diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 5e394259f..c438c0b1f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ on:
         description: "Force rebuild"
         required: false
         default: false
+      run_tests:
+        type: boolean
+        description: "Run unit & e2e tests"
+        required: false
+        default: true
 
 defaults:
   run:
@@ -35,7 +40,7 @@ jobs:
       id-token: write
     outputs:
       docs_only: ${{ github.event.pull_request && steps.docs.outputs.docs_only == 'true' }}
-      k8s_latest: "1.32.0"
+      k8s_latest: ${{ steps.vars.outputs.k8s_latest }}
       go_path: ${{ steps.vars.outputs.go_path }}
       go_code_md5: ${{ steps.vars.outputs.go_code_md5 }}
       binary_cache_hit: ${{ steps.binary-cache.outputs.cache-hit }}
@@ -215,25 +220,25 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-go@d35c59abb061a4a6fb18e82ac0862c26744d6ab5 # v5.5.0
         with:
           go-version-file: go.mod
-        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
+        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' && (inputs.run_tests && inputs.run_tests || true) }}
 
       - name: Run Tests
         run: make cover
-        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
+        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' && (inputs.run_tests && inputs.run_tests || true) }}
 
       - name: Upload coverage to Codecov
         uses: codecov/codecov-action@18283e04ce6e62d37312384ff67231eb8fd56d24 # v5.4.3
         with:
           files: ./coverage.txt
           token: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }} # required
-        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
+        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' && (inputs.run_tests && inputs.run_tests || true) }}
 
       - name: Run static check
         uses: dominikh/staticcheck-action@024238d2898c874f26d723e7d0ff4308c35589a2 # v1.4.0
         with:
           version: "v0.6.0"
           install-go: false
-        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
+        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' && (inputs.run_tests && inputs.run_tests || true) }}
 
   binaries:
     name: Build Binaries
@@ -253,7 +258,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-go@d35c59abb061a4a6fb18e82ac0862c26744d6ab5 # v5.5.0
         with:
           go-version-file: go.mod
-        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
+        if: ${{ (inputs.force && inputs.force || false) || needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
 
       - name: Build binaries
         uses: goreleaser/goreleaser-action@9c156ee8a17a598857849441385a2041ef570552 # v6.3.0
@@ -272,14 +277,14 @@ jobs:
           AWS_NAP_WAF_DOS_PRODUCT_CODE: ${{ secrets.AWS_NAP_WAF_DOS_PRODUCT_CODE }}
           AWS_NAP_WAF_DOS_PUB_KEY: ${{ secrets.AWS_NAP_WAF_DOS_PUB_KEY }}
           GORELEASER_CURRENT_TAG: "v${{ needs.checks.outputs.ic_version }}"
-        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
+        if: ${{ (inputs.force && inputs.force || false) || needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
 
       - name: Store Artifacts in Cache
         uses: actions/cache@5a3ec84eff668545956fd18022155c47e93e2684 # v4.2.3
         with:
           path: ${{ github.workspace }}/dist
           key: nginx-ingress-${{ needs.checks.outputs.go_code_md5 }}
-        if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
+        if: ${{ (inputs.force && inputs.force || false) || needs.checks.outputs.binary_cache_hit != 'true' }}
 
   build-docker:
     name: Build Docker OSS
@@ -373,7 +378,7 @@ jobs:
     if: ${{ inputs.force || (needs.checks.outputs.forked_workflow == 'true' && needs.checks.outputs.docs_only == 'false') || (needs.checks.outputs.forked_workflow == 'false' && needs.checks.outputs.stable_image_exists != 'true' && needs.checks.outputs.docs_only == 'false') }}
 
   helm-tests:
-    if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' }}
+    if: ${{ needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' && (inputs.run_tests && inputs.run_tests || true) }}
     name: Helm Tests ${{ matrix.base-os }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     needs: [checks, binaries, build-docker, build-docker-plus]
@@ -512,7 +517,7 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ steps.stable_exists.outputs.exists != 'true' && needs.checks.outputs.docs_only == 'false' }}
 
   setup-matrix:
-    if: ${{ inputs.force || needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' }}
+    if: ${{ inputs.force || (inputs.run_tests && inputs.run_tests || true) || needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' }}
     name: Setup Matrix for Smoke Tests
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     needs: [binaries, checks]
@@ -574,7 +579,7 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ steps.check-image.outcome == 'failure' && needs.checks.outputs.docs_only == 'false' }}
 
   smoke-tests-oss:
-    if: ${{ inputs.force || needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' }}
+    if: ${{ inputs.force || (inputs.run_tests && inputs.run_tests || true) || needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' }}
     name: ${{ matrix.images.label }} ${{ matrix.images.image }} ${{ matrix.k8s }} smoke tests
     needs:
       - checks
@@ -601,7 +606,7 @@ jobs:
       k8s-version: ${{ matrix.k8s }}
 
   smoke-tests-plus:
-    if: ${{ inputs.force || needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' }}
+    if: ${{ inputs.force || (inputs.run_tests && inputs.run_tests || true) || needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' }}
     name: ${{ matrix.images.label }} ${{ matrix.images.image }} ${{ matrix.k8s }} smoke tests
     needs:
       - checks
@@ -628,7 +633,7 @@ jobs:
       k8s-version: ${{ matrix.k8s }}
 
   smoke-tests-nap:
-    if: ${{ inputs.force || needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' }}
+    if: ${{ inputs.force || (inputs.run_tests && inputs.run_tests || true) || needs.checks.outputs.docs_only != 'true' }}
     name: ${{ matrix.images.label }} ${{ matrix.images.image }} ${{ matrix.k8s }} smoke tests
     needs:
       - checks