diff --git a/python/grass/CMakeLists.txt b/python/grass/CMakeLists.txt
index b089cb76160..eb2fb2a1064 100644
--- a/python/grass/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/python/grass/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ set(PYDIRS
     pygrass/shell
     pygrass/tests
     pygrass/vector
+    pytest
     script
     semantic_label
     temporal
diff --git a/python/grass/Makefile b/python/grass/Makefile
index cc04b04b496..97b42afe7bc 100644
--- a/python/grass/Makefile
+++ b/python/grass/Makefile
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ SUBDIRS = \
 	jupyter \
 	pydispatch \
 	pygrass \
+	pytest \
 	script \
 	semantic_label \
 	temporal \
diff --git a/python/grass/pytest/Makefile b/python/grass/pytest/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..bc8fa1a7008
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/grass/pytest/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+MODULE_TOPDIR = ../../..
+
+include $(MODULE_TOPDIR)/include/Make/Other.make
+include $(MODULE_TOPDIR)/include/Make/Python.make
+
+DSTDIR = $(ETC)/python/grass/pytest
+
+MODULES = assertions
+
+PYFILES := $(patsubst %,$(DSTDIR)/%.py,$(MODULES) __init__)
+PYCFILES := $(patsubst %,$(DSTDIR)/%.pyc,$(MODULES) __init__)
+
+default: $(PYFILES) $(PYCFILES)
+
+$(DSTDIR):
+	$(MKDIR) $@
+
+$(DSTDIR)/%: % | $(DSTDIR)
+	$(INSTALL_DATA) $< $@
diff --git a/python/grass/pytest/__init__.py b/python/grass/pytest/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e69de29bb2d
diff --git a/python/grass/pytest/assertions.py b/python/grass/pytest/assertions.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4171a22553e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/grass/pytest/assertions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+import grass.script as gs
+
+
+def rasterExists(map_name, env=None):
+    """Check if a raster map exists in the given mapset."""
+    result = gs.find_file(map_name, element="cell", env=env)
+    return bool(result["name"])
diff --git a/python/grass/pytest/tests/conftest.py b/python/grass/pytest/tests/conftest.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..afdff253e3a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/grass/pytest/tests/conftest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+import os
+import pytest
+import grass.script as gs
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def session(tmp_path):
+    project = tmp_path / "test_proj"
+    gs.create_project(project)
+
+    with gs.setup.init(project, env=os.environ.copy()) as session:
+        yield session.env
diff --git a/python/grass/pytest/tests/test_pytest_assertions.py b/python/grass/pytest/tests/test_pytest_assertions.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..23f3172305c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/python/grass/pytest/tests/test_pytest_assertions.py
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import grass.script as gs
+from grass.pytest.assertions import rasterExists
+
+
+def test_rasterExists(session):
+    gs.run_command("r.mapcalc", expression="test_map = 1", env=session)
+
+    assert rasterExists("test_map", env=session)
+    assert not rasterExists("missing_map", env=session)