diff --git a/integration-tests/tests/cargo_near_new.rs b/integration-tests/tests/cargo_near_new.rs
index 82fa26e7..6908fe7a 100644
--- a/integration-tests/tests/cargo_near_new.rs
+++ b/integration-tests/tests/cargo_near_new.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
+use std::process::{Command, Stdio};
+
+use camino::Utf8PathBuf;
 use serde_json::json;
+mod crate_metadata;
+mod toolchain_channels;
 
+/// This tests logic of `../../cargo-near/src/commands/new/new-project-template/tests/test_basics.rs`,
+/// on contract, which is docker-built from project, generated by `cargo near new`
 #[cfg(target_os = "linux")]
 #[tokio::test]
 async fn test_docker_build() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
@@ -7,11 +14,12 @@ async fn test_docker_build() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
 
     setup_tracing();
 
-    let generated_manifest = {
-        let generated_dir = run_cargo_near_new()?;
-        generated_dir.join("Cargo.toml")
-    };
-    assert_new_cmd_workspaces_version_equal_to_test(&generated_manifest)?;
+    let generated_manifest = run_cargo_near_new()?;
+    crate_metadata::assert_versions_equal(
+        &tests_manifest(),
+        &generated_manifest,
+        "near_workspaces",
+    )?;
 
     let opts = cargo_near_build::docker::DockerBuildOpts::builder()
         .manifest_path(generated_manifest.clone())
@@ -35,66 +43,61 @@ async fn test_docker_build() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
 
 include! {"../../cargo-near/src/commands/new/test_basics_on.rs.in"}
 
-fn extract_locked_workspaces_version(
-    manifest_path: &camino::Utf8PathBuf,
-    package_name: &str,
-) -> color_eyre::Result<semver::Version> {
-    let meta =
-        cargo_near_build::CrateMetadata::collect(manifest_path.clone().try_into()?, false, None)?;
+#[tokio::test]
+/// This runs `cargo test` on project, generated by `cargo near new`
+async fn test_cargo_test_on_generated_project() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
+    use cargo_near_integration_tests::setup_tracing;
+
+    setup_tracing();
 
-    let package = meta.find_dependency(package_name)?;
+    let generated_manifest = run_cargo_near_new()?;
 
-    Ok(package.version.clone())
-}
+    toolchain_channels::assert_equal(
+        &tests_toolchain(),
+        &generated_manifest
+            .parent()
+            .expect("has a parent")
+            .join("rust-toolchain.toml"),
+    )?;
 
-/// This asserts sync of versions in lock-file of `cargo-near-integration-tests` and
-/// `cargo near new` generated template
-fn assert_new_cmd_workspaces_version_equal_to_test(
-    generated_manifest: &camino::Utf8PathBuf,
-) -> cargo_near::CliResult {
-    let tests_manifest = {
-        let cargo_near_integration_tests_dir: camino::Utf8PathBuf =
-            env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR").into();
-        cargo_near_integration_tests_dir.join("Cargo.toml")
+    // somehow `rustup` doesn't respect `rust-toolchain.toml` in
+    // the target generated dir
+    let mut cmd = Command::new("cargo");
+    cmd.arg("test")
+        .stdout(Stdio::piped())
+        .stderr(Stdio::piped())
+        .current_dir(
+            generated_manifest
+                .parent()
+                .expect("expected to have parent")
+                .as_str(),
+        );
+
+    let (output, output_string) = {
+        let child = cmd.spawn()?;
+        let output = child.wait_with_output()?;
+        let mut output_string = String::new();
+        output_string.push_str(&String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr));
+        output_string.push_str(&String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout));
+        (output, output_string)
     };
-    let versions = [&tests_manifest, generated_manifest]
-        .iter()
-        .map(|manifest| extract_locked_workspaces_version(manifest, "near_workspaces"))
-        .collect::<Result<Vec<_>, color_eyre::Report>>()?;
 
-    assert_eq!(versions[0], versions[1]);
-    Ok(())
-}
+    assert!(
+        output.status.success(),
+        "running `cargo test` errored with msg: {}",
+        output_string
+    );
 
-// TODO: add sync of versions of rust-toolchain.toml-s
-#[allow(unused)]
-fn get_workspaces_rs_version(manifest_path: &camino::Utf8PathBuf) -> color_eyre::Result<String> {
-    use color_eyre::eyre::OptionExt;
+    std::fs::remove_dir_all(
+        generated_manifest
+            .parent()
+            .expect("expected to have parent"),
+    )?;
 
-    let toml_table_str = {
-        let bytes = std::fs::read(manifest_path).map_err(|err| {
-            color_eyre::eyre::eyre!("read file, {:?}, err {}", manifest_path, err)
-        })?;
-        core::str::from_utf8(&bytes)?.to_owned()
-    };
-    let toml_table = toml_table_str.parse::<toml::Table>()?;
-    let entry = toml_table["dev-dependencies"]["near-workspaces"].clone();
-    let result = match entry {
-        toml::Value::String(version_string) => version_string,
-        toml::Value::Table(workspaces_table) => workspaces_table["version"]
-            .as_str()
-            .ok_or_eyre(format!("expected version string {:#?}", workspaces_table))?
-            .to_owned(),
-        _ => {
-            return Err(color_eyre::eyre::eyre!(
-                "unexpected variant of toml.dev-dependencies.near-workspaces"
-            ))
-        }
-    };
-    Ok(result)
+    Ok(())
 }
 
