diff --git a/service/src/main/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/PicSureService.java b/service/src/main/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/PicSureService.java
index 686df5d2..c54e6e35 100644
--- a/service/src/main/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/PicSureService.java
+++ b/service/src/main/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/PicSureService.java
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 
 import edu.harvard.hms.dbmi.avillach.hpds.data.query.ResultType;
 import edu.harvard.hms.dbmi.avillach.hpds.service.filesharing.FileSharingService;
+import edu.harvard.hms.dbmi.avillach.hpds.service.filesharing.TestDataService;
 import edu.harvard.hms.dbmi.avillach.hpds.service.util.Paginator;
 import edu.harvard.hms.dbmi.avillach.hpds.service.util.QueryDecorator;
 import org.apache.http.entity.ContentType;
@@ -45,9 +46,9 @@ public class PicSureService implements IResourceRS {
 
 	@Autowired
 	public PicSureService(QueryService queryService, TimelineProcessor timelineProcessor, CountProcessor countProcessor,
-						  VariantListProcessor variantListProcessor, AbstractProcessor abstractProcessor,
-						  Paginator paginator, FileSharingService fileSystemService, QueryDecorator queryDecorator
-	) {
+                          VariantListProcessor variantListProcessor, AbstractProcessor abstractProcessor,
+                          Paginator paginator, FileSharingService fileSystemService, QueryDecorator queryDecorator, TestDataService testDataService
+    ) {
 		this.queryService = queryService;
 		this.timelineProcessor = timelineProcessor;
 		this.countProcessor = countProcessor;
@@ -56,7 +57,8 @@ public PicSureService(QueryService queryService, TimelineProcessor timelineProce
 		this.paginator = paginator;
 		this.fileSystemService = fileSystemService;
 		this.queryDecorator = queryDecorator;
-		Crypto.loadDefaultKey();
+        this.testDataService = testDataService;
+        Crypto.loadDefaultKey();
 	}
 
 	private final QueryService queryService;
@@ -79,6 +81,8 @@ public PicSureService(QueryService queryService, TimelineProcessor timelineProce
 
 	private final QueryDecorator queryDecorator;
 
+	private final TestDataService testDataService;
+
 	private static final String QUERY_METADATA_FIELD = "queryMetadata";
 	private static final int RESPONSE_CACHE_SIZE = 50;
 
@@ -275,6 +279,10 @@ private Optional<String> roundTripUUID(String uuid) {
 	public Response writeQueryResult(
 		@RequestBody() Query query, @PathParam("dataType") String datatype
 	) {
+		if ("test_upload".equals(datatype)) {
+			 return testDataService.uploadTestFile(query.getPicSureId()) ?
+				 Response.ok().build() : Response.status(500).build();
+		}
 		if (roundTripUUID(query.getPicSureId()).map(id -> !id.equalsIgnoreCase(query.getPicSureId())).orElse(false)) {
 			return Response
 				.status(400, "The query pic-sure ID is not a UUID")
diff --git a/service/src/main/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/filesharing/TestDataService.java b/service/src/main/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/filesharing/TestDataService.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..92b938f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/service/src/main/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/filesharing/TestDataService.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+package edu.harvard.hms.dbmi.avillach.hpds.service.filesharing;
+
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
+
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+/**
+ * Writes test data to the directory shared with the uploader to test
+ * uploading features
+ */
+@Service
+public class TestDataService {
+
+    private static final Logger LOG = LoggerFactory.getLogger(TestDataService.class);
+
+    private final FileSystemService fileSystemService;
+
+    @Autowired
+    public TestDataService(FileSystemService fileSystemService) {
+        this.fileSystemService = fileSystemService;
+    }
+
+    public boolean uploadTestFile(String uuid) {
+        LOG.info("Writing test file for uuid {}", uuid);
+       return fileSystemService.writeResultToFile(
+           "test_data.txt",
+           "This is a disposable test file",
+           uuid
+       );
+    }
+}
diff --git a/service/src/test/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/filesharing/TestDataServiceTest.java b/service/src/test/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/filesharing/TestDataServiceTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c5e911c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/service/src/test/java/edu/harvard/hms/dbmi/avillach/hpds/service/filesharing/TestDataServiceTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package edu.harvard.hms.dbmi.avillach.hpds.service.filesharing;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.mockito.InjectMocks;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
+import org.mockito.Mockito;
+
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+
+
+public class TestDataServiceTest {
+    FileSystemService fileSystemService;
+
+    TestDataService subject;
+    
+    @Test
+    public void shouldCreateTestFileForUpload() {
+        fileSystemService = Mockito.mock(FileSystemService.class);
+        subject = new TestDataService(fileSystemService);
+
+        String uuid = UUID.randomUUID().toString();
+        Mockito.when(fileSystemService.writeResultToFile("test_data.txt", "This is a disposable test file", uuid.toString()))
+            .thenReturn(true);
+
+        boolean success = subject.uploadTestFile(uuid);
+        assertTrue(success);
+        Mockito.verify(fileSystemService, Mockito.times(1))
+            .writeResultToFile("test_data.txt", "This is a disposable test file", uuid.toString());
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file