diff --git a/.ci/buildspec.yml b/.ci/buildspec.yml
index a8348bdf8..8e895812e 100644
--- a/.ci/buildspec.yml
+++ b/.ci/buildspec.yml
@@ -29,18 +29,16 @@ phases:
 
   build:
     commands:
-      - make go-check
-      - make mdlint
-
-      - make -C vpp-manager clean-vpp
+      - make clean-vpp
       - make images
-      - docker images
 
-      - make run-integration-tests
+      - make mdlint
+      - make ci-lint
+      - make ci-test
+      - make ci-cov
+
       - make push
 
   post_build:
     commands:
-      - echo "Build complete"
-
       - echo Build completed on `date`
diff --git a/Dockerfile.depend b/Dockerfile.depend
index 261ded3d7..6e2bbc186 100644
--- a/Dockerfile.depend
+++ b/Dockerfile.depend
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ ENV UNATTENDED=y
 
 RUN apt-get update \
  && DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install -y -qq \
-    apt-utils wget cmake curl git
+    apt-utils wget cmake curl git docker.io
 
 ENV GOVERSION=1.24.0
 ENV GOROOT="/root/.go"
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 6f10516d7..193e1e6a6 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -8,8 +8,7 @@ build:
 	$(MAKE) -C calico-vpp-agent $@
 	$(MAKE) -C vpp-manager $@
 	$(MAKE) -C multinet-monitor $@
-	@mkdir -p cmd/bin
-	go build -o cmd/bin/calicovppctl ./cmd/calicovppctl/main.go
+	$(MAKE) -C cmd/calicovppctl $@
 
 .PHONY: image images
 images: image
@@ -17,6 +16,7 @@ image:
 	$(MAKE) -C calico-vpp-agent $@
 	$(MAKE) -C vpp-manager $@
 	$(MAKE) -C multinet-monitor $@
+	$(MAKE) -C cmd/calicovppctl $@
 
 .PHONY: image-kind
 image-kind: image
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ push:
 	$(MAKE) -C calico-vpp-agent $@
 	$(MAKE) -C vpp-manager $@
 	$(MAKE) -C multinet-monitor $@
+	$(MAKE) -C cmd/calicovppctl $@
 
 .PHONY: dev
 dev:
@@ -56,6 +57,10 @@ dev:
 	$(MAKE) -C vpp-manager ALSO_LATEST=y $@
 	$(MAKE) -C multinet-monitor ALSO_LATEST=y $@
 
+.PHONY: clean-vpp
+clean-vpp:
+	$(MAKE) -C vpp-manager clean-vpp
+
 .PHONY: proto
 proto:
 	$(MAKE) -C calico-vpp-agent $@
@@ -284,14 +289,6 @@ lint:
 	test -d vpp-manager/vpp_build && touch vpp-manager/vpp_build/go.mod || true
 	golangci-lint run --color=never
 
-.PHONY: test
-test: go-lint
-	rm -rf .coverage/unit
-	mkdir -p .coverage/unit
-	go test -cover -covermode=atomic ./...  \
-		-args \
-		-test.gocoverdir=$(shell pwd)/.coverage/unit
-
 .PHONY: cov-html
 cov-html:
 	go tool covdata percent -i=.coverage/unit
@@ -299,7 +296,7 @@ cov-html:
 	go tool cover -html=.coverage/profile
 
 .PHONY: cov
-cov: test
+cov:
 	go tool covdata percent -i=.coverage/unit
 	@go tool covdata textfmt -i=.coverage/unit -o .coverage/profile
 	@echo "TOTAL:"
@@ -347,16 +344,55 @@ builder-image: ## Make dependencies image. (Not required normally; is implied in
 		   && ${PUSH_IMAGE} )
 	docker tag ${DEPEND_IMAGE} ${DEPEND_BASE}:latest
 
-.PHONY: go-check
-go-check: builder-image
-	@echo Checking go code
+# make test - runs the unit & VPP-integration tests
+# requiring sudo, this is useful in dev as this caches go deps.
+# Altought this requires go, sudo installed
+.PHONY: test
+test: builder-image
+	@rm -rf $(shell pwd)/.coverage/unit
+	@mkdir -p $(shell pwd)/.coverage/unit
+	$(MAKE) -C vpp-manager image
+	$(MAKE) -C vpp-manager mock-pod-image
+	sudo -E env "PATH=$$PATH" VPP_BINARY=/usr/bin/vpp \
+		VPP_IMAGE=calicovpp/vpp:$(TAG) \
+		go test ./... \
+		-cover \
+		-covermode=atomic \
+		-test.v \
+		-test.gocoverdir=$(shell pwd)/.coverage/unit \
+
+# make ci-test - runs the unit & VPP-integration tests
+# within a container, with mounted /var/run/docker.sock
+# this is portable, but lack go cache
+.PHONY: ci-test
+ci-test: builder-image
+	@rm -rf $(shell pwd)/.coverage/unit
+	@mkdir -p $(shell pwd)/.coverage/unit
+	$(MAKE) -C vpp-manager image
+	$(MAKE) -C vpp-manager mock-pod-image
 	docker run -t --rm \
+		--privileged \
+		--pid=host \
+		-v /proc:/proc \
 		-v $(CURDIR):/vpp-dataplane \
+		-v /tmp/cni-tests-vpp:/tmp/cni-tests-vpp \
+		-v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
+		--env VPP_BINARY=/usr/bin/vpp \
+		--env VPP_IMAGE=calicovpp/vpp:$(TAG) \
+		-w /vpp-dataplane \
 		${DEPEND_IMAGE} \
-		make -C /vpp-dataplane cov
-
-.PHONY: go-lint
-go-lint: lint
+		go test ./... \
+			-cover \
+			-covermode=atomic \
+			-test.v \
+			-test.gocoverdir=/vpp-dataplane/.coverage/unit
+
+.PHONY: ci-%
+ci-%: builder-image
+	docker run -t --rm \
+		-v $(CURDIR):/vpp-dataplane \
+		${DEPEND_IMAGE} \
+		make -C /vpp-dataplane $*
 
