Repository: kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension

Issue:
Update priority in flow control to make it in sync with priority in API spec

Parent issue: #674 

The priority in API spec is an [int](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/blob/fb77ef28d7d66ecaedfac033c0dcc746fe62b6d7/apix/v1alpha2/inferenceobjective_types.go#L80) whereas in the EPP flow control is an [unsigned int](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/blob/8446c07bf2515206f61da2b467e2e3e652dcf876/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/types/flow.go#L44)

This issue is to track the work to make the type in flow control also an int. 

cc @LukeAVanDrie 

Discussion:
@rahulgurnani: /assign

Solution patch:
diff --git a/OWNERS_ALIASES b/OWNERS_ALIASES
index 6273d0e..4ccd573 100644
--- a/OWNERS_ALIASES
+++ b/OWNERS_ALIASES
@@ -9,6 +9,6 @@ aliases:
   - kfswain
 
   gateway-api-inference-extension-reviewers:
+  - elevran
   - liu-cong
   - robscott
-  - shaneutt
diff --git a/client-go/applyconfiguration/api/v1/inferencepool.go b/client-go/applyconfiguration/api/v1/inferencepool.go
index eaea68c..d62f1c3 100644
--- a/client-go/applyconfiguration/api/v1/inferencepool.go
+++ b/client-go/applyconfiguration/api/v1/inferencepool.go
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ func InferencePool(name, namespace string) *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration {
 	b.WithAPIVersion("inference.networking.k8s.io/v1")
 	return b
 }
+func (b InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) IsApplyConfiguration() {}
 
 // WithKind sets the Kind field in the declarative configuration to the given value
 // and returns the receiver, so that objects can be built by chaining "With" function invocations.
@@ -218,8 +219,24 @@ func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) WithStatus(value *InferencePoolStatusA
 	return b
 }
 
+// GetKind retrieves the value of the Kind field in the declarative configuration.
+func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) GetKind() *string {
+	return b.TypeMetaApplyConfiguration.Kind
+}
+
+// GetAPIVersion retrieves the value of the APIVersion field in the declarative configuration.
+func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) GetAPIVersion() *string {
+	return b.TypeMetaApplyConfiguration.APIVersion
+}
+
 // GetName retrieves the value of the Name field in the declarative configuration.
 func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) GetName() *string {
 	b.ensureObjectMetaApplyConfigurationExists()
 	return b.ObjectMetaApplyConfiguration.Name
 }
+
+// GetNamespace retrieves the value of the Namespace field in the declarative configuration.
+func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) GetNamespace() *string {
+	b.ensureObjectMetaApplyConfigurationExists()
+	return b.ObjectMetaApplyConfiguration.Namespace
+}
diff --git a/client-go/applyconfiguration/apix/v1alpha2/inferenceobjective.go b/client-go/applyconfiguration/apix/v1alpha2/inferenceobjective.go
index bc244db..e23a5d6 100644
--- a/client-go/applyconfiguration/apix/v1alpha2/inferenceobjective.go
+++ b/client-go/applyconfiguration/apix/v1alpha2/inferenceobjective.go
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ func InferenceObjective(name, namespace string) *InferenceObjectiveApplyConfigur
 	b.WithAPIVersion("inference.networking.x-k8s.io/v1alpha2")
 	return b
 }
+func (b InferenceObjectiveApplyConfiguration) IsApplyConfiguration() {}
 
 // WithKind sets the Kind field in the declarative configuration to the given value
 // and returns the receiver, so that objects can be built by chaining "With" function invocations.
@@ -218,8 +219,24 @@ func (b *InferenceObjectiveApplyConfiguration) WithStatus(value *InferenceObject
 	return b
 }
 
+// GetKind retrieves the value of the Kind field in the declarative configuration.
+func (b *InferenceObjectiveApplyConfiguration) GetKind() *string {
+	return b.TypeMetaApplyConfiguration.Kind
+}
+
+// GetAPIVersion retrieves the value of the APIVersion field in the declarative configuration.
+func (b *InferenceObjectiveApplyConfiguration) GetAPIVersion() *string {
+	return b.TypeMetaApplyConfiguration.APIVersion
+}
+
 // GetName retrieves the value of the Name field in the declarative configuration.
 func (b *InferenceObjectiveApplyConfiguration) GetName() *string {
 	b.ensureObjectMetaApplyConfigurationExists()
 	return b.ObjectMetaApplyConfiguration.Name
 }
+
+// GetNamespace retrieves the value of the Namespace field in the declarative configuration.
+func (b *InferenceObjectiveApplyConfiguration) GetNamespace() *string {
+	b.ensureObjectMetaApplyConfigurationExists()
+	return b.ObjectMetaApplyConfiguration.Namespace
+}
diff --git a/client-go/applyconfiguration/apix/v1alpha2/inferencepool.go b/client-go/applyconfiguration/apix/v1alpha2/inferencepool.go
index 8cbd4e5..3b1c622 100644
--- a/client-go/applyconfiguration/apix/v1alpha2/inferencepool.go
+++ b/client-go/applyconfiguration/apix/v1alpha2/inferencepool.go
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ func InferencePool(name, namespace string) *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration {
 	b.WithAPIVersion("inference.networking.x-k8s.io/v1alpha2")
 	return b
 }
+func (b InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) IsApplyConfiguration() {}
 
 // WithKind sets the Kind field in the declarative configuration to the given value
 // and returns the receiver, so that objects can be built by chaining "With" function invocations.
@@ -218,8 +219,24 @@ func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) WithStatus(value *InferencePoolStatusA
 	return b
 }
 
+// GetKind retrieves the value of the Kind field in the declarative configuration.
+func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) GetKind() *string {
+	return b.TypeMetaApplyConfiguration.Kind
+}
+
+// GetAPIVersion retrieves the value of the APIVersion field in the declarative configuration.
+func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) GetAPIVersion() *string {
+	return b.TypeMetaApplyConfiguration.APIVersion
+}
+
 // GetName retrieves the value of the Name field in the declarative configuration.
 func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) GetName() *string {
 	b.ensureObjectMetaApplyConfigurationExists()
 	return b.ObjectMetaApplyConfiguration.Name
 }
+
+// GetNamespace retrieves the value of the Namespace field in the declarative configuration.
+func (b *InferencePoolApplyConfiguration) GetNamespace() *string {
+	b.ensureObjectMetaApplyConfigurationExists()
+	return b.ObjectMetaApplyConfiguration.Namespace
+}
diff --git a/client-go/applyconfiguration/internal/internal.go b/client-go/applyconfiguration/internal/internal.go
index 1064e22..c482faa 100644
--- a/client-go/applyconfiguration/internal/internal.go
+++ b/client-go/applyconfiguration/internal/internal.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ import (
 	fmt "fmt"
 	sync "sync"
 
-	typed "sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v4/typed"
+	typed "sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v6/typed"
 )
 
