diff --git a/shotover-proxy/tests/kafka_int_tests/mod.rs b/shotover-proxy/tests/kafka_int_tests/mod.rs
index e79381847..a7b559f38 100644
--- a/shotover-proxy/tests/kafka_int_tests/mod.rs
+++ b/shotover-proxy/tests/kafka_int_tests/mod.rs
@@ -54,6 +54,24 @@ async fn passthrough_nodejs() {
     .expect("Shotover did not shutdown within 10s");
 }
 
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn passthrough_python() {
+    let _docker_compose =
+        docker_compose("tests/test-configs/kafka/passthrough/docker-compose.yaml");
+    let shotover = shotover_process("tests/test-configs/kafka/passthrough/topology.yaml")
+        .start()
+        .await;
+
+    test_helpers::connection::kafka::python::run_python_smoke_test("127.0.0.1:9192").await;
+
+    tokio::time::timeout(
+        Duration::from_secs(10),
+        shotover.shutdown_and_then_consume_events(&[]),
+    )
+    .await
+    .expect("Shotover did not shutdown within 10s");
+}
+
 #[rstest]
 #[cfg_attr(feature = "kafka-cpp-driver-tests", case::cpp(KafkaDriver::Cpp))]
 #[case::java(KafkaDriver::Java)]
diff --git a/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/mod.rs b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/mod.rs
index 0c3886c35..8d6b3ae70 100644
--- a/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/mod.rs
+++ b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/mod.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ use std::{
 pub mod cpp;
 pub mod java;
 pub mod node;
+pub mod python;
 
 use anyhow::Result;
 #[cfg(feature = "kafka-cpp-driver-tests")]
diff --git a/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/node.rs b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/node.rs
index 2ee105693..771a95ea2 100644
--- a/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/node.rs
+++ b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/node.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 use std::path::Path;
 
+use crate::run_command_async;
+
 pub async fn run_node_smoke_test(address: &str) {
     let dir = Path::new(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR")).join("src/connection/kafka/node");
     let config = format!(
@@ -8,8 +10,8 @@ pub async fn run_node_smoke_test(address: &str) {
     brokers: ["{address}"],
 }})"#
     );
-    run_command(&dir, "npm", &["install"]).await;
-    run_command(&dir, "npm", &["start", &config]).await;
+    run_command_async(&dir, "npm", &["install"]).await;
+    run_command_async(&dir, "npm", &["start", &config]).await;
 }
 
