diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 5e4ca8fc8914267d1078ab873c29cc6cce406d89..137fd0908f5a0f30362f0dd9da53799b84eefbac 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -294,6 +294,21 @@ set(main_SRC
   actions/actions-transform.h
   actions/actions-transform.cpp
 )
+set(headless_SRC
+  inkscape-main.cpp
+  inkscape-application-headless.h
+  inkscape-application-headless.cpp
+  actions/actions-base.h
+  actions/actions-base.cpp
+  actions/actions-helper.h
+  actions/actions-helper.cpp
+  actions/actions-output.h
+  actions/actions-output.cpp
+  actions/actions-selection.h
+  actions/actions-selection.cpp
+  actions/actions-transform.h
+  actions/actions-transform.cpp
+)
 set(view_SRC
   inkview-main.cpp
   inkview-application.h
@@ -337,9 +352,10 @@ endif()
 
 # make executables for inkscape and inkview
 add_executable(inkscape ${main_SRC})
+add_executable(inkscape-headless ${headless_SRC})
 add_executable(inkview ${view_SRC})
 
-
+set_source_files_properties( inkscape-application-headless.cpp PROPERTIES COMPILE_FLAGS "-DHEADLESS")
 
 set(INKSCAPE_TARGET_LIBS
         # order from automake
@@ -373,6 +389,7 @@ target_link_libraries(inkscape_base PRIVATE ${INKSCAPE_TARGET_LIBS} PUBLIC ${INK
 
 # Link inkscape and inkview against inkscape_base
 target_link_libraries(inkscape inkscape_base)
+target_link_libraries(inkscape-headless inkscape_base)
 target_link_libraries(inkview inkscape_base)
 
 
@@ -381,7 +398,8 @@ target_link_libraries(inkview inkscape_base)
 if(NOT WIN32)
   install(TARGETS
     inkscape
-    inkview 
+    inkscape-headless
+    inkview
     RUNTIME DESTINATION bin)
   if(BUILD_SHARED_LIBS)
     install(TARGETS inkscape_base LIBRARY DESTINATION lib/inkscape)
diff --git a/src/inkscape-application-headless.cpp b/src/inkscape-application-headless.cpp
new file mode 120000
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..5d9a6bb65f77f7a940cb11a6edb352e982e0e716
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/inkscape-application-headless.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+inkscape-application.cpp
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/inkscape-application-headless.h b/src/inkscape-application-headless.h
new file mode 120000
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..77ad4077caef4330aa20ac4940e39d7c8aab4420
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/inkscape-application-headless.h
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+inkscape-application.h
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/inkscape-application.cpp b/src/inkscape-application.cpp
index cf442ecbc090fd2ade32aa9e3d35e5cf165c4714..a6b47791e27e3a0cac8177ac29fa7a14c7459f87 100644
--- a/src/inkscape-application.cpp
+++ b/src/inkscape-application.cpp
@@ -44,7 +44,11 @@ using Inkscape::IO::Resource::UIS;
 // after calling on_handle_local_options() are assumed to be filenames.
 
 InkscapeApplication::InkscapeApplication()
+#ifdef HEADLESS
+    : Gio::Application("org.inkscape.application.with_gui",
+#else
     : Gtk::Application("org.inkscape.application.with_gui",
+#endif
                        Gio::APPLICATION_HANDLES_OPEN | // Use default file opening.
                        Gio::APPLICATION_NON_UNIQUE   ) // Allows different instances of Inkscape to run at same time.
     , _with_gui(true)
@@ -177,7 +181,11 @@ InkscapeApplication::get_active_selection()
 void
 InkscapeApplication::on_startup()
 {
+#ifdef HEADLESS
+    Gio::Application::on_startup();
+#else
     Gtk::Application::on_startup();
+#endif
 }
 
 // Here are things that should be in on_startup() but cannot be as we don't set _with_gui until
@@ -188,6 +196,10 @@ InkscapeApplication::on_startup2()
     // This should be completely rewritten.
     Inkscape::Application::create(nullptr, _with_gui); // argv appears to not be used.
 
+#ifdef HEADLESS
+    _with_gui = false;
+#endif
+
     if (!_with_gui) {
         return;
     }
@@ -219,7 +231,9 @@ InkscapeApplication::on_startup2()
     if (!menu) {
         std::cerr << "InkscapeApplication: failed to load application menu!" << std::endl;
     } else {
+#ifndef HEADLESS
         set_app_menu(menu);
+#endif
     }
 }
 
@@ -315,8 +329,9 @@ InkscapeApplication::create_window(const Glib::RefPtr<Gio::File>& file)
     _documents.push_back(desktop->getDocument());
 
     // Add to Gtk::Window to app window list.
+#ifndef HEADLESS
     add_window(*desktop->getToplevel());
-
+#endif
     return (desktop); // Temp: Need to track desktop for shell mode.
 }
 
@@ -697,12 +712,13 @@ InkscapeApplication::on_new()
 void
 InkscapeApplication::on_quit()
 {
+#ifndef HEADLESS
     // Delete all windows (quit() doesn't do this).
     std::vector<Gtk::Window*> windows = get_windows();
     for (auto window: windows) {
         // Do something
     }
-
+#endif
     quit();
 }
 
diff --git a/src/inkscape-application.h b/src/inkscape-application.h
index 90553cd0da6145c260e429bafac71fa056e8a027..5c29ef34bfeddc56cda07dff1aae75cfbd90735e 100644
--- a/src/inkscape-application.h
+++ b/src/inkscape-application.h
@@ -30,7 +30,11 @@
 
 typedef std::vector<std::pair<std::string, Glib::VariantBase> > action_vector_t;
 
+#ifdef HEADLESS
+class InkscapeApplication : public Gio::Application
+#else
 class InkscapeApplication : public Gtk::Application
+#endif
 {
 protected:
     InkscapeApplication();
diff --git a/testfiles/rendering_tests/CMakeLists.txt b/testfiles/rendering_tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 15a5eb15e07b31d90c81caed46e60a7b89992f65..15496a54bcff3d028fd7ccd450b1ddc14ad6c8c1 100644
--- a/testfiles/rendering_tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/testfiles/rendering_tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ set(RENDERING_TESTS
 
 
 foreach(rendering_test ${RENDERING_TESTS})
-    add_test(NAME ${rendering_test} COMMAND bash ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/test.sh ${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}/inkscape ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/${rendering_test}  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/testfiles/rendering_tests )
+    add_test(NAME ${rendering_test} COMMAND bash ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/test.sh ${CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY}/inkscape-headless ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/${rendering_test}  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/testfiles/rendering_tests )
     set_tests_properties(${rendering_test} PROPERTIES ENVIRONMENT "${CMAKE_CTEST_ENV}")
 endforeach()