 .PHONY: depend-image-hash
 depend-image-hash:
diff --git a/calico-vpp-agent/Makefile b/calico-vpp-agent/Makefile
index 8bff5b04c..e77c6e9a9 100644
--- a/calico-vpp-agent/Makefile
+++ b/calico-vpp-agent/Makefile
@@ -1,28 +1,24 @@
 include ../common.mk
 
-.PHONY: all build gobgp image push proto
-
 TAG ?= latest # Tag images with :$(TAG)
 ALSO_LATEST ?= n # If 'y' also tag images with :latest
 GENERATE_LOG_FILE=../vpplink/generated/generate.log
 VERSION_FILE=version
 
-all: build gobgp image
+.PHONY: all
+all: image
 
 bin:
 	mkdir -p bin
 
-.PHONY: felix-api-proxy
-felix-api-proxy: bin
-	${DOCKER_RUN} go build -o ./bin/felix-api-proxy ./cmd/api-proxy
-
-build: felix-api-proxy bin
-	${DOCKER_RUN} go build -o ./bin/calico-vpp-agent ./cmd
-
-gobgp: bin
+.PHONY: build
+build: bin
+	${DOCKER_RUN} go build $(COVER_OPTS) -o ./bin/felix-api-proxy ./cmd/api-proxy
+	${DOCKER_RUN} go build $(COVER_OPTS) -o ./bin/calico-vpp-agent ./cmd
 	${DOCKER_RUN} go build -o ./bin/gobgp github.com/osrg/gobgp/v3/cmd/gobgp/
 
-image: build gobgp
+.PHONY: image
+image: build
 	@echo "Image tag                   : $(TAG)"                         > $(VERSION_FILE)
 	@echo "VPP-dataplane version       : $(shell git log -1 --oneline)" >> $(VERSION_FILE)
 	@cat $(GENERATE_LOG_FILE)                                           >> $(VERSION_FILE)
@@ -32,6 +28,14 @@ image: build gobgp
 		docker tag calicovpp/agent:$(TAG) calicovpp/agent:prerelease; \
 	fi
 
+.PHONY: image-cov
+image-cov: build-cov
+	@echo "Image tag                   : $(TAG)"                         > $(VERSION_FILE)
+	@echo "VPP-dataplane version       : $(shell git log -1 --oneline)" >> $(VERSION_FILE)
+	@cat $(GENERATE_LOG_FILE)                                           >> $(VERSION_FILE)
+	docker build --pull -t calicovpp/agent:$(TAG) .
+
+.PHONY: push
 push: ${PUSH_DEP}
 	set -e; for registry in ${REGISTRIES}; do \
 		docker tag calicovpp/agent:$(TAG) $${registry}calicovpp/agent:$(TAG); \
@@ -42,7 +46,9 @@ push: ${PUSH_DEP}
 		docker push --all-tags $${registry}calicovpp/agent; \
 	done
 
+.PHONY: dev
 dev: image
 
+.PHONY: proto
 proto:
 	$(MAKE) -C proto $@
diff --git a/calico-vpp-agent/cmd/calico_vpp_dataplane.go b/calico-vpp-agent/cmd/calico_vpp_dataplane.go
index ef46595a3..8e126ddc9 100644
--- a/calico-vpp-agent/cmd/calico_vpp_dataplane.go
+++ b/calico-vpp-agent/cmd/calico_vpp_dataplane.go
@@ -228,6 +228,10 @@ func main() {
 		syscall.SIGUSR2,
 	)
 
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	config.HandleUsr2Signal(ctx, log.WithFields(logrus.Fields{"component": "sighdlr"}))
+
 	select {
 	case sig := <-sigChan:
 		switch sig {
diff --git a/calico-vpp-agent/cni/cni_node_test.go b/calico-vpp-agent/cni/cni_node_test.go
index 9d7e6d543..e2f10f2be 100644
--- a/calico-vpp-agent/cni/cni_node_test.go
+++ b/calico-vpp-agent/cni/cni_node_test.go
@@ -47,16 +47,15 @@ import (
 