 pub async fn run_node_smoke_test_scram(address: &str, user: &str, password: &str) {
@@ -25,22 +27,6 @@ pub async fn run_node_smoke_test_scram(address: &str, user: &str, password: &str
     }}
 }})"#
     );
-    run_command(&dir, "npm", &["install"]).await;
-    run_command(&dir, "npm", &["start", &config]).await;
-}
-
-async fn run_command(current_dir: &Path, command: &str, args: &[&str]) -> String {
-    let output = tokio::process::Command::new(command)
-        .args(args)
-        .current_dir(current_dir)
-        .output()
-        .await
-        .unwrap();
-
-    let stdout = String::from_utf8(output.stdout).unwrap();
-    let stderr = String::from_utf8(output.stderr).unwrap();
-    if !output.status.success() {
-        panic!("command {command} {args:?} failed:\nstdout:\n{stdout}\nstderr:\n{stderr}")
-    }
-    stdout
+    run_command_async(&dir, "npm", &["install"]).await;
+    run_command_async(&dir, "npm", &["start", &config]).await;
 }
diff --git a/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python.rs b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4a44a9033
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+use tokio::process::Command;
+
+use crate::run_command_async;
+use std::{
+    path::{Path, PathBuf},
+    time::Duration,
+};
+
+pub async fn run_python_smoke_test(address: &str) {
+    ensure_uv_is_installed().await;
+
+    let project_dir = Path::new(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR")).join("src/connection/kafka/python");
+    let uv_binary = uv_binary_path();
+    let config = format!(
+        r#"{{
+    'bootstrap_servers': ["{address}"],
+}}"#
+    );
+    tokio::time::timeout(
+        Duration::from_secs(60),
+        run_command_async(
+            &project_dir,
+            uv_binary.to_str().unwrap(),
+            &["run", "main.py", &config],
+        ),
+    )
+    .await
+    .unwrap();
+}
+
+/// Install a specific version of UV to:
+/// * avoid developers having to manually install an external tool
+/// * avoid issues due to a different version being installed
+pub async fn ensure_uv_is_installed() {
+    let uv_binary = uv_binary_path();
+
+    if let Ok(output) = Command::new(uv_binary).arg("--help").output().await {
+        if output.status.success() {
+            // already correctly installed
+            return;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Install to this custom path to avoid overwriting any UV already installed by the user.
+    // Specifically uses `..` instead of absolute path to avoid spaces messing up the bash script
+    let path = "../target/uv";
+
+    run_command_async(
+        Path::new("."),
+        "bash",
+        &[
+            "-c",
+            &format!("curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/0.4.6/install.sh | env INSTALLER_NO_MODIFY_PATH=1 UV_INSTALL_DIR={path} sh"),
+        ],
+    )
+    .await
+}
+
+fn uv_binary_path() -> PathBuf {
+    Path::new(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"))
+        .parent()
+        .unwrap()
+        .join("target/uv/bin/uv")
+}
diff --git a/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/.python-version b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/.python-version
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e4fba2183
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/.python-version
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+3.12
diff --git a/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/main.py b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/main.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..927383fe6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/main.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+from kafka import KafkaConsumer
+from kafka import KafkaProducer
+import sys
+
+def main():
+    config = eval(sys.argv[1])
+    print("Running kafka-python script with config:")
+    print(config)
+
+    producer = KafkaProducer(**config)
+    producer.send('test_topic', b'some_message_bytes').get(timeout=10)
+    producer.send('test_topic', b'another_message').get(timeout=10)
+
+    consumer = KafkaConsumer('test_topic', auto_offset_reset='earliest', **config)
+
+    msg = next(consumer)
+    assert(msg.topic == "test_topic")
+    assert(msg.value == b"some_message_bytes")
+    assert(msg.offset == 0)
+
+    msg = next(consumer)
+    assert(msg.topic == "test_topic")
+    assert(msg.value == b"another_message")
+    assert(msg.offset == 1)
+
+    print("kafka-python script passed all test cases")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/pyproject.toml b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d0190b401
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+[project]
+name = "python"
+version = "0.1.0"
+description = "Add your description here"
+readme = "README.md"
+requires-python = ">=3.12"
+dependencies = [
+    "kafka-python-ng>=2.2.3",
+]
diff --git a/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/uv.lock b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/uv.lock
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3ff2f933f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-helpers/src/connection/kafka/python/uv.lock
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+version = 1
+requires-python = ">=3.12"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "kafka-python-ng"
+version = "2.2.3"
+source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/ce/04/1d65bdf3f0103a08710e226b851de4b357ac702f1cadabf6128bab7518a7/kafka_python_ng-2.2.3.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:f79f28e10ade9b5a9860b2ec15b7cc8dc510d5702f5a399430478cff5f93a05a", size = 330644 }
+wheels = [
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/0f/61/22e778f642465a157c449782300d8817ebbc106794a8a7ebe88cbb846b05/kafka_python_ng-2.2.3-py2.py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:adc6e82147c441ca4ae1f22e291fc08efab0d10971cbd4aa1481d2ffa38e9480", size = 232824 },
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "python"
+version = "0.1.0"
+source = { virtual = "." }
+dependencies = [
+    { name = "kafka-python-ng" },
+]
+
+[package.metadata]
+requires-dist = [{ name = "kafka-python-ng", specifier = ">=2.2.3" }]
diff --git a/test-helpers/src/lib.rs b/test-helpers/src/lib.rs
index b704c8f48..ba3a52bc4 100644
--- a/test-helpers/src/lib.rs
+++ b/test-helpers/src/lib.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ pub mod shotover_process;
 mod test_tracing;
 
 use anyhow::{anyhow, Result};
+use std::path::Path;
 use subprocess::{Exec, Redirection};
 
 /// Runs a command and returns the output as a string.
@@ -36,3 +37,16 @@ pub fn run_command(command: &str, args: &[&str]) -> Result<String> {
         ))
     }
 }
+
+pub async fn run_command_async(current_dir: &Path, command: &str, args: &[&str]) {
+    let output = tokio::process::Command::new(command)
+        .args(args)
+        .current_dir(current_dir)
+        .status()
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+
+    if !output.success() {
+        panic!("command {command} {args:?} failed. See above output.")
+    }
+}