diff --git a/build.gradle.kts b/build.gradle.kts
index 7923effef3..a64b621796 100644
--- a/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/build.gradle.kts
@@ -126,7 +126,11 @@ subprojects {
         }
     }
     tasks.withType<Test>().configureEach {
-        systemProperty("com.bloomberg.selekt.lib.can_use_embedded", true)
+        systemProperty("com.bloomberg.selekt.can_use_load", true)
+        systemProperty(
+            "com.bloomberg.selekt.library_path",
+            layout.buildDirectory.dir("intermediates/assets/debugUnitTest").get().asFile.toString()
+        )
     }
     tasks.withType<KotlinCompile>().configureEach {
         kotlinOptions {
diff --git a/selekt-android-sqlcipher/src/debug/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/android/Loader.kt b/selekt-android-sqlcipher/src/debug/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/android/Loader.kt
index 22c784fb16..a44014a74f 100644
--- a/selekt-android-sqlcipher/src/debug/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/android/Loader.kt
+++ b/selekt-android-sqlcipher/src/debug/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/android/Loader.kt
@@ -18,18 +18,18 @@ package com.bloomberg.selekt.android
 
 import com.bloomberg.selekt.ExternalSQLite
 import com.bloomberg.selekt.SQLite
-import com.bloomberg.selekt.commons.loadEmbeddedLibrary
+import com.bloomberg.selekt.commons.loadLibrary
 import com.bloomberg.selekt.externalSQLiteSingleton
 
-private const val CAN_USE_EMBEDDED_PROPERTY_KEY = "com.bloomberg.selekt.lib.can_use_embedded"
+private const val CAN_USE_LOAD_PROPERTY_KEY = "com.bloomberg.selekt.can_use_load"
 
 fun loadSQLite(): ExternalSQLite = externalSQLiteSingleton {
     "selekt".let {
         try {
             System.loadLibrary(it)
         } catch (e: UnsatisfiedLinkError) {
-            if (System.getProperty(CAN_USE_EMBEDDED_PROPERTY_KEY, null) == "true") {
-                loadEmbeddedLibrary(checkNotNull(SQLite::class.java.classLoader), "jni", it)
+            if (System.getProperty(CAN_USE_LOAD_PROPERTY_KEY, null) == "true") {
+                loadLibrary(checkNotNull(SQLite::class.java.classLoader), "jni", it)
             } else {
                 throw e
             }
diff --git a/selekt-android/build.gradle.kts b/selekt-android/build.gradle.kts
index bc16fba857..e4e8565ae4 100644
--- a/selekt-android/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/selekt-android/build.gradle.kts
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ android {
             buildConfigField("String", "gitCommitSha1", "\"${gitCommit()}\"")
         }
     }
-    sourceSets["test"].resources.srcDir(layout.buildDirectory.dir("intermediates/libs"))
+    sourceSets["test"].assets.srcDir(layout.buildDirectory.dir("intermediates/libs"))
     publishing {
         singleVariant("release") {
             withJavadocJar()
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ tasks.register<Copy>("copyJniLibs") {
         fileTree(project(":Selektric").layout.buildDirectory.dir("intermediates/libs"))
     )
     into(layout.buildDirectory.dir("intermediates/libs/jni"))
+    mustRunAfter("buildNativeHost")
 }
 
 tasks.register<Task>("buildNativeHost") {
@@ -107,7 +108,7 @@ arrayOf("Debug", "Release").map { "pre${it}UnitTestBuild" }.forEach {
     }
 }
 
-arrayOf("Debug", "Release").map { "process${it}UnitTestJavaRes" }.forEach {
+arrayOf("Debug", "Release").map { "merge${it}UnitTestAssets" }.forEach {
     tasks.whenTaskAdded {
         if (it == name) {
             dependsOn("copyJniLibs")
diff --git a/selekt-android/src/test/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/android/NativeFixtures.kt b/selekt-android/src/test/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/android/NativeFixtures.kt
index ae4628708c..15e170555e 100644
--- a/selekt-android/src/test/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/android/NativeFixtures.kt
+++ b/selekt-android/src/test/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/android/NativeFixtures.kt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 package com.bloomberg.selekt.android
 
