diff --git a/.golangci-kal.yml b/.golangci-kal.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6e68e5ba6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.golangci-kal.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+version: "2"
+run:
+  go: "1.24"
+  allow-parallel-runners: true
+linters:
+  default: none
+  enable:
+    - kubeapilinter # linter for Kube API conventions
+  settings:
+    custom:
+      kubeapilinter:
+        type: module
+        description: KAL is the Kube-API-Linter and lints Kube like APIs based on API conventions and best practices.
+        settings:
+          linters:
+            enable:
+              - "commentstart" # Ensure comments start with the serialized version of the field name.
+              - "conditions" # Ensure conditions have the correct json tags and markers.
+              - "duplicatemarkers" # Ensure there are no exact duplicate markers. for types and fields.
+              - "integers" # Ensure only int32 and int64 are used for integers.
+              - "jsontags" # Ensure every field has a json tag.
+              - "maxlength" # Ensure all strings and arrays have maximum lengths/maximum items.
+              - "nobools" # Bools do not evolve over time, should use enums instead.
+              - "nofloats" # Ensure floats are not used.
+              - "nomaps" # Ensure maps are not used.
+              - "optionalfields" # Ensure that all fields marked as optional adhere to being pointers and
+                                 # having the `omitempty` value in their `json` tag where appropriate.
+              - "optionalorrequired" # Every field should be marked as `+optional` or `+required`.
+              - "requiredfields" # Required fields should not be pointers, and should not have `omitempty`.
+              - "ssatags" # Ensure array fields have the appropriate listType markers
+              - "statusoptional" # Ensure all first children within status should be optional.
+              - "statussubresource" # All root objects that have a `status` field should have a status subresource.
+              - "notimestamp" # Prevents usage of 'Timestamp' fields
+              - "uniquemarkers" # Ensure that types and fields do not contain more than a single definition of a marker that should only be present once.
+
+            # Per discussion in July 2024, we are keeping phase fields for now.
+            # See https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api/pull/10897#discussion_r1685929508
+            # and https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/cluster-api/pull/10897#discussion_r1685919394.
+            # - "nophase" # Phase fields are discouraged by the Kube API conventions, use conditions instead.
+
+            # Linters below this line are disabled, pending conversation on how and when to enable them.
+            disable:
+            - "*" # We will manually enable new linters after understanding the impact. Disable all by default.
+          lintersConfig:
+            conditions:
+              isFirstField: Warn # Require conditions to be the first field in the status struct.
+              usePatchStrategy: Forbid # Forbid patchStrategy markers on the Conditions field.
+              useProtobuf: Forbid # We don't use protobuf, so protobuf tags are not required.
+            optionalfields:
+              pointers:
+                preference: WhenRequired # Always | WhenRequired # Whether to always require pointers, or only when required. Defaults to `Always`.
+                policy: SuggestFix # SuggestFix | Warn # The policy for pointers in optional fields. Defaults to `SuggestFix`.
+              omitempty:
+                policy: SuggestFix # SuggestFix | Warn | Ignore # The policy for omitempty in optional fields. Defaults to `SuggestFix`.
+          # jsontags:
+          #   jsonTagRegex: "^[a-z][a-z0-9]*(?:[A-Z][a-z0-9]*)*$" # The default regex is appropriate for our use case.
+          # optionalorrequired:
+          #   preferredOptionalMarker: optional | kubebuilder:validation:Optional # The preferred optional marker to use, fixes will suggest to use this marker. Defaults to `optional`.
+          #   preferredRequiredMarker: required | kubebuilder:validation:Required # The preferred required marker to use, fixes will suggest to use this marker. Defaults to `required`.
+          # requiredfields:
+          #   pointerPolicy: Warn | SuggestFix # Defaults to `SuggestFix`. We want our required fields to not be pointers.
+#          ssatags:
+#            listTypeSetUsage: Warn | Ignore # The policy for listType=set usage on object arrays. Defaults to `Warn`.
+
+  exclusions:
+    generated: strict
+    paths:
+      - zz_generated.*\.go$
+      - vendored_openapi\.go$
+      # We don't want to invest time to fix new linter findings in old API types.
+      - ".*_test.go"  # Exclude test files.
+    rules:
+    ## KAL should only run on API folders.
+    - path-except: "apis/vmware/v1beta1//*"
+      linters:
+        - kubeapilinter
+
+    ## Excludes for current apiVersions that can be removed once v1beta1 is removed.
+    # .status.deprecated.v1beta1.conditions fields are using v1beta1.Condition types.
+    - path: "apis/vmware/v1beta1"
+      text: "Conditions field must be a slice of metav1.Condition"
+      linters:
+        - kubeapilinter
+    - path: "apis/vmware/v1beta1"
+      text: "ssatags: Conditions should have a listType marker for proper Server-Side Apply behavior"
+      linters:
+        - kubeapilinter
+
+    ## Removal of bool fields of existing types requires further discussion
+    - path: "apis/vmware/v1beta1"
+      text: "nobools"
+      linters:
+        - kubeapilinter
+
+issues:
+  max-same-issues: 0
+  max-issues-per-linter: 0
+  new-from-merge-base: main
+  #new-from-rev: 2b8b70e3
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 149a3d8460..acdf0b93ca 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -170,6 +170,10 @@ GOLANGCI_LINT_VER := $(shell cat .github/workflows/pr-golangci-lint.yaml | grep
 GOLANGCI_LINT := $(abspath $(TOOLS_BIN_DIR)/$(GOLANGCI_LINT_BIN)-$(GOLANGCI_LINT_VER))
 GOLANGCI_LINT_PKG := github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/golangci-lint
 
+GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL_BIN := golangci-lint-kube-api-linter
+GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL_VER := $(shell cat ./hack/tools/.custom-gcl.yaml | grep version: | sed 's/version: //')
+GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL := $(abspath $(TOOLS_BIN_DIR)/$(GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL_BIN))
+
 GOVULNCHECK_BIN := govulncheck
 GOVULNCHECK_VER := v1.1.4
 GOVULNCHECK := $(abspath $(TOOLS_BIN_DIR)/$(GOVULNCHECK_BIN)-$(GOVULNCHECK_VER))
@@ -475,6 +479,14 @@ lint: $(GOLANGCI_LINT) ## Lint the codebase
 lint-fix: $(GOLANGCI_LINT) ## Lint the codebase and run auto-fixers if supported by the linter
 	GOLANGCI_LINT_EXTRA_ARGS=--fix $(MAKE) lint
 
+.PHONY: lint-api
+lint-api: $(GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL)
+	$(GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL) run -v --config $(ROOT_DIR)/.golangci-kal.yml $(GOLANGCI_LINT_EXTRA_ARGS)
+
+.PHONY: lint-api-fix
+lint-api-fix: $(GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL)
+	GOLANGCI_LINT_EXTRA_ARGS=--fix $(MAKE) lint-api
+
 APIDIFF_OLD_COMMIT ?= $(shell git rev-parse origin/main)
 
 .PHONY: apidiff
@@ -1059,6 +1071,9 @@ $(GINKGO_BIN): $(GINKGO) ## Build a local copy of ginkgo.
 .PHONY: $(GOLANGCI_LINT_BIN)
 $(GOLANGCI_LINT_BIN): $(GOLANGCI_LINT) ## Build a local copy of golangci-lint.
 
+$(GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL): $(GOLANGCI_LINT) # Build golangci-lint-kal from custom configuration.
+	cd $(TOOLS_DIR); $(GOLANGCI_LINT) custom
+
 .PHONY: $(GOVULNCHECK_BIN)
 $(GOVULNCHECK_BIN): $(GOVULNCHECK) ## Build a local copy of govulncheck.
 
diff --git a/hack/tools/.custom-gcl.yaml b/hack/tools/.custom-gcl.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..11b2097506
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/tools/.custom-gcl.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+version: v2.1.0
+name: golangci-lint-kube-api-linter
+destination: ./bin
+plugins:
+  - module: 'sigs.k8s.io/kube-api-linter'
+    path: ../../../kube-api-linter
+    # using JoelSpeed/required-fields-v2 branch for now