 // Names of integration tests arguments
 const (
-	IntegrationTestEnableArgName = "INTEGRATION_TEST"
-	VppImageArgName              = "VPP_IMAGE"
-	VppBinaryArgName             = "VPP_BINARY"
-	VppContainerExtraArgsName    = "VPP_CONTAINER_EXTRA_ARGS"
+	VppImageArgName           = "VPP_IMAGE"
+	VppBinaryArgName          = "VPP_BINARY"
+	VppContainerExtraArgsName = "VPP_CONTAINER_EXTRA_ARGS"
 )
 
 // TestCniIntegration runs all the ginkgo integration test inside CNI package
 func TestCniIntegration(t *testing.T) {
 	// skip test if test run is not integration test run (prevent accidental run of integration tests using go test ./...)
-	_, isIntegrationTestRun := os.LookupEnv(IntegrationTestEnableArgName)
+	_, isIntegrationTestRun := os.LookupEnv(VppImageArgName)
 	if !isIntegrationTestRun {
 		t.Skip("skipping CNI integration tests (set INTEGRATION_TEST env variable to run these tests)")
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/calicovppctl/Dockerfile b/cmd/calicovppctl/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..06a90f445
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/calicovppctl/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+FROM --platform=${BUILDPLATFORM} golang:1.24 AS builder
+
+WORKDIR /src
+COPY go.mod go.sum /src
+RUN go mod download
+
+COPY *.go /src
+
+ARG TARGETOS
+ARG TARGETARCH
+
+RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=${TARGETOS} GOARCH=${TARGETARCH} \
+	go build \
+    -ldflags="-s -w" -o /cmd/calicovppctl
+
+FROM scratch
+WORKDIR /
+COPY --from=builder /cmd/calicovppctl /calicovppctl
+
+CMD ["./calicovppctl"]
diff --git a/cmd/calicovppctl/Makefile b/cmd/calicovppctl/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..29c42f7a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/calicovppctl/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+include ../../common.mk
+
+BIN_DIR = $(VPP_DATAPLANE_DIR)/bin
+
+.PHONY: bin
+bin:
+	@mkdir -p $(BIN_DIR)
+
+.PHONY: build
+build: bin
+	${DOCKER_RUN} go build -o $(BIN_DIR)/calicovppctl .
+
+.PHONY: image
+image:
+ifndef CI_BUILD
+	docker build --network=host --build-arg http_proxy=${DOCKER_BUILD_PROXY} \
+		--platform linux/arm64,linux/amd64 \
+		-t calicovpp/ctl:$(TAG) .
+endif
+
+.PHONY: push
+push: ${PUSH_DEP}
+	docker buildx create \
+		--name vppctlbuilder \
+		--driver docker-container \
+		--use
+	docker buildx build \
+		--network=host \
+		--build-arg http_proxy=${DOCKER_BUILD_PROXY} \
+		--platform linux/arm64,linux/amd64 \
+		--push \
+		$(foreach registry,$(REGISTRIES),-t $(registry)calicovpp/ctl:$(TAG)) \
+		$(if $(ALSO_LATEST),$(foreach registry,$(REGISTRIES),-t $(registry)calicovpp/ctl:latest)) \
+		.
+	docker buildx rm vppctlbuilder
diff --git a/cmd/calicovppctl/go.mod b/cmd/calicovppctl/go.mod
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b4c742004
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/calicovppctl/go.mod
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+module github.com/projectcalico/vpp-dataplane/cmd/calicovppctl/v3
+
+go 1.24.4
+
+require (
+	github.com/gookit/color v1.5.4
+	github.com/onsi/gomega v1.36.2 // indirect
+	github.com/pkg/errors v0.9.1 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/net v0.41.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.33.0 // indirect
+	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.5 // indirect
+	k8s.io/api v0.32.5
+	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.32.5
+	k8s.io/client-go v0.32.5
+	sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.4.0
+)
+
+require (
+	github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.2-0.20180830191138-d8f796af33cc // indirect
+	github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.11.0 // indirect
+	github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.7.0 // indirect
+	github.com/go-logr/logr v1.4.2 // indirect
+	github.com/go-openapi/jsonpointer v0.21.0 // indirect
+	github.com/go-openapi/jsonreference v0.20.2 // indirect
+	github.com/go-openapi/swag v0.23.0 // indirect
+	github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2 // indirect
+	github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4 // indirect
+	github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.6.9-0.20230804172637-c7be7c783f49 // indirect
+	github.com/google/go-cmp v0.7.0 // indirect
+	github.com/google/gofuzz v1.2.0 // indirect
+	github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 // indirect
+	github.com/josharian/intern v1.0.0 // indirect
+	github.com/json-iterator/go v1.1.12 // indirect
+	github.com/mailru/easyjson v0.7.7 // indirect
+	github.com/modern-go/concurrent v0.0.0-20180306012644-bacd9c7ef1dd // indirect
+	github.com/modern-go/reflect2 v1.0.2 // indirect
+	github.com/munnerz/goautoneg v0.0.0-20191010083416-a7dc8b61c822 // indirect
+	github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2 v2.22.2 // indirect
+	github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.6 // indirect
+	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.10.0 // indirect
+	github.com/x448/float16 v0.8.4 // indirect
+	github.com/xo/terminfo v0.0.0-20210125001918-ca9a967f8778 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.28.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/term v0.32.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/text v0.26.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/time v0.11.0 // indirect