-import com.bloomberg.selekt.commons.loadEmbeddedLibrary
+import com.bloomberg.selekt.commons.loadLibrary
 
 internal object NativeFixtures {
     init {
-        loadEmbeddedLibrary(NativeFixtures::class.java.classLoader!!, "jni", "selektric")
+        loadLibrary(checkNotNull(NativeFixtures::class.java.classLoader), "jni", "selektric")
         check(nativeInit() == 0)
     }
 
diff --git a/selekt-java/src/main/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/commons/NativeResources.kt b/selekt-java/src/main/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/commons/NativeResources.kt
index bfe0251089..6f1200c08d 100644
--- a/selekt-java/src/main/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/commons/NativeResources.kt
+++ b/selekt-java/src/main/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/commons/NativeResources.kt
@@ -20,10 +20,14 @@ import java.io.BufferedOutputStream
 import java.io.File
 import java.io.FileOutputStream
 import java.io.IOException
+import java.nio.file.Files
 import java.util.Locale
+import kotlin.io.path.Path
 import kotlin.io.path.createTempFile
 import kotlin.jvm.Throws
 
+private const val LIBRARY_PATH_KEY = "com.bloomberg.selekt.library_path"
+
 @Suppress("Detekt.StringLiteralDuplication")
 @JvmSynthetic
 internal fun osNames(systemOsName: String = System.getProperty("os.name")) = systemOsName.lowercase(Locale.US).run {
@@ -50,7 +54,7 @@ internal fun libraryExtensions() = osNames().map {
 }.toSet()
 
 @JvmSynthetic
-internal fun libraryResourceNames(
+internal fun libraryNames(
     parentDirectory: String,
     name: String
 ) = (platformIdentifiers() * libraryExtensions()).map {
@@ -59,7 +63,7 @@ internal fun libraryResourceNames(
 
 @Throws(IOException::class)
 fun loadEmbeddedLibrary(loader: ClassLoader, parentDirectory: String, name: String) {
-    val url = checkNotNull(libraryResourceNames(parentDirectory, name).firstNotNullOfOrNull {
+    val url = checkNotNull(libraryNames(parentDirectory, name).firstNotNullOfOrNull {
         loader.getResource(it)
     }) { "Failed to find resource with name: $name in directory: $parentDirectory" }
     @Suppress("NewApi") // Not used by Android.
@@ -74,3 +78,30 @@ fun loadEmbeddedLibrary(loader: ClassLoader, parentDirectory: String, name: Stri
         file.delete()
     }
 }
+
+@Suppress("NewApi")
+private fun loadLibrary(
+    libraryPath: String,
+    parentDirectory: String,
+    name: String
+) {
+    val path = libraryNames(parentDirectory, name).map {
+        Path(libraryPath, it)
+    }.first {
+        Files.exists(it)
+    }.toAbsolutePath()
+    @Suppress("UnsafeDynamicallyLoadedCode")
+    System.load(path.toString())
+}
+
+@Throws(IOException::class)
+fun loadLibrary(
+    loader: ClassLoader,
+    parentDirectory: String,
+    name: String
+) {
+    when (val libraryPath = System.getProperty(LIBRARY_PATH_KEY)) {
+        null -> loadEmbeddedLibrary(loader, parentDirectory, name)
+        else -> loadLibrary(libraryPath, parentDirectory, name)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/selekt-java/src/test/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/commons/NativeResourcesKtTest.kt b/selekt-java/src/test/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/commons/NativeResourcesKtTest.kt
index 40d61284a8..401ac20a11 100644
--- a/selekt-java/src/test/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/commons/NativeResourcesKtTest.kt
+++ b/selekt-java/src/test/kotlin/com/bloomberg/selekt/commons/NativeResourcesKtTest.kt
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ internal class NativeResourcesKtTest {
 
     @Test
     fun commonLibraryResourceName() {
-        libraryResourceNames("jni", "selekt").forEach {
+        libraryNames("jni", "selekt").forEach {
             assertTrue(it.startsWith("jni"))
         }
     }