 func Parser() *typed.Parser {
diff --git a/client-go/applyconfiguration/utils.go b/client-go/applyconfiguration/utils.go
index 0662699..8e11c00 100644
--- a/client-go/applyconfiguration/utils.go
+++ b/client-go/applyconfiguration/utils.go
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ package applyconfiguration
 import (
 	runtime "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 	schema "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime/schema"
-	testing "k8s.io/client-go/testing"
+	managedfields "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/managedfields"
 	v1 "sigs.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/api/v1"
 	v1alpha2 "sigs.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/apix/v1alpha2"
 	apiv1 "sigs.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/client-go/applyconfiguration/api/v1"
@@ -77,6 +77,6 @@ func ForKind(kind schema.GroupVersionKind) interface{} {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func NewTypeConverter(scheme *runtime.Scheme) *testing.TypeConverter {
-	return &testing.TypeConverter{Scheme: scheme, TypeResolver: internal.Parser()}
+func NewTypeConverter(scheme *runtime.Scheme) managedfields.TypeConverter {
+	return managedfields.NewSchemeTypeConverter(scheme, internal.Parser())
 }
diff --git a/client-go/clientset/versioned/fake/clientset_generated.go b/client-go/clientset/versioned/fake/clientset_generated.go
index 5a40059..a0709d7 100644
--- a/client-go/clientset/versioned/fake/clientset_generated.go
+++ b/client-go/clientset/versioned/fake/clientset_generated.go
@@ -107,8 +107,8 @@ func NewClientset(objects ...runtime.Object) *Clientset {
 	cs.AddReactor("*", "*", testing.ObjectReaction(o))
 	cs.AddWatchReactor("*", func(action testing.Action) (handled bool, ret watch.Interface, err error) {
 		var opts metav1.ListOptions
-		if watchActcion, ok := action.(testing.WatchActionImpl); ok {
-			opts = watchActcion.ListOptions
+		if watchAction, ok := action.(testing.WatchActionImpl); ok {
+			opts = watchAction.ListOptions
 		}
 		gvr := action.GetResource()
 		ns := action.GetNamespace()
diff --git a/config/charts/inferencepool/README.md b/config/charts/inferencepool/README.md
index 38204c0..c7374bc 100644
--- a/config/charts/inferencepool/README.md
+++ b/config/charts/inferencepool/README.md
@@ -45,6 +45,26 @@ Then apply it with:
 $ helm install vllm-llama3-8b-instruct ./config/charts/inferencepool -f values.yaml
 ```
 
+### Install with Custom EPP Plugins Configuration
+
+To set custom EPP plugin config, you can pass it as an inline yaml. For example:
+
+```yaml
+  inferenceExtension:
+    pluginsCustomConfig:
+      custom-plugins.yaml: |
+        apiVersion: inference.networking.x-k8s.io/v1alpha1
+        kind: EndpointPickerConfig
+        plugins:
+        - type: custom-scorer
+          parameters:
+            custom-threshold: 64
+        schedulingProfiles:
+        - name: default
+          plugins:
+          - pluginRef: custom-scorer
+```
+
 ### Install with Additional Ports
 
 To expose additional ports (e.g., for ZMQ), you can define them in the `values.yaml` file:
@@ -111,6 +131,7 @@ The following table list the configurable parameters of the chart.
 
 | **Parameter Name**                          | **Description**                                                                                                        |
 |---------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| `inferencePool.apiVersion`                  | The API version of the InferencePool resource. Defaults to `inference.networking.k8s.io/v1`. This can be changed to `inference.networking.x-k8s.io/v1alpha2` to support older API versions. |
 | `inferencePool.targetPortNumber`            | Target port number for the vllm backends, will be used to scrape metrics by the inference extension. Defaults to 8000. |
 | `inferencePool.modelServerType`            | Type of the model servers in the pool, valid options are [vllm, triton-tensorrt-llm], default is vllm. |
 | `inferencePool.modelServers.matchLabels`    | Label selector to match vllm backends managed by the inference pool.                                                   |
@@ -126,6 +147,7 @@ The following table list the configurable parameters of the chart.
 | `inferenceExtension.affinity`               | Affinity for the endpoint picker. Defaults to `{}`.                                                                    |
 | `inferenceExtension.tolerations`            | Tolerations for the endpoint picker. Defaults to `[]`.                                                                 |
 | `inferenceExtension.flags.has-enable-leader-election` | Enable leader election for high availability. When enabled, only one EPP pod (the leader) will be ready to serve traffic.       |
+| `inferenceExtension.pluginsCustomConfig`    | Custom config that is passed to EPP as inline yaml.      |
 | `provider.name`                             | Name of the Inference Gateway implementation being used. Possible values: `gke`. Defaults to `none`.                   |
 
 ## Notes
diff --git a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/_helpers.tpl b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/_helpers.tpl
index e011bb7..fdc9b1a 100644
--- a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/_helpers.tpl
+++ b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/_helpers.tpl
@@ -16,6 +16,15 @@ Inference extension name
 {{ $base }}-epp
 {{- end -}}
 
+{{/*
+Cluster RBAC unique name
+*/}}
+{{- define "gateway-api-inference-extension.cluster-rbac-name" -}}
+{{- $base := .Release.Name | default "default-pool" | lower | trim | trunc 40 }}
+{{- $ns := .Release.Namespace | default "default" | lower | trim | trunc 40 }}
+{{- printf "%s-%s-epp" $base $ns | quote | trunc 84 }}
+{{- end -}}
+
 {{/*
 Selector labels
 */}}
diff --git a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/epp-deployment.yaml b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/epp-deployment.yaml
index f01699a..dce1ed4 100644
--- a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/epp-deployment.yaml
+++ b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/epp-deployment.yaml
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@ spec:
         - {{ .Release.Name }}
         - --pool-namespace
         - {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+        {{- if ne .Values.inferencePool.apiVersion "inference.networking.k8s.io" }}
+        - --pool-group
+        - "{{ (split "/" .Values.inferencePool.apiVersion)._0 }}"
+        {{- end }}
         - --zap-encoder
         - "json"
         - --config-file
diff --git a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/gke.yaml b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/gke.yaml
index 92010c0..470063c 100644
--- a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/gke.yaml
+++ b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/gke.yaml
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ metadata:
     {{- include "gateway-api-inference-extension.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 spec:
   targetRef:
-    group: "inference.networking.k8s.io"
+    group: "{{ (split "/" .Values.inferencePool.apiVersion)._0 }}"
     kind: InferencePool
     name: {{ .Release.Name }}
   default:
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ metadata:
     {{- include "gateway-api-inference-extension.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 spec:
   targetRef:
-    group: "inference.networking.k8s.io"
+    group: "{{ (split "/" .Values.inferencePool.apiVersion)._0 }}"
     kind: InferencePool
     name: {{ .Release.Name }}
   default:
diff --git a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/inferencepool.yaml b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/inferencepool.yaml
index 352af7a..5c973b9 100644
--- a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/inferencepool.yaml
+++ b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/inferencepool.yaml
@@ -1,5 +1,26 @@
+{{ if eq .Values.inferencePool.apiVersion "inference.networking.x-k8s.io/v1alpha2"}}
+apiVersion: {{ .Values.inferencePool.apiVersion }}
+kind: InferencePool
+metadata:
+  name: {{ .Release.Name }}
+  namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+  labels:
+    {{- include "gateway-api-inference-extension.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
+spec:
+  targetPortNumber: {{ .Values.inferencePool.targetPortNumber | default 8000 }}
+  selector:
+    {{- if .Values.inferencePool.modelServers.matchLabels }}
+    {{- range $key, $value := .Values.inferencePool.modelServers.matchLabels }}
+    {{ $key }}: {{ quote $value }}
+    {{- end }}
+    {{- end }}
+  extensionRef:
+    name: {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.name" . }}
+    portNumber: {{ .Values.inferenceExtension.extProcPort | default 9002 }}
+    failureMode: {{ .Values.inferenceExtension.failureMode | default "FailClose" }}
+{{ else }}
 {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.validations.inferencepool.common" $ }}
-apiVersion: inference.networking.k8s.io/v1
+apiVersion: "inference.networking.k8s.io/v1"
 kind: InferencePool
 metadata:
   name: {{ .Release.Name }}
@@ -22,5 +43,6 @@ spec:
     name: {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.name" . }}
     port:
       number: {{ .Values.inferenceExtension.extProcPort | default 9002 }}
+{{- end }}
 
 
diff --git a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/rbac.yaml b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/rbac.yaml
index a8d891c..7ff534f 100644
--- a/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/rbac.yaml
+++ b/config/charts/inferencepool/templates/rbac.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 kind: ClusterRole
 apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
 metadata:
-  name: {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.name" . }}
+  name: {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.cluster-rbac-name" . }}
   labels:
     {{- include "gateway-api-inference-extension.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 rules:
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ rules:
 kind: ClusterRoleBinding
 apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
 metadata:
-  name: {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.name" . }}
+  name: {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.cluster-rbac-name" . }}
 subjects:
 - kind: ServiceAccount
   name: {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.name" . }}
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ subjects:
 roleRef:
   apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
   kind: ClusterRole
-  name: {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.name" . }}
+  name: {{ include "gateway-api-inference-extension.cluster-rbac-name" . }}
 ---
 apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
 kind: Role
@@ -40,9 +40,9 @@ metadata:
     {{- include "gateway-api-inference-extension.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 rules:
 - apiGroups: ["inference.networking.x-k8s.io"]
