diff --git a/testharness/expect.go b/testharness/expect.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1808969b31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testharness/expect.go
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+package testharness
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/zclconf/go-cty/cty/convert"
+	"github.com/zclconf/go-cty/cty/function/stdlib"
+
+	"github.com/hashicorp/hcl2/hcl"
+	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/tfdiags"
+	"github.com/yuin/gopher-lua"
+	"github.com/zclconf/go-cty/cty"
+	"github.com/zclconf/gopherlua-cty/luacty"
+)
+
+// expect represents a call to either "expect" (within an "it") or "require"
+// (within a "describe") that allows the user to make a statement about what
+// is expected or required within a test.
+//
+// Expectations are used to decide if an "it" tests succeeds or fails.
+// Requirements are used to decide whether or not a set of tests should be
+// skipped.
+//
+// When expect/require appear in test spec files they are used by immediately
+// calling a method to say what must be true about the value:
+//
+//     expect(var.protocol).to_equal("HTTP")
+//
+// Therefore when an "expect" is initially instantiated it lacks a result,
+// with one being assigned only when one of the methods is called. If no
+// method is ever called, the expectation never recieves a result and this
+// should be reported to the user as an error. Likewise, if a method is
+// called when a result is already present then this is also an error.
+type expect struct {
+	lstate *lua.LState
+
+	// We accept any Lua value at instantiation time, but get more picky
+	// once one of the methods is called.
+	value lua.LValue
+
+	result CheckResult
+	diags  tfdiags.Diagnostics
+	detail string
+
+	defRange tfdiags.SourceRange
+}
+
+func newExpect(lstate *lua.LState, given lua.LValue, defRange tfdiags.SourceRange) *expect {
+	return &expect{
+		lstate:   lstate,
+		value:    given,
+		result:   Skipped,
+		defRange: defRange,
+	}
+}
+
+// Result returns the result of the expecatation, as either Success or Failure.
+// Returns Skipped if no assertion method was ever called, or Error if
+// error-level diagnostics prevented a result from being produced.
+func (e *expect) Result() CheckResult {
+	return e.result
+}
+
+// luaObject returns the value that should be returned from the expect/require
+// call to make available the assertion methods.
+func (e *expect) LuaObject() lua.LValue {
+	L := e.lstate
+	ret := L.NewTable()
+	ret.RawSet(lua.LString("to_equal"), L.NewFunction(e.luaAssertEqual))
+	return ret
+}
+
+func (e *expect) luaAssertEqual(L *lua.LState) int {
+	if e.result != Skipped {
+		e.diags = e.diags.Append(&hcl.Diagnostic{
+			Severity: hcl.DiagError,
+			Summary:  "Re-used expectation",
+			Detail:   "Only one assertion call may be made per expectation.",
+			Subject:  callingRange(L, 1),
+		})
+		return 0
+	}
+	// If we exit any way other than falling out of the end of the function
+	// then we'll assume we failed.
+	e.result = Error
+
+	if L.GetTop() != 1 {
+		e.diags = e.diags.Append(&hcl.Diagnostic{
+			Severity: hcl.DiagError,
+			Summary:  "Invalid \"to_equal\" assertion",
+			Detail:   "A \"to_equal\" assertion must have one argument: the value to compare to.",
+			Subject:  callingRange(L, 1),
+		})
+		return 0
+	}
+
+	otherVal := L.CheckAny(1)
+
+	// We use cty-style equality for this function, which requires that we
+	// be given values that can be converted to that type system.
+	conv := luacty.NewConverter(L)
+
+	got, err := conv.ToCtyValue(e.value, cty.DynamicPseudoType)
+	if err != nil {
+		e.diags = e.diags.Append(&hcl.Diagnostic{
+			Severity: hcl.DiagError,
+			Summary:  "Invalid value for \"to_equal\" assertion",
+			Detail:   fmt.Sprintf("Invalid given value: %s.", err),
+			Subject:  callingRange(L, 1),
+		})
+	}
+
+	want, err := conv.ToCtyValue(otherVal, cty.DynamicPseudoType)
+	if err != nil {
+		e.diags = e.diags.Append(&hcl.Diagnostic{
+			Severity: hcl.DiagError,
+			Summary:  "Invalid value for \"to_equal\" assertion",
+			Detail:   fmt.Sprintf("Invalid wanted value: %s.", err),
+			Subject:  callingRange(L, 1),
+		})
+	}
+
+	if e.diags.HasErrors() {
+		return 0
+	}
+
+	// We'll try to convert the given value into the same type as the
+	// wanted value, since Terraform values don't always show up in the
+	// type we ideally want.
+	converted, err := convert.Convert(got, want.Type())
+	if err == nil { // if not possible for any reason, just leave as-is and we'll fail the test below
+		got = converted
+	}
+
+	result, err := stdlib.Equal(got, want)
+	if err != nil {
+		e.diags = e.diags.Append(&hcl.Diagnostic{
+			Severity: hcl.DiagError,
+			Summary:  "Invalid \"to_equal\" comparison",
+			Detail:   fmt.Sprintf("Comparison failed: %s.", err),
+			Subject:  callingRange(L, 1),
+		})
+	}
+
+	if !result.IsKnown() {
+		result = cty.False
+	}
+
+	if result.True() {
+		e.result = Success
+	} else {
+		e.result = Failure
+		e.detail = fmt.Sprintf("expected %q to be %q", e.value, otherVal)
+	}
+
+	return 0
+}