-/// runs a `cargo near new FOLDER` routine while returning the FOLDER
+/// runs a `cargo near new FOLDER` routine while returning the FOLDER/Cargo.toml
 fn run_cargo_near_new() -> color_eyre::Result<camino::Utf8PathBuf> {
     let out_path = {
         let tmp_dir = tempfile::Builder::new()
@@ -114,5 +117,16 @@ fn run_cargo_near_new() -> color_eyre::Result<camino::Utf8PathBuf> {
         },
         &scope,
     )?;
-    Ok(out_path.try_into()?)
+    let out_path: Utf8PathBuf = out_path.try_into()?;
+    Ok(out_path.join("Cargo.toml"))
+}
+
+fn tests_manifest() -> camino::Utf8PathBuf {
+    let cargo_near_integration_tests_dir: camino::Utf8PathBuf = env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR").into();
+    cargo_near_integration_tests_dir.join("Cargo.toml")
+}
+
+fn tests_toolchain() -> camino::Utf8PathBuf {
+    let cargo_near_integration_tests_dir: camino::Utf8PathBuf = env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR").into();
+    cargo_near_integration_tests_dir.join("../rust-toolchain.toml")
 }
diff --git a/integration-tests/tests/crate_metadata.rs b/integration-tests/tests/crate_metadata.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..339ef8b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration-tests/tests/crate_metadata.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+/// finds version of package in a crate's Cargo.lock
+fn get_locked_package_version(
+    manifest_path: &camino::Utf8PathBuf,
+    package_name: &str,
+) -> color_eyre::Result<semver::Version> {
+    let meta =
+        cargo_near_build::CrateMetadata::collect(manifest_path.clone().try_into()?, false, None)?;
+
+    let package = meta.find_dependency(package_name)?;
+
+    Ok(package.version.clone())
+}
+
+/// This asserts sync of versions of *package_name* in lock-file of
+/// project_one vs project_two
+pub fn assert_versions_equal(
+    manifest_one: &camino::Utf8PathBuf,
+    manifest_two: &camino::Utf8PathBuf,
+    package_name: &str,
+) -> cargo_near::CliResult {
+    let versions = [manifest_one, manifest_two]
+        .iter()
+        .map(|manifest| get_locked_package_version(manifest, package_name))
+        .collect::<Result<Vec<_>, color_eyre::Report>>()?;
+
+    assert_eq!(
+        versions[0],
+        versions[1],
+        "no sync of versions of `{}` in lock-file of `{}` and \
+        `{}` projects",
+        package_name,
+        manifest_one.as_str(),
+        manifest_two.as_str(),
+    );
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/integration-tests/tests/lib.rs b/integration-tests/tests/lib.rs
deleted file mode 100644
index 9a988669..00000000
--- a/integration-tests/tests/lib.rs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-mod abi;
-mod build;
-mod cargo;
-mod util;
diff --git a/integration-tests/tests/toolchain_channels.rs b/integration-tests/tests/toolchain_channels.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..376b3aef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/integration-tests/tests/toolchain_channels.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+/// this asserts sync of rust toolchains channels of file_one vs file_two
+pub fn assert_equal(
+    toolchain_one: &camino::Utf8PathBuf,
+    toolchain_two: &camino::Utf8PathBuf,
+) -> cargo_near::CliResult {
+    let channels = [toolchain_one, toolchain_two]
+        .iter()
+        .map(|file| get_toolchain_channel(file.as_std_path()))
+        .collect::<Result<Vec<_>, color_eyre::Report>>()?;
+    assert_eq!(
+        channels[0],
+        channels[1],
+        "no sync of channels of the toolchain `{}` \
+        and `{}`",
+        toolchain_one.as_str(),
+        toolchain_two.as_str(),
+    );
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+/// parses `rust-toolchain.toml` and returns `channel`
+fn get_toolchain_channel(toolchain_file: &std::path::Path) -> color_eyre::Result<String> {
+    let toml_table_str = {
+        let bytes = std::fs::read(toolchain_file).map_err(|err| {
+            color_eyre::eyre::eyre!("read file, {:?}, err {}", toolchain_file, err)
+        })?;
+        core::str::from_utf8(&bytes)?.to_owned()
+    };
+    let toml_table = toml_table_str.parse::<toml::Table>()?;
+    let entry = toml_table["toolchain"]["channel"].clone();
+    let result = match entry {
+        toml::Value::String(channel_string) => channel_string,
+        _ => {
+            return Err(color_eyre::eyre::eyre!(
+                "unexpected variant of toml.toolchain.channel"
+            ))
+        }
+    };
+    Ok(result)
+}