-  resources: ["inferenceobjectives", "inferencepools"]
+  resources: ["inferenceobjectives"]
   verbs: ["get", "watch", "list"]
-- apiGroups: ["inference.networking.k8s.io"]
+- apiGroups: ["{{ (split "/" .Values.inferencePool.apiVersion)._0 }}"]
   resources: ["inferencepools"]
   verbs: ["get", "watch", "list"]
 - apiGroups: [""]
diff --git a/config/charts/inferencepool/values.yaml b/config/charts/inferencepool/values.yaml
index 091829c..d45e6ed 100644
--- a/config/charts/inferencepool/values.yaml
+++ b/config/charts/inferencepool/values.yaml
@@ -44,9 +44,14 @@ inferencePool:
   targetPorts:
     - number: 8000
   modelServerType: vllm # vllm, triton-tensorrt-llm
-  modelServers:
-    matchLabels:
-      app: vllm-llama3-8b-instruct
+  apiVersion: inference.networking.k8s.io/v1 
+  # modelServers: # REQUIRED
+  #   matchLabels:
+  #     app: vllm-llama3-8b-instruct
+
+  # Should only used if apiVersion is inference.networking.x-k8s.io/v1alpha2, 
+  # This will soon be deprecated when upstream GW providers support v1, just doing something simple for now.
+  targetPortNumber: 8000
 
 provider:
   name: none
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.k8s.io_inferencepools.yaml b/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.k8s.io_inferencepools.yaml
index 8f60199..ed325be 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.k8s.io_inferencepools.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.k8s.io_inferencepools.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ metadata:
   annotations:
     api-approved.kubernetes.io: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/pull/1173
     inference.networking.k8s.io/bundle-version: main-dev
-  creationTimestamp: null
   name: inferencepools.inference.networking.k8s.io
 spec:
   group: inference.networking.k8s.io
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.x-k8s.io_inferenceobjectives.yaml b/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.x-k8s.io_inferenceobjectives.yaml
index 8b14b32..836aac4 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.x-k8s.io_inferenceobjectives.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.x-k8s.io_inferenceobjectives.yaml
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ kind: CustomResourceDefinition
 metadata:
   annotations:
     inference.networking.k8s.io/bundle-version: main-dev
-  creationTimestamp: null
   name: inferenceobjectives.inference.networking.x-k8s.io
 spec:
   group: inference.networking.x-k8s.io
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.x-k8s.io_inferencepools.yaml b/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.x-k8s.io_inferencepools.yaml
index ef73c4a..e0a15b3 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.x-k8s.io_inferencepools.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/inference.networking.x-k8s.io_inferencepools.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ metadata:
   annotations:
     api-approved.kubernetes.io: unapproved, experimental-only
     inference.networking.k8s.io/bundle-version: main-dev
-  creationTimestamp: null
   name: inferencepools.inference.networking.x-k8s.io
 spec:
   group: inference.networking.x-k8s.io
diff --git a/config/manifests/gateway/envoyaigateway/gateway.yaml b/config/manifests/gateway/envoyaigateway/gateway.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a53641
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/manifests/gateway/envoyaigateway/gateway.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: GatewayClass
+metadata:
+  name: envoy-ai-gateway
+spec:
+  controllerName: gateway.envoyproxy.io/gatewayclass-controller
+---
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: Gateway
+metadata:
+  name: inference-gateway
+spec:
+  gatewayClassName: envoy-ai-gateway
+  listeners:
+    - name: http
+      protocol: HTTP
+      port: 80
diff --git a/config/manifests/gateway/envoyaigateway/httproute.yaml b/config/manifests/gateway/envoyaigateway/httproute.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e30b561
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/manifests/gateway/envoyaigateway/httproute.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: HTTPRoute
+metadata:
+  name: llm-route
+spec:
+  parentRefs:
+    - group: gateway.networking.k8s.io
+      kind: Gateway
+      name: inference-gateway
+  rules:
+    - backendRefs:
+        - group: inference.networking.x-k8s.io
+          kind: InferencePool
+          name: vllm-llama3-8b-instruct
+      matches:
+        - path:
+            type: PathPrefix
+            value: /
+      timeouts:
+        request: 300s
diff --git a/config/manifests/vllm/cpu-deployment.yaml b/config/manifests/vllm/cpu-deployment.yaml
index 3e38d4e..8b759d3 100644
--- a/config/manifests/vllm/cpu-deployment.yaml
+++ b/config/manifests/vllm/cpu-deployment.yaml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ spec:
     spec:
       containers:
         - name: lora
-          image: "public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-cpu-release-repo:latest" # formal images can be found in https://gallery.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-cpu-release-repo
+          image: "public.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-cpu-release-repo:v0.8.5" # formal images can be found in https://gallery.ecr.aws/q9t5s3a7/vllm-cpu-release-repo
           imagePullPolicy: Always
           command: ["python3", "-m", "vllm.entrypoints.openai.api_server"]
           args:
diff --git a/config/manifests/vllm/sim-deployment.yaml b/config/manifests/vllm/sim-deployment.yaml
index 17b6891..8229a01 100644
--- a/config/manifests/vllm/sim-deployment.yaml
+++ b/config/manifests/vllm/sim-deployment.yaml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ spec:
     spec:
       containers:
       - name: vllm-sim
-        image: ghcr.io/llm-d/llm-d-inference-sim:v0.3.0
+        image: ghcr.io/llm-d/llm-d-inference-sim:v0.4.0
         imagePullPolicy: Always
         args:
         - --model
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 23332b8..cddf7e7 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -19,20 +19,20 @@ require (
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.11.0
 	go.uber.org/multierr v1.11.0
 	go.uber.org/zap v1.27.0
-	golang.org/x/sync v0.16.0
+	golang.org/x/sync v0.17.0
 	google.golang.org/grpc v1.75.0
 	google.golang.org/protobuf v1.36.8
-	k8s.io/api v0.33.4
-	k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.33.4
-	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.33.4
-	k8s.io/client-go v0.33.4
-	k8s.io/code-generator v0.33.4
-	k8s.io/component-base v0.33.4
-	k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20241210054802-24370beab758
+	k8s.io/api v0.34.0
+	k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.34.0
+	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.34.0
+	k8s.io/client-go v0.34.0
+	k8s.io/code-generator v0.34.0
+	k8s.io/component-base v0.34.0
+	k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20250604170112-4c0f3b243397
 	sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.21.0
-	sigs.k8s.io/controller-tools v0.18.0
+	sigs.k8s.io/controller-tools v0.19.0
 	sigs.k8s.io/gateway-api v1.3.0
-	sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v4 v4.7.0
+	sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v6 v6.3.0
 	sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.6.0
 )
 
@@ -49,12 +49,12 @@ require (
 	github.com/cncf/xds/go v0.0.0-20250501225837-2ac532fd4443 // indirect
 	github.com/davecgh/go-spew v1.1.2-0.20180830191138-d8f796af33cc // indirect
 	github.com/dennwc/varint v1.0.0 // indirect
-	github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.12.0 // indirect
+	github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.12.2 // indirect
 	github.com/envoyproxy/protoc-gen-validate v1.2.1 // indirect
 	github.com/evanphx/json-patch/v5 v5.9.11 // indirect
 	github.com/felixge/httpsnoop v1.0.4 // indirect
-	github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.8.0 // indirect
-	github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.7.0 // indirect
+	github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.9.0 // indirect
+	github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.9.0 // indirect
 	github.com/go-logr/stdr v1.2.2 // indirect
 	github.com/go-logr/zapr v1.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/go-openapi/jsonpointer v0.21.0 // indirect
@@ -65,8 +65,8 @@ require (
 	github.com/goccy/go-yaml v1.18.0 // indirect
 	github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2 // indirect
 	github.com/google/btree v1.1.3 // indirect
-	github.com/google/cel-go v0.23.2 // indirect
-	github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.6.9 // indirect
+	github.com/google/cel-go v0.26.0 // indirect
+	github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.7.0 // indirect
 	github.com/google/pprof v0.0.0-20250607225305-033d6d78b36a // indirect
 	github.com/gorilla/websocket v1.5.4-0.20250319132907-e064f32e3674 // indirect
 	github.com/grafana/regexp v0.0.0-20240518133315-a468a5bfb3bc // indirect
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/mitchellh/reflectwalk v1.0.2 // indirect
 	github.com/moby/spdystream v0.5.0 // indirect
 	github.com/modern-go/concurrent v0.0.0-20180306012644-bacd9c7ef1dd // indirect
-	github.com/modern-go/reflect2 v1.0.2 // indirect
+	github.com/modern-go/reflect2 v1.0.3-0.20250322232337-35a7c28c31ee // indirect
 	github.com/munnerz/goautoneg v0.0.0-20191010083416-a7dc8b61c822 // indirect
 	github.com/mxk/go-flowrate v0.0.0-20140419014527-cca7078d478f // indirect
 	github.com/pkg/errors v0.9.1 // indirect
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/pmezard/go-difflib v1.0.1-0.20181226105442-5d4384ee4fb2 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.16.1 // indirect
 	github.com/spf13/cobra v1.9.1 // indirect
-	github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.6 // indirect
+	github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.7 // indirect
 	github.com/stoewer/go-strcase v1.3.0 // indirect
 	github.com/x448/float16 v0.8.4 // indirect
 	go.opentelemetry.io/auto/sdk v1.1.0 // indirect
@@ -124,11 +124,11 @@ require (
 	gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.4.0 // indirect
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 // indirect
-	k8s.io/apiserver v0.33.4 // indirect
-	k8s.io/gengo/v2 v2.0.0-20250207200755-1244d31929d7 // indirect
+	k8s.io/apiserver v0.34.0 // indirect
+	k8s.io/gengo/v2 v2.0.0-20250604051438-85fd79dbfd9f // indirect
 	k8s.io/klog/v2 v2.130.1 // indirect
-	k8s.io/kube-openapi v0.0.0-20250318190949-c8a335a9a2ff // indirect
+	k8s.io/kube-openapi v0.0.0-20250710124328-f3f2b991d03b // indirect
 	sigs.k8s.io/apiserver-network-proxy/konnectivity-client v0.31.2 // indirect
-	sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20241010143419-9aa6b5e7a4b3 // indirect
+	sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20241014173422-cfa47c3a1cc8 // indirect
 	sigs.k8s.io/randfill v1.0.0 // indirect
 )
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 7b00cef..f1d01ec 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -75,8 +75,8 @@ github.com/dennwc/varint v1.0.0 h1:kGNFFSSw8ToIy3obO/kKr8U9GZYUAxQEVuix4zfDWzE=
