diff --git a/nixosModules/clanCore/vm-base.nix b/nixosModules/clanCore/vm-base.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..739cf57b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nixosModules/clanCore/vm-base.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+# Standalone VM base module that can be imported independently
+# This module contains the core VM configuration without the system extension
+{
+  lib,
+  config,
+  pkgs,
+  modulesPath,
+  ...
+}:
+let
+  # Flatten the list of state folders into a single list
+  stateFolders = lib.flatten (
+    lib.mapAttrsToList (_item: attrs: attrs.folders) config.clan.core.state
+  );
+in
+{
+  imports = [
+    (modulesPath + "/virtualisation/qemu-vm.nix")
+    ./serial.nix
+    ./waypipe.nix
+  ];
+
+  clan.core.state.HOME.folders = [ "/home" ];
+
+  clan.services.waypipe = {
+    inherit (config.clan.core.vm.inspect.waypipe) enable command;
+  };
+
+  # required for issuing shell commands via qga
+  services.qemuGuest.enable = true;
+
+  # required to react to system_powerdown qmp command
+  # Some desktop managers like xfce override the poweroff signal and therefore
+  #   make it impossible to handle it via 'logind' directly.
+  services.acpid.enable = true;
+  services.acpid.handlers.power.event = "button/power.*";
+  services.acpid.handlers.power.action = "poweroff";
+
+  # only works on x11
+  services.spice-vdagentd.enable = config.services.xserver.enable;
+
+  boot.initrd.systemd.enable = true;
+
+  boot.initrd.systemd.storePaths = [
+    pkgs.util-linux
+    pkgs.e2fsprogs
+  ];
+  boot.initrd.systemd.emergencyAccess = true;
+
+  # userborn would be faster because it doesn't need perl, but it cannot create normal users
+  services.userborn.enable = true;
+  users.mutableUsers = false;
+  users.allowNoPasswordLogin = true;
+
+  boot.initrd.kernelModules = [ "virtiofs" ];
+  virtualisation.writableStore = false;
+  virtualisation.fileSystems = lib.mkForce (
+    {
+      "/nix/store" = {
+        device = "nix-store";
+        options = [
+          "x-systemd.requires=systemd-modules-load.service"
+          "ro"
+        ];
+        fsType = "virtiofs";
+      };
+
+      "/" = {
+        device = "/dev/vda";
+        fsType = "ext4";
+        options = [
+          "defaults"
+          "x-systemd.makefs"
+          "nobarrier"
+          "noatime"
+          "nodiratime"
+          "data=writeback"
+          "discard"
+        ];
+      };
+
+      "/vmstate" = {
+        device = "/dev/vdb";
+        options = [
+          "x-systemd.makefs"
+          "noatime"
+          "nodiratime"
+          "discard"
+        ];
+        noCheck = true;
+        fsType = "ext4";
+      };
+
+      ${config.clan.core.facts.secretUploadDirectory} = {
+        device = "secrets";
+        fsType = "9p";
+        neededForBoot = true;
+        options = [
+          "trans=virtio"
+          "version=9p2000.L"
+          "cache=loose"
+        ];
+      };
+    }
+    // lib.listToAttrs (
+      map (
+        folder:
+        lib.nameValuePair folder {
+          device = "/vmstate${folder}";
+          fsType = "none";
+          options = [ "bind" ];
+        }
+      ) stateFolders
+    )
+  );
+}
diff --git a/nixosModules/clanCore/vm.nix b/nixosModules/clanCore/vm.nix
index c3c6c73ac..bcd2efac8 100644
--- a/nixosModules/clanCore/vm.nix
+++ b/nixosModules/clanCore/vm.nix
@@ -4,116 +4,11 @@
   pkgs,
   options,
   extendModules,
-  modulesPath,
   ...
 }:
 let
-  # Flatten the list of state folders into a single list
-  stateFolders = lib.flatten (
-    lib.mapAttrsToList (_item: attrs: attrs.folders) config.clan.core.state
-  );
-
-  vmModule = {
-    imports = [
-      (modulesPath + "/virtualisation/qemu-vm.nix")
-      ./serial.nix
-      ./waypipe.nix
-    ];
-
-    clan.core.state.HOME.folders = [ "/home" ];
-
-    clan.services.waypipe = {
-      inherit (config.clan.core.vm.inspect.waypipe) enable command;
-    };
-
-    # required for issuing shell commands via qga
-    services.qemuGuest.enable = true;
-
-    # required to react to system_powerdown qmp command
-    # Some desktop managers like xfce override the poweroff signal and therefore
-    #   make it impossible to handle it via 'logind' directly.
-    services.acpid.enable = true;
-    services.acpid.handlers.power.event = "button/power.*";
-    services.acpid.handlers.power.action = "poweroff";
-
-    # only works on x11
-    services.spice-vdagentd.enable = config.services.xserver.enable;
-
-    boot.initrd.systemd.enable = true;
-
-    boot.initrd.systemd.storePaths = [
-      pkgs.util-linux
-      pkgs.e2fsprogs
-    ];
-    boot.initrd.systemd.emergencyAccess = true;
-
-    # userborn would be faster because it doesn't need perl, but it cannot create normal users
-    services.userborn.enable = true;
-    users.mutableUsers = false;
-    users.allowNoPasswordLogin = true;
-
-    boot.initrd.kernelModules = [ "virtiofs" ];
-    virtualisation.writableStore = false;
-    virtualisation.fileSystems = lib.mkForce (
-      {
-        "/nix/store" = {
-          device = "nix-store";
-          options = [
-            "x-systemd.requires=systemd-modules-load.service"
-            "ro"
-          ];
-          fsType = "virtiofs";
-        };
-
-        "/" = {
-          device = "/dev/vda";
-          fsType = "ext4";
-          options = [
-            "defaults"
-            "x-systemd.makefs"
-            "nobarrier"
-            "noatime"
-            "nodiratime"
-            "data=writeback"
-            "discard"
-          ];
-        };
-
-        "/vmstate" = {
-          device = "/dev/vdb";
-          options = [
-            "x-systemd.makefs"
-            "noatime"
-            "nodiratime"
-            "discard"
-          ];
-          noCheck = true;
-          fsType = "ext4";
-        };
-
-        ${config.clan.core.facts.secretUploadDirectory} = {
-          device = "secrets";
-          fsType = "9p";
-          neededForBoot = true;
-          options = [
-            "trans=virtio"
-            "version=9p2000.L"
-            "cache=loose"
-          ];
-        };
-      }
-      // lib.listToAttrs (
-        map (
-          folder:
-          lib.nameValuePair folder {
-            device = "/vmstate${folder}";
-            fsType = "none";
-            options = [ "bind" ];
-          }
-        ) stateFolders
-      )
-    );
-  };
+  # Import the standalone VM base module
+  vmModule = import ./vm-base.nix;
 
