diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7ced5f3..4535b1c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ clean:
 
 .PHONY: clean-tools
 clean-tools:
-	if [ -d $(UGET_DIRECTORY)/k8s ]; then chmod -R +w $(UGET_DIRECTORY)/k8s; fi
 	rm -rf $(UGET_DIRECTORY)
 	@echo "Cleaned $(UGET_DIRECTORY)."
 
@@ -103,7 +102,8 @@ verify:
 ### tools
 
 BOILERPLATE_VERSION ?= 0.3.0
-ENVTEST_VERSION ?= release-0.19
+ENVTEST_ETCD_VERSION ?= 3.5.15
+ENVTEST_KUBE_VERSION ?= v1.34.2
 GIMPS_VERSION ?= 0.6.3
 GOIMPORTS_VERSION ?= c70783e636f2213cac683f6865d88c5edace3157
 GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION ?= 2.1.6
@@ -125,8 +125,22 @@ install-boilerplate:
 	@hack/uget.sh https://github.com/kubermatic-labs/boilerplate/releases/download/v{VERSION}/boilerplate_{VERSION}_{GOOS}_{GOARCH}.tar.gz boilerplate $(BOILERPLATE_VERSION)
 
 .PHONY: install-envtest
-install-envtest:
-	@GO_MODULE=true hack/uget.sh sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/tools/setup-envtest setup-envtest $(ENVTEST_VERSION)
+install-envtest: install-kube-apiserver install-etcd install-kubectl
+
+.PHONY: install-kube-apiserver
+install-kube-apiserver:
+	@UNCOMPRESSED=true hack/uget.sh https://dl.k8s.io/release/{VERSION}/bin/{GOOS}/{GOARCH}/kube-apiserver kube-apiserver $(ENVTEST_KUBE_VERSION) kube-apiserver
+
+.PHONY: install-etcd
+install-etcd:
+	@hack/uget.sh https://github.com/etcd-io/etcd/releases/download/v{VERSION}/etcd-v{VERSION}-{GOOS}-{GOARCH}.tar.gz etcd $(ENVTEST_ETCD_VERSION)
+
+.PHONY: envtest-env
+envtest-env: export UGET_PRINT_PATH=absolute
+envtest-env:
+	@echo "export TEST_ASSET_KUBE_APISERVER=$$(make --no-print-directory install-kube-apiserver)"
+	@echo "export TEST_ASSET_ETCD=$$(make --no-print-directory install-etcd)"
+	@echo "export TEST_ASSET_KUBECTL=$$(make --no-print-directory install-kubectl)"
 
 GIMPS = $(UGET_DIRECTORY)/gimps-$(GIMPS_VERSION)
 
@@ -189,7 +203,7 @@ install-reconciler-gen:
 
 .PHONY: update-tools
 update-tools: UGET_UPDATE=true
-update-tools: clean-tools install-boilerplate install-gimps install-golangci-lint install-kubectl install-yq
+update-tools: clean-tools install-boilerplate install-gimps install-golangci-lint install-kubectl install-yq install-kcp install-kube-apiserver install-etcd
 
 ############################################################################
 ### docs
diff --git a/hack/ci/run-e2e-tests.sh b/hack/ci/run-e2e-tests.sh
index 31d2dd5..55c8e74 100755
--- a/hack/ci/run-e2e-tests.sh
+++ b/hack/ci/run-e2e-tests.sh
@@ -32,9 +32,7 @@ make build
 
 # get kube envtest binaries
 echodate "Setting up Kube binaries…"
-ENVTEST="$(UGET_PRINT_PATH=relative make --no-print-directory install-envtest)"
-export KUBEBUILDER_ASSETS="$("$ENVTEST" use 1.31.0 --bin-dir _tools -p path)"
-KUBEBUILDER_ASSETS="$(realpath "$KUBEBUILDER_ASSETS")"
+source <(make --no-print-directory envtest-env)
 
 # start a shared kcp process
 KCP="$(UGET_PRINT_PATH=relative make --no-print-directory install-kcp)"
diff --git a/hack/run-e2e-tests.sh b/hack/run-e2e-tests.sh
index af1fd3d..ace4090 100755
--- a/hack/run-e2e-tests.sh
+++ b/hack/run-e2e-tests.sh
@@ -22,9 +22,7 @@ source hack/lib.sh
 
 # get kube envtest binaries
 echodate "Setting up Kube binaries…"
-ENVTEST="$(UGET_PRINT_PATH=relative make --no-print-directory install-envtest)"
-export KUBEBUILDER_ASSETS="$($ENVTEST use 1.31.0 --bin-dir $UGET_DIRECTORY -p path)"
-KUBEBUILDER_ASSETS="$(realpath "$KUBEBUILDER_ASSETS")"
+source <(make --no-print-directory envtest-env)
 
 export ARTIFACTS=.e2e
 
diff --git a/hack/tools.checksums b/hack/tools.checksums
index b42038b..488c432 100644
--- a/hack/tools.checksums
+++ b/hack/tools.checksums
@@ -1,9 +1,13 @@
 boilerplate|GOARCH=amd64;GOOS=linux|6f05fc3be207ae2ed99e125509a08df677cb007e197e16607c654a434b91d47f
 boilerplate|GOARCH=arm64;GOOS=linux|70253486ed7a803a35a9abb2bab4db2f1f7748d5266bf7a1c2ee298fda2b208a
+etcd|GOARCH=amd64;GOOS=linux|435d74510f3216bab1932fb6d7a6b5fe8245301143fcd25f7e65dfb7dcf8904a
+etcd|GOARCH=arm64;GOOS=linux|cc8c645e5a8df0f35f2a5c51d9b9383037eef0cf0167c52e648457b3971a7a09
 gimps|GOARCH=amd64;GOOS=linux|b597efc7e2c72097a44c001b41a06ccca97610963e1f1aec74c3d99c0e0b6c11
 gimps|GOARCH=arm64;GOOS=linux|2588daec997b4f4b3a8d8875f780fd6faf3c39c933519e7899e19a686476c8e4
 golangci-lint|GOARCH=amd64;GOOS=linux|7009324a8aad93c1f84dce1c3cf61181bdd6b68e5f1b8b5d6971662258255050
 golangci-lint|GOARCH=arm64;GOOS=linux|c51ff5b21be688b043baea44de7dd855cf07b855c14f0de405bfaf922b1d7634
+kube-apiserver|GOARCH=amd64;GOOS=linux|ca822082ec39e54a25836a4011ddb66e482e317a7a4f1a1f73882bbd2cf5a2a1
+kube-apiserver|GOARCH=arm64;GOOS=linux|6ade6c2646e2c01fde1095407452afc2b65e89d6da16da29ee39f6223ccaf63b
 kubectl|GOARCH=amd64;GOOS=linux|9591f3d75e1581f3f7392e6ad119aab2f28ae7d6c6e083dc5d22469667f27253
 kubectl|GOARCH=arm64;GOOS=linux|95df604e914941f3172a93fa8feeb1a1a50f4011dfbe0c01e01b660afc8f9b85
 yq|GOARCH=amd64;GOOS=linux|0c2b24e645b57d8e7c0566d18643a6d4f5580feeea3878127354a46f2a1e4598