diff --git a/hack/test-cmd.sh b/hack/test-cmd.sh
index 6ac71549788..96e1d73d2ed 100755
--- a/hack/test-cmd.sh
+++ b/hack/test-cmd.sh
@@ -17,26 +17,7 @@
 # This command checks that the built commands can function together for
 # simple scenarios.  It does not require Docker so it can run in travis.
 
-function wait_for_url {
-  url=$1
-  prefix=${2:-}
-  wait=${3:-0.2}
-  times=${4:-10}
-
-  set +e
-  for i in $(seq 1 $times); do
-    out=$(curl -fs $url 2>/dev/null)
-    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
-      set -e
-      echo ${prefix}${out}
-      return 0
-    fi
-    sleep $wait
-  done
-  echo "ERROR: timed out for $url"
-  set -e
-  return 1
-}
+source $(dirname $0)/util.sh
 
 function cleanup()
 {
@@ -47,47 +28,31 @@ function cleanup()
     kill ${PROXY_PID} 1>&2 2>/dev/null
     kill ${ETCD_PID} 1>&2 2>/dev/null
     rm -rf ${ETCD_DIR} 1>&2 2>/dev/null
+    echo
     echo "Complete"
 }
 
 trap cleanup EXIT SIGINT
 
-ETCD_HOST=127.0.0.1
-ETCD_PORT=4001
+set -e
+
+# Start etcd
+start_etcd
+
+ETCD_HOST=${ETCD_HOST:-127.0.0.1}
+ETCD_PORT=${ETCD_PORT:-4001}
 API_PORT=${API_PORT:-8080}
 API_HOST=${API_HOST:-127.0.0.1}
 KUBELET_PORT=${KUBELET_PORT:-10250}
 GO_OUT=$(dirname $0)/../output/go/bin
 
-if [ "$(which etcd)" == "" ]; then
-  echo "etcd must be in your PATH"
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-running_etcd=$(ps -ef | grep etcd | grep -c name)
-if [ "$running_etcd" != "0" ]; then
-  echo "etcd appears to already be running on this machine, please kill and restart the test."
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-# Stop on any failures
-set -e
-
-# Start etcd
-ETCD_DIR=$(mktemp -d -t test-cmd.XXXXXX)
-etcd -name test -data-dir ${ETCD_DIR} -bind-addr $ETCD_HOST:$ETCD_PORT >/dev/null 2>/dev/null &
-ETCD_PID=$!
-
-wait_for_url "http://localhost:4001/version" "etcd: "
-
-
 # Check kubecfg
 out=$(${GO_OUT}/kubecfg -version)
 echo kubecfg: $out
 
 # Start kubelet
 ${GO_OUT}/kubelet \
-  --etcd_servers="http://127.0.0.1:${ETCD_PORT}" \
+  --etcd_servers="http://${ETCD_HOST}:${ETCD_PORT}" \
   --hostname_override="127.0.0.1" \
   --address="127.0.0.1" \
   --port="$KUBELET_PORT" 1>&2 &
@@ -99,7 +64,7 @@ wait_for_url "http://127.0.0.1:${KUBELET_PORT}/healthz" "kubelet: "
 ${GO_OUT}/apiserver \
   --address="127.0.0.1" \
   --port="${API_PORT}" \
-  --etcd_servers="http://127.0.0.1:${ETCD_PORT}" \
+  --etcd_servers="http://${ETCD_HOST}:${ETCD_PORT}" \
   --machines="127.0.0.1" \
   --minion_port=${KUBELET_PORT} 1>&2 &
 APISERVER_PID=$!
diff --git a/hack/test-integration.sh b/hack/test-integration.sh
index 906a1614149..86926bf008f 100755
--- a/hack/test-integration.sh
+++ b/hack/test-integration.sh
@@ -14,30 +14,36 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
-if [ "$(which etcd)" == "" ]; then
-	echo "etcd must be in your PATH"
-	exit 1
-fi
+source $(dirname $0)/util.sh
 
-running_etcd=$(ps -ef | grep etcd | grep -c name)
-if [ "$running_etcd" != "0" ]; then
-	echo "etcd appears to already be running on this machine, please kill and restart the test."
-	exit 1
-fi
+function cleanup()
+{
+    set +e
+    kill ${ETCD_PID} 1>&2 2>/dev/null
+    rm -rf ${ETCD_DIR} 1>&2 2>/dev/null
+    echo
+    echo "Complete"
+}
 
 # Stop right away if the build fails
 set -e
-
 $(dirname $0)/build-go.sh cmd/integration
 
-ETCD_DIR=$(mktemp -d -t kube-integration.XXXXXX)
-trap "rm -rf ${ETCD_DIR}" EXIT
+start_etcd
 
-(etcd -name test -data-dir ${ETCD_DIR} > /tmp/etcd.log) &
-ETCD_PID=$!
+trap cleanup EXIT SIGINT
 
-sleep 5
+echo
+echo Integration test cases ...
+echo
+$(dirname $0)/../hack/test-go.sh test/integration -tags 'integration no-docker'
+# leave etcd running if integration tests fail
+trap "echo etcd still running" EXIT
 
+echo
+echo Integration scenario ...
+echo
 $(dirname $0)/../output/go/bin/integration
 