+	gopkg.in/evanphx/json-patch.v4 v4.12.0 // indirect
+	gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1 // indirect
+	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
+	k8s.io/klog/v2 v2.130.1 // indirect
+	k8s.io/kube-openapi v0.0.0-20241105132330-32ad38e42d3f // indirect
+	k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20241104100929-3ea5e8cea738 // indirect
+	sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20241010143419-9aa6b5e7a4b3 // indirect
+	sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v4 v4.4.2 // indirect
+)
diff --git a/cmd/calicovppctl/go.sum b/cmd/calicovppctl/go.sum
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1ee3c1506
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/calicovppctl/go.sum
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+github.com/creack/pty v1.1.9/go.mod h1:oKZEueFk5CKHvIhNR5MUki03XCEU+Q6VDXinZuGJ33E=
+github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.0/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
+github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.1/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
+github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.2-0.20180830191138-d8f796af33cc h1:U9qPSI2PIWSS1VwoXQT9A3Wy9MM3WgvqSxFWenqJduM=
+github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.2-0.20180830191138-d8f796af33cc/go.mod h1:J7Y8YcW2NihsgmVo/mv3lAwl/skON4iLHjSsI+c5H38=
+github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.11.0 h1:rAQeMHw1c7zTmncogyy8VvRZwtkmkZ4FxERmMY4rD+g=
+github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.11.0/go.mod h1:6n3XBCmQQb25CM2LCACGz8ukIrRry+4bhvbpWn3mrbc=
+github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.7.0 h1:iM5WgngdRBanHcxugY4JySA0nk1wZorNOpTgCMedv5E=
+github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.7.0/go.mod h1:pxXPTn3joSm21Gbwsv0w9OSA2y1HFR9qXEeXQVeNoDQ=
+github.com/go-logr/logr v1.4.2 h1:6pFjapn8bFcIbiKo3XT4j/BhANplGihG6tvd+8rYgrY=
+github.com/go-logr/logr v1.4.2/go.mod h1:9T104GzyrTigFIr8wt5mBrctHMim0Nb2HLGrmQ40KvY=
+github.com/go-openapi/jsonpointer v0.19.6/go.mod h1:osyAmYz/mB/C3I+WsTTSgw1ONzaLJoLCyoi6/zppojs=
+github.com/go-openapi/jsonpointer v0.21.0 h1:YgdVicSA9vH5RiHs9TZW5oyafXZFc6+2Vc1rr/O9oNQ=
+github.com/go-openapi/jsonpointer v0.21.0/go.mod h1:IUyH9l/+uyhIYQ/PXVA41Rexl+kOkAPDdXEYns6fzUY=
+github.com/go-openapi/jsonreference v0.20.2 h1:3sVjiK66+uXK/6oQ8xgcRKcFgQ5KXa2KvnJRumpMGbE=
+github.com/go-openapi/jsonreference v0.20.2/go.mod h1:Bl1zwGIM8/wsvqjsOQLJ/SH+En5Ap4rVB5KVcIDZG2k=
+github.com/go-openapi/swag v0.22.3/go.mod h1:UzaqsxGiab7freDnrUUra0MwWfN/q7tE4j+VcZ0yl14=
+github.com/go-openapi/swag v0.23.0 h1:vsEVJDUo2hPJ2tu0/Xc+4noaxyEffXNIs3cOULZ+GrE=
+github.com/go-openapi/swag v0.23.0/go.mod h1:esZ8ITTYEsH1V2trKHjAN8Ai7xHb8RV+YSZ577vPjgQ=
+github.com/go-task/slim-sprig/v3 v3.0.0 h1:sUs3vkvUymDpBKi3qH1YSqBQk9+9D/8M2mN1vB6EwHI=
+github.com/go-task/slim-sprig/v3 v3.0.0/go.mod h1:W848ghGpv3Qj3dhTPRyJypKRiqCdHZiAzKg9hl15HA8=
+github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2 h1:Ov1cvc58UF3b5XjBnZv7+opcTcQFZebYjWzi34vdm4Q=
+github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2/go.mod h1:P1XiOD3dCwIKUDQYPy72D8LYyHL2YPYrpS2s69NZV8Q=
+github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4 h1:i7eJL8qZTpSEXOPTxNKhASYpMn+8e5Q6AdndVa1dWek=
+github.com/golang/protobuf v1.5.4/go.mod h1:lnTiLA8Wa4RWRcIUkrtSVa5nRhsEGBg48fD6rSs7xps=
+github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.6.9-0.20230804172637-c7be7c783f49 h1:0VpGH+cDhbDtdcweoyCVsF3fhN8kejK6rFe/2FFX2nU=
+github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.6.9-0.20230804172637-c7be7c783f49/go.mod h1:BkkQ4L1KS1xMt2aWSPStnn55ChGC0DPOn2FQYj+f25M=
+github.com/google/go-cmp v0.5.9/go.mod h1:17dUlkBOakJ0+DkrSSNjCkIjxS6bF9zb3elmeNGIjoY=
+github.com/google/go-cmp v0.7.0 h1:wk8382ETsv4JYUZwIsn6YpYiWiBsYLSJiTsyBybVuN8=
+github.com/google/go-cmp v0.7.0/go.mod h1:pXiqmnSA92OHEEa9HXL2W4E7lf9JzCmGVUdgjX3N/iU=
+github.com/google/gofuzz v1.0.0/go.mod h1:dBl0BpW6vV/+mYPU4Po3pmUjxk6FQPldtuIdl/M65Eg=
+github.com/google/gofuzz v1.2.0 h1:xRy4A+RhZaiKjJ1bPfwQ8sedCA+YS2YcCHW6ec7JMi0=
+github.com/google/gofuzz v1.2.0/go.mod h1:dBl0BpW6vV/+mYPU4Po3pmUjxk6FQPldtuIdl/M65Eg=
+github.com/google/pprof v0.0.0-20241210010833-40e02aabc2ad h1:a6HEuzUHeKH6hwfN/ZoQgRgVIWFJljSWa/zetS2WTvg=
+github.com/google/pprof v0.0.0-20241210010833-40e02aabc2ad/go.mod h1:vavhavw2zAxS5dIdcRluK6cSGGPlZynqzFM8NdvU144=
+github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 h1:NIvaJDMOsjHA8n1jAhLSgzrAzy1Hgr+hNrb57e+94F0=
+github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0/go.mod h1:TIyPZe4MgqvfeYDBFedMoGGpEw/LqOeaOT+nhxU+yHo=
+github.com/gookit/color v1.5.4 h1:FZmqs7XOyGgCAxmWyPslpiok1k05wmY3SJTytgvYFs0=
+github.com/gookit/color v1.5.4/go.mod h1:pZJOeOS8DM43rXbp4AZo1n9zCU2qjpcRko0b6/QJi9w=
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diff --git a/common.mk b/common.mk
index a22e0b724..ae133d091 100644
--- a/common.mk
+++ b/common.mk
@@ -1,14 +1,8 @@
-CUR_DIR := $(shell dirname $(realpath $(firstword $(MAKEFILE_LIST))))
-PROJECT_DIR = $(shell pwd | sed  -E 's/(^.+vpp-dataplane).*$$/\1/')
-ROOT_DIR = $(shell pwd | sed  -E 's/(^.+vpp-dataplane).*$$/\1/')
-SUB_DIR = $(shell pwd | sed  -E 's/^.+vpp-dataplane\/(.*$$)/\1/')
-THIS_DIR = $(notdir $(CUR_DIR))
+VPP_DATAPLANE_DIR = $(shell git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
 
