diff --git a/go/tools/builders/generate_test_main.go b/go/tools/builders/generate_test_main.go
index 6d545b9d94..ebc893e2d3 100644
--- a/go/tools/builders/generate_test_main.go
+++ b/go/tools/builders/generate_test_main.go
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ import (
 	"reflect"
 {{end}}
 	"strconv"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"testing/internal/testdeps"
 
@@ -190,7 +191,23 @@ func main() {
   {{end}}
 
 	if filter := os.Getenv("TESTBRIDGE_TEST_ONLY"); filter != "" {
-		flag.Lookup("test.run").Value.Set(filter)
+		filters := strings.Split(filter, ",")
+		var runTests []string
+		var skipTests []string
+
+		for _, f := range filters {
+			if strings.HasPrefix(f, "-") {
+				skipTests = append(skipTests, f[1:])
+			} else {
+				runTests = append(runTests, f)
+			}
+		}
+		if len(runTests) > 0 {
+			flag.Lookup("test.run").Value.Set(strings.Join(runTests, "|"))
+		}
+		if len(skipTests) > 0 {
+			flag.Lookup("test.skip").Value.Set(strings.Join(skipTests, "|"))
+		}
 	}
 
 	if failfast := os.Getenv("TESTBRIDGE_TEST_RUNNER_FAIL_FAST"); failfast != "" {
diff --git a/tests/core/go_test/BUILD.bazel b/tests/core/go_test/BUILD.bazel
index b77c851bc5..96c7ac9a66 100644
--- a/tests/core/go_test/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/tests/core/go_test/BUILD.bazel
@@ -259,3 +259,8 @@ go_bazel_test(
     name = "binary_env_test",
     srcs = ["binary_env_test.go"],
 )
+
+go_bazel_test(
+    name = "filter_test_cases_test",
+    srcs = ["filter_test_cases_test.go"],
+)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/core/go_test/filter_test_cases_test.go b/tests/core/go_test/filter_test_cases_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cbed7625cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/core/go_test/filter_test_cases_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+package filter_test_cases_test
+
+import (
+	"encoding/xml"
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/bazelbuild/rules_go/go/tools/bazel_testing"
+)
+
+func TestMain(m *testing.M) {
+	bazel_testing.TestMain(m, bazel_testing.Args{
+		Main: `
+-- BUILD.bazel --
+load("@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl", "go_test")
+
+go_test(
+	name = "filter_test",
+	srcs = ["filter_test.go"],
+)
+-- filter_test.go --
+package filter_test_cases
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestFoo(t *testing.T) {}
+func TestTaskA(t *testing.T) {}
+func TestTaskB(t *testing.T) {}
+func TestTaskC(t *testing.T) {}
+func TestTaskD(t *testing.T) {}
+`,
+	})
+}
+
+// xml test suites to check which test cases were run
+type xmlTestCase struct {
+	XMLName xml.Name `xml:"testcase"`
+	Name    string   `xml:"name,attr"`
+}
+type xmlTestSuite struct {
+	XMLName   xml.Name      `xml:"testsuite"`
+	TestCases []xmlTestCase `xml:"testcase"`
+}
+type xmlTestSuites struct {
+	XMLName xml.Name       `xml:"testsuites"`
+	Suites  []xmlTestSuite `xml:"testsuite"`
+}
+
+func Test(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name                  string
+		args                  []string
+		expectedRunTestCases  map[string]bool
+		expectedSkipTestCases map[string]struct{}
+	}{
+		{
+			name:                  "skip_tests",
+			args:                  []string{"test", "//:filter_test", "--test_env=GO_TEST_WRAP_TESTV=1", "--test_filter=-^TestFoo$,-^TestTaskA$"},
+			expectedRunTestCases:  map[string]bool{"TestTaskB": false, "TestTaskC": false, "TestTaskD": false},
+			expectedSkipTestCases: map[string]struct{}{"TestTaskA": {}, "TestFoo": {}},
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "run_only",
+			args:                  []string{"test", "//:filter_test", "--test_env=GO_TEST_WRAP_TESTV=1", "--test_filter=^TestTask.+"},
+			expectedRunTestCases:  map[string]bool{"TestTaskA": false, "TestTaskB": false, "TestTaskC": false, "TestTaskD": false},
+			expectedSkipTestCases: map[string]struct{}{"TestFoo": {}},
+		},
+		{
+			name:                  "filter_tests",
+			args:                  []string{"test", "//:filter_test", "--test_env=GO_TEST_WRAP_TESTV=1", "--test_filter=^TestTask.+,-^TestTaskB$"},
+			expectedRunTestCases:  map[string]bool{"TestTaskA": false, "TestTaskC": false, "TestTaskD": false},
+			expectedSkipTestCases: map[string]struct{}{"TestTaskB": {}, "TestFoo": {}},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if err := bazel_testing.RunBazel(tt.args...); err != nil {
+				t.Fatal(err)
+			}
+			p, err := bazel_testing.BazelOutput("info", "bazel-testlogs")
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatal("could not find testlog root: %s", err)
+			}
+			path := filepath.Join(strings.TrimSpace(string(p)), "filter_test/test.xml")
+			b, err := ioutil.ReadFile(path)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("could not read generated xml file: %s", err)
+			}
+
+			var suites xmlTestSuites
+			if err := xml.Unmarshal(b, &suites); err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("could not unmarshall generated xml: %s", err)
+			}
+
+			for _, suite := range suites.Suites {
+				for _, tc := range suite.TestCases {
+					if _, ok := tt.expectedRunTestCases[tc.Name]; ok {
+						tt.expectedRunTestCases[tc.Name] = true
+					}
+					if _, ok := tt.expectedSkipTestCases[tc.Name]; ok {
+						t.Errorf("unexpected test case ran %s", tc.Name)
+					}
+				}
+			}
+			for testCase, found := range tt.expectedRunTestCases {
+				if !found {
+					t.Errorf("failed to run expected test case %s", testCase)
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}