 github.com/dennwc/varint v1.0.0/go.mod h1:hnItb35rvZvJrbTALZtY/iQfDs48JKRG1RPpgziApxA=
 github.com/elastic/crd-ref-docs v0.2.0 h1:U17MyGX71j4qfKTvYxbR4qZGoA1hc2thy7kseGYmP+o=
 github.com/elastic/crd-ref-docs v0.2.0/go.mod h1:0bklkJhTG7nC6AVsdDi0wt5bGoqvzdZSzMMQkilZ6XM=
-github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.12.0 h1:y2DdzBAURM29NFF94q6RaY4vjIH1rtwDapwQtU84iWk=
-github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.12.0/go.mod h1:6n3XBCmQQb25CM2LCACGz8ukIrRry+4bhvbpWn3mrbc=
+github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.12.2 h1:DhwDP0vY3k8ZzE0RunuJy8GhNpPL6zqLkDf9B/a0/xU=
+github.com/emicklei/go-restful/v3 v3.12.2/go.mod h1:6n3XBCmQQb25CM2LCACGz8ukIrRry+4bhvbpWn3mrbc=
 github.com/envoyproxy/go-control-plane/envoy v1.32.4 h1:jb83lalDRZSpPWW2Z7Mck/8kXZ5CQAFYVjQcdVIr83A=
 github.com/envoyproxy/go-control-plane/envoy v1.32.4/go.mod h1:Gzjc5k8JcJswLjAx1Zm+wSYE20UrLtt7JZMWiWQXQEw=
 github.com/envoyproxy/protoc-gen-validate v1.2.1 h1:DEo3O99U8j4hBFwbJfrz9VtgcDfUKS7KJ7spH3d86P8=
@@ -87,10 +87,10 @@ github.com/evanphx/json-patch/v5 v5.9.11 h1:/8HVnzMq13/3x9TPvjG08wUGqBTmZBsCWzjT
 github.com/evanphx/json-patch/v5 v5.9.11/go.mod h1:3j+LviiESTElxA4p3EMKAB9HXj3/XEtnUf6OZxqIQTM=
 github.com/felixge/httpsnoop v1.0.4 h1:NFTV2Zj1bL4mc9sqWACXbQFVBBg2W3GPvqp8/ESS2Wg=
 github.com/felixge/httpsnoop v1.0.4/go.mod h1:m8KPJKqk1gH5J9DgRY2ASl2lWCfGKXixSwevea8zH2U=
-github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.8.0 h1:dAwr6QBTBZIkG8roQaJjGof0pp0EeF+tNV7YBP3F/8M=
-github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.8.0/go.mod h1:8jBTzvmWwFyi3Pb8djgCCO5IBqzKJ/Jwo8TRcHyHii0=
-github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.7.0 h1:iM5WgngdRBanHcxugY4JySA0nk1wZorNOpTgCMedv5E=
-github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.7.0/go.mod h1:pxXPTn3joSm21Gbwsv0w9OSA2y1HFR9qXEeXQVeNoDQ=
+github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.9.0 h1:2Ml+OJNzbYCTzsxtv8vKSFD9PbJjmhYF14k/jKC7S9k=
+github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify v1.9.0/go.mod h1:8jBTzvmWwFyi3Pb8djgCCO5IBqzKJ/Jwo8TRcHyHii0=
+github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.9.0 h1:NpKPmjDBgUfBms6tr6JZkTHtfFGcMKsw3eGcmD/sapM=
+github.com/fxamacker/cbor/v2 v2.9.0/go.mod h1:vM4b+DJCtHn+zz7h3FFp/hDAI9WNWCsZj23V5ytsSxQ=
 github.com/go-logr/logr v1.2.2/go.mod h1:jdQByPbusPIv2/zmleS9BjJVeZ6kBagPoEUsqbVz/1A=
 github.com/go-logr/logr v1.4.3 h1:CjnDlHq8ikf6E492q6eKboGOC0T8CDaOvkHCIg8idEI=
 github.com/go-logr/logr v1.4.3/go.mod h1:9T104GzyrTigFIr8wt5mBrctHMim0Nb2HLGrmQ40KvY=
@@ -120,11 +120,10 @@ github.com/golang/snappy v1.0.0 h1:Oy607GVXHs7RtbggtPBnr2RmDArIsAefDwvrdWvRhGs=
 github.com/golang/snappy v1.0.0/go.mod h1:/XxbfmMg8lxefKM7IXC3fBNl/7bRcc72aCRzEWrmP2Q=
 github.com/google/btree v1.1.3 h1:CVpQJjYgC4VbzxeGVHfvZrv1ctoYCAI8vbl07Fcxlyg=
 github.com/google/btree v1.1.3/go.mod h1:qOPhT0dTNdNzV6Z/lhRX0YXUafgPLFUh+gZMl761Gm4=
-github.com/google/cel-go v0.23.2 h1:UdEe3CvQh3Nv+E/j9r1Y//WO0K0cSyD7/y0bzyLIMI4=
-github.com/google/cel-go v0.23.2/go.mod h1:52Pb6QsDbC5kvgxvZhiL9QX1oZEkcUF/ZqaPx1J5Wwo=
-github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.6.9 h1:MU/8wDLif2qCXZmzncUQ/BOfxWfthHi63KqpoNbWqVw=
-github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.6.9/go.mod h1:CiWsm0s6BSQd1hRn8/QmxqB6BesYcbSZxsz9b0KuDBw=
-github.com/google/go-cmp v0.5.9/go.mod h1:17dUlkBOakJ0+DkrSSNjCkIjxS6bF9zb3elmeNGIjoY=
+github.com/google/cel-go v0.26.0 h1:DPGjXackMpJWH680oGY4lZhYjIameYmR+/6RBdDGmaI=
+github.com/google/cel-go v0.26.0/go.mod h1:A9O8OU9rdvrK5MQyrqfIxo1a0u4g3sF8KB6PUIaryMM=
+github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.7.0 h1:qwTtogB15McXDaNqTZdzPJRHvaVJlAl+HVQnLmJEJxo=
+github.com/google/gnostic-models v0.7.0/go.mod h1:whL5G0m6dmc5cPxKc5bdKdEN3UjI7OUGxBlw57miDrQ=
 github.com/google/go-cmp v0.7.0 h1:wk8382ETsv4JYUZwIsn6YpYiWiBsYLSJiTsyBybVuN8=
 github.com/google/go-cmp v0.7.0/go.mod h1:pXiqmnSA92OHEEa9HXL2W4E7lf9JzCmGVUdgjX3N/iU=
 github.com/google/gofuzz v1.0.0/go.mod h1:dBl0BpW6vV/+mYPU4Po3pmUjxk6FQPldtuIdl/M65Eg=
@@ -181,8 +180,9 @@ github.com/moby/spdystream v0.5.0/go.mod h1:xBAYlnt/ay+11ShkdFKNAG7LsyK/tmNBVvVO
 github.com/modern-go/concurrent v0.0.0-20180228061459-e0a39a4cb421/go.mod h1:6dJC0mAP4ikYIbvyc7fijjWJddQyLn8Ig3JB5CqoB9Q=
 github.com/modern-go/concurrent v0.0.0-20180306012644-bacd9c7ef1dd h1:TRLaZ9cD/w8PVh93nsPXa1VrQ6jlwL5oN8l14QlcNfg=
 github.com/modern-go/concurrent v0.0.0-20180306012644-bacd9c7ef1dd/go.mod h1:6dJC0mAP4ikYIbvyc7fijjWJddQyLn8Ig3JB5CqoB9Q=
-github.com/modern-go/reflect2 v1.0.2 h1:xBagoLtFs94CBntxluKeaWgTMpvLxC4ur3nMaC9Gz0M=
 github.com/modern-go/reflect2 v1.0.2/go.mod h1:yWuevngMOJpCy52FWWMvUC8ws7m/LJsjYzDa0/r8luk=
+github.com/modern-go/reflect2 v1.0.3-0.20250322232337-35a7c28c31ee h1:W5t00kpgFdJifH4BDsTlE89Zl93FEloxaWZfGcifgq8=
+github.com/modern-go/reflect2 v1.0.3-0.20250322232337-35a7c28c31ee/go.mod h1:yWuevngMOJpCy52FWWMvUC8ws7m/LJsjYzDa0/r8luk=
 github.com/munnerz/goautoneg v0.0.0-20191010083416-a7dc8b61c822 h1:C3w9PqII01/Oq1c1nUAm88MOHcQC9l5mIlSMApZMrHA=
 github.com/munnerz/goautoneg v0.0.0-20191010083416-a7dc8b61c822/go.mod h1:+n7T8mK8HuQTcFwEeznm/DIxMOiR9yIdICNftLE1DvQ=
 github.com/mwitkow/go-conntrack v0.0.0-20190716064945-2f068394615f h1:KUppIJq7/+SVif2QVs3tOP0zanoHgBEVAwHxUSIzRqU=
@@ -228,8 +228,9 @@ github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.13.1/go.mod h1:uMEvuHeurkdAXX61udpOXGD/AzZDWN
 github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0/go.mod h1:+Rmxgy9KzJVeS9/2gXHxylqXiyQDYRxCVz55jmeOWTM=
 github.com/spf13/cobra v1.9.1 h1:CXSaggrXdbHK9CF+8ywj8Amf7PBRmPCOJugH954Nnlo=
 github.com/spf13/cobra v1.9.1/go.mod h1:nDyEzZ8ogv936Cinf6g1RU9MRY64Ir93oCnqb9wxYW0=
-github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.6 h1:jFzHGLGAlb3ruxLB8MhbI6A8+AQX/2eW4qeyNZXNp2o=
 github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.6/go.mod h1:McXfInJRrz4CZXVZOBLb0bTZqETkiAhM9Iw0y3An2Bg=
+github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.7 h1:vN6T9TfwStFPFM5XzjsvmzZkLuaLX+HS+0SeFLRgU6M=
+github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.7/go.mod h1:McXfInJRrz4CZXVZOBLb0bTZqETkiAhM9Iw0y3An2Bg=
 github.com/stoewer/go-strcase v1.3.0 h1:g0eASXYtp+yvN9fK8sH94oCIk0fau9uV1/ZdJ0AVEzs=
 github.com/stoewer/go-strcase v1.3.0/go.mod h1:fAH5hQ5pehh+j3nZfvwdk2RgEgQjAoM8wodgtPmh1xo=
 github.com/stretchr/objx v0.1.0/go.mod h1:HFkY916IF+rwdDfMAkV7OtwuqBVzrE8GR6GFx+wExME=
@@ -303,8 +304,8 @@ golang.org/x/oauth2 v0.30.0/go.mod h1:B++QgG3ZKulg6sRPGD/mqlHQs5rB3Ml9erfeDY7xKl
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20190423024810-112230192c58/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20190911185100-cd5d95a43a6e/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
 golang.org/x/sync v0.0.0-20201020160332-67f06af15bc9/go.mod h1:RxMgew5VJxzue5/jJTE5uejpjVlOe/izrB70Jof72aM=
-golang.org/x/sync v0.16.0 h1:ycBJEhp9p4vXvUZNszeOq0kGTPghopOL8q0fq3vstxw=
-golang.org/x/sync v0.16.0/go.mod h1:1dzgHSNfp02xaA81J2MS99Qcpr2w7fw1gpm99rleRqA=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.17.0 h1:l60nONMj9l5drqw6jlhIELNv9I0A4OFgRsG9k2oT9Ug=
+golang.org/x/sync v0.17.0/go.mod h1:9KTHXmSnoGruLpwFjVSX0lNNA75CykiMECbovNTZqGI=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190215142949-d0b11bdaac8a/go.mod h1:STP8DvDyc/dI5b8T5hshtkjS+E42TnysNCUPdjciGhY=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20190412213103-97732733099d/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
 golang.org/x/sys v0.0.0-20200930185726-fdedc70b468f/go.mod h1:h1NjWce9XRLGQEsW7wpKNCjG9DtNlClVuFLEZdDNbEs=
@@ -360,43 +361,41 @@ gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.4.0/go.mod h1:RDklbk79AGWmwhnvt/jBztapEOGDOx6ZbXqjP6csGnQ=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.0-20200313102051-9f266ea9e77c/go.mod h1:K4uyk7z7BCEPqu6E+C64Yfv1cQ7kz7rIZviUmN+EgEM=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 h1:fxVm/GzAzEWqLHuvctI91KS9hhNmmWOoWu0XTYJS7CA=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1/go.mod h1:K4uyk7z7BCEPqu6E+C64Yfv1cQ7kz7rIZviUmN+EgEM=
-k8s.io/api v0.33.4 h1:oTzrFVNPXBjMu0IlpA2eDDIU49jsuEorGHB4cvKupkk=
-k8s.io/api v0.33.4/go.mod h1:VHQZ4cuxQ9sCUMESJV5+Fe8bGnqAARZ08tSTdHWfeAc=
-k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.33.4 h1:rtq5SeXiDbXmSwxsF0MLe2Mtv3SwprA6wp+5qh/CrOU=
-k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.33.4/go.mod h1:mWXcZQkQV1GQyxeIjYApuqsn/081hhXPZwZ2URuJeSs=
-k8s.io/apimachinery v0.33.4 h1:SOf/JW33TP0eppJMkIgQ+L6atlDiP/090oaX0y9pd9s=
-k8s.io/apimachinery v0.33.4/go.mod h1:BHW0YOu7n22fFv/JkYOEfkUYNRN0fj0BlvMFWA7b+SM=
-k8s.io/apiserver v0.33.4 h1:6N0TEVA6kASUS3owYDIFJjUH6lgN8ogQmzZvaFFj1/Y=
-k8s.io/apiserver v0.33.4/go.mod h1:8ODgXMnOoSPLMUg1aAzMFx+7wTJM+URil+INjbTZCok=
-k8s.io/client-go v0.33.4 h1:TNH+CSu8EmXfitntjUPwaKVPN0AYMbc9F1bBS8/ABpw=
-k8s.io/client-go v0.33.4/go.mod h1:LsA0+hBG2DPwovjd931L/AoaezMPX9CmBgyVyBZmbCY=
-k8s.io/code-generator v0.33.4 h1:DiA801QxqApRIBh3OWULasVAUA237XnYvFNMh+E34Y8=
-k8s.io/code-generator v0.33.4/go.mod h1:ifWxKWhEl/Z1K7WmWAyOBEf3ex/i546ingCzLC8YVIY=
-k8s.io/component-base v0.33.4 h1:Jvb/aw/tl3pfgnJ0E0qPuYLT0NwdYs1VXXYQmSuxJGY=
-k8s.io/component-base v0.33.4/go.mod h1:567TeSdixWW2Xb1yYUQ7qk5Docp2kNznKL87eygY8Rc=
-k8s.io/gengo/v2 v2.0.0-20250207200755-1244d31929d7 h1:2OX19X59HxDprNCVrWi6jb7LW1PoqTlYqEq5H2oetog=
-k8s.io/gengo/v2 v2.0.0-20250207200755-1244d31929d7/go.mod h1:EJykeLsmFC60UQbYJezXkEsG2FLrt0GPNkU5iK5GWxU=
+k8s.io/api v0.34.0 h1:L+JtP2wDbEYPUeNGbeSa/5GwFtIA662EmT2YSLOkAVE=
+k8s.io/api v0.34.0/go.mod h1:YzgkIzOOlhl9uwWCZNqpw6RJy9L2FK4dlJeayUoydug=
+k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.34.0 h1:B3hiB32jV7BcyKcMU5fDaDxk882YrJ1KU+ZSkA9Qxoc=
+k8s.io/apiextensions-apiserver v0.34.0/go.mod h1:hLI4GxE1BDBy9adJKxUxCEHBGZtGfIg98Q+JmTD7+g0=
+k8s.io/apimachinery v0.34.0 h1:eR1WO5fo0HyoQZt1wdISpFDffnWOvFLOOeJ7MgIv4z0=
+k8s.io/apimachinery v0.34.0/go.mod h1:/GwIlEcWuTX9zKIg2mbw0LRFIsXwrfoVxn+ef0X13lw=
+k8s.io/apiserver v0.34.0 h1:Z51fw1iGMqN7uJ1kEaynf2Aec1Y774PqU+FVWCFV3Jg=
+k8s.io/apiserver v0.34.0/go.mod h1:52ti5YhxAvewmmpVRqlASvaqxt0gKJxvCeW7ZrwgazQ=
+k8s.io/client-go v0.34.0 h1:YoWv5r7bsBfb0Hs2jh8SOvFbKzzxyNo0nSb0zC19KZo=
+k8s.io/client-go v0.34.0/go.mod h1:ozgMnEKXkRjeMvBZdV1AijMHLTh3pbACPvK7zFR+QQY=
+k8s.io/code-generator v0.34.0 h1:Ze2i1QsvUprIlX3oHiGv09BFQRLCz+StA8qKwwFzees=
+k8s.io/code-generator v0.34.0/go.mod h1:Py2+4w2HXItL8CGhks8uI/wS3Y93wPKO/9mBQUYNua0=
+k8s.io/component-base v0.34.0 h1:bS8Ua3zlJzapklsB1dZgjEJuJEeHjj8yTu1gxE2zQX8=
+k8s.io/component-base v0.34.0/go.mod h1:RSCqUdvIjjrEm81epPcjQ/DS+49fADvGSCkIP3IC6vg=
+k8s.io/gengo/v2 v2.0.0-20250604051438-85fd79dbfd9f h1:SLb+kxmzfA87x4E4brQzB33VBbT2+x7Zq9ROIHmGn9Q=
+k8s.io/gengo/v2 v2.0.0-20250604051438-85fd79dbfd9f/go.mod h1:EJykeLsmFC60UQbYJezXkEsG2FLrt0GPNkU5iK5GWxU=
 k8s.io/klog/v2 v2.130.1 h1:n9Xl7H1Xvksem4KFG4PYbdQCQxqc/tTUyrgXaOhHSzk=
 k8s.io/klog/v2 v2.130.1/go.mod h1:3Jpz1GvMt720eyJH1ckRHK1EDfpxISzJ7I9OYgaDtPE=
-k8s.io/kube-openapi v0.0.0-20250318190949-c8a335a9a2ff h1:/usPimJzUKKu+m+TE36gUyGcf03XZEP0ZIKgKj35LS4=