 DEPEND_BASE = calicovpp/ci-builder
-
 VPP_BUCKET = calico-vpp-ci-artefacts
 
-WITH_GDB ?= yes
 export GOOS ?= linux
 
 # Docker option
@@ -23,6 +17,12 @@ ifdef CODEBUILD_BUILD_NUMBER
 	CI_BUILD = 1
 endif
 
+ifdef COVER
+	COVER_OPTS = -cover -covermode=atomic
+else
+	COVER_OPTS :=
+endif
+
 ifdef CI_BUILD
 	export CI_BUILD
 	GOFLAGS := -buildvcs=false
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ ifdef CI_BUILD
 	DOCKER_OPTS  = -e CI_BUILD=1 -e GOFLAGS=${GOFLAGS}
 	DOCKER_OPTS += -e CGO_ENABLED=0
 	DOCKER_OPTS += --user $$(id -u):$$(id -g)
-	DOCKER_OPTS += -w /vpp-dataplane/${SUB_DIR}
-	DOCKER_OPTS += -v ${PROJECT_DIR}:/vpp-dataplane
+	DOCKER_OPTS += -w /vpp-dataplane/$(shell git rev-parse --show-prefix)
+	DOCKER_OPTS += -v $(VPP_DATAPLANE_DIR):/vpp-dataplane
 	DOCKER_RUN = docker run -t --rm --name build_temp ${DOCKER_OPTS} calicovpp/ci-builder:latest
 
 	PUSH_DEP :=
diff --git a/config/utils.go b/config/utils.go
index 81e0a6ebf..4e5c0d58f 100644
--- a/config/utils.go
+++ b/config/utils.go
@@ -16,8 +16,15 @@
 package config
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"crypto/sha512"
 	"encoding/base64"
+	"os"
+	"os/signal"
+	"runtime/coverage"
+	"syscall"
+
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
 )
 
