diff --git a/src/test/CMakeLists.txt b/src/test/CMakeLists.txt
index 89ebaa84d..c1c58190c 100644
--- a/src/test/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/test/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,166 +1,156 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2018 The Bitcoin developers
 
 project(bitcoin-test)
 
 # Process json files.
-find_program(HEXDUMP "hexdump")
-find_program(SED "sed")
+find_program(PYTHON python)
 function(gen_json_header NAME)
 	set(HEADERS "")
 	foreach(f ${ARGN})
-		set(hex "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${f}.hex")
 		set(h "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/${f}.h")
-		add_custom_command(OUTPUT ${hex}
-			COMMAND ${HEXDUMP}
-			ARGS
-				-v
-				-e "8/1 \"0x%02x, \""
-				-e "\"\\n\""
-				"${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/${f}" > ${hex}
-			MAIN_DEPENDENCY ${f}
-			VERBATIM
-		)
+
 		# Get the proper name for the test variable.
 		get_filename_component(TEST_NAME ${f} NAME_WE)
 		add_custom_command(OUTPUT ${h}
-			COMMAND ${SED}
+			COMMAND ${PYTHON}
 			ARGS
-				-e "s/0x  ,//g"
-				-e "1 s/^/namespace json_tests{\\nstatic unsigned const char ${TEST_NAME}[] = {\\n/"
-				-e "\${s:\$:\\n\\};\\n\\}; // namespace json_tests:}"
-				< ${hex} > ${h}
-			MAIN_DEPENDENCY ${hex}
+				"${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/data/generate_header.py"
+				"${TEST_NAME}"
+				"${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/${f}" > ${h}
+			MAIN_DEPENDENCY ${f}
+			DEPENDS
+				"data/generate_header.py"
 			VERBATIM
 		)
 		list(APPEND HEADERS ${h})
 	endforeach(f)
 	set(${NAME} "${HEADERS}" PARENT_SCOPE)
 endfunction()
 
 gen_json_header(JSON_HEADERS
 	data/script_tests.json
 	data/base58_keys_valid.json
 	data/base58_encode_decode.json
 	data/base58_keys_invalid.json
 	data/tx_invalid.json
 	data/tx_valid.json
 	data/sighash.json
 )
 
 include(TestSuite)
 create_test_suite(bitcoin)
 add_dependencies(check check-bitcoin)
 
 add_test_to_suite(bitcoin test_bitcoin
 	arith_uint256_tests.cpp
 	addrman_tests.cpp
 	amount_tests.cpp
 	allocator_tests.cpp
 	base32_tests.cpp
 	base58_tests.cpp
 	base64_tests.cpp
 	bip32_tests.cpp
 	blockcheck_tests.cpp
 	blockencodings_tests.cpp
 	bloom_tests.cpp
 	bswap_tests.cpp
 	cashaddr_tests.cpp
 	cashaddrenc_tests.cpp
 	checkpoints_tests.cpp
 	coins_tests.cpp
 	compress_tests.cpp
 	config_tests.cpp
 	core_io_tests.cpp
 	crypto_tests.cpp
 	cuckoocache_tests.cpp
 	dbwrapper_tests.cpp
 	DoS_tests.cpp
 	dstencode_tests.cpp
 	excessiveblock_tests.cpp
 	getarg_tests.cpp
 	hash_tests.cpp
 	inv_tests.cpp
 	jsonutil.cpp
 	key_tests.cpp
 	limitedmap_tests.cpp
 	main_tests.cpp
 	mempool_tests.cpp
 	merkle_tests.cpp
 	miner_tests.cpp
 	monolith_opcodes.cpp
 	multisig_tests.cpp
 	net_tests.cpp
 	netbase_tests.cpp
 	pmt_tests.cpp
 	policyestimator_tests.cpp
 	pow_tests.cpp
 	prevector_tests.cpp
 	raii_event_tests.cpp
 	random_tests.cpp
 	reverselock_tests.cpp
 	rpc_tests.cpp
 	sanity_tests.cpp
 	scheduler_tests.cpp
 	script_antireplay_tests.cpp
 	script_P2SH_tests.cpp
 	script_tests.cpp
 	script_sighashtype_tests.cpp
 	scriptflags.cpp
 	scriptnum_tests.cpp
 	serialize_tests.cpp
 	sighash_tests.cpp
 	sigopcount_tests.cpp
 	sigutil.cpp
 	skiplist_tests.cpp
 	streams_tests.cpp
 	test_bitcoin.cpp
 	test_bitcoin_main.cpp
 	testutil.cpp
 	timedata_tests.cpp
 	transaction_tests.cpp
 	txvalidationcache_tests.cpp
 	versionbits_tests.cpp
 	uint256_tests.cpp
 	undo_tests.cpp
 	univalue_tests.cpp
 	util_tests.cpp
 	validation_tests.cpp
 
 	# Tests generated from JSON
 	${JSON_HEADERS}
 )
 
 target_include_directories(test_bitcoin
 	PUBLIC
 		# To access the generated json headers.
 		${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}
 	PRIVATE
 		${OPENSSL_INCLUDE_DIR}
 )
 
 find_package(Boost 1.58 REQUIRED unit_test_framework)
 
 target_link_libraries(test_bitcoin Boost::unit_test_framework rpcclient server)
 
 # We need to detect if the BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK flag is required.
 set(CMAKE_REQUIRED_LIBRARIES Boost::unit_test_framework)
 check_cxx_source_compiles("
 	#define BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK
 	#define BOOST_TEST_MAIN
 	#include <boost/test/unit_test.hpp>
 " BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK)
 
 if(BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK)
 	target_compile_definitions(test_bitcoin PRIVATE BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK)
 endif(BOOST_TEST_DYN_LINK)
 
 if(BUILD_BITCOIN_WALLET)
 	target_sources(test_bitcoin
 		PRIVATE
 			../wallet/test/wallet_test_fixture.cpp
 			../wallet/test/accounting_tests.cpp
 			../wallet/test/wallet_tests.cpp
 			../wallet/test/walletdb_tests.cpp
 			../wallet/test/crypto_tests.cpp
 	)
 endif()
diff --git a/src/test/data/generate_header.py b/src/test/data/generate_header.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..57005469e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/data/generate_header.py
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+# Copyright (c) 2018 The Bitcoin developers
+
+import os
+import sys
+
+
+def main(test_name, input_file):
+    with open(input_file, "rb") as f:
+        contents = f.read()
+
+    print("namespace json_tests{")
+    print("   static unsigned const char {}[] = {{".format(test_name))
+    print(", ".join(map(lambda x: "0x{:02x}".format(ord(x)), contents)))
+    print(" };")
+    print("};")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    if len(sys.argv) != 3:
+        print("We need additional pylons!")
+        os.exit(1)
+
+    main(sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2])