diff --git a/DEVELOPMENT.md b/DEVELOPMENT.md
index a09dfbe2..abe8ff2c 100644
--- a/DEVELOPMENT.md
+++ b/DEVELOPMENT.md
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ Operators, etc.) to support the namespace-level development environments:
 Install Gateway API + GIE CRDs:
 
 ```bash
-kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api/releases/download/v1.3.0/standard-install.yaml
+kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api/releases/download/v1.4.0/standard-install.yaml
 kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/releases/latest/download/manifests.yaml
 ```
 
@@ -229,13 +229,16 @@ curl -s -w '\n' http://localhost:8080/v1/completions -H 'Content-Type: applicati
 
 **1. Setting the EPP image and tag:**
 
-You can optionally set a custom EPP image (otherwise, the default will be used):
+You can optionally set a custom EPP image and tag (otherwise, defaults will be used):
 
 ```bash
+export IMAGE_REGISTRY="<YOUR_REGISTRY>"
 export EPP_TAG="<YOUR_TAG>"
-export EPP_IMAGE="<YOUR_REGISTRY>/<YOUR_IMAGE>"
 ```
 
+> [!NOTE]
+> The full image reference will be constructed as `${EPP_IMAGE}:${EPP_TAG}`, where `EPP_IMAGE` defaults to `${IMAGE_REGISTRY}/llm-d-inference-scheduler`. For example, with `IMAGE_REGISTRY=quay.io/<my-id>` and `EPP_TAG=v1.0.0`, the final image will be `quay.io/<my-id>/llm-d-inference-scheduler:v1.0.0`.
+
 **2. Setting the vLLM replicas:**
 
 You can optionally set the vllm replicas:
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 9b88360b..ab9dc11f 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
-# The Go and Python based tools are defined in Makefile.tools.mk.
-include Makefile.tools.mk
-
 SHELL := /usr/bin/env bash
 
+# Local directories
+LOCALBIN ?= $(shell pwd)/bin
+LOCALLIB ?= $(shell pwd)/lib
+
+# Build tools and dependencies are defined in Makefile.tools.mk.
+include Makefile.tools.mk
+# Cluster (Kubernetes/OpenShift) specific targets are defined in Makefile.cluster.mk.
+include Makefile.cluster.mk
+# Kind specific targets are defined in Makefile.kind.mk.
+include Makefile.kind.mk
+
 # Defaults
 TARGETOS ?= $(shell command -v go >/dev/null 2>&1 && go env GOOS || uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
 TARGETARCH ?= $(shell command -v go >/dev/null 2>&1 && go env GOARCH || uname -m | sed 's/x86_64/amd64/; s/aarch64/arm64/; s/armv7l/arm/')
@@ -20,32 +28,36 @@ export SIDECAR_TAG
 SIDECAR_IMAGE_TAG_BASE ?= $(IMAGE_REGISTRY)/$(SIDECAR_IMAGE_NAME)
 export SIDECAR_IMAGE ?= $(SIDECAR_IMAGE_TAG_BASE):$(SIDECAR_TAG)
 NAMESPACE ?= hc4ai-operator
-VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG ?= v0.6.1
-export VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG
 VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG_BASE ?= $(IMAGE_REGISTRY)/$(VLLM_SIMULATOR_IMAGE_NAME)
 export VLLM_SIMULATOR_IMAGE ?= $(VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG_BASE):$(VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG)
 
-# Map go arch to typos arch
-ifeq ($(TARGETARCH),amd64)
-TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH = x86_64
-else ifeq ($(TARGETARCH),arm64)
-TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH = aarch64
-else
-TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH = $(TARGETARCH)
-endif
-
+# Map go arch to platform-specific arch
 ifeq ($(TARGETOS),darwin)
-ifeq ($(TARGETARCH),amd64)
-TOKENIZER_ARCH = x86_64
-else
-TOKENIZER_ARCH = $(TARGETARCH)
-endif
-TAR_OPTS = --strip-components 1
-TYPOS_ARCH = $(TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH)-apple-darwin
+	ifeq ($(TARGETARCH),amd64)
+		TOKENIZER_ARCH = x86_64
+		TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH = x86_64
+	else ifeq ($(TARGETARCH),arm64)
+		TOKENIZER_ARCH = arm64
+		TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH = aarch64
+	else
+		TOKENIZER_ARCH = $(TARGETARCH)
+		TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH = $(TARGETARCH)
+	endif
+	TAR_OPTS = --strip-components 1
+	TYPOS_ARCH = $(TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH)-apple-darwin
 else
-TOKENIZER_ARCH = $(TARGETARCH)
-TAR_OPTS = --wildcards '*/typos'
-TYPOS_ARCH = $(TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH)-unknown-linux-musl
+	ifeq ($(TARGETARCH),amd64)
+		TOKENIZER_ARCH = amd64
+		TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH = x86_64
+	else ifeq ($(TARGETARCH),arm64)
+		TOKENIZER_ARCH = arm64
+		TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH = aarch64
+	else
+		TOKENIZER_ARCH = $(TARGETARCH)
+		TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH = $(TARGETARCH)
+	endif
+	TAR_OPTS = --wildcards '*/typos'
+	TYPOS_ARCH = $(TYPOS_TARGET_ARCH)-unknown-linux-musl
 endif
 
 CONTAINER_RUNTIME := $(shell { command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo docker; } || { command -v podman >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo podman; } || echo "")
@@ -59,11 +71,10 @@ BUILD_REF ?= $(shell git describe --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null)
 # go source files
 SRC = $(shell find . -type f -name '*.go')
 
-LDFLAGS ?= -extldflags '-L$(shell pwd)/lib'
+# Tokenizer & Linking
+LDFLAGS ?= -extldflags '-L$(LOCALLIB)'
+CGO_ENABLED=1 # TODO: do we need this? it is set in both Dockerfiles
 