 /* 8 base64 character hash */
@@ -32,3 +39,38 @@ func TruncateStr(text string, size int) string {
 	}
 	return text
 }
+
+// HandleUsr2Signal implements the USR2 signal
+// that outputs the covarge data, provided the binary
+// is compiled with -cover and GOCOVERDIR is set.
+// This allows us to not require a proper binary
+// termination in order to get coverage data.
+func HandleUsr2Signal(ctx context.Context, log *logrus.Entry) {
+	usr2SignalChannel := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
+	signal.Notify(usr2SignalChannel, syscall.SIGUSR2)
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			select {
+			case <-usr2SignalChannel:
+				log.Warnf("Received SIGUSR2, writing coverage to %s", os.Getenv("GOCOVERDIR"))
+				if os.Getenv("GOCOVERDIR") != "" {
+					err := os.Mkdir(os.Getenv("GOCOVERDIR"), 0750)
+					if err != nil && !os.IsExist(err) {
+						log.WithError(err).Errorf("Could not create dir %s", os.Getenv("GOCOVERDIR"))
+						continue
+					}
+					err = coverage.WriteCountersDir(os.Getenv("GOCOVERDIR"))
+					if err != nil {
+						log.WithError(err).Error("Could not write counters dir")
+					}
+					err = coverage.WriteMetaDir(os.Getenv("GOCOVERDIR"))
+					if err != nil {
+						log.WithError(err).Error("Could not write meta dir")
+					}
+				}
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+}
diff --git a/docs/install/calicovppctl.md b/docs/install/calicovppctl.md
index 8ccf51b5e..2f7606703 100644
--- a/docs/install/calicovppctl.md
+++ b/docs/install/calicovppctl.md
@@ -5,8 +5,16 @@ in a kubernetes pod.
 
 The following CLIs install the latest ``calicovppctl`` to ``/usr/local/bin``.
 
+## Using published images
+
 ````console
 docker create --name calicovppctl docker.io/calicovpp/ctl:latest
 sudo docker cp calicovppctl:/calicovppctl /usr/local/bin/calicovppctl
 docker rm calicovppctl
 ````
+
+## Using go
+
+````bash
+go install github.com/projectcalico/vpp-dataplane/v3/cmd/calicovppctl@master
+````
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index a57026a61..4bf3bf9ea 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ require (
 	github.com/census-instrumentation/opencensus-proto v0.4.1
 	github.com/containernetworking/plugins v1.6.2
 	github.com/google/gopacket v1.1.19
-	github.com/gookit/color v1.5.4
 	github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0
 	github.com/k8snetworkplumbingwg/network-attachment-definition-client v1.4.0
 	github.com/lunixbochs/struc v0.0.0-20241101090106-8d528fa2c543 // indirect
@@ -34,7 +33,7 @@ require (
 	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.32.5
 	k8s.io/client-go v0.32.5
 	sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.20.3
-	sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.4.0
+	sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.4.0 // indirect
 )
 
 require (
@@ -97,7 +96,6 @@ require (
 	github.com/spf13/viper v1.20.0 // indirect
 	github.com/subosito/gotenv v1.6.0 // indirect
 	github.com/x448/float16 v0.8.4 // indirect
-	github.com/xo/terminfo v0.0.0-20210125001918-ca9a967f8778 // indirect
 	go.etcd.io/etcd/api/v3 v3.5.19 // indirect
 	go.etcd.io/etcd/client/pkg/v3 v3.5.19 // indirect
 	go.etcd.io/etcd/client/v3 v3.5.19 // indirect
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 30a52e8b1..b0a6a98ef 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -136,8 +136,6 @@ github.com/google/pprof v0.0.0-20241210010833-40e02aabc2ad/go.mod h1:vavhavw2zAx
 github.com/google/uuid v1.1.2/go.mod h1:TIyPZe4MgqvfeYDBFedMoGGpEw/LqOeaOT+nhxU+yHo=
 github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 h1:NIvaJDMOsjHA8n1jAhLSgzrAzy1Hgr+hNrb57e+94F0=
 github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0/go.mod h1:TIyPZe4MgqvfeYDBFedMoGGpEw/LqOeaOT+nhxU+yHo=
-github.com/gookit/color v1.5.4 h1:FZmqs7XOyGgCAxmWyPslpiok1k05wmY3SJTytgvYFs0=
-github.com/gookit/color v1.5.4/go.mod h1:pZJOeOS8DM43rXbp4AZo1n9zCU2qjpcRko0b6/QJi9w=
 github.com/hashicorp/go-version v1.7.0 h1:5tqGy27NaOTB8yJKUZELlFAS/LTKJkrmONwQKeRZfjY=
 github.com/hashicorp/go-version v1.7.0/go.mod h1:fltr4n8CU8Ke44wwGCBoEymUuxUHl09ZGVZPK5anwXA=
 github.com/hpcloud/tail v1.0.0/go.mod h1:ab1qPbhIpdTxEkNHXyeSf5vhxWSCs/tWer42PpOxQnU=
@@ -293,8 +291,6 @@ github.com/vishvananda/netns v0.0.4 h1:Oeaw1EM2JMxD51g9uhtC0D7erkIjgmj8+JZc26m1Y
 github.com/vishvananda/netns v0.0.4/go.mod h1:SpkAiCQRtJ6TvvxPnOSyH3BMl6unz3xZlaprSwhNNJM=
 github.com/x448/float16 v0.8.4 h1:qLwI1I70+NjRFUR3zs1JPUCgaCXSh3SW62uAKT1mSBM=
 github.com/x448/float16 v0.8.4/go.mod h1:14CWIYCyZA/cWjXOioeEpHeN/83MdbZDRQHoFcYsOfg=
-github.com/xo/terminfo v0.0.0-20210125001918-ca9a967f8778 h1:QldyIu/L63oPpyvQmHgvgickp1Yw510KJOqX7H24mg8=
-github.com/xo/terminfo v0.0.0-20210125001918-ca9a967f8778/go.mod h1:2MuV+tbUrU1zIOPMxZ5EncGwgmMJsa+9ucAQZXxsObs=
 github.com/yookoala/realpath v1.0.0 h1:7OA9pj4FZd+oZDsyvXWQvjn5oBdcHRTV44PpdMSuImQ=
 github.com/yookoala/realpath v1.0.0/go.mod h1:gJJMA9wuX7AcqLy1+ffPatSCySA1FQ2S8Ya9AIoYBpE=
 github.com/yuin/goldmark v1.1.27/go.mod h1:3hX8gzYuyVAZsxl0MRgGTJEmQBFcNTphYh9decYSb74=
diff --git a/test/integration-tests/Makefile b/test/integration-tests/Makefile
deleted file mode 100644
index e9c43ff10..000000000
--- a/test/integration-tests/Makefile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,39 +0,0 @@
-include ../../common.mk
-
-.PHONY: run-integration-tests vpp-image mock-image build-tests
-
-TAG ?= latest # Tag images with :$(TAG)
-
-ifndef CI_BUILD
-SUDO := sudo -E
-endif
-
-VPP_IMAGE := calicovpp/vpp:$(TAG)
-POD_MOCK_IMAGE := calicovpp/vpp-test-pod-mock:latest
-
-vpp-image:
-	docker image inspect ${VPP_IMAGE} >/dev/null 2>&1 \
-	  || $(MAKE) -C ../../vpp-manager image
-
-
-mock-image:
-	docker build --network=host -t ${POD_MOCK_IMAGE} images/pod-mock
-
-
-# Build integration tests
-build-tests:
-	${DOCKER_RUN} go test -c ../../calico-vpp-agent/cni
-
-
-run-integration-tests: build-tests mock-image vpp-image
-	@echo "Running Integration tests..."
-	@echo "Running Calico VPP Agent - CNI tests..."
-	${SUDO} env "PATH=$$PATH" VPP_BINARY=/usr/bin/vpp INTEGRATION_TEST=. VPP_IMAGE="${VPP_IMAGE}" ./cni.test -test.v -test.run Integration
-
-VPP_DEV_DIR ?= /repo/vpp-manager/vpp_build/build-root/install-vpp_debug-native
-dev: build-tests mock-image
-	${SUDO} env "PATH=$$PATH" \
-	  VPP_BINARY=${VPP_DEV_DIR}/vpp/bin/vpp \
-	  LD_LIBRARY_PATH="${VPP_DEV_DIR}/vpp/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu" \
-	  INTEGRATION_TEST=. VPP_IMAGE="calicovpp/vpp:latest" ./cni.test -test.v -test.run Integration
-
diff --git a/test/scripts/mngmt.sh b/test/scripts/mngmt.sh
index 40dff0d8d..ff3825422 100755
--- a/test/scripts/mngmt.sh
+++ b/test/scripts/mngmt.sh
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ fi
 git reset $BRANCH_NAME --hard
 git clean -fd
 