-k8s.io/kube-openapi v0.0.0-20250318190949-c8a335a9a2ff/go.mod h1:5jIi+8yX4RIb8wk3XwBo5Pq2ccx4FP10ohkbSKCZoK8=
-k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20241210054802-24370beab758 h1:sdbE21q2nlQtFh65saZY+rRM6x6aJJI8IUa1AmH/qa0=
-k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20241210054802-24370beab758/go.mod h1:OLgZIPagt7ERELqWJFomSt595RzquPNLL48iOWgYOg0=
+k8s.io/kube-openapi v0.0.0-20250710124328-f3f2b991d03b h1:MloQ9/bdJyIu9lb1PzujOPolHyvO06MXG5TUIj2mNAA=
+k8s.io/kube-openapi v0.0.0-20250710124328-f3f2b991d03b/go.mod h1:UZ2yyWbFTpuhSbFhv24aGNOdoRdJZgsIObGBUaYVsts=
+k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20250604170112-4c0f3b243397 h1:hwvWFiBzdWw1FhfY1FooPn3kzWuJ8tmbZBHi4zVsl1Y=
+k8s.io/utils v0.0.0-20250604170112-4c0f3b243397/go.mod h1:OLgZIPagt7ERELqWJFomSt595RzquPNLL48iOWgYOg0=
 sigs.k8s.io/apiserver-network-proxy/konnectivity-client v0.31.2 h1:jpcvIRr3GLoUoEKRkHKSmGjxb6lWwrBlJsXc+eUYQHM=
 sigs.k8s.io/apiserver-network-proxy/konnectivity-client v0.31.2/go.mod h1:Ve9uj1L+deCXFrPOk1LpFXqTg7LCFzFso6PA48q/XZw=
 sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.21.0 h1:CYfjpEuicjUecRk+KAeyYh+ouUBn4llGyDYytIGcJS8=
 sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime v0.21.0/go.mod h1:OSg14+F65eWqIu4DceX7k/+QRAbTTvxeQSNSOQpukWM=
-sigs.k8s.io/controller-tools v0.18.0 h1:rGxGZCZTV2wJreeRgqVoWab/mfcumTMmSwKzoM9xrsE=
-sigs.k8s.io/controller-tools v0.18.0/go.mod h1:gLKoiGBriyNh+x1rWtUQnakUYEujErjXs9pf+x/8n1U=
+sigs.k8s.io/controller-tools v0.19.0 h1:OU7jrPPiZusryu6YK0jYSjPqg8Vhf8cAzluP9XGI5uk=
+sigs.k8s.io/controller-tools v0.19.0/go.mod h1:y5HY/iNDFkmFla2CfQoVb2AQXMsBk4ad84iR1PLANB0=
 sigs.k8s.io/gateway-api v1.3.0 h1:q6okN+/UKDATola4JY7zXzx40WO4VISk7i9DIfOvr9M=
 sigs.k8s.io/gateway-api v1.3.0/go.mod h1:d8NV8nJbaRbEKem+5IuxkL8gJGOZ+FJ+NvOIltV8gDk=
-sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20241010143419-9aa6b5e7a4b3 h1:/Rv+M11QRah1itp8VhT6HoVx1Ray9eB4DBr+K+/sCJ8=
-sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20241010143419-9aa6b5e7a4b3/go.mod h1:18nIHnGi6636UCz6m8i4DhaJ65T6EruyzmoQqI2BVDo=
-sigs.k8s.io/randfill v0.0.0-20250304075658-069ef1bbf016/go.mod h1:XeLlZ/jmk4i1HRopwe7/aU3H5n1zNUcX6TM94b3QxOY=
+sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20241014173422-cfa47c3a1cc8 h1:gBQPwqORJ8d8/YNZWEjoZs7npUVDpVXUUOFfW6CgAqE=
+sigs.k8s.io/json v0.0.0-20241014173422-cfa47c3a1cc8/go.mod h1:mdzfpAEoE6DHQEN0uh9ZbOCuHbLK5wOm7dK4ctXE9Tg=
 sigs.k8s.io/randfill v1.0.0 h1:JfjMILfT8A6RbawdsK2JXGBR5AQVfd+9TbzrlneTyrU=
 sigs.k8s.io/randfill v1.0.0/go.mod h1:XeLlZ/jmk4i1HRopwe7/aU3H5n1zNUcX6TM94b3QxOY=
-sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v4 v4.7.0 h1:qPeWmscJcXP0snki5IYF79Z8xrl8ETFxgMd7wez1XkI=
-sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v4 v4.7.0/go.mod h1:dDy58f92j70zLsuZVuUX5Wp9vtxXpaZnkPGWeqDfCps=
-sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.4.0/go.mod h1:Ejl7/uTz7PSA4eKMyQCUTnhZYNmLIl+5c2lQPGR2BPY=
+sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v6 v6.3.0 h1:jTijUJbW353oVOd9oTlifJqOGEkUw2jB/fXCbTiQEco=
+sigs.k8s.io/structured-merge-diff/v6 v6.3.0/go.mod h1:M3W8sfWvn2HhQDIbGWj3S099YozAsymCo/wrT5ohRUE=
 sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.6.0 h1:G8fkbMSAFqgEFgh4b1wmtzDnioxFCUgTZhlbj5P9QYs=
 sigs.k8s.io/yaml v1.6.0/go.mod h1:796bPqUfzR/0jLAl6XjHl3Ck7MiyVv8dbTdyT3/pMf4=
diff --git a/hack/verify-manifests.sh b/hack/verify-manifests.sh
index 70d819b..dff4170 100755
--- a/hack/verify-manifests.sh
+++ b/hack/verify-manifests.sh
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ main() {
   cp ${SCRIPT_ROOT}/config/crd/bases/* "${TEMP_DIR}/"
 
   # Download external CRDs for validation
+  fetch_crds "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api/refs/tags/${GATEWAY_API_VERSION}/config/crd/standard/gateway.networking.k8s.io_gatewayclasses.yaml"
   fetch_crds "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api/refs/tags/${GATEWAY_API_VERSION}/config/crd/standard/gateway.networking.k8s.io_gateways.yaml"
   fetch_crds "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api/refs/tags/${GATEWAY_API_VERSION}/config/crd/standard/gateway.networking.k8s.io_httproutes.yaml"
   fetch_crds "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/gke-gateway-api/refs/tags/${GKE_GATEWAY_API_VERSION}/config/crd/networking.gke.io_gcpbackendpolicies.yaml"
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/contracts/mocks/mocks.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/contracts/mocks/mocks.go
index c5c8d2e..02f9863 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/contracts/mocks/mocks.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/contracts/mocks/mocks.go
@@ -48,9 +48,9 @@ type MockRegistryShard struct {
 	IsActiveFunc                 func() bool
 	ManagedQueueFunc             func(key types.FlowKey) (contracts.ManagedQueue, error)
 	IntraFlowDispatchPolicyFunc  func(key types.FlowKey) (framework.IntraFlowDispatchPolicy, error)
-	InterFlowDispatchPolicyFunc  func(priority uint) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error)
-	PriorityBandAccessorFunc     func(priority uint) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error)
-	AllOrderedPriorityLevelsFunc func() []uint
+	InterFlowDispatchPolicyFunc  func(priority int) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error)
+	PriorityBandAccessorFunc     func(priority int) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error)
+	AllOrderedPriorityLevelsFunc func() []int
 	StatsFunc                    func() contracts.ShardStats
 }
 
@@ -82,21 +82,21 @@ func (m *MockRegistryShard) IntraFlowDispatchPolicy(key types.FlowKey) (framewor
 	return nil, nil
 }
 
-func (m *MockRegistryShard) InterFlowDispatchPolicy(priority uint) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error) {
+func (m *MockRegistryShard) InterFlowDispatchPolicy(priority int) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error) {
 	if m.InterFlowDispatchPolicyFunc != nil {
 		return m.InterFlowDispatchPolicyFunc(priority)
 	}
 	return nil, nil
 }
 
-func (m *MockRegistryShard) PriorityBandAccessor(priority uint) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
+func (m *MockRegistryShard) PriorityBandAccessor(priority int) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
 	if m.PriorityBandAccessorFunc != nil {
 		return m.PriorityBandAccessorFunc(priority)
 	}
 	return nil, nil
 }
 
-func (m *MockRegistryShard) AllOrderedPriorityLevels() []uint {
+func (m *MockRegistryShard) AllOrderedPriorityLevels() []int {
 	if m.AllOrderedPriorityLevelsFunc != nil {
 		return m.AllOrderedPriorityLevelsFunc()
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/contracts/registry.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/contracts/registry.go
index de1b89a..e2c42fd 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/contracts/registry.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/contracts/registry.go
@@ -124,20 +124,20 @@ type RegistryShard interface {
 	// InterFlowDispatchPolicy retrieves a priority band's configured `framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy` for this shard.
 	// The registry guarantees that a non-nil default policy is returned if none is configured for the band.
 	// Returns an error wrapping `ErrPriorityBandNotFound` if the priority level is not configured.
-	InterFlowDispatchPolicy(priority uint) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error)
+	InterFlowDispatchPolicy(priority int) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error)
 
 	// PriorityBandAccessor retrieves a read-only accessor for a given priority level, providing a view of the band's
 	// state as seen by this specific shard. This is the primary entry point for inter-flow dispatch policies that need to
 	// inspect and compare multiple flow queues within the same priority band.
 	// Returns an error wrapping `ErrPriorityBandNotFound` if the priority level is not configured.
-	PriorityBandAccessor(priority uint) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error)
+	PriorityBandAccessor(priority int) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error)
 
-	// AllOrderedPriorityLevels returns all configured priority levels that this shard is aware of, sorted in ascending
-	// numerical order. This order corresponds to highest priority (lowest numeric value) to lowest priority (highest
+	// AllOrderedPriorityLevels returns all configured priority levels that this shard is aware of, sorted in descending
+	// numerical order. This order corresponds to highest priority (highest numeric value) to lowest priority (lowest
 	// numeric value).
 	// The returned slice provides a definitive, ordered list of priority levels for iteration, for example, by a
 	// `controller.FlowController` worker's dispatch loop.
-	AllOrderedPriorityLevels() []uint
+	AllOrderedPriorityLevels() []int
 
 	// Stats returns a snapshot of the statistics for this specific shard.
 	Stats() ShardStats
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ type AggregateStats struct {
 	// TotalLen is the total number of items currently queued across the entire system.
 	TotalLen uint64
 	// PerPriorityBandStats maps each configured priority level to its globally aggregated statistics.
-	PerPriorityBandStats map[uint]PriorityBandStats
+	PerPriorityBandStats map[int]PriorityBandStats
 }
 
 // ShardStats holds statistics for a single internal shard within the `FlowRegistry`.
@@ -188,13 +188,13 @@ type ShardStats struct {
 	// The capacity values within represent this shard's partition of the global band capacity.
 	// The key is the numerical priority level.
 	// All configured priority levels are guaranteed to be represented.
-	PerPriorityBandStats map[uint]PriorityBandStats
+	PerPriorityBandStats map[int]PriorityBandStats
 }
 
 // PriorityBandStats holds aggregated statistics for a single priority band.
 type PriorityBandStats struct {
 	// Priority is the numerical priority level this struct describes.
-	Priority uint
+	Priority int
 	// PriorityName is a human-readable name for the priority band (e.g., "Critical", "Sheddable").
 	// The registry configuration requires this field, so it is guaranteed to be non-empty.
 	PriorityName string
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/filter.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/filter.go
index 0a06692..12788d4 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/filter.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/filter.go
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ func newSubsetPriorityBandAccessor(original framework.PriorityBandAccessor, allo
 }
 
 // Priority returns the numerical priority level of this band.
-func (s *subsetPriorityBandAccessor) Priority() uint {
+func (s *subsetPriorityBandAccessor) Priority() int {
 	return s.originalAccessor.Priority()
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/processor.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/processor.go
index 7f9c8ee..abcd9f2 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/processor.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/processor.go
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ func (sp *ShardProcessor) enqueue(item *flowItem) {
 
