diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration.yaml b/.github/workflows/integration.yaml
index 6a08c19f..d471a821 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration.yaml
@@ -12,30 +12,11 @@ env:
   REGISTRY: ghcr.io
 
 jobs:
-  test:
-    name: Run tests
-    runs-on: self-hosted
-
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        flavors:
-          - name: cumulus
-          - name: sonic
-          - name: gardener
+  build-mini-lab-vms-image:
+    name: Build mini-lab-vms image
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
 
     steps:
-    - name: Gain back workspace permissions # https://github.com/actions/checkout/issues/211
-      run: |
-        [ -d "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" ] && sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}
-
-    - name: Setup Containerlab
-      run: |
-        bash -c "$(curl -sL https://get.containerlab.dev)"
-      env:
-        GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-        # set if required:
-        # DESIRED_VERSION: v0.59.0
-
     - name: Log in to the container registry
       uses: docker/login-action@v3
       with:
@@ -63,6 +44,28 @@ jobs:
         cache-from: type=registry,ref=${{ env.MINI_LAB_VM_IMAGE }}
         cache-to: type=inline
 
+  build-mini-lab-sonic-image:
+    name: Build mini-lab-sonic image
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+    - name: Log in to the container registry
+      uses: docker/login-action@v3
+      with:
+        registry: ${{ env.REGISTRY }}
+        username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_REGISTRY_USER }}
+        password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_REGISTRY_TOKEN }}
+
+    - name: Checkout
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Make tag
+      run: |
+        IMAGE_TAG=$([ "${GITHUB_EVENT_NAME}" == 'pull_request' ] && echo ${GITHUB_HEAD_REF##*/} || echo "latest")
+
+        echo "MINI_LAB_VM_IMAGE=ghcr.io/metal-stack/mini-lab-vms:${IMAGE_TAG}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        echo "MINI_LAB_SONIC_IMAGE=ghcr.io/metal-stack/mini-lab-sonic:${IMAGE_TAG}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
     - name: Build and push mini-lab-sonic container
       uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
       with:
@@ -71,7 +74,43 @@ jobs:
         tags: ${{ env.MINI_LAB_SONIC_IMAGE }}
         cache-from: type=registry,ref=${{ env.MINI_LAB_SONIC_IMAGE }}
         cache-to: type=inline
-      if: ${{ matrix.flavors.name == 'sonic' }}
+
+  test:
+    name: Run tests
+    runs-on: self-hosted
+    needs:
+      - build-mini-lab-vms-image
+      - build-mini-lab-sonic-image
+
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        flavors:
+          - name: cumulus
+          - name: sonic
+          - name: gardener
+
+    steps:
+    - name: Gain back workspace permissions # https://github.com/actions/checkout/issues/211
+      run: |
+        [ -d "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" ] && sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}
+
+    - name: Setup Containerlab
+      run: |
+        bash -c "$(curl -sL https://get.containerlab.dev)"
+      env:
+        GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        # set if required:
+        # DESIRED_VERSION: v0.59.0
+
+    - name: Checkout
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Make tag
+      run: |
+        IMAGE_TAG=$([ "${GITHUB_EVENT_NAME}" == 'pull_request' ] && echo ${GITHUB_HEAD_REF##*/} || echo "latest")
+
+        echo "MINI_LAB_VM_IMAGE=ghcr.io/metal-stack/mini-lab-vms:${IMAGE_TAG}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        echo "MINI_LAB_SONIC_IMAGE=ghcr.io/metal-stack/mini-lab-sonic:${IMAGE_TAG}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
     - name: Run integration tests
       shell: bash
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 2cab5c61..bf04a2a9 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 .env
 .idea
+.vscode
 .kubeconfig
 **/*.pyc
 clab-mini-lab
diff --git a/inventories/group_vars/all/images.yaml b/inventories/group_vars/all/images.yaml
index 9dced9b8..6c983d79 100644
--- a/inventories/group_vars/all/images.yaml
+++ b/inventories/group_vars/all/images.yaml
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ setup_yaml:
   - url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/metal-stack/releases/{{ metal_stack_release_version }}/release.yaml
     meta_var: metal_stack_release
 
+# TODO: remove these overrides again.
+# see: https://github.com/metal-stack/metal-api/pull/612
+metal_api_image_tag: v0.40.4
+
 ##
 ## for development purposes, you can override releases from our image vector here
 ##