-##@ Python Configuration
-
-PYTHON_VERSION := 3.12
 
 # Unified Python configuration detection. This block runs once.
 PYTHON_CONFIG ?= $(shell command -v python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-config || command -v python3-config)
@@ -111,40 +122,35 @@ sidecar_TEST_FILES = go list ./pkg/sidecar/...
 help: ## Print help
 	@awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*##"; printf "\nUsage:\n  make \033[36m<target>\033[0m\n"} /^[a-zA-Z_0-9-]+:.*?##/ { printf "  \033[36m%-15s\033[0m %s\n", $$1, $$2 } /^##@/ { printf "\n\033[1m%s\033[0m\n", substr($$0, 5) } ' $(MAKEFILE_LIST)
 
-##@ Tokenizer & Linking
-
-CGO_ENABLED=1
-TOKENIZER_LIB = lib/libtokenizers.a
-# Extract RELEASE_VERSION from Dockerfile
-TOKENIZER_VERSION := $(shell grep '^ARG RELEASE_VERSION=' Dockerfile.epp | cut -d'=' -f2)
-
-.PHONY: download-tokenizer
-download-tokenizer: $(TOKENIZER_LIB)
-$(TOKENIZER_LIB):
-	## Download the HuggingFace tokenizer bindings.
-	@echo "Downloading HuggingFace tokenizer bindings for version $(TOKENIZER_VERSION)..."
-	mkdir -p lib
-	curl -L https://github.com/daulet/tokenizers/releases/download/$(TOKENIZER_VERSION)/libtokenizers.$(TARGETOS)-$(TOKENIZER_ARCH).tar.gz | tar -xz -C lib
-	ranlib lib/*.a
 
 ##@ Development
 
 .PHONY: clean
-clean:
+clean: ## Clean build artifacts, tools and caches
 	go clean -testcache -cache
-	rm -f $(TOKENIZER_LIB)
-	rmdir lib
+	rm -rf $(LOCALLIB) $(LOCALBIN)
 
 .PHONY: format
-format: ## Format Go source files
-	@printf "\033[33;1m==== Running gofmt ====\033[0m\n"
+format: check-golangci-lint ## Format Go source files
+	@printf "\033[33;1m==== Running go fmt ====\033[0m\n"
 	@gofmt -l -w $(SRC)
+	$(GOLANGCI_LINT) fmt --fix
+
+.PHONY: lint
+lint: check-golangci-lint check-typos ## Run lint
+	@printf "\033[33;1m==== Running linting ====\033[0m\n"
+	CGO_CFLAGS="${CGO_CFLAGS}" $(GOLANGCI_LINT) run
+	$(TYPOS)
+
+.PHONY: install-hooks
+install-hooks: ## Install git hooks
+	git config core.hooksPath hooks
 
 .PHONY: test
-test: test-unit test-e2e ## Run unit tests and e2e tests
+test: test-unit test-e2e ## Run all tests (unit and e2e)
 
 .PHONY: test-unit
-test-unit: test-unit-epp test-unit-sidecar
+test-unit: test-unit-epp test-unit-sidecar ## Run unit tests
 
 .PHONY: test-unit-%
 test-unit-%: download-tokenizer check-dependencies ## Run unit tests
@@ -159,36 +165,31 @@ test-integration: download-tokenizer check-dependencies ## Run integration tests
 .PHONY: test-e2e
 test-e2e: image-build image-pull ## Run end-to-end tests against a new kind cluster
 	@printf "\033[33;1m==== Running End to End Tests ====\033[0m\n"
-	./test/scripts/run_e2e.sh
+	PATH=$(LOCALBIN):$$PATH ./test/scripts/run_e2e.sh
 
 .PHONY: post-deploy-test
 post-deploy-test: ## Run post deployment tests
 	echo Success!
 	@echo "Post-deployment tests passed."
 
-.PHONY: lint
-lint: check-golangci-lint check-typos ## Run lint
-	@printf "\033[33;1m==== Running linting ====\033[0m\n"
-	CGO_CFLAGS="${CGO_CFLAGS}" golangci-lint run
-	$(TYPOS)
 
 ##@ Build
 
 .PHONY: build
-build: build-epp build-sidecar ## Build the project
+build: build-epp build-sidecar ## Build the project for both epp and sidecar
 
 .PHONY: build-%
 build-%: check-go download-tokenizer ## Build the project
 	@printf "\033[33;1m==== Building ====\033[0m\n"
 	go build $($*_LDFLAGS) -o bin/$($*_NAME) cmd/$($*_NAME)/main.go
 
-##@ Container Build/Push
+##@ Container image Build/Push/Pull
 
 .PHONY:	image-build
-image-build: image-build-epp image-build-sidecar ## Build Docker image
+image-build: image-build-epp image-build-sidecar ## Build Container image using $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
 
 .PHONY: image-build-%
-image-build-%: check-container-tool ## Build Docker image ## Build Docker image using $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
+image-build-%: check-container-tool ## Build Container image using $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
 	@printf "\033[33;1m==== Building Docker image $($*_IMAGE) ====\033[0m\n"
 	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) build \
 		--platform linux/$(TARGETARCH) \
@@ -199,10 +200,10 @@ image-build-%: check-container-tool ## Build Docker image ## Build Docker image
  		-t $($*_IMAGE) -f Dockerfile.$* .
 
 .PHONY: image-push
-image-push: image-push-epp image-push-sidecar ## Push container images to registry
+image-push: image-push-epp image-push-sidecar ## Push container images to registry using $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
 
 .PHONY: image-push-%
-image-push-%: check-container-tool ## Push container image to registry
+image-push-%: check-container-tool ## Push container image to registry using $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
 	@printf "\033[33;1m==== Pushing Container image $($*_IMAGE) ====\033[0m\n"
 	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) push $($*_IMAGE)
 
@@ -211,197 +212,36 @@ image-pull: check-container-tool ## Pull all related images using $(CONTAINER_RU
 	@printf "\033[33;1m==== Pulling Container images ====\033[0m\n"
 	./scripts/pull_images.sh
 
-##@ Install/Uninstall Targets
-
-# Default install/uninstall (Docker)
-install: install-docker ## Default install using Docker
-	@echo "Default Docker install complete."
-
-uninstall: uninstall-docker ## Default uninstall using Docker
-	@echo "Default Docker uninstall complete."
-
-### Docker Targets
+##@ Container Run
 