 // hasCapacity checks if the shard and the specific priority band have enough capacity to accommodate an item of a given
 // size.
-func (sp *ShardProcessor) hasCapacity(priority uint, itemByteSize uint64) bool {
+func (sp *ShardProcessor) hasCapacity(priority int, itemByteSize uint64) bool {
 	if itemByteSize == 0 {
 		return true
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/framework/mocks/mocks.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/framework/mocks/mocks.go
index b8715b7..ff8441f 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/framework/mocks/mocks.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/framework/mocks/mocks.go
@@ -67,14 +67,14 @@ var _ framework.FlowQueueAccessor = &MockFlowQueueAccessor{}
 // Simple accessors are configured with public value fields (e.g., `PriorityV`).
 // Complex methods with logic are configured with function fields (e.g., `IterateQueuesFunc`).
 type MockPriorityBandAccessor struct {
-	PriorityV         uint
+	PriorityV         int
 	PriorityNameV     string
 	FlowKeysFunc      func() []types.FlowKey
 	QueueFunc         func(flowID string) framework.FlowQueueAccessor
 	IterateQueuesFunc func(callback func(queue framework.FlowQueueAccessor) (keepIterating bool))
 }
 
-func (m *MockPriorityBandAccessor) Priority() uint       { return m.PriorityV }
+func (m *MockPriorityBandAccessor) Priority() int        { return m.PriorityV }
 func (m *MockPriorityBandAccessor) PriorityName() string { return m.PriorityNameV }
 
 func (m *MockPriorityBandAccessor) FlowKeys() []types.FlowKey {
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/framework/policies.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/framework/policies.go
index 5fc3e64..eeea034 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/framework/policies.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/framework/policies.go
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ type FlowQueueAccessor interface {
 // Conformance: Implementations MUST ensure all methods are goroutine-safe for concurrent access.
 type PriorityBandAccessor interface {
 	// Priority returns the numerical priority level of this band.
-	Priority() uint
+	Priority() int
 
 	// PriorityName returns the human-readable name of this priority band.
 	PriorityName() string
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/config.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/config.go
index d404e78..f9ad8e6 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/config.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/config.go
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	// the correct element within this specific configuration instance, preventing common "pointer-to-loop-variable"
 	// errors, especially across deep copies or partitioning.
 	// It is populated during validation and when the config is copied or partitioned.
-	priorityBandMap map[uint]*PriorityBandConfig
+	priorityBandMap map[int]*PriorityBandConfig
 
 	// Factory functions used for plugin instantiation during configuration validation.
 	// These enable dependency injection for unit testing the validation logic.
@@ -112,9 +112,9 @@ type Config struct {
 // that operate at this priority level.
 type PriorityBandConfig struct {
 	// Priority is the unique numerical priority level for this band.
-	// Convention: Lower numerical values indicate higher priority (e.g., 0 is highest).
+	// Convention: Lower numerical values indicate lower priority.
 	// Required.
-	Priority uint
+	Priority int
 
 	// PriorityName is a human-readable name for this priority band (e.g., "Critical", "Standard").
 	// It must be unique across all priority bands in the configuration.
@@ -170,13 +170,13 @@ type ShardConfig struct {
 	// priorityBandMap provides O(1) lookups of `ShardPriorityBandConfig` by priority level.
 	// It serves as a correctness mechanism, ensuring that accessors return a safe, stable pointer to the correct element
 	// within this specific shard configuration instance.
-	priorityBandMap map[uint]*ShardPriorityBandConfig
+	priorityBandMap map[int]*ShardPriorityBandConfig
 }
 
 // ShardPriorityBandConfig holds the partitioned configuration for a single priority band within a single shard.
 type ShardPriorityBandConfig struct {
 	// Priority is the unique numerical priority level for this band.
-	Priority uint
+	Priority int
 	// PriorityName is a unique human-readable name for this priority band.
 	PriorityName string
 	// IntraFlowDispatchPolicy is the name of the policy for dispatch within a flow's queue.
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ type ShardPriorityBandConfig struct {
 
 // getBandConfig finds and returns the shard-level configuration for a specific priority level.
 // Returns an error wrapping `contracts.ErrPriorityBandNotFound` if the priority is not configured.
-func (sc *ShardConfig) getBandConfig(priority uint) (*ShardPriorityBandConfig, error) {
+func (sc *ShardConfig) getBandConfig(priority int) (*ShardPriorityBandConfig, error) {
 	if band, ok := sc.priorityBandMap[priority]; ok {
 		return band, nil
 	}
@@ -235,9 +235,9 @@ func (c *Config) validateAndApplyDefaults() error {
 	}
 
 	// Validate and default each priority band.
-	priorities := make(map[uint]struct{})
+	priorities := make(map[int]struct{})
 	priorityNames := make(map[string]struct{})
-	c.priorityBandMap = make(map[uint]*PriorityBandConfig, len(c.PriorityBands))
+	c.priorityBandMap = make(map[int]*PriorityBandConfig, len(c.PriorityBands))
 
 	for i := range c.PriorityBands {
 		band := &c.PriorityBands[i]
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ func (c *Config) partition(shardIndex, totalShards int) *ShardConfig {
 	shardCfg := &ShardConfig{
 		MaxBytes:        partitionUint64(c.MaxBytes, shardIndex, totalShards),
 		PriorityBands:   make([]ShardPriorityBandConfig, len(c.PriorityBands)),
-		priorityBandMap: make(map[uint]*ShardPriorityBandConfig, len(c.PriorityBands)),
+		priorityBandMap: make(map[int]*ShardPriorityBandConfig, len(c.PriorityBands)),
 	}
 
 	for i, template := range c.PriorityBands {
@@ -436,7 +436,7 @@ func (c *Config) deepCopy() *Config {
 		FlowGCTimeout:                  c.FlowGCTimeout,
 		EventChannelBufferSize:         c.EventChannelBufferSize,
 		PriorityBands:                  make([]PriorityBandConfig, len(c.PriorityBands)),
-		priorityBandMap:                make(map[uint]*PriorityBandConfig, len(c.PriorityBands)),
+		priorityBandMap:                make(map[int]*PriorityBandConfig, len(c.PriorityBands)),
 		interFlowDispatchPolicyFactory: c.interFlowDispatchPolicyFactory,
 		intraFlowDispatchPolicyFactory: c.intraFlowDispatchPolicyFactory,
 		queueFactory:                   c.queueFactory,
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ func (c *Config) deepCopy() *Config {
 
 // getBandConfig finds and returns the global configuration template for a specific priority level.
 // Returns an error wrapping `contracts.ErrPriorityBandNotFound` if the priority is not configured.
-func (c *Config) getBandConfig(priority uint) (*PriorityBandConfig, error) {
+func (c *Config) getBandConfig(priority int) (*PriorityBandConfig, error) {
 	if band, ok := c.priorityBandMap[priority]; ok {
 		return band, nil
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/registry.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/registry.go
index 95d604e..12f83e2 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/registry.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/registry.go
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ import (
 // propagateStatsDeltaFunc defines the callback function used to propagate statistics changes (deltas) up the hierarchy
 // (Queue -> Shard -> Registry).
 // Implementations MUST be non-blocking (relying on atomics).
-type propagateStatsDeltaFunc func(priority uint, lenDelta, byteSizeDelta int64)
+type propagateStatsDeltaFunc func(priority int, lenDelta, byteSizeDelta int64)
 
 // bandStats holds the aggregated atomic statistics for a single priority band across all shards.
 type bandStats struct {
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ type FlowRegistry struct {
 	// Globally aggregated statistics, updated atomically via lock-free propagation.
 	totalByteSize        atomic.Int64
 	totalLen             atomic.Int64
-	perPriorityBandStats map[uint]*bandStats // Keyed by priority.
+	perPriorityBandStats map[int]*bandStats // Keyed by priority.
 
 	// --- Administrative state (protected by `mu`) ---
 
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ func NewFlowRegistry(config Config, logger logr.Logger, opts ...RegistryOption)
 		logger:               logger.WithName("flow-registry"),
 		activeShards:         []*registryShard{},
 		drainingShards:       make(map[string]*registryShard),
-		perPriorityBandStats: make(map[uint]*bandStats, len(validatedConfig.PriorityBands)),
+		perPriorityBandStats: make(map[int]*bandStats, len(validatedConfig.PriorityBands)),
 	}
 
 	for _, opt := range opts {
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ func (fr *FlowRegistry) Stats() contracts.AggregateStats {
 		TotalCapacityBytes:   fr.config.MaxBytes,
 		TotalByteSize:        uint64(fr.totalByteSize.Load()),
 		TotalLen:             uint64(fr.totalLen.Load()),
-		PerPriorityBandStats: make(map[uint]contracts.PriorityBandStats, len(fr.config.PriorityBands)),
+		PerPriorityBandStats: make(map[int]contracts.PriorityBandStats, len(fr.config.PriorityBands)),
 	}
 
 	for p, s := range fr.perPriorityBandStats {
@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ func (fr *FlowRegistry) updateAllShardsCacheLocked() {
 }
 
 // propagateStatsDelta is the top-level, lock-free aggregator for all statistics.
-func (fr *FlowRegistry) propagateStatsDelta(priority uint, lenDelta, byteSizeDelta int64) {
+func (fr *FlowRegistry) propagateStatsDelta(priority int, lenDelta, byteSizeDelta int64) {
 	stats, ok := fr.perPriorityBandStats[priority]
 	if !ok {
 		panic(fmt.Sprintf("invariant violation: priority band (%d) stats missing during propagation", priority))
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/shard.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/shard.go
index 36032e4..c87a8e4 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/shard.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/shard.go
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ package registry
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"slices"
+	"sort"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ type registryShard struct {
 	// onStatsDelta is the callback used to propagate statistics changes up to the parent registry.
 	onStatsDelta propagateStatsDeltaFunc
 	// orderedPriorityLevels is a cached, sorted list of priority levels.
-	orderedPriorityLevels []uint
+	orderedPriorityLevels []int
 
 	// --- State Protected by `mu` ---
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ type registryShard struct {
 	// config holds the partitioned configuration for this shard, derived from the `FlowRegistry`'s global `Config`.
 	config *ShardConfig
