diff --git a/tests/libneo/src/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/libneo/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 44fbb73..d862f1b 100644
--- a/tests/libneo/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/libneo/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -14,4 +14,16 @@ link_directories(${LIBUTIL_FOR_TEST_DIR})
 link_directories(${LIBUTIL_FOR_TEST_FIELD_DIR})
 
 add_subdirectory(field)
-add_subdirectory(poincare)
\ No newline at end of file
+add_subdirectory(poincare)
+
+# Sparse front end integration test (itpplasma/code#13). Only build when the
+# installed libneo ships the optional SuiteSparse-backed sparse library, so
+# hosts without it are unaffected. This standalone project discovers libneo's
+# build-tree libraries via link_directories rather than an imported package,
+# so check for the sparse library itself instead of a CMake target.
+find_library(LIBNEO_SPARSE_LIB sparse PATHS ${LIBNEO_DIR} NO_DEFAULT_PATH)
+if(LIBNEO_SPARSE_LIB)
+    add_subdirectory(sparse)
+else()
+    message(STATUS "libneo sparse library not found; skipping sparse integration test")
+endif()
diff --git a/tests/libneo/src/sparse/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/libneo/src/sparse/CMakeLists.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5d255e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/libneo/src/sparse/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+set(CMAKE_RUNTIME_OUTPUT_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/sparse)
+
+# libneo's static sparse archive wraps UMFPACK/SuiteSparse but, because this
+# standalone project links libneo's build-tree archives directly via
+# link_directories rather than the exported LIBNEO::sparse target, the
+# transitive UMFPACK/SuiteSparse dependencies are not pulled in automatically.
+# Provide the complete dependency closure explicitly so the test links on
+# hosts where libneo ships the optional sparse library.
+find_package(BLAS REQUIRED)
+find_package(LAPACK REQUIRED)
+find_library(UMFPACK_LIBRARY umfpack)
+find_library(AMD_LIBRARY amd)
+find_library(COLAMD_LIBRARY colamd)
+find_library(SUITESPARSE_CONFIG_LIBRARY suitesparseconfig)
+
+add_executable(test_sparse_mod.x test_sparse_mod.f90)
+target_link_libraries(test_sparse_mod.x PRIVATE neo
+                                                  sparse
+                                                  ${UMFPACK_LIBRARY}
+                                                  ${AMD_LIBRARY}
+                                                  ${COLAMD_LIBRARY}
+                                                  ${SUITESPARSE_CONFIG_LIBRARY}
+                                                  BLAS::BLAS
+                                                  LAPACK::LAPACK
+                                                  util_for_test)
+add_test(NAME test_sparse_mod COMMAND test_sparse_mod.x)
+
+set_tests_properties(
+    test_sparse_mod
+    PROPERTIES LABELS "sparse")
diff --git a/tests/libneo/src/sparse/test_sparse_mod.f90 b/tests/libneo/src/sparse/test_sparse_mod.f90
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f488069
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/libneo/src/sparse/test_sparse_mod.f90
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+! Integration test for the consolidated sparse_mod front end.
+!
+! sparse_mod is the UMFPACK/SuiteSparse front end solving the linear systems
+! of the NEO-2 ripple solver, the MEPHIT MDE / helical-current iteration and
+! KAMEL's QL-Balance / KIM electrostatic Poisson solve.  Three byte-level
+! forks of the module used to live in NEO-2, MEPHIT and KAMEL; the libneo
+! "unique version" is the single implementation all codes link against.
+!
+! This test exercises the libneo sparse_mod API used by all three consumers:
+!   (a) sparse_example(1) against the reference vector kept in KAMEL's
+!       QL-Balance/src/test/test_sparse.f90
+!   (b) the decoupled-DOF case (structurally empty row/column): formerly
+!       uninitialised heap entries must now come out as exact zeros
+!   (c) the complex overload
+!   (d) sparse_solve_method 2 vs 3 (umf4solr vs umf4sol) both converge
+!   (e) the iopt 1/2/3 factorize-solve-free cycle used by
+!       KAMEL/QL-Balance/src/base/evolvestep.f90
+!
+! See itpplasma/code#13.