-.PHONY: install-docker
-install-docker: check-container-tool ## Install app using $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
+.PHONY: run-container
+run-container: check-container-tool ## Run app in container using $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
 	@echo "Starting container with $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)..."
 	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) run -d --name $(PROJECT_NAME)-container $(EPP_IMAGE)
-	@echo "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) installation complete."
+	@echo "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) started successfully."
 	@echo "To use $(PROJECT_NAME), run:"
 	@echo "alias $(PROJECT_NAME)='$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec -it $(PROJECT_NAME)-container /app/$(PROJECT_NAME)'"
 
-.PHONY: uninstall-docker
-uninstall-docker: check-container-tool ## Uninstall app from $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)
-	@echo "Stopping and removing container in $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)..."
+.PHONY: stop-container
+stop-container: check-container-tool ## Stop and remove container
+	@echo "Stopping and removing container..."
 	$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) stop $(PROJECT_NAME)-container && $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) rm $(PROJECT_NAME)-container
-	@echo "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) uninstallation complete. Remove alias if set: unalias $(PROJECT_NAME)"
-
-### Kubernetes Targets (kubectl)
-
-.PHONY: install-k8s
-install-k8s: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Install on Kubernetes
-	export PROJECT_NAME=${PROJECT_NAME}
-	export NAMESPACE=${NAMESPACE}
-	@echo "Creating namespace (if needed) and setting context to $(NAMESPACE)..."
-	kubectl create namespace $(NAMESPACE) 2>/dev/null || true
-	kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=$(NAMESPACE)
-	@echo "Deploying resources from deploy/ ..."
-	# Build the kustomization from deploy, substitute variables, and apply the YAML
-	kustomize build deploy/environments/openshift-base | envsubst | kubectl apply -f -
-	@echo "Waiting for pod to become ready..."
-	sleep 5
-	@POD=$$(kubectl get pod -l app=$(PROJECT_NAME)-statefulset -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}'); \
-	echo "Kubernetes installation complete."; \
-	echo "To use the app, run:"; \
-	echo "alias $(PROJECT_NAME)='kubectl exec -n $(NAMESPACE) -it $$POD -- /app/$(PROJECT_NAME)'"
-
-.PHONY: uninstall-k8s
-uninstall-k8s: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Uninstall from Kubernetes
-	export PROJECT_NAME=${PROJECT_NAME}
-	export NAMESPACE=${NAMESPACE}
-	@echo "Removing resources from Kubernetes..."
-	kustomize build deploy/environments/openshift-base | envsubst | kubectl delete --force -f - || true
-	POD=$$(kubectl get pod -l app=$(PROJECT_NAME)-statefulset -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}'); \
-	echo "Deleting pod: $$POD"; \
-	kubectl delete pod "$$POD" --force --grace-period=0 || true; \
-	echo "Kubernetes uninstallation complete. Remove alias if set: unalias $(PROJECT_NAME)"
-
-### OpenShift Targets (oc)
-
-.PHONY: install-openshift
-install-openshift: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Install on OpenShift
-	@echo $$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$EPP_IMAGE
-	@echo "Creating namespace $(NAMESPACE)..."
-	kubectl create namespace $(NAMESPACE) 2>/dev/null || true
-	@echo "Deploying common resources from deploy/ ..."
-	# Build and substitute the base manifests from deploy, then apply them
-	kustomize build deploy/environments/openshift-base | envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$EPP_IMAGE' | kubectl apply -n $(NAMESPACE) -f -
-	@echo "Waiting for pod to become ready..."
-	sleep 5
-	@POD=$$(kubectl get pod -l app=$(PROJECT_NAME)-statefulset -n $(NAMESPACE) -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}'); \
-	echo "OpenShift installation complete."; \
-	echo "To use the app, run:"; \
-	echo "alias $(PROJECT_NAME)='kubectl exec -n $(NAMESPACE) -it $$POD -- /app/$(PROJECT_NAME)'"
-
-.PHONY: uninstall-openshift
-uninstall-openshift: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Uninstall from OpenShift
-	@echo "Removing resources from OpenShift..."
-	kustomize build deploy/environments/openshift-base | envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$EPP_IMAGE' | kubectl delete --force -f - || true
-	# @if kubectl api-resources --api-group=route.openshift.io | grep -q Route; then \
-	#   envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$EPP_IMAGE' < deploy/openshift/route.yaml | kubectl delete --force -f - || true; \
-	# fi
-	@POD=$$(kubectl get pod -l app=$(PROJECT_NAME)-statefulset -n $(NAMESPACE) -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}'); \
-	echo "Deleting pod: $$POD"; \
-	kubectl delete pod "$$POD" --force --grace-period=0 || true; \
-	echo "OpenShift uninstallation complete. Remove alias if set: unalias $(PROJECT_NAME)"
-
-### RBAC Targets (using kustomize and envsubst)
-
-.PHONY: install-rbac
-install-rbac: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Install RBAC
-	@echo "Applying RBAC configuration from deploy/rbac..."
-	kustomize build deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac | envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME' | kubectl apply -f -
-
-.PHONY: uninstall-rbac
-uninstall-rbac: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Uninstall RBAC
-	@echo "Removing RBAC configuration from deploy/rbac..."
-	kustomize build deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac | envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME' | kubectl delete -f - || true
+	@echo "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) stopped and removed. Remove alias if set: unalias $(PROJECT_NAME)"
 