-kill $ETCD_PID
+# nuke etcd
+trap cleanup EXIT SIGINT
diff --git a/hack/util.sh b/hack/util.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..84abb8f5307
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/util.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Copyright 2014 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+# Provides simple utility functions
+
+function wait_for_url {
+  url=$1
+  prefix=${2:-}
+  wait=${3:-0.2}
+  times=${4:-10}
+
+  set +e
+  for i in $(seq 1 $times); do
+    out=$(curl -fs $url 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+      set -e
+      echo ${prefix}${out}
+      return 0
+    fi
+    sleep $wait
+  done
+  echo "ERROR: timed out for $url"
+  set -e
+  return 1
+}
+
+function start_etcd {
+  host=${ETCD_HOST:-127.0.0.1}
+  port=${ETCD_PORT:-4001}
+
+  set +e
+
+  if [ "$(which etcd)" == "" ]; then
+    echo "etcd must be in your PATH"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  running_etcd=$(ps -ef | grep etcd | grep -c name)
+  if [ "$running_etcd" != "0" ]; then
+    echo "etcd appears to already be running on this machine, please kill and restart the test."
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  # Stop on any failures
+  set -e
+
+  # Start etcd
+  export ETCD_DIR=$(mktemp -d -t test-etcd.XXXXXX)
+  etcd -name test -data-dir ${ETCD_DIR} -bind-addr ${host}:${port} >/dev/null 2>/dev/null &
+  export ETCD_PID=$!
+
+  wait_for_url "http://localhost:4001/v2/keys/" "etcd: "
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/integration/doc.go b/test/integration/doc.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..029b5ae8637
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/doc.go
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2014 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+// Package integration provides integration tests for Kubernetes.  Use the integration
+// build tag during `go test` to start the tests.  Some tests require a running etcd
+// or Docker installation on the system which you can skip with no-docker and no-etcd.
+package integration
diff --git a/test/integration/etcd_tools_test.go b/test/integration/etcd_tools_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0a4c1e497e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/etcd_tools_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+// +build integration,!no-etcd
+
+/*
+Copyright 2014 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package integration
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/api"
+	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/tools"
+	"github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/pkg/watch"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	requireEtcd()
+}
+
+type stringCodec struct{}
+
+func (c stringCodec) Encode(obj interface{}) ([]byte, error) {
+	return []byte(obj.(string)), nil
+}
+
+func (c stringCodec) Decode(data []byte) (interface{}, error) {
+	return string(data), nil
+}
+
+func (c stringCodec) DecodeInto(data []byte, obj interface{}) error {
+	o := obj.(*string)
+	*o = string(data)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func TestSetObj(t *testing.T) {
+	client := newEtcdClient()
+	helper := tools.EtcdHelper{Client: client, Codec: stringCodec{}}
+	withEtcdKey(func(key string) {
+		if err := helper.SetObj(key, "object"); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		resp, err := client.Get(key, false, false)
+		if err != nil || resp.Node == nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v %v", err, resp)
+		}
+		if resp.Node.Value != "object" {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected response: %#v", resp.Node)
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+func TestExtractObj(t *testing.T) {
+	client := newEtcdClient()
+	helper := tools.EtcdHelper{Client: client, Codec: stringCodec{}}
+	withEtcdKey(func(key string) {
+		_, err := client.Set(key, "object", 0)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		s := ""
+		if err := helper.ExtractObj(key, &s, false); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		if s != "object" {
+			t.Errorf("unexpected response: %#v", s)
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+func TestWatch(t *testing.T) {
+	client := newEtcdClient()
+	helper := tools.EtcdHelper{Client: client, Codec: api.Codec, ResourceVersioner: api.ResourceVersioner}
+	withEtcdKey(func(key string) {
+		resp, err := client.Set(key, api.EncodeOrDie(api.Pod{JSONBase: api.JSONBase{ID: "foo"}}), 0)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		expectedVersion := resp.Node.ModifiedIndex
+
+		// watch should load the object at the current index
+		w, err := helper.Watch(key, 0)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		event := <-w.ResultChan()
+		if event.Type != watch.Added || event.Object == nil {
+			t.Fatalf("expected first value to be set to ADDED, got %#v", event)
+		}
+
+		// version should match what we set
+		pod := event.Object.(*api.Pod)
+		if pod.ResourceVersion != expectedVersion {
+			t.Errorf("expected version %d, got %#v", expectedVersion, pod)
+		}
+
+		// should be no events in the stream
+		select {
+		case event, ok := <-w.ResultChan():
+			if !ok {
+				t.Fatalf("channel closed unexpectedly")
+			}
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected object in channel: %#v", event)
+		default:
+		}
+
+		// should return the previously deleted item in the watch, but with the latest index
+		resp, err = client.Delete(key, false)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		expectedVersion = resp.Node.ModifiedIndex
+		event = <-w.ResultChan()
+		if event.Type != watch.Deleted {
+			t.Fatalf("expected deleted event", event)
+		}
+		pod = event.Object.(*api.Pod)
+		if pod.ResourceVersion != expectedVersion {
+			t.Errorf("expected version %d, got %#v", expectedVersion, pod)
+		}
+	})
+}
diff --git a/test/integration/utils.go b/test/integration/utils.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8bfceeebcd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/integration/utils.go
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2014 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+// +build integration
+
+package integration
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"math/rand"
+
+	"github.com/coreos/go-etcd/etcd"
+	"github.com/golang/glog"
+)
+
+func newEtcdClient() *etcd.Client {
+	return etcd.NewClient([]string{})
+}
+
+func requireEtcd() {
+	if _, err := newEtcdClient().Get("/", false, false); err != nil {
+		glog.Fatalf("unable to connect to etcd for integration testing: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func withEtcdKey(f func(string)) {
+	prefix := fmt.Sprintf("/test-%d", rand.Int63())
+	defer newEtcdClient().Delete(prefix, true)
+	f(prefix)
+}