 	// priorityBands is the primary lookup table for all managed queues on this shard.
-	priorityBands map[uint]*priorityBand
+	priorityBands map[int]*priorityBand
 
 	// --- Concurrent-Safe State (Atomics) ---
 
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ func newShard(
 		logger:        shardLogger,
 		config:        config,
 		onStatsDelta:  onStatsDelta,
-		priorityBands: make(map[uint]*priorityBand, len(config.PriorityBands)),
+		priorityBands: make(map[int]*priorityBand, len(config.PriorityBands)),
 	}
 
 	for _, bandConfig := range config.PriorityBands {
@@ -133,8 +133,9 @@ func newShard(
 		}
 		s.orderedPriorityLevels = append(s.orderedPriorityLevels, bandConfig.Priority)
 	}
-
-	slices.Sort(s.orderedPriorityLevels)
+	sort.Slice(s.orderedPriorityLevels, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return s.orderedPriorityLevels[i] > s.orderedPriorityLevels[j]
+	})
 	s.logger.V(logging.DEFAULT).Info("Registry shard initialized successfully",
 		"priorityBandCount", len(s.priorityBands), "orderedPriorities", s.orderedPriorityLevels)
 	return s, nil
@@ -184,7 +185,7 @@ func (s *registryShard) IntraFlowDispatchPolicy(key types.FlowKey) (framework.In
 
 // InterFlowDispatchPolicy retrieves a priority band's configured `framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy`.
 // This read is lock-free as the policy instance is immutable after the shard is initialized.
-func (s *registryShard) InterFlowDispatchPolicy(priority uint) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error) {
+func (s *registryShard) InterFlowDispatchPolicy(priority int) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error) {
 	// This read is safe because the `priorityBands` map structure is immutable after initialization.
 	band, ok := s.priorityBands[priority]
 	if !ok {
@@ -195,7 +196,7 @@ func (s *registryShard) InterFlowDispatchPolicy(priority uint) (framework.InterF
 }
 
 // PriorityBandAccessor retrieves a read-only view for a given priority level.
-func (s *registryShard) PriorityBandAccessor(priority uint) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
+func (s *registryShard) PriorityBandAccessor(priority int) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
 	s.mu.RLock()
 	defer s.mu.RUnlock()
 
@@ -209,7 +210,7 @@ func (s *registryShard) PriorityBandAccessor(priority uint) (framework.PriorityB
 
 // AllOrderedPriorityLevels returns a cached, sorted slice of all configured priority levels for this shard.
 // This is a lock-free read.
-func (s *registryShard) AllOrderedPriorityLevels() []uint {
+func (s *registryShard) AllOrderedPriorityLevels() []int {
 	return s.orderedPriorityLevels
 }
 
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ func (s *registryShard) Stats() contracts.ShardStats {
 		TotalCapacityBytes:   s.config.MaxBytes,
 		TotalByteSize:        uint64(s.totalByteSize.Load()),
 		TotalLen:             uint64(s.totalLen.Load()),
-		PerPriorityBandStats: make(map[uint]contracts.PriorityBandStats, len(s.priorityBands)),
+		PerPriorityBandStats: make(map[int]contracts.PriorityBandStats, len(s.priorityBands)),
 	}
 
 	for priority, band := range s.priorityBands {
@@ -325,7 +326,7 @@ func (s *registryShard) updateConfig(newConfig *ShardConfig) {
 // propagateStatsDelta is the single point of entry for all statistics changes within the shard.
 // It atomically updates the relevant band's stats, the shard's total stats, and propagates the delta to the parent
 // registry.
-func (s *registryShard) propagateStatsDelta(priority uint, lenDelta, byteSizeDelta int64) {
+func (s *registryShard) propagateStatsDelta(priority int, lenDelta, byteSizeDelta int64) {
 	// This read is safe because the `priorityBands` map structure is immutable after initialization.
 	band, ok := s.priorityBands[priority]
 	if !ok {
@@ -355,7 +356,7 @@ type priorityBandAccessor struct {
 var _ framework.PriorityBandAccessor = &priorityBandAccessor{}
 
 // Priority returns the numerical priority level of this band.
-func (a *priorityBandAccessor) Priority() uint { return a.band.config.Priority }
+func (a *priorityBandAccessor) Priority() int { return a.band.config.Priority }
 
 // PriorityName returns the human-readable name of this priority band.
 func (a *priorityBandAccessor) PriorityName() string { return a.band.config.PriorityName }
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/types/flow.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/types/flow.go
index 71017c1..2af2d5b 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/types/flow.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/types/flow.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ type FlowKey struct {
 	//
 	// Because the `FlowKey` is immutable, changing the priority of traffic requires using a new `FlowKey`; the old flow
 	// instance will be automatically garbage collected by the registry when it becomes idle.
-	Priority uint
+	Priority int
 }
 
 func (k FlowKey) String() string {
@@ -49,13 +49,13 @@ func (k FlowKey) String() string {
 }
 
 // Compare provides a stable comparison function for two FlowKey instances, suitable for use with sorting algorithms.
-// It returns -1 if the key is less than the other, 0 if they are equal, and 1 if the key is greater than the other.
+// It returns 1 if the key is less than the other, 0 if they are equal, and -1 if the key is greater than the other.
 // The comparison is performed first by `Priority` (ascending, higher priority first) and then by `ID` (ascending).
 func (k FlowKey) Compare(other FlowKey) int {
-	if k.Priority < other.Priority { // Lower number means higher priority
+	if k.Priority > other.Priority { // Higher number means higher priority
 		return -1
 	}
-	if k.Priority > other.Priority {
+	if k.Priority < other.Priority {
 		return 1
 	}
 	return strings.Compare(k.ID, other.ID)
diff --git a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/multi/prefix/plugin.go b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/multi/prefix/plugin.go
index 4e04167..49ec7fa 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/multi/prefix/plugin.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/multi/prefix/plugin.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/binary"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/cespare/xxhash/v2"
 	k8stypes "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
@@ -78,6 +79,7 @@ type Plugin struct {
 	config      Config
 	pluginState *plugins.PluginState
 	indexer     Indexer
+	wg          sync.WaitGroup
 }
 
 // podSet holds an pods servers that may have a specific prefix hash.
@@ -175,7 +177,6 @@ func (p *Plugin) WithName(name string) *Plugin {
 
 // Score returns the scoring result for the given list of pods based on context.
 func (p *Plugin) Score(ctx context.Context, cycleState *types.CycleState, request *types.LLMRequest, pods []types.Pod) map[types.Pod]float64 {
-	loggerTrace := log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.TRACE)
 	// pre score step, hashing prompt and find longest prefix match.
 	hashes := hashPrompt(ctx, request, p.config.HashBlockSize, p.config.MaxPrefixBlocksToMatch)
 	state := &SchedulingContextState{
@@ -185,7 +186,7 @@ func (p *Plugin) Score(ctx context.Context, cycleState *types.CycleState, reques
 
 	cycleState.Write(plugins.StateKey(p.TypedName().String()), state)
 	p.pluginState.Write(request.RequestId, plugins.StateKey(p.TypedName().String()), state)
-	loggerTrace.Info(fmt.Sprintf("cached servers: %+v", state.PrefixCacheServers), "hashes", state.PrefixHashes)
+	log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.TRACE).Info("prefix cached state", "cached-servers", state.PrefixCacheServers, "hashes", state.PrefixHashes)
 	// calculate the scores of pods
 	scores := make(map[types.Pod]float64, len(pods))
 
@@ -216,7 +217,15 @@ func (p *Plugin) PreRequest(ctx context.Context, request *types.LLMRequest, sche
 		return
 	}
 
-	p.indexer.Add(state.PrefixHashes, ServerID(targetPod.NamespacedName))
+	// This function is just adding data, it does not need to block other operations.
+	// TODO: look into making this entire function async, none of this needs to be done in-band
+	// The PR that introduces this change is meant as a cherrypick, so it was minimally invasive.
+	// WaitGroup is added to the Plugin struct to allow waiting in tests.
+	p.wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		p.indexer.Add(state.PrefixHashes, ServerID(targetPod.NamespacedName))
+		p.wg.Done()
+	}()
 
 	total := len(state.PrefixHashes)
 	matchLen := state.PrefixCacheServers[ServerID(targetPod.NamespacedName)]
diff --git a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/common.go b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/common.go
index 4bbc300..c865584 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/common.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/common.go
@@ -16,6 +16,13 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 package picker
 
+import (
+	"math/rand/v2"
+	"time"
+
+	"sigs.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/pkg/epp/scheduling/types"
+)
+
 const (
 	DefaultMaxNumOfEndpoints = 1 // common default to all pickers
 )
@@ -24,3 +31,14 @@ const (
 type pickerParameters struct {
 	MaxNumOfEndpoints int `json:"maxNumOfEndpoints"`
 }
+
+func shuffleScoredPods(scoredPods []*types.ScoredPod) {
+	// Rand package is not safe for concurrent use, so we create a new instance.
+	// Source: https://pkg.go.dev/math/rand/v2#pkg-overview
+	randomGenerator := rand.New(rand.NewPCG(uint64(time.Now().UnixNano()), 0))
+
+	// Shuffle in-place
+	randomGenerator.Shuffle(len(scoredPods), func(i, j int) {
+		scoredPods[i], scoredPods[j] = scoredPods[j], scoredPods[i]
+	})
+}
diff --git a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/max_score_picker.go b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/max_score_picker.go
index a0e973f..33e99bd 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/max_score_picker.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/max_score_picker.go
@@ -20,9 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
-	"math/rand"
 	"slices"
-	"time"
 
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 
@@ -82,18 +80,11 @@ func (p *MaxScorePicker) TypedName() plugins.TypedName {
 
 // Pick selects the pod with the maximum score from the list of candidates.
 func (p *MaxScorePicker) Pick(ctx context.Context, cycleState *types.CycleState, scoredPods []*types.ScoredPod) *types.ProfileRunResult {
-	log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.DEBUG).Info(fmt.Sprintf("Selecting maximum '%d' pods from %d candidates sorted by max score: %+v", p.maxNumOfEndpoints,
-		len(scoredPods), scoredPods))
-
-	// TODO: merge this with the logic in RandomPicker
-	// Rand package is not safe for concurrent use, so we create a new instance.
-	// Source: https://pkg.go.dev/math/rand#pkg-overview
-	randomGenerator := rand.New(rand.NewSource(time.Now().UnixNano()))
+	log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.DEBUG).Info("Selecting pods from candidates sorted by max score", "max-num-of-endpoints", p.maxNumOfEndpoints,