 ##@ Environment
 .PHONY: env
 env: ## Print environment variables
+	@echo "TARGETOS=$(TARGETOS)"
+	@echo "TARGETARCH=$(TARGETARCH)"
+	@echo "PYTHON_VERSION=$(PYTHON_VERSION)"
+	@echo "CONTAINER_RUNTIME=$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)"
 	@echo "IMAGE_TAG_BASE=$(IMAGE_TAG_BASE)"
+	@echo "EPP_TAG=$(EPP_TAG)"
 	@echo "EPP_IMAGE=$(EPP_IMAGE)"
-	@echo "CONTAINER_RUNTIME=$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)"
-
-.PHONY: check-typos
-check-typos: $(TYPOS) ## Check for spelling errors using typos (exits with error if found)
-	@echo "🔍 Checking for spelling errors with typos..."
-	@TYPOS_OUTPUT=$$($(TYPOS) --format brief 2>&1); \
-	if [ $$? -eq 0 ]; then \
-		echo "✅ No spelling errors found!"; \
-		echo "🎉 Spelling check completed successfully!"; \
-	else \
-		echo "❌ Spelling errors found!"; \
-		echo "🔧 You can try 'make fix-typos' to automatically fix the spelling errors and run 'make check-typos' again"; \
-		echo "$$TYPOS_OUTPUT"; \
-		exit 1; \
-	fi
-	
-##@ Tools
-
-.PHONY: check-tools
-check-tools: \
-  check-go \
-  check-ginkgo \
-  check-golangci-lint \
-  check-kustomize \
-  check-envsubst \
-  check-container-tool \
-  check-kubectl \
-  check-buildah
-	@echo "✅ All required tools are installed."
-
-.PHONY: check-go
-check-go:
-	@command -v go >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
-	  echo "❌ Go is not installed. Install it from https://golang.org/dl/"; exit 1; }
-
-.PHONY: check-ginkgo
-check-ginkgo:
-	@command -v ginkgo >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
-	  echo "❌ ginkgo is not installed. Install with: go install github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2/ginkgo@latest"; exit 1; }
-
-.PHONY: check-golangci-lint
-check-golangci-lint:
-	@command -v golangci-lint >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
-	  echo "❌ golangci-lint is not installed. Install from https://golangci-lint.run/usage/install/"; exit 1; }
-
-.PHONY: check-kustomize
-check-kustomize:
-	@command -v kustomize >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
-	  echo "❌ kustomize is not installed. Install it from https://kubectl.docs.kubernetes.io/installation/kustomize/"; exit 1; }
-
-.PHONY: check-envsubst
-check-envsubst:
-	@command -v envsubst >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
-	  echo "❌ envsubst is not installed. It is part of gettext."; \
-	  echo "🔧 Try: sudo apt install gettext OR brew install gettext"; exit 1; }
-
-.PHONY: check-container-tool
-check-container-tool:
-	@if [ -z "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" ]; then \
-		echo "❌ Error: No container tool detected. Please install docker or podman."; \
-		exit 1; \
-	else \
-		echo "✅ Container tool '$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)' found."; \
-	fi
-	  
-
-.PHONY: check-kubectl
-check-kubectl:
-	@command -v kubectl >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
-	  echo "❌ kubectl is not installed. Install it from https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/"; exit 1; }
-
-.PHONY: check-builder
-check-builder:
-	@if [ -z "$(BUILDER)" ]; then \
-		echo "❌ No container builder tool (buildah, docker, or podman) found."; \
-		exit 1; \
-	else \
-		echo "✅ Using builder: $(BUILDER)"; \
-	fi
-
-##@ Alias checking
-.PHONY: check-alias
-check-alias: check-container-tool
-	@echo "🔍 Checking alias functionality for container '$(PROJECT_NAME)-container'..."
-	@if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec $(PROJECT_NAME)-container /app/$(PROJECT_NAME) --help >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-	  echo "⚠️  The container '$(PROJECT_NAME)-container' is running, but the alias might not work."; \
-	  echo "🔧 Try: $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec -it $(PROJECT_NAME)-container /app/$(PROJECT_NAME)"; \
-	else \
-	  echo "✅ Alias is likely to work: alias $(PROJECT_NAME)='$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec -it $(PROJECT_NAME)-container /app/$(PROJECT_NAME)'"; \
-	fi
+	@echo "SIDECAR_TAG=$(SIDECAR_TAG)"
+	@echo "SIDECAR_IMAGE=$(SIDECAR_IMAGE)"
+	@echo "VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG=$(VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG)"
+	@echo "VLLM_SIMULATOR_IMAGE=$(VLLM_SIMULATOR_IMAGE)"
 
 .PHONY: print-namespace
 print-namespace: ## Print the current namespace
@@ -411,115 +251,23 @@ print-namespace: ## Print the current namespace
 print-project-name: ## Print the current project name
 	@echo "$(PROJECT_NAME)"
 
-.PHONY: install-hooks
-install-hooks: ## Install git hooks
-	git config core.hooksPath hooks
+##@ Deprecated aliases for backwards compatibility
+.PHONY: install-docker
+install-docker: ## DEPRECATED: Use 'make run-container' instead
+	@echo "WARNING: 'make install-docker' is deprecated. Use 'make run-container' instead."
+	@$(MAKE) run-container
 