-make -C $VPP_DATAPLANE_DIRECTORY image TAG=$TAG WITH_GDB=$WITH_GDB
+make -C $VPP_DATAPLANE_DIRECTORY image TAG=$TAG
 
 echo "built calicovpp/vpp:${TAG}"
 echo "built calicovpp/agent:${TAG}"
@@ -91,7 +91,6 @@ echo "Date                     : $(date +"%Y-%m-%d %H:%M")" >> ${BUILD_LOG_DIR}/
 echo "REPO_URL                 : $REPO_URL"                 >> ${BUILD_LOG_DIR}/${BUILD_NAME}/summary
 echo "BRANCH_NAME              : $BRANCH_NAME"              >> ${BUILD_LOG_DIR}/${BUILD_NAME}/summary
 echo "VPP_DATAPLANE_DIRECTORY  : $VPP_DATAPLANE_DIRECTORY"  >> ${BUILD_LOG_DIR}/${BUILD_NAME}/summary
-echo "WITH_GDB                 : $WITH_GDB"                 >> ${BUILD_LOG_DIR}/${BUILD_NAME}/summary
 echo "SSH_NAME                 : $SSH_NAME"                 >> ${BUILD_LOG_DIR}/${BUILD_NAME}/summary
 echo "PUSH                     : $PUSH"                     >> ${BUILD_LOG_DIR}/${BUILD_NAME}/summary
 echo "Tags built               : ${TAG},${EXTRA_TAGS}"      >> ${BUILD_LOG_DIR}/${BUILD_NAME}/summary
diff --git a/vpp-manager/Makefile b/vpp-manager/Makefile
index ce163e7c3..b00d86734 100644
--- a/vpp-manager/Makefile
+++ b/vpp-manager/Makefile
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ VERSION_FILE=$(VPP_DIR)/calicovppversion
 
 # BASE allows to override the VPP base commit in vpp_clone_current.sh
 BASE ?=
+MOCK_POD_IMAGE ?= calicovpp/vpp-test-pod-mock:latest
 
