diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/makentp_backend_call_site.t b/xCAT-test/unit/makentp_backend_call_site.t
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4a45862fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/makentp_backend_call_site.t
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+
+use File::Spec;
+use FindBin;
+use Test::More;
+
+# Regression: the NTP backend selector was well covered and nothing connected it to makentp.
+#
+# ntp_backend_selection.t exercises xCAT::NTP::Backend thoroughly, but copying the BASE
+# makentp.pm over the head one left the whole unit suite byte-identical -- so the call site
+# that consumes the selector, the --backend pass-through and the abort branches ran in no test
+# at all. A helper can be perfectly covered while nothing calls it.
+#
+# process_request needs a management node, so the decisions it makes about the selector's
+# answer live in two small routines that take their inputs and return an answer, and those are
+# what this drives. The side effects (send_msg, runcmd, updatenode) stay in the caller.
+
+my $repo_root = File::Spec->rel2abs(
+    File::Spec->catdir( $FindBin::Bin, '..', '..' )
+);
+my $plugin = File::Spec->catfile(
+    $repo_root, 'xCAT-server', 'lib', 'xcat', 'plugins', 'makentp.pm'
+);
+plan skip_all => "makentp.pm not found" unless -f $plugin;
+
+my $src = do { local $/; open my $fh, '<', $plugin or die $!; <$fh> };
+
+# BAIL_OUT rather than skip, so a rename fails loudly instead of silently covering nothing.
+my @wanted = qw(ntp_backend_action setupntp_command);
+my $body = '';
+for my $name (@wanted) {
+    my ($sub) = $src =~ /\n(sub \Q$name\E \{.*?\n\})\n/s;
+    BAIL_OUT("could not extract $name from makentp.pm") unless defined $sub;
+    $body .= "$sub\n";
+}
+
+{
+    package T;
+    eval "$body; 1" or main::BAIL_OUT("could not eval the makentp helpers: $@");
+}
+
+# --- the selector said no backend is usable at all -------------------------
+{
+    my $r = T::ntp_backend_action( { error => 'site.ntpbackend is nonsense' }, 'mn1' );
+    is( $r->{action}, 'abort', 'a selector error aborts makentp' );
+    is( $r->{error}, 'site.ntpbackend is nonsense',
+        'and the selector error is what the caller reports' );
+}
+
+# --- neither daemon installed ----------------------------------------------
+{
+    my $r = T::ntp_backend_action( { name => 'chrony', install => 1 }, 'mn1' );
+    is( $r->{action}, 'abort', 'nothing installed aborts rather than configuring' );
+    like( $r->{error}, qr/Neither chrony nor ntp is installed on mn1/,
+        'the abort names the node' );
+    like( $r->{error}, qr/set site\.ntpbackend/,
+        'and tells the admin how to override the choice' );
+}
+
+# --- the requested backend is absent, so the selector downgraded ------------
+{
+    my $r = T::ntp_backend_action(
+        { name => 'chrony', downgraded => 'ntpd' }, 'mn1' );
+    is( $r->{action}, 'configure', 'a downgrade still configures' );
+    is( $r->{name}, 'chrony', 'using the daemon that is actually installed' );
+    like( join( '|', @{ $r->{notes} } ),
+        qr/ntpd is not installed; using chrony instead/,
+        'and says so, rather than silently using something else' );
+}
+
+# --- the ordinary case ------------------------------------------------------
+{
+    my $r = T::ntp_backend_action( { name => 'chrony' }, 'mn1' );
+    is( $r->{action}, 'configure', 'an installed backend configures' );
+    is( $r->{name}, 'chrony', 'with the name the selector chose' );
+    is_deeply( $r->{notes}, [], 'and says nothing extra' );
+}
+
+{
+    my $r = T::ntp_backend_action( { name => 'ntpd' }, 'mn1' );
+    is( $r->{name}, 'ntpd', 'ntpd is carried through as chosen' );
+}
+
+# --- the --backend pass-through, which is what setupntp reads ---------------
+{
+    is( T::setupntp_command( 'chrony', '10.0.0.1,10.0.0.2' ),
+        '/install/postscripts/setupntp --backend chrony 10.0.0.1 10.0.0.2',
+        'the chosen backend reaches setupntp and the server list is space separated' );
+
+    is( T::setupntp_command( 'ntpd', '10.0.0.1' ),
+        '/install/postscripts/setupntp --backend ntpd 10.0.0.1',
+        'a different backend produces a different command' );
+
+    unlike( T::setupntp_command( 'chrony', '10.0.0.1' ), qr/,/,
+        'no comma survives into the argument list' );
+}
+
+done_testing();