-##@ Dev Environments
-
-KIND_CLUSTER_NAME ?= llm-d-inference-scheduler-dev
-KIND_GATEWAY_HOST_PORT ?= 30080
-
-.PHONY: env-dev-kind
-env-dev-kind: ## Run under kind ($(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME))
-	@if [ "$$PD_ENABLED" = "true" ] && [ "$$KV_CACHE_ENABLED" = "true" ]; then \
-		echo "Error: Both PD_ENABLED and KV_CACHE_ENABLED are true. Skipping env-dev-kind."; \
-		exit 1; \
-	else \
-		$(MAKE) image-build && \
-		CLUSTER_NAME=$(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME) \
-		GATEWAY_HOST_PORT=$(KIND_GATEWAY_HOST_PORT) \
-		IMAGE_REGISTRY=$(IMAGE_REGISTRY) \
-		EPP_IMAGE=$(EPP_IMAGE) \
-		VLLM_SIMULATOR_IMAGE=${VLLM_SIMULATOR_IMAGE} \
-		SIDECAR_IMAGE=${SIDECAR_IMAGE} \
-		./scripts/kind-dev-env.sh; \
-	fi
-
-.PHONY: clean-env-dev-kind
-clean-env-dev-kind:      ## Cleanup kind setup (delete cluster $(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME))
-	@echo "INFO: cleaning up kind cluster $(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME)"
-	kind delete cluster --name $(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME)
-
-
-# Kubernetes Development Environment - Deploy
-# This target deploys the inference scheduler stack in a specific namespace for development and testing.
-.PHONY: env-dev-kubernetes
-env-dev-kubernetes: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst
-	IMAGE_REGISTRY=$(IMAGE_REGISTRY) ./scripts/kubernetes-dev-env.sh 2>&1
-
-# Kubernetes Development Environment - Teardown
-.PHONY: clean-env-dev-kubernetes
-clean-env-dev-kubernetes: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst
-	@CLEAN=true ./scripts/kubernetes-dev-env.sh 2>&1
-	@echo "INFO: Finished cleanup of development environment for namespace $(NAMESPACE)"
-
-##@ Dependencies
-
-.PHONY: check-dependencies
-check-dependencies: ## Check if development dependencies are installed
-	@if [ "$(TARGETOS)" = "linux" ]; then \
-	  if [ -x "$$(command -v apt)" ]; then \
-	    if ! dpkg -s libzmq3-dev >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! dpkg -s g++ >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! dpkg -s python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-dev >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-	      echo "ERROR: Missing dependencies. Please run 'sudo make install-dependencies'"; \
-	      exit 1; \
-	    fi; \
-	  elif [ -x "$$(command -v dnf)" ]; then \
-	    if ! rpm -q zeromq-devel >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! rpm -q gcc-c++ >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! rpm -q python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-devel >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-	      echo "ERROR: Missing dependencies. Please run 'sudo make install-dependencies'"; \
-	      exit 1; \
-	    fi; \
-	  else \
-	    echo "WARNING: Unsupported Linux package manager. Cannot verify dependencies."; \
-	  fi; \
-	elif [ "$(TARGETOS)" = "darwin" ]; then \
-	  if [ -x "$$(command -v brew)" ]; then \
-	    if ! brew list zeromq pkg-config >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-	      echo "ERROR: Missing dependencies. Please run 'make install-dependencies'"; \
-	      exit 1; \
-	    fi; \
-	  else \
-	    echo "ERROR: Homebrew is not installed and is required. Install it from https://brew.sh/"; \
-	    exit 1; \
-	  fi; \
-	fi
-	@echo "✅ All dependencies are installed."
-
-.PHONY: install-dependencies
-install-dependencies: ## Install development dependencies based on OS/ARCH
-	@echo "Checking and installing development dependencies..."
-	@if [ "$(TARGETOS)" = "linux" ]; then \
-	  if [ -x "$$(command -v apt)" ]; then \
-	    if ! dpkg -s libzmq3-dev >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! dpkg -s g++ >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! dpkg -s python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-dev >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-	      echo "Installing dependencies with apt..."; \
-	      apt-get update && apt-get install -y libzmq3-dev g++ python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-dev; \
-	    else \
-	      echo "✅ ZMQ, g++, and Python dev headers are already installed."; \
-	    fi; \
-	  elif [ -x "$$(command -v dnf)" ]; then \
-	    if ! rpm -q zeromq-devel >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! rpm -q gcc-c++ >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! rpm -q python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-devel >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-	      echo "Installing dependencies with dnf..."; \
-	      dnf install -y zeromq-devel gcc-c++ python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-devel; \
-	    else \
-	      echo "✅ ZMQ, gcc-c++, and Python dev headers are already installed."; \
-	    fi; \
-	  else \
-	    echo "ERROR: Unsupported Linux package manager. Install libzmq, g++/gcc-c++, and python-devel manually."; \
-	    exit 1; \
-	  fi; \
-	elif [ "$(TARGETOS)" = "darwin" ]; then \
-	  if [ -x "$$(command -v brew)" ]; then \
-	    if ! brew list zeromq pkg-config >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
-	      echo "Installing dependencies with brew..."; \
-	      brew install zeromq pkg-config; \
-	    else \
-	      echo "✅ ZeroMQ and pkgconf are already installed."; \
-	    fi; \
-	  else \
-	    echo "ERROR: Homebrew is not installed and is required to install zeromq. Install it from https://brew.sh/"; \
-	    exit 1; \
-	  fi; \
-	else \
-	  echo "ERROR: Unsupported OS: $(TARGETOS). Install development dependencies manually."; \
-	  exit 1; \
-	fi
+.PHONY: uninstall-docker
+uninstall-docker: ## DEPRECATED: Use 'make stop-container' instead
+	@echo "WARNING: 'make uninstall-docker' is deprecated. Use 'make stop-container' instead."
+	@$(MAKE) stop-container
+
+.PHONY: install
+install: ## DEPRECATED: Use 'make run-container' instead
+	@echo "WARNING: 'make install' is deprecated. Use 'make run-container' instead."
+	@$(MAKE) run-container
+
+.PHONY: uninstall
+uninstall: ## DEPRECATED: Use 'make stop-container' instead
+	@echo "WARNING: 'make uninstall' is deprecated. Use 'make stop-container' instead."
+	@$(MAKE) stop-container
diff --git a/Makefile.cluster.mk b/Makefile.cluster.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c0457d00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile.cluster.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+##@ Cluster Development Environments
+
+.PHONY: env-dev-kubernetes
+env-dev-kubernetes: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Deploy full dev environment (vLLM + Gateway + EPP) to K8s/OpenShift cluster
+	IMAGE_REGISTRY=$(IMAGE_REGISTRY) ./scripts/kubernetes-dev-env.sh 2>&1
+
+# Kubernetes Development Environment - Teardown
+.PHONY: clean-env-dev-kubernetes
+clean-env-dev-kubernetes: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Clean up full dev environment from K8s/OpenShift cluster
