
-  rm -f empty
-  tar xf k.@suff2@ 2>err > out || exit 1
-  test -s err && exit 1
-  test -f empty || exit 1
-else
-  :
-fi
-
-],
-[0],
-[],
-[],
-[],[])
-
-AT_CLEANUP
diff --git a/tests/compress.m4 b/tests/compress.m4
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1f226327
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/compress.m4
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# This file is part of GNU tar testsuite. -*- Autotest -*-
+# Copyright 2018-2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+#
+# GNU tar is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or
+# (at your option) any later version.
+#
+# GNU tar is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+
+dnl TAR_CHECK_COMPRESS(TOOL, SUF[, SUF2])
+dnl Tests whether tar can create archives using TOOL (i.e. using the --TOOL
+dnl command line option). SUF and optional SUF2 are suffixes for created
+dnl archives (without leading dot). Tar should be able to use TOOL to
+dnl automatically decompress archives with names ending on these suffixes.
+m4_define([TAR_CHECK_COMPRESS],
+[AT_SETUP([compress: $1])
+AT_KEYWORDS([compression compress-$1 $1])
+
+AT_CHECK([
+AT_GZIP_PREREQ($1)
+unset TAR_OPTIONS
+
+touch empty
+set -e
+: create with --$1
+tar --$1 -cf k.tar.$2 empty
+tar tf k.tar.$2
+
+m4_foreach([SUF], m4_quote(m4_shift($@)),
+[
+echo testing .SUF
+tar -acf k2.tar.SUF empty
+cat k2.tar.SUF | $1 -d > k.SUF.tar
+tar tf k.SUF.tar
+])
+
+# Extraction: ensure compressed format is correctly recognized
+rm -f empty
+tar xf k.tar.$2
+test -f empty
+],
+[0],
+[empty
+m4_foreach([SUF],m4_quote(m4_shift($@)),[testing .SUF
+empty
+])])
+
+AT_CLEANUP
+])
diff --git a/tests/testsuite.at b/tests/testsuite.at
index ddaf4e11..f764dced 100644
--- a/tests/testsuite.at
+++ b/tests/testsuite.at
@@ -236,13 +236,14 @@ m4_include([checkpoint/dot-int.at])
 m4_popdef([CPT_CHECK])
 
 AT_BANNER([Compression])
-m4_include([compress-gzip.at])
-m4_include([compress-bzip2.at])
-m4_include([compress-xz.at])
+m4_include([compress.m4])
+TAR_CHECK_COMPRESS(gzip, gz, tgz)
+TAR_CHECK_COMPRESS(bzip2, bz2, tbz2)
+TAR_CHECK_COMPRESS(xz, xz, txz)
 dnl: omit lzma, because it would fail due to magic number mismatch
-m4_include([compress-lzip.at])
-m4_include([compress-lzop.at])
-m4_include([compress-zstd.at])
+TAR_CHECK_COMPRESS(lzip, lz)
+TAR_CHECK_COMPRESS(lzop, lzo)
+TAR_CHECK_COMPRESS(zstd, zst, tzst)
 
 AT_BANNER([Positional options])
 m4_include([positional01.at])