diff --git a/gtk/meson.build b/gtk/meson.build
index dfbc36709d..ad9e8be72d 100644
--- a/gtk/meson.build
+++ b/gtk/meson.build
@@ -1274,7 +1274,7 @@ libgtk_dep = declare_dependency(sources: gtk_dep_sources,
 libgtk_static_dep = declare_dependency(sources: gtk_dep_sources,
   include_directories: [confinc, gtkinc],
   dependencies: gtk_deps + [libgtk_css_dep, libgdk_dep, libgsk_dep],
-  link_with: libgtk_static,
+  link_with: [libgtk_static, libgtk_css, libgdk, libgsk ],
   link_args: common_ldflags,
 )
 
diff --git a/testsuite/gtk/constraint-solver.c b/testsuite/gtk/constraint-solver.c
index a4597c70ba..970cf8df54 100644
--- a/testsuite/gtk/constraint-solver.c
+++ b/testsuite/gtk/constraint-solver.c
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include <locale.h>
 
+#include <gtk/gtk.h>
 #include "../../gtk/gtkconstrainttypesprivate.h"
 #include "../../gtk/gtkconstraintsolverprivate.h"
 #include "../../gtk/gtkconstraintexpressionprivate.h"
diff --git a/testsuite/gtk/meson.build b/testsuite/gtk/meson.build
index 382e6369e9..1ba0bfd9d8 100644
--- a/testsuite/gtk/meson.build
+++ b/testsuite/gtk/meson.build
@@ -26,11 +26,6 @@ tests = [
   { 'name': 'action' },
   { 'name': 'adjustment' },
   { 'name': 'bitset' },
-  {
-    'name': 'bitmask',
-    'sources': ['../../gtk/gtkallocatedbitmask.c'],
-    'c_args': ['-DGTK_COMPILATION', '-UG_ENABLE_DEBUG'],
-  },
   {
     'name': 'builder',
     'link_args': gtk_tests_export_dynamic_ldflag,
@@ -38,20 +33,7 @@ tests = [
   { 'name': 'builderparser' },
   { 'name': 'cellarea' },
   { 'name': 'check-icon-names' },
-  {
-    'name': 'constraint-solver',
-    'sources': [
-      '../../gtk/gtkconstraintsolver.c',
-      '../../gtk/gtkconstraintexpression.c',
-    ],
-    'c_args': ['-DGTK_COMPILATION', '-UG_ENABLE_DEBUG'],
-  },
   { 'name': 'cssprovider' },
-  {
-    'name': 'rbtree-crash',
-    'sources': ['../../gtk/gtkrbtree.c'],
-    'c_args': ['-DGTK_COMPILATION', '-UG_ENABLE_DEBUG'],
-  },
   { 'name': 'defaultvalue' },
   { 'name': 'entry' },
   { 'name': 'expression' },
@@ -78,16 +60,6 @@ tests = [
   { 'name': 'objects-finalize' },
   { 'name': 'papersize' },
   #{ 'name': 'popover' },
-  {
-    'name': 'propertylookuplistmodel',
-    'sources': ['../../gtk/gtkpropertylookuplistmodel.c'],
-    'c_args': ['-DGTK_COMPILATION', '-UG_ENABLE_DEBUG'],
-  },
-  {
-    'name': 'rbtree',
-    'sources': ['../../gtk/gtktreerbtree.c'],
-    'c_args': ['-DGTK_COMPILATION', '-UG_ENABLE_DEBUG'],
-  },
   { 'name': 'recentmanager' },
   { 'name': 'regression-tests' },
   { 'name': 'scrolledwindow' },
@@ -104,10 +76,6 @@ tests = [
   { 'name': 'textbuffer' },
   { 'name': 'textiter' },
   { 'name': 'theme-validate' },
-  {
-    'name': 'timsort',
-    'sources': ['timsort.c', '../../gtk/timsort/gtktimsort.c'],
-  },
   { 'name': 'tooltips' },
   { 'name': 'treelistmodel' },
   {
@@ -132,6 +100,16 @@ tests = [
   { 'name': 'widget-refcount' },
 ]
 
+# Tests that test private apis and therefore are linked against libgtk-4.a
+internal_tests = [
+  { 'name': 'bitmask' },
+  { 'name': 'constraint-solver' },
+  { 'name': 'rbtree-crash' },
+  { 'name': 'propertylookuplistmodel' },
+  { 'name': 'rbtree' },
+  { 'name': 'timsort' },
+]
+
 # Tests that are expected to fail
 xfail = [
   # we are still missing some accessors
@@ -199,6 +177,39 @@ foreach t : tests
   )
 endforeach
 
+foreach t : internal_tests
+  test_name = t.get('name')
+  test_srcs = ['@0@.c'.format(test_name)] + t.get('sources', [])
+  test_extra_cargs = t.get('c_args', [])
+  test_extra_ldflags = t.get('link_args', [])
+  test_extra_suites = t.get('suites', [])
+  test_timeout = 60
+
+  test_exe = executable(test_name,
+    sources: test_srcs,
+    c_args: test_cargs + test_extra_cargs,
+    link_args: test_extra_ldflags,
+    dependencies: libgtk_static_dep,
+    install: get_option('install-tests'),
+    install_dir: testexecdir,
+  )
+
+  expect_fail = xfail.contains(test_name)
+
+  if test_extra_suites.contains('slow')
+    test_timeout = 90
+  endif
+
+  test(test_name, test_exe,
+    args: [ '--tap', '-k' ],
+    protocol: 'tap',
+    timeout: test_timeout,
+    env: test_env,
+    suite: ['gtk'] + test_extra_suites,
+    should_fail: expect_fail,
+  )
+endforeach
+
 # FIXME: if objc autotestkeywords_CPPFLAGS += -DHAVE_OBJC=1 -x objective-c++
 if add_languages('cpp', required: false, native: false)
   test_exe = executable('autotestkeywords',