   # We cannot simply merge the VM config into the current system config, because
   # it is not necessarily a VM.
diff --git a/nixosModules/flake-module.nix b/nixosModules/flake-module.nix
index 0662361db..3d82fec62 100644
--- a/nixosModules/flake-module.nix
+++ b/nixosModules/flake-module.nix
@@ -34,4 +34,7 @@ in
 
   flake.nixosModules.clanCore = clanCore;
   flake.darwinModules.clanCore = clanCore;
+
+  # Standalone VM base module that can be imported for VM testing
+  flake.nixosModules.clan-vm-base = ./clanCore/vm-base.nix;
 }
diff --git a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/tests/flake-module.nix b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/tests/flake-module.nix
index a60bf8e37..c37b075ff 100644
--- a/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/tests/flake-module.nix
+++ b/pkgs/clan-cli/clan_cli/tests/flake-module.nix
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@
     test-vm-persistence =
       { config, ... }:
       {
+        imports = [ self.nixosModules.clan-vm-base ];
+
         system.stateVersion = config.system.nixos.release;
 
         # Disable services that might cause issues in tests
@@ -62,6 +64,8 @@
     test-vm-deployment =
       { config, lib, ... }:
       {
+        imports = [ self.nixosModules.clan-vm-base ];
+
         system.stateVersion = config.system.nixos.release;
 
         # Disable services that might cause issues in tests