diff --git a/tests/include/test/helpers.h b/tests/include/test/helpers.h
index fbb2a20..6d23d10 100644
--- a/tests/include/test/helpers.h
+++ b/tests/include/test/helpers.h
@@ -360,13 +360,19 @@
 #if defined(MBEDTLS_BIGNUM_C)
 /** Read an MPI from a hexadecimal string.
  *
- * Like mbedtls_mpi_read_string(), but size the resulting bignum based
- * on the number of digits in the string. In particular, construct a
- * bignum with 0 limbs for an empty string, and a bignum with leading 0
- * limbs if the string has sufficiently many leading 0 digits.
+ * Like mbedtls_mpi_read_string(), but with tighter guarantees around
+ * edge cases.
  *
- * This is important so that the "0 (null)" and "0 (1 limb)" and
- * "leading zeros" test cases do what they claim.
+ * - This function guarantees that if \p s begins with '-' then the sign
+ *   bit of the result will be negative, even if the value is 0.
+ *   When this function encounters such a "negative 0", it
+ *   increments #mbedtls_test_read_mpi.
+ * - The size of the result is exactly the minimum number of limbs needed
+ *   to fit the digits in the input. In particular, this function constructs
+ *   a bignum with 0 limbs for an empty string, and a bignum with leading 0
+ *   limbs if the string has sufficiently many leading 0 digits.
+ *   This is important so that the "0 (null)" and "0 (1 limb)" and
+ *   "leading zeros" test cases do what they claim.
  *
  * \param[out] X        The MPI object to populate. It must be initialized.
  * \param[in] s         The null-terminated hexadecimal string to read from.
@@ -374,6 +380,14 @@
  * \return \c 0 on success, an \c MBEDTLS_ERR_MPI_xxx error code otherwise.
  */
 int mbedtls_test_read_mpi( mbedtls_mpi *X, const char *s );
+
+/** Nonzero if the current test case had an input parsed with
+ * mbedtls_test_read_mpi() that is a negative 0 (`"-"`, `"-0"`, `"-00"`, etc.,
+ * constructing a result with the sign bit set to -1 and the value being
+ * all-limbs-0, which is not a valid representation in #mbedtls_mpi but is
+ * tested for robustness).
+ */
+extern unsigned mbedtls_test_case_uses_negative_0;
 #endif /* MBEDTLS_BIGNUM_C */
 
 #endif /* TEST_HELPERS_H */