+	@CLEAN=true ./scripts/kubernetes-dev-env.sh 2>&1
+	@echo "INFO: Finished cleanup of development environment for namespace $(NAMESPACE)"
+
+
+##@ RBAC Targets
+
+.PHONY: install-rbac
+install-rbac: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Apply RBAC configuration to cluster
+	@echo "Applying RBAC configuration from deploy/rbac..."
+	$(KUSTOMIZE) build deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac | envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$IMAGE_TAG_BASE $$VERSION' | kubectl apply -f -
+
+.PHONY: uninstall-rbac
+uninstall-rbac: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Remove RBAC configuration from cluster
+	@echo "Removing RBAC configuration from deploy/rbac..."
+	$(KUSTOMIZE) build deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac | envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$IMAGE_TAG_BASE $$VERSION' | kubectl delete -f - || true
+
+##@ Kubernetes Targets
+
+.PHONY: install-k8s
+install-k8s: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Deploy resources to Kubernetes
+	@echo "Creating namespace (if needed) and setting context to $(NAMESPACE)..."
+	kubectl create namespace $(NAMESPACE) 2>/dev/null || true
+	kubectl config set-context --current --namespace=$(NAMESPACE)
+	@echo "Deploying resources from deploy/ ..."
+	# Build the kustomization from deploy, substitute variables, and apply the YAML
+	$(KUSTOMIZE) build deploy/environments/kubernetes-base | envsubst | kubectl apply -f -
+	@echo "Waiting for pod to become ready..."
+	sleep 5
+	@POD=$$(kubectl get pod -l app=$(PROJECT_NAME)-statefulset -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}'); \
+	echo "Kubernetes installation complete."; \
+	echo "To use the app, run:"; \
+	echo "alias $(PROJECT_NAME)='kubectl exec -n $(NAMESPACE) -it $$POD -- /app/$(PROJECT_NAME)'"
+
+.PHONY: uninstall-k8s
+uninstall-k8s: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Remove resources from Kubernetes
+	@echo "Removing resources from Kubernetes..."
+	$(KUSTOMIZE) build deploy/environments/kubernetes-base | envsubst | kubectl delete --force -f - || true
+	POD=$$(kubectl get pod -l app=$(PROJECT_NAME)-statefulset -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}'); \
+	echo "Deleting pod: $$POD"; \
+	kubectl delete pod "$$POD" --force --grace-period=0 || true; \
+	echo "Kubernetes uninstallation complete. Remove alias if set: unalias $(PROJECT_NAME)"
+
+##@ OpenShift Targets
+
+.PHONY: install-openshift
+install-openshift: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Deploy resources to OpenShift
+	@echo $$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$IMAGE_TAG_BASE $$VERSION
+	@echo "Creating namespace $(NAMESPACE)..."
+	kubectl create namespace $(NAMESPACE) 2>/dev/null || true
+	@echo "Deploying common resources from deploy/ ..."
+	# Build and substitute the base manifests from deploy, then apply them
+	$(KUSTOMIZE) build deploy/environments/kubernetes-base | envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$IMAGE_TAG_BASE $$VERSION' | kubectl apply -n $(NAMESPACE) -f -
+	@echo "Waiting for pod to become ready..."
+	sleep 5
+	@POD=$$(kubectl get pod -l app=$(PROJECT_NAME)-statefulset -n $(NAMESPACE) -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}'); \
+	echo "OpenShift installation complete."; \
+	echo "To use the app, run:"; \
+	echo "alias $(PROJECT_NAME)='kubectl exec -n $(NAMESPACE) -it $$POD -- /app/$(PROJECT_NAME)'"
+
+.PHONY: uninstall-openshift
+uninstall-openshift: check-kubectl check-kustomize check-envsubst ## Remove resources from OpenShift
+	@echo "Removing resources from OpenShift..."
+	$(KUSTOMIZE) build deploy/environments/kubernetes-base | envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$IMAGE_TAG_BASE $$VERSION' | kubectl delete --force -f - || true
+	# @if kubectl api-resources --api-group=route.openshift.io | grep -q Route; then \
+	#   envsubst '$$PROJECT_NAME $$NAMESPACE $$IMAGE_TAG_BASE $$VERSION' < deploy/openshift/route.yaml | kubectl delete --force -f - || true; \
+	# fi
+	@POD=$$(kubectl get pod -l app=$(PROJECT_NAME)-statefulset -n $(NAMESPACE) -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}'); \
+	echo "Deleting pod: $$POD"; \
+	kubectl delete pod "$$POD" --force --grace-period=0 || true; \
+	echo "OpenShift uninstallation complete. Remove alias if set: unalias $(PROJECT_NAME)"
diff --git a/Makefile.kind.mk b/Makefile.kind.mk
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d9ce53d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile.kind.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+##@ Kind Development Environments
+
+KIND_CLUSTER_NAME ?= llm-d-inference-scheduler-dev
+KIND_GATEWAY_HOST_PORT ?= 30080
+
+.PHONY: env-dev-kind
+env-dev-kind: image-build ## Run under kind ($(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME))
+	@if [ "$$PD_ENABLED" = "true" ] && [ "$$KV_CACHE_ENABLED" = "true" ]; then \
+		echo "Error: Both PD_ENABLED and KV_CACHE_ENABLED are true. Skipping env-dev-kind."; \
+		exit 1; \
+	else \
+		CLUSTER_NAME=$(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME) \
+		GATEWAY_HOST_PORT=$(KIND_GATEWAY_HOST_PORT) \
+		IMAGE_REGISTRY=$(IMAGE_REGISTRY) \
+		EPP_IMAGE=$(EPP_IMAGE) \
+		EPP_TAG=$(EPP_TAG) \
+		VLLM_SIMULATOR_IMAGE=${VLLM_SIMULATOR_IMAGE} \
+		VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG=$(VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG) \
+		SIDECAR_IMAGE=$(SIDECAR_IMAGE) \
+		SIDECAR_TAG=$(SIDECAR_TAG) \
+		./scripts/kind-dev-env.sh; \
+	fi
+
+.PHONY: clean-env-dev-kind
+clean-env-dev-kind: ## Cleanup kind setup (delete cluster $(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME))
+	@echo "INFO: cleaning up kind cluster $(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME)"
+	kind delete cluster --name $(KIND_CLUSTER_NAME)
+
+##@ Alias checking
+.PHONY: check-alias
+check-alias: check-container-tool ## Check if the container alias works correctly
+	@echo "Checking alias functionality for container '$(PROJECT_NAME)-container'..."
+	@if ! $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec $(PROJECT_NAME)-container /app/$(PROJECT_NAME) --help >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+	  echo "WARNING: The container '$(PROJECT_NAME)-container' is running, but the alias might not work."; \
+	  echo "Try: $(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec -it $(PROJECT_NAME)-container /app/$(PROJECT_NAME)"; \
+	else \
+	  echo "Alias is likely to work: alias $(PROJECT_NAME)='$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME) exec -it $(PROJECT_NAME)-container /app/$(PROJECT_NAME)'"; \
+	fi
diff --git a/Makefile.tools.mk b/Makefile.tools.mk
index c5e22cf6..f3e50f88 100644
--- a/Makefile.tools.mk
+++ b/Makefile.tools.mk
@@ -1,16 +1,223 @@
-LOCALBIN ?= $(shell pwd)/bin
+## Local directories are defined in main Makefile
 $(LOCALBIN):
 	[ -d $@ ] || mkdir -p $@
 
