diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 9b68d2752b960887da3f6a3cd475111d149a97d0..b5e71aad1e3d66afe8e0ea05af7e0ba7f6d675ed 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -73,9 +73,14 @@ test: all
 
 need-chutney-path:
 	@if test ! -d "$$CHUTNEY_PATH"; then \
-		echo '$$CHUTNEY_PATH was not set.'; echo; \
-		echo "To run these tests, git clone https://git.torproject.org/chutney.git ; export CHUTNEY_PATH=\`pwd\`/chutney"; \
-		exit 1; \
+		echo '$$CHUTNEY_PATH was not set.'; \
+		if test -d $(top_srcdir)/../chutney -a -x $(top_srcdir)/../chutney/chutney; then \
+			echo "Assuming test-network.sh will find" $(top_srcdir)/../chutney; \
+		else \
+			echo; \
+			echo "To run these tests, git clone https://git.torproject.org/chutney.git ; export CHUTNEY_PATH=\`pwd\`/chutney"; \
+			exit 1; \
+		fi \
 	fi
 
 # Note that test-network requires a copy of Chutney in $CHUTNEY_PATH.
diff --git a/changes/autodetect-chutney-path b/changes/autodetect-chutney-path
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..4da6b246e82bd8bacb100a3853608f5d4de8086e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes/autodetect-chutney-path
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+  o Minor features (testing):
+    - Autodetect CHUTNEY_PATH if the chutney and tor sources are
+      side-by-side in the same parent directory.
+      Closes ticket 16903. Patch by "teor".
diff --git a/src/test/test-network.sh b/src/test/test-network.sh
index cc74c0f823d4b9c4940d75b6743736224563f5ea..806eb183c89dc89d47453ff18c0b573e9c5a55dc 100755
--- a/src/test/test-network.sh
+++ b/src/test/test-network.sh
@@ -59,8 +59,16 @@ NETWORK_FLAVOUR=${NETWORK_FLAVOUR:-basic}
 CHUTNEY_NETWORK=networks/$NETWORK_FLAVOUR
 myname=$(basename $0)
 
+[ -n "$CHUTNEY_PATH" ] || {
+    echo "$myname: \$CHUTNEY_PATH not set, trying $TOR_DIR/../chutney"
+    CHUTNEY_PATH="$TOR_DIR/../chutney"
+}
+
 [ -d "$CHUTNEY_PATH" ] && [ -x "$CHUTNEY_PATH/chutney" ] || {
     echo "$myname: missing 'chutney' in CHUTNEY_PATH ($CHUTNEY_PATH)"
+    echo "$myname: Get chutney: git clone https://git.torproject.org/\
+chutney.git"
+    echo "$myname: Set \$CHUTNEY_PATH to a non-standard location: export CHUTNEY_PATH=\`pwd\`/chutney"
     exit 1
 }