 VPP_REL_DEB_LIST = \
 	$(VPP_DIR)/build-root/debs/release/vpp_*.deb \
@@ -68,7 +69,12 @@ all: image
 build:
 	mkdir -p $(IMAGE_DIR)/bin
 	cp $(VPPDEV_FILE) $(IMAGE_DIR)/bin/vppdev.sh
-	${DOCKER_RUN} go build -o $(IMAGE_DIR)/bin/vpp-manager
+	${DOCKER_RUN} go build $(COVER_OPTS) -o $(IMAGE_DIR)/bin/vpp-manager
+
+.PHONY: mock-pod-image
+mock-pod-image:
+	docker build --network=host \
+		-t ${MOCK_POD_IMAGE} images/mock-pod
 
 .PHONY: eks-image
 eks-image:
@@ -98,7 +104,6 @@ vpp-image: build ${VPP_TARBALL}
 	tar -xvf ${VPP_TARBALL} -C $(IMAGE_DIR)
 	docker build --pull --network=host \
 		--build-arg http_proxy=${DOCKER_BUILD_PROXY} \
-		--build-arg WITH_GDB=${WITH_GDB} \
 		-t calicovpp/vpp:$(TAG) $(IMAGE_DIR)
 	docker build --pull --network=host \
 		--build-arg http_proxy=${DOCKER_BUILD_PROXY} \
@@ -113,6 +118,13 @@ vpp-image: build ${VPP_TARBALL}
 .PHONY: image
 image: vpp-image eks-image vclsidecar-image
 
+.PHONY: image-cov
+image-cov: build-cov ${VPP_TARBALL}
+	@cp $(VPPDEV_FILE) $(IMAGE_DIR)
+	docker build ${SQUASH} --pull --network=host \
+		--build-arg http_proxy=${DOCKER_BUILD_PROXY} \
+		-t calicovpp/vpp:$(TAG) $(IMAGE_DIR)
+
 .PHONY: push
 push: ${PUSH_DEP}
 	set -e; for registry in ${REGISTRIES}; do \
@@ -211,7 +223,6 @@ dev: build
 	docker build --network=host \
 	  --build-arg http_proxy=${DOCKER_BUILD_PROXY} \
 	  --build-arg https_proxy=${DOCKER_BUILD_PROXY} \
-	  --build-arg WITH_GDB=${WITH_GDB} \
 	  -t calicovpp/vpp:$(TAG) $(DEV_IMAGE_DIR)
 	@if [ "${ALSO_LATEST}" = "y" ]; then \
 		docker tag calicovpp/vpp:$(TAG) calicovpp/vpp:latest; \
diff --git a/test/integration-tests/images/pod-mock/Dockerfile b/vpp-manager/images/mock-pod/Dockerfile
similarity index 100%
rename from test/integration-tests/images/pod-mock/Dockerfile
rename to vpp-manager/images/mock-pod/Dockerfile
diff --git a/vpp-manager/main.go b/vpp-manager/main.go
index 87352f826..8e2eca3a0 100644
--- a/vpp-manager/main.go
+++ b/vpp-manager/main.go
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 package main
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"os"
 	"os/signal"
 	"sync"
@@ -72,6 +73,7 @@ func handleSignals() {
 	signals = make(chan os.Signal, 10)
 	signal.Notify(signals)
 	signal.Reset(syscall.SIGURG)
+	signal.Reset(syscall.SIGUSR2)
 	for {
 		s := <-signals
 		if vppProcess == nil && s == syscall.SIGCHLD {
@@ -183,6 +185,10 @@ func main() {
 	runningCond = sync.NewCond(&sync.Mutex{})
 	go handleSignals()
 
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	config.HandleUsr2Signal(ctx, log.WithFields(logrus.Fields{"component": "sighdlr"}))
+
 	startup.PrintVppManagerConfig(params, confs)
 
 	runner := NewVPPRunner(params, confs)
diff --git a/yaml/overlays/dev/calico-vpp-dev-configmap.yaml b/yaml/overlays/dev/calico-vpp-dev-configmap.yaml
index 23aaf02d0..9960e6b67 100644
--- a/yaml/overlays/dev/calico-vpp-dev-configmap.yaml
+++ b/yaml/overlays/dev/calico-vpp-dev-configmap.yaml
@@ -20,3 +20,4 @@ data:
   CALICOVPP_IPSEC: ${CALICOVPP_IPSEC}
   CALICOVPP_SRV6: ${CALICOVPP_SRV6}
   CALICOVPP_LOG_FORMAT: pretty
+  GOCOVERDIR: /repo/.coverage/kind
diff --git a/yaml/overlays/dev/calico-vpp-dev-patch.yaml b/yaml/overlays/dev/calico-vpp-dev-patch.yaml
index 45e8f489f..5e076448e 100644
--- a/yaml/overlays/dev/calico-vpp-dev-patch.yaml
+++ b/yaml/overlays/dev/calico-vpp-dev-patch.yaml
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ spec:
         - name: agent
           image: ${CALICO_AGENT_IMAGE}
           imagePullPolicy: ${IMAGE_PULL_POLICY}
+          volumeMounts:
+            - name: repo-directory
+              mountPath: /repo
         - name: vpp
           image: ${CALICO_VPP_IMAGE}
           imagePullPolicy: ${IMAGE_PULL_POLICY}