+$(LOCALLIB):
+	[ -d $@ ] || mkdir -p $@
+
 ## Tool binary names.
+GINKGO = $(LOCALBIN)/ginkgo
+GOLANGCI_LINT = $(LOCALBIN)/golangci-lint
+KUSTOMIZE = $(LOCALBIN)/kustomize
 TYPOS = $(LOCALBIN)/typos
+## Dependencies
+TOKENIZER_LIB = $(LOCALLIB)/libtokenizers.a
 
-## Tool versions.
+## Tool fixed versions.
+GINKGO_VERSION ?= v2.27.2
+GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION ?= v2.1.6
+KUSTOMIZE_VERSION ?= v5.5.0
 TYPOS_VERSION ?= v1.34.0
+VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG ?= v0.6.1
+export VLLM_SIMULATOR_TAG
+
+## Python Configuration
+PYTHON_VERSION ?= 3.12
+# Extract RELEASE_VERSION from Dockerfile
+TOKENIZER_VERSION := $(shell grep '^ARG RELEASE_VERSION=' Dockerfile.epp | cut -d'=' -f2)
+
+## go-install-tool will 'go install' any package with custom target and version.
+define go-install-tool
+@[ -f "$(1)-$(3)" ] || { \
+set -e; \
+package=$(2)@$(3) ;\
+echo "Downloading $${package}" ;\
+rm -f $(1) || true ;\
+GOBIN=$(LOCALBIN) go install $${package} ;\
+mv $(1) $(1)-$(3) ;\
+} ;\
+ln -sf $(notdir $(1))-$(3) $(1)
+endef
+
+
+##@ Tools
+
+.PHONY: install-tools
+install-tools: install-ginkgo install-golangci-lint install-kustomize install-typos install-dependencies download-tokenizer ## Install all development tools and dependencies
+	@echo "All development tools and dependencies are installed."
 