+
+program test_sparse_mod
+  use iso_fortran_env, only: dp => real64
+  use sparse_mod
+
+  implicit none
+
+  ! (e) factorize-solve-free cycle, checked for both refinement settings and
+  ! (d) sparse_solve_method 2 vs 3 both converge
+  sparse_solve_method = 2
+  call run_cycle
+  sparse_solve_method = 3
+  call run_cycle
+
+  ! (a) reference example: A*x = 1 solves to
+  !     {-1.17021, 0.234043, -0.0212766, -2.28723, 0.255319}
+  call check_ref
+
+  ! (b) decoupled DOF: an all-zero row/column must leave x == 0 exactly
+  call check_decoupled_dof
+
+  ! (c) complex overload
+  call check_complex
+
+  print *, "PASS: test_sparse_mod"
+
+contains
+
+  subroutine check_solution(A, x, b)
+    real(dp), intent(in) :: A(:, :), x(:)
+    real(dp), allocatable, intent(in) :: b(:)
+    real(dp) :: max_abs_err, max_rel_err
+    call sparse_solver_test(A, x, b, max_abs_err, max_rel_err)
+    if (max_abs_err > 1.0e-8_dp) then
+       print *, "FAIL: residual too large: max_abs_err=", max_abs_err
+       error stop
+    end if
+  end subroutine check_solution
+
+  ! factorize (iopt=2), solve reusing the factorisation (iopt=1),
+  ! solve and free (iopt=3)
+  subroutine run_cycle
+    real(dp), allocatable :: A(:, :), x(:), b(:)
+    call load_mini_example(A)
+    allocate(x(size(A, 2)), b(size(A, 2)))
+    x = 2.0_dp
+    b = x
+    call sparse_solve(A, x, 2)          ! factorize
+    call check_solution(A, x, b)
+    x = 3.0_dp
+    b = x
+    call sparse_solve(A, x, 1)          ! reuse factorisation
+    call check_solution(A, x, b)
+    x = 4.0_dp
+    b = x
+    call sparse_solve(A, x, 3)          ! solve and free
+    call check_solution(A, x, b)
+    deallocate(A, x, b)
+  end subroutine run_cycle
+
+  ! Reference residual from KAMEL/QL-Balance/src/test/test_sparse.f90
+  subroutine check_ref
+    real(dp), allocatable :: A(:, :), x(:), b(:)
+    real(dp) :: ref(5)
+    call load_mini_example(A)
+    allocate(x(size(A, 2)), b(size(A, 2)))
+    x = 1.0_dp
+    b = x
+    call sparse_solve(A, x)
+    call check_solution(A, x, b)
+    ref = [ -1.17021_dp, 0.234043_dp, -0.0212766_dp, -2.28723_dp, 0.255319_dp ]
+    if (.not. all(abs(x - ref) < 1.0e-4_dp)) then
+       print *, "FAIL: sparse_example(1) reference mismatch"
+       print *, "got  ", x
+       print *, "want ", ref
+       error stop
+    end if
+    deallocate(A, x, b)
+  end subroutine check_ref
+
+  ! The decoupled DOF used to carry uninitialised heap because UMFPACK
+  ! leaves empty/decoupled rows unwritten.  The consolidated copy zero-inits.
+  ! Recipe from itpplasma/code#13: zero row and column 3 of the non-singular
+  ! 5x5 load_mini_example matrix so DOF 3 is structurally decoupled; the
+  ! decoupled entry of the solution must come out as an exact zero.
+  subroutine check_decoupled_dof
+    real(dp), allocatable :: M(:, :), xx(:), b(:)
+    call load_mini_example(M)
+    allocate(xx(size(M, 2)), b(size(M, 2)))
+    M(:, 3) = 0.0_dp        ! structurally decouple DOF 3
+    M(3, :) = 0.0_dp
+    xx = 1.0_dp
+    b = xx
+    call sparse_solve(M, xx)
+    if (abs(xx(3)) /= 0.0_dp) then
+       print *, "FAIL: decoupled DOF not zero: ", xx(3)
+       error stop
+    end if
+    ! full system (no decoupling) must still solve
+    M = 0.0_dp
+    call load_mini_example(M)
+    xx = 1.0_dp
+    b = xx
+    call sparse_solve(M, xx)
+    call check_solution(M, xx, b)
+    deallocate(M, xx, b)
+  end subroutine check_decoupled_dof
+
+  subroutine check_complex
+    complex(dp), allocatable :: Z(:, :), zx(:), zb(:)
+    real(dp), allocatable :: M(:, :)
+    real(dp) :: max_abs_err, max_rel_err
+    integer :: i
+    call load_mini_example(M)
+    allocate(Z(size(M, 1), size(M, 2)), zx(size(M, 2)), zb(size(M, 2)))
+    do i = 1, size(M, 2)
+       Z(:, i) = cmplx(M(:, i), M(:, i), dp)
+    end do
+    zx = (1.0_dp, 1.0_dp)
+    zb = zx
+    call sparse_solve(Z, zx)
+    call sparse_solver_test(Z, zx, zb, max_abs_err, max_rel_err)
+    if (max_abs_err > 1.0e-8_dp) then
+       print *, "FAIL: complex residual too large: max_abs_err=", max_abs_err
+       error stop
+    end if
+    deallocate(Z, zx, zb, M)
+  end subroutine check_complex
+
+end program test_sparse_mod