diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/BUILD b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/BUILD
index 9efbdb642c7..6abb2845a93 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/BUILD
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/BUILD
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_library")
+load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_library", "go_test")
 
 go_library(
     name = "go_default_library",
@@ -34,3 +34,16 @@ filegroup(
     tags = ["automanaged"],
     visibility = ["//visibility:public"],
 )
+
+go_test(
+    name = "go_default_test",
+    srcs = ["fieldmanager_test.go"],
+    embed = [":go_default_library"],
+    deps = [
+        "//staging/src/k8s.io/api/core/v1:go_default_library",
+        "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/meta:go_default_library",
+        "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1:go_default_library",
+        "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime:go_default_library",
+        "//staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema:go_default_library",
+    ],
+)
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/fieldmanager_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/fieldmanager_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c4edbc2adae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager/fieldmanager_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2019 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package fieldmanager_test
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/api/meta"
+	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
+	"k8s.io/apiserver/pkg/endpoints/handlers/fieldmanager"
+)
+
+type fakeObjectConvertor struct{}
+
+func (c *fakeObjectConvertor) Convert(in, out, context interface{}) error {
+	out = in
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (c *fakeObjectConvertor) ConvertToVersion(in runtime.Object, _ runtime.GroupVersioner) (runtime.Object, error) {
+	return in, nil
+}
+
+func (c *fakeObjectConvertor) ConvertFieldLabel(_ schema.GroupVersionKind, _, _ string) (string, string, error) {
+	return "", "", errors.New("not implemented")
+}
+
+type fakeObjectDefaulter struct{}
+
+func (d *fakeObjectDefaulter) Default(in runtime.Object) {}
+
+func NewTestFieldManager(t *testing.T) *fieldmanager.FieldManager {
+	gv := schema.GroupVersion{
+		Group:   "apps",
+		Version: "v1",
+	}
+
+	return fieldmanager.NewCRDFieldManager(
+		&fakeObjectConvertor{},
+		&fakeObjectDefaulter{},
+		gv,
+		gv,
+	)
+}
+
+func TestFieldManagerCreation(t *testing.T) {
+	if NewTestFieldManager(t) == nil {
+		t.Fatal("failed to create FieldManager")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyStripsFields(t *testing.T) {
+	f := NewTestFieldManager(t)
+
+	obj := &corev1.Pod{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:              "a",
+			Namespace:         "a",
+			CreationTimestamp: metav1.Time{Time: time.Time{}},
+			SelfLink:          "a",
+		},
+	}
+
+	newObj, err := f.Apply(obj, []byte(`{
+		"apiVersion": "v1",
+		"kind": "Deployment",
+		"metadata": {
+			"name": "b",
+			"namespace": "b",
+			"creationTimestamp": "2016-05-19T09:59:00Z",
+			"selfLink": "b",
+			"uid": "b",
+			"resourceVersion": "b"
+		}
+	}`), false)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to apply object: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	accessor, err := meta.Accessor(newObj)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("couldn't get accessor: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if m := accessor.GetManagedFields(); len(m) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("fields did not get stripped on apply: %v", m)
+	}
+}
+func TestApplyDoesNotStripLabels(t *testing.T) {
+	f := NewTestFieldManager(t)
+
+	obj := &corev1.Pod{
+		ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+			Name:              "a",
+			Namespace:         "a",
+			CreationTimestamp: metav1.Time{Time: time.Time{}},
+			SelfLink:          "a",
+		},
+	}
+
+	newObj, err := f.Apply(obj, []byte(`{
+		"apiVersion": "v1",
+		"kind": "Pod",
+		"metadata": {
+			"labels": {
+				"a": "b"
+			},
+		}
+	}`), false)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to apply object: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	accessor, err := meta.Accessor(newObj)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("couldn't get accessor: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if m := accessor.GetManagedFields(); len(m) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("labels shouldn't get stripped on apply: %v", m)
+	}
+}