-.PHONY: typos
-typos: $(TYPOS)
+.PHONY: install-ginkgo
+install-ginkgo: $(GINKGO)
+$(GINKGO): | $(LOCALBIN)
+	$(call go-install-tool,$(GINKGO),github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2/ginkgo,$(GINKGO_VERSION))
+
+.PHONY: install-golangci-lint
+install-golangci-lint: $(GOLANGCI_LINT)
+$(GOLANGCI_LINT): | $(LOCALBIN)
+	$(call go-install-tool,$(GOLANGCI_LINT),github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/golangci-lint,$(GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION))
+
+.PHONY: install-kustomize
+install-kustomize: $(KUSTOMIZE)
+$(KUSTOMIZE): | $(LOCALBIN)
+	$(call go-install-tool,$(KUSTOMIZE),sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/kustomize/v5,$(KUSTOMIZE_VERSION))
+
+.PHONY: install-typos
+install-typos: $(TYPOS)
 $(TYPOS): | $(LOCALBIN)
 	@echo "Downloading typos $(TYPOS_VERSION)..."
 	curl -L https://github.com/crate-ci/typos/releases/download/$(TYPOS_VERSION)/typos-$(TYPOS_VERSION)-$(TYPOS_ARCH).tar.gz | tar -xz -C $(LOCALBIN) $(TAR_OPTS)
 	chmod +x $(TYPOS)
+	@echo "typos installed successfully."
+
+##@ Dependencies
+
+.PHONY: check-dependencies
+check-dependencies: ## Check if development dependencies are installed
+	@if [ "$(TARGETOS)" = "linux" ]; then \
+	  if [ -x "$$(command -v apt)" ]; then \
+	    if ! dpkg -s libzmq3-dev >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! dpkg -s g++ >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! dpkg -s python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-dev >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+	      echo "ERROR: Missing dependencies. Please run 'sudo make install-dependencies'"; \
+	      exit 1; \
+	    fi; \
+	  elif [ -x "$$(command -v dnf)" ]; then \
+	    if ! rpm -q zeromq-devel >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! rpm -q gcc-c++ >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! rpm -q python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-devel >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+	      echo "ERROR: Missing dependencies. Please run 'sudo make install-dependencies'"; \
+	      exit 1; \
+	    fi; \
+	  else \
+	    echo "WARNING: Unsupported Linux package manager. Cannot verify dependencies."; \
+	  fi; \
+	elif [ "$(TARGETOS)" = "darwin" ]; then \
+	  if [ -x "$$(command -v brew)" ]; then \
+	    if ! brew list zeromq pkg-config >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+	      echo "ERROR: Missing dependencies. Please run 'make install-dependencies'"; \
+	      exit 1; \
+	    fi; \
+	  else \
+	    echo "ERROR: Homebrew is not installed and is required. Install it from https://brew.sh/"; \
+	    exit 1; \
+	  fi; \
+	fi
+	@echo "✅ All dependencies are installed."
+
+.PHONY: install-dependencies
+install-dependencies: ## Install development dependencies based on OS/ARCH
+	@echo "Checking and installing development dependencies..."
+	@if [ "$(TARGETOS)" = "linux" ]; then \
+	  if [ -x "$$(command -v apt)" ]; then \
+	    if ! dpkg -s libzmq3-dev >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! dpkg -s g++ >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! dpkg -s python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-dev >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+	      echo "Installing dependencies with apt..."; \
+	      apt-get update && apt-get install -y libzmq3-dev g++ python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-dev; \
+	    else \
+	      echo "✅ ZMQ, g++, and Python dev headers are already installed."; \
+	    fi; \
+	  elif [ -x "$$(command -v dnf)" ]; then \
+	    if ! rpm -q zeromq-devel >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! rpm -q gcc-c++ >/dev/null 2>&1 || ! rpm -q python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-devel >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+	      echo "Installing dependencies with dnf..."; \
+	      dnf install -y zeromq-devel gcc-c++ python$(PYTHON_VERSION)-devel; \
+	    else \
+	      echo "✅ ZMQ, gcc-c++, and Python dev headers are already installed."; \
+	    fi; \
+	  else \
+	    echo "ERROR: Unsupported Linux package manager. Install libzmq, g++/gcc-c++, and python-devel manually."; \
+	    exit 1; \
+	  fi; \
+	elif [ "$(TARGETOS)" = "darwin" ]; then \
+	  if [ -x "$$(command -v brew)" ]; then \
+	    if ! brew list zeromq pkg-config >/dev/null 2>&1; then \
+	      echo "Installing dependencies with brew..."; \
+	      brew install zeromq pkg-config; \
+	    else \
+	      echo "✅ ZeroMQ and pkgconf are already installed."; \
+	    fi; \
+	  else \
+	    echo "ERROR: Homebrew is not installed and is required to install zeromq. Install it from https://brew.sh/"; \
+	    exit 1; \
+	  fi; \
+	else \
+	  echo "ERROR: Unsupported OS: $(TARGETOS). Install development dependencies manually."; \
+	  exit 1; \
+	fi
+
+.PHONY: download-tokenizer
+download-tokenizer: $(TOKENIZER_LIB)
+$(TOKENIZER_LIB): | $(LOCALLIB)
+	## Download the HuggingFace tokenizer bindings.
+	@echo "Downloading HuggingFace tokenizer bindings for version $(TOKENIZER_VERSION)..."
+	@curl -L https://github.com/daulet/tokenizers/releases/download/$(TOKENIZER_VERSION)/libtokenizers.$(TARGETOS)-$(TOKENIZER_ARCH).tar.gz | tar -xz -C $(LOCALLIB)
+	@ranlib $(LOCALLIB)/*.a
+	@echo "Tokenizer bindings downloaded successfully."
+
+
+.PHONY: check-tools
+check-tools: check-go check-ginkgo check-golangci-lint check-kustomize check-envsubst check-container-tool check-kubectl check-buildah check-typos ## Check that all required tools are installed
+	@echo "All required tools are available."
+
+.PHONY: check-go
+check-go:
+	@command -v go >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
+	  echo "ERROR: Go is not installed. Install it from https://golang.org/dl/"; exit 1; }
+
+.PHONY: check-ginkgo
+check-ginkgo:
+	@command -v ginkgo >/dev/null 2>&1 || [ -f "$(GINKGO)" ] || { \
+	  echo "ERROR: ginkgo is not installed."; \
+	  echo "Run: make install-ginkgo (or install-tools)"; \
+	  exit 1; }
+
+.PHONY: check-golangci-lint
+check-golangci-lint:
+	@command -v golangci-lint >/dev/null 2>&1 || [ -f "$(GOLANGCI_LINT)" ] || { \
+	  echo "ERROR: golangci-lint is not installed."; \
+	  echo "Run: make install-golangci-lint (or install-tools)"; \
+	  exit 1; }
+
+.PHONY: check-kustomize
+check-kustomize:
+	@command -v kustomize >/dev/null 2>&1 || [ -f "$(KUSTOMIZE)" ] || { \
+	  echo "ERROR: kustomize is not installed."; \
+	  echo "Run: make install-kustomize (or install-tools)"; \
+	  exit 1; }
+
+.PHONY: check-envsubst
+check-envsubst:
+	@command -v envsubst >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
+	  echo "ERROR: envsubst is not installed. It is part of gettext."; \
+	  echo "Try: sudo apt install gettext OR brew install gettext"; exit 1; }
+
+.PHONY: check-container-tool
+check-container-tool:
+	@if [ -z "$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)" ]; then \
+		echo "ERROR: Error: No container tool detected. Please install docker or podman."; \
+		exit 1; \
+	else \
+		echo "Container tool '$(CONTAINER_RUNTIME)' found."; \
+	fi
+
+.PHONY: check-kubectl
+check-kubectl:
+	@command -v kubectl >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
+	  echo "ERROR: kubectl is not installed. Install it from https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/"; exit 1; }
+
+.PHONY: check-builder
+check-builder:
+	@if [ -z "$(BUILDER)" ]; then \
+		echo "ERROR: No container builder tool (buildah, docker, or podman) found."; \
+		exit 1; \
+	else \
+		echo "Using builder: $(BUILDER)"; \
+	fi
+
+.PHONY: check-buildah
+check-buildah:
+	@command -v buildah >/dev/null 2>&1 || { \
+	  echo "WARNING: buildah is not installed (optional - docker/podman can be used instead)."; }
+
+.PHONY: check-typos
+check-typos:
+	@command -v typos >/dev/null 2>&1 || [ -f "$(TYPOS)" ] || { \
+	  echo "ERROR: typos is not installed."; \
+	  echo "Run: make install-typos (or install-tools)"; \
+	  exit 1; }
+	@echo "Checking for spelling errors with typos..."
+	@$(TYPOS) --format brief
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/common/patch-service.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/common/patch-service.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/common/patch-service.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/common/patch-service.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/common/patch-statefulset.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/common/patch-statefulset.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/common/patch-statefulset.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/common/patch-statefulset.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/common/service.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/common/service.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/common/service.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/common/service.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/common/statefulset.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/common/statefulset.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/common/statefulset.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/common/statefulset.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/kustomization.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/kustomization.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/kustomization.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/kustomization.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/openshift/patch-route.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/openshift/patch-route.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/openshift/patch-route.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/openshift/patch-route.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/openshift/route.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/openshift/route.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/openshift/route.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/openshift/route.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac/exec-rbac-role.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac/exec-rbac-role.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac/exec-rbac-role.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac/exec-rbac-role.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac/exec-rbac-rolebinding.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac/exec-rbac-rolebinding.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac/exec-rbac-rolebinding.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac/exec-rbac-rolebinding.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac/patch-rbac-role.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac/patch-rbac-role.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac/patch-rbac-role.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac/patch-rbac-role.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac/patch-rbac-rolebinding.yaml b/deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac/patch-rbac-rolebinding.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from deploy/environments/openshift-base/rbac/patch-rbac-rolebinding.yaml
rename to deploy/environments/kubernetes-base/rbac/patch-rbac-rolebinding.yaml