diff --git a/lib/kitchen/driver/openstack.rb b/lib/kitchen/driver/openstack.rb
index 922ee242..22c7697d 100755
--- a/lib/kitchen/driver/openstack.rb
+++ b/lib/kitchen/driver/openstack.rb
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 require "kitchen"
 require "fog/openstack"
 require "yaml"
+require "time" unless defined?(Time.now.iso8601)
 require_relative "openstack_version"
 require_relative "openstack/clouds"
 require_relative "openstack/config"
@@ -41,6 +42,11 @@ module Driver
     # kitchen.yml, `OS_*` environment variables, or a standard
     # `clouds.yaml` -- see {Clouds} for the precedence rules.
     class Openstack < Kitchen::Driver::Base
+      # Nova server states that mean the instance is up and reachable.
+      #
+      # @return [Array<String>]
+      LIVE_STATES = %w{ACTIVE}.freeze
+
       # Settings Fog requires as Strings. Fog re-coerces anything that looks
       # numeric back to an Integer, so these are stringified on the way in.
       #
@@ -191,8 +197,41 @@ def destroy(state)
         state.delete(:hostname)
       end
 
+      # Reports what Nova currently thinks of the server.
+      #
+      # @param state [Hash] instance state naming the server
+      # @return [Hash] a Test Kitchen status hash, or the base implementation's
+      #   answer when there is no server or Nova does not know it
+      def status(state)
+        return super unless state[:server_id]
+
+        server = lookup_server(state[:server_id])
+        return super unless server
+
+        {
+          live: LIVE_STATES.include?(server.state),
+          state: server.state,
+          source: "driver",
+          resource_id: state[:server_id],
+          message: "OpenStack reports the server as #{server.state}",
+          checked_at: Time.now.utc.iso8601,
+        }
+      end
+
       private
 
+      # Looks a server up without turning an unreachable cloud into a failure.
+      #
+      # @param server_id [String] the Nova server ID
+      # @return [Fog::OpenStack::Compute::Server, nil] the server, or nil when
+      #   Nova does not know it or cannot be reached
+      def lookup_server(server_id)
+        disable_ssl_validation if config[:disable_ssl_validation]
+        compute.servers.get(server_id)
+      rescue ::StandardError
+        nil
+      end
+
       # Releases a floating IP back to its pool.
       #
       # A floating IP that Neutron no longer knows about is not an error worth
diff --git a/spec/kitchen/driver/openstack_spec.rb b/spec/kitchen/driver/openstack_spec.rb
index ae43ff72..a90556f8 100755
--- a/spec/kitchen/driver/openstack_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/kitchen/driver/openstack_spec.rb
@@ -271,6 +271,62 @@
     end
   end
 
+  describe "#status" do
+    let(:servers) { double("Fog servers collection", get: server) }
+    let(:compute) { fog_compute(servers: servers) }
+
+    before { allow(driver).to receive(:compute).and_return(compute) }
+
+    it "reports an unknown status when state names no server" do
+      expect(driver.status({})).to include(live: nil, state: "unknown")
+    end
+
+    it "reports an unknown status when Nova does not know the server" do
+      allow(servers).to receive(:get).with("gone").and_return(nil)
+
+      expect(driver.status(server_id: "gone")).to include(state: "unknown")
+    end
+
+    context "with an ACTIVE server" do
+      let(:server) { fog_server(state: "ACTIVE") }
+
+      it "reports it as live" do
+        expect(driver.status(server_id: "test123")).to include(
+          live: true, state: "ACTIVE", source: "driver", resource_id: "test123"
+        )
+      end
+
+      it "stamps when the check happened" do
+        expect(driver.status(server_id: "test123")[:checked_at])
+          .to match(/\A\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}T/)
+      end
+    end
+
+    context "with a server Nova has not finished building" do
+      let(:server) { fog_server(state: "BUILD") }
+
+      it "reports it as not live" do
+        expect(driver.status(server_id: "test123"))
+          .to include(live: false, state: "BUILD")
+      end
+    end
+
+    context "with a server in ERROR" do
+      let(:server) { fog_server(state: "ERROR") }
+
+      it "reports it as not live but names the state" do
+        expect(driver.status(server_id: "test123"))
+          .to include(live: false, state: "ERROR")
+      end
+    end
+
+    it "reports an unknown status when the cloud cannot be reached" do
+      allow(servers).to receive(:get).and_raise(Excon::Errors::SocketError.new(StandardError.new("boom")))
+
+      expect(driver.status(server_id: "test123")).to include(state: "unknown")
+    end
+  end
+
   describe "#destroy" do
     let(:state)   { { server_id: "test123", hostname: "1.2.3.4" } }
     let(:servers) { double("Fog servers collection", get: server) }