diff --git a/scripts/install-yq.sh b/scripts/install-yq.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f2bd8e6044
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/install-yq.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2019 IBM
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+#
+
+# If we fail for any reason a message will be displayed
+die() {
+	msg="$*"
+	echo "ERROR: $msg" >&2
+	exit 1
+}
+
+# Install the yq yaml query package from the mikefarah github repo
+# Install via binary download, as we may not have golang installed at this point
+function install_yq() {
+	GOPATH=${GOPATH:-${HOME}/go}
+	local yq_path="${GOPATH}/bin/yq"
+	local yq_pkg="github.com/mikefarah/yq"
+	[ -x  "${GOPATH}/bin/yq" ] && return
+
+	read -r -a sysInfo <<< "$(uname -sm)"
+
+	case "${sysInfo[0]}" in
+	"Linux" | "Darwin")
+		goos="${sysInfo[0],}"
+		;;
+	"*")
+		die "OS ${sysInfo[0]} not supported"
+		;;
+	esac
+
+	case "${sysInfo[1]}" in
+	"aarch64")
+		goarch=arm64
+		;;
+	"ppc64le")
+		goarch=ppc64le
+		;;
+	"x86_64")
+		goarch=amd64
+		;;
+	"s390x")
+		goarch=s390x
+		;;
+	"*")
+		die "Arch ${sysInfo[1]} not supported"
+		;;
+	esac
+
+	mkdir -p "${GOPATH}/bin"
+
+	# Check curl
+	if ! command -v "curl" >/dev/null; then
+		die "Please install curl"
+	fi
+
+	local yq_version=2.3.0
+
+	local yq_url="https://${yq_pkg}/releases/download/${yq_version}/yq_${goos}_${goarch}"
+	curl -o "${yq_path}" -LSsf ${yq_url}
+	[ $? -ne 0 ] && die "Download ${yq_url} failed"
+	chmod +x ${yq_path}
+
+	if ! command -v "${yq_path}" >/dev/null; then
+		die "Cannot not get ${yq_path} executable"
+	fi
+}
+
+install_yq
+
diff --git a/scripts/lib.sh b/scripts/lib.sh
index 0691563d94..218eef5515 100644
--- a/scripts/lib.sh
+++ b/scripts/lib.sh
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ GO_RUNTIME_PKG=${GO_RUNTIME_PKG:-github.com/kata-containers/runtime}
 # Give preference to variable set by CI
 KATA_BRANCH=${branch:-}
 KATA_BRANCH=${KATA_BRANCH:-master}
+yq_file="${script_dir}/../scripts/install-yq.sh"
 
 error()
 {
@@ -273,7 +274,9 @@ detect_go_version()
 {
 	info "Detecting agent go version"
 	typeset -r yq=$(command -v yq || command -v ${GOPATH}/bin/yq)
-	[ -z "$yq" ] && die "'yq' application not found (needed to parsing minimum Go version required)"
+	if [ -z "$yq" ]; then
+		source "$yq_file"
+	fi
 
 	local runtimeRevision=""
 
@@ -286,7 +289,7 @@ detect_go_version()
 		typeset -r runtimeVersionsURL="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kata-containers/runtime/${runtimeRevision}/versions.yaml"
 		info "Getting golang version from ${runtimeVersionsURL}"
 		# This may fail if we are a kata bump.
-		if GO_VERSION="$(curl -fsSL "$runtimeVersionsURL" | $yq r - "languages.golang.version")"; then
+		if GO_VERSION="$(curl -fsSL "$runtimeVersionsURL" | tac | tac | $yq r - "languages.golang.version")"; then
 			[ "$GO_VERSION" != "null" ]
 			return 0
 		fi
@@ -298,7 +301,7 @@ detect_go_version()
 		info "There is not runtime repository in filesystem (${kata_runtime_pkg_dir})"
 		local runtime_versions_url="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kata-containers/runtime/${KATA_BRANCH}/versions.yaml"
 		info "Get versions file from ${runtime_versions_url}"
-		GO_VERSION="$(curl -fsSL "${runtime_versions_url}" | $yq r - "languages.golang.version")"
+		GO_VERSION="$(curl -fsSL "${runtime_versions_url}" | tac | tac | $yq r - "languages.golang.version")"
 		if [ "$?" == "0" ] && [ "$GO_VERSION" != "null" ]; then
 			return 0
 		fi