+		"num-of-candidates", len(scoredPods), "scored-pods", scoredPods)
 
 	// Shuffle in-place - needed for random tie break when scores are equal
-	randomGenerator.Shuffle(len(scoredPods), func(i, j int) {
-		scoredPods[i], scoredPods[j] = scoredPods[j], scoredPods[i]
-	})
+	shuffleScoredPods(scoredPods)
 
 	slices.SortStableFunc(scoredPods, func(i, j *types.ScoredPod) int { // highest score first
 		if i.Score > j.Score {
diff --git a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/random_picker.go b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/random_picker.go
index b571ce3..10ad684 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/random_picker.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/random_picker.go
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
-	"math/rand"
-	"time"
 
 	"sigs.k8s.io/controller-runtime/pkg/log"
 
@@ -38,6 +36,7 @@ const (
 // compile-time type validation
 var _ framework.Picker = &RandomPicker{}
 
+// RandomPickerFactory defines the factory function for RandomPicker.
 func RandomPickerFactory(name string, rawParameters json.RawMessage, _ plugins.Handle) (plugins.Plugin, error) {
 	parameters := pickerParameters{MaxNumOfEndpoints: DefaultMaxNumOfEndpoints}
 	if rawParameters != nil {
@@ -80,18 +79,11 @@ func (p *RandomPicker) TypedName() plugins.TypedName {
 
 // Pick selects random pod(s) from the list of candidates.
 func (p *RandomPicker) Pick(ctx context.Context, _ *types.CycleState, scoredPods []*types.ScoredPod) *types.ProfileRunResult {
-	log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.DEBUG).Info(fmt.Sprintf("Selecting maximum '%d' pods from %d candidates randomly: %+v", p.maxNumOfEndpoints,
-		len(scoredPods), scoredPods))
-
-	// TODO: merge this with the logic in MaxScorePicker
-	// Rand package is not safe for concurrent use, so we create a new instance.
-	// Source: https://pkg.go.dev/math/rand#pkg-overview
-	randomGenerator := rand.New(rand.NewSource(time.Now().UnixNano()))
+	log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.DEBUG).Info("Selecting pods from candidates randomly", "max-num-of-endpoints", p.maxNumOfEndpoints,
+		"num-of-candidates", len(scoredPods), "scored-pods", scoredPods)
 
 	// Shuffle in-place
-	randomGenerator.Shuffle(len(scoredPods), func(i, j int) {
-		scoredPods[i], scoredPods[j] = scoredPods[j], scoredPods[i]
-	})
+	shuffleScoredPods(scoredPods)
 
 	// if we have enough pods to return keep only the relevant subset
 	if p.maxNumOfEndpoints < len(scoredPods) {
diff --git a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/weighted_random_picker.go b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/weighted_random_picker.go
index c12ab72..540ede4 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/weighted_random_picker.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/weighted_random_picker.go
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"fmt"
 	"math"
 	"math/rand"
+	"slices"
 	"sort"
 	"time"
 
@@ -43,12 +44,12 @@ type weightedScoredPod struct {
 	key float64
 }
 
+// compile-time type validation
 var _ framework.Picker = &WeightedRandomPicker{}
 
+// WeightedRandomPickerFactory defines the factory function for WeightedRandomPicker.
 func WeightedRandomPickerFactory(name string, rawParameters json.RawMessage, _ plugins.Handle) (plugins.Plugin, error) {
-	parameters := pickerParameters{
-		MaxNumOfEndpoints: DefaultMaxNumOfEndpoints,
-	}
+	parameters := pickerParameters{MaxNumOfEndpoints: DefaultMaxNumOfEndpoints}
 	if rawParameters != nil {
 		if err := json.Unmarshal(rawParameters, &parameters); err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse the parameters of the '%s' picker - %w", WeightedRandomPickerType, err)
@@ -58,9 +59,10 @@ func WeightedRandomPickerFactory(name string, rawParameters json.RawMessage, _ p
 	return NewWeightedRandomPicker(parameters.MaxNumOfEndpoints).WithName(name), nil
 }
 
+// NewWeightedRandomPicker initializes a new WeightedRandomPicker and returns its pointer.
 func NewWeightedRandomPicker(maxNumOfEndpoints int) *WeightedRandomPicker {
 	if maxNumOfEndpoints <= 0 {
-		maxNumOfEndpoints = DefaultMaxNumOfEndpoints
+		maxNumOfEndpoints = DefaultMaxNumOfEndpoints // on invalid configuration value, fallback to default value
 	}
 
 	return &WeightedRandomPicker{
@@ -70,81 +72,68 @@ func NewWeightedRandomPicker(maxNumOfEndpoints int) *WeightedRandomPicker {
 	}
 }
 
+// WeightedRandomPicker picks pod(s) from the list of candidates based on weighted random sampling using A-Res algorithm.
+// Reference: https://utopia.duth.gr/~pefraimi/research/data/2007EncOfAlg.pdf.
+//
+// The picker at its core is picking pods randomly, where the probability of the pod to get picked is derived
+// from its weighted score.
+// Algorithm:
+// - Uses A-Res (Algorithm for Reservoir Sampling): keyᵢ = Uᵢ^(1/wᵢ)
+// - Selects k items with largest keys for mathematically correct weighted sampling
+// - More efficient than traditional cumulative probability approach
+//
+// Key characteristics:
+// - Mathematically correct weighted random sampling
+// - Single pass algorithm with O(n + k log k) complexity
 type WeightedRandomPicker struct {
 	typedName         plugins.TypedName
 	maxNumOfEndpoints int
 	randomPicker      *RandomPicker // fallback for zero weights
 }
 
+// WithName sets the name of the picker.
 func (p *WeightedRandomPicker) WithName(name string) *WeightedRandomPicker {
 	p.typedName.Name = name
 	return p
 }
 
+// TypedName returns the type and name tuple of this plugin instance.
 func (p *WeightedRandomPicker) TypedName() plugins.TypedName {
 	return p.typedName
 }
 
-// WeightedRandomPicker performs weighted random sampling using A-Res algorithm.
-// Reference: https://utopia.duth.gr/~pefraimi/research/data/2007EncOfAlg.pdf
-// Algorithm:
-// - Uses A-Res (Algorithm for Reservoir Sampling): keyᵢ = Uᵢ^(1/wᵢ)
-// - Selects k items with largest keys for mathematically correct weighted sampling
-// - More efficient than traditional cumulative probability approach
-//
-// Key characteristics:
-// - Mathematically correct weighted random sampling
-// - Single pass algorithm with O(n + k log k) complexity
+// Pick selects the pod(s) randomly from the list of candidates, where the probability of the pod to get picked is derived
+// from its weighted score.
 func (p *WeightedRandomPicker) Pick(ctx context.Context, cycleState *types.CycleState, scoredPods []*types.ScoredPod) *types.ProfileRunResult {
-	log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.DEBUG).Info(fmt.Sprintf("Selecting maximum '%d' pods from %d candidates using weighted random sampling: %+v",
-		p.maxNumOfEndpoints, len(scoredPods), scoredPods))
-
-	// Check if all weights are zero or negative
-	allZeroWeights := true
-	for _, scoredPod := range scoredPods {
-		if scoredPod.Score > 0 {
-			allZeroWeights = false
-			break
-		}
-	}
-
-	// Delegate to RandomPicker for uniform selection when all weights are zero
-	if allZeroWeights {
-		log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.DEBUG).Info("All weights are zero, delegating to RandomPicker for uniform selection")
+	// Check if there is at least one pod with Score > 0, if not let random picker run
+	if slices.IndexFunc(scoredPods, func(scoredPod *types.ScoredPod) bool { return scoredPod.Score > 0 }) == -1 {
+		log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.DEBUG).Info("All scores are zero, delegating to RandomPicker for uniform selection")
 		return p.randomPicker.Pick(ctx, cycleState, scoredPods)
 	}
 
+	log.FromContext(ctx).V(logutil.DEBUG).Info("Selecting pods from candidates by random weighted picker", "max-num-of-endpoints", p.maxNumOfEndpoints,
+		"num-of-candidates", len(scoredPods), "scored-pods", scoredPods)
+
 	randomGenerator := rand.New(rand.NewSource(time.Now().UnixNano()))
 
 	// A-Res algorithm: keyᵢ = Uᵢ^(1/wᵢ)
-	weightedPods := make([]weightedScoredPod, 0, len(scoredPods))
-
-	for _, scoredPod := range scoredPods {
-		weight := float64(scoredPod.Score)
-
-		// Handle zero or negative weights
-		if weight <= 0 {
-			// Assign very small key for zero-weight pods (effectively excludes them)
-			weightedPods = append(weightedPods, weightedScoredPod{
-				ScoredPod: scoredPod,
-				key:       0,
-			})
+	weightedPods := make([]weightedScoredPod, len(scoredPods))
+
+	for i, scoredPod := range scoredPods {
+		// Handle zero score
+		if scoredPod.Score <= 0 {
+			// Assign key=0 for zero-score pods (effectively excludes them from selection)
+			weightedPods[i] = weightedScoredPod{ScoredPod: scoredPod, key: 0}
 			continue
 		}
 
-		// Generate random number U in (0,1)
+		// If we're here the scoredPod.Score > 0. Generate a random number U in (0,1)
 		u := randomGenerator.Float64()
 		if u == 0 {
 			u = 1e-10 // Avoid log(0)
 		}
 
-		// Calculate key = U^(1/weight)
-		key := math.Pow(u, 1.0/weight)
-
-		weightedPods = append(weightedPods, weightedScoredPod{
-			ScoredPod: scoredPod,
-			key:       key,
-		})
+		weightedPods[i] = weightedScoredPod{ScoredPod: scoredPod, key: math.Pow(u, 1.0/scoredPod.Score)} // key = U^(1/weight)
 	}
 
 	// Sort by key in descending order (largest keys first)
@@ -155,14 +144,9 @@ func (p *WeightedRandomPicker) Pick(ctx context.Context, cycleState *types.Cycle
 	// Select top k pods
 	selectedCount := min(p.maxNumOfEndpoints, len(weightedPods))
 
-	scoredPods = make([]*types.ScoredPod, selectedCount)
+	targetPods := make([]types.Pod, selectedCount)
 	for i := range selectedCount {
-		scoredPods[i] = weightedPods[i].ScoredPod
-	}
-
-	targetPods := make([]types.Pod, len(scoredPods))
-	for i, scoredPod := range scoredPods {
-		targetPods[i] = scoredPod
+		targetPods[i] = weightedPods[i].ScoredPod
 	}
 
 	return &types.ProfileRunResult{TargetPods: targetPods}
diff --git a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/scheduler_profile.go b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/scheduler_profile.go
index 9790b98..9c0ae0a 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/scheduler_profile.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/scheduler_profile.go
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ func (p *SchedulerProfile) runPickerPlugin(ctx context.Context, cycleState *type
 		i++
 	}
 
-	loggerDebug.Info("Running picker plugin", "plugin", p.picker.TypedName(), "pods-weighted-score", fmt.Sprint(weightedScorePerPod))
+	loggerDebug.Info("Running picker plugin", "plugin", p.picker.TypedName(), "pods-weighted-score", weightedScorePerPod)
 	before := time.Now()
 	result := p.picker.Pick(ctx, cycleState, scoredPods)
 	metrics.RecordPluginProcessingLatency(PickerExtensionPoint, p.picker.TypedName().Type, p.picker.TypedName().Name, time.Since(before))
diff --git a/site-src/guides/index.md b/site-src/guides/index.md
index 2c3abb4..da80632 100644
--- a/site-src/guides/index.md
+++ b/site-src/guides/index.md
@@ -4,10 +4,6 @@
 
     This project is still in an alpha state and breaking changes may occur in the future.
 
-???+ warning
-
-
-    This page is out of date with the v1.0.0 release candidate. Updates under active development
 
 This quickstart guide is intended for engineers familiar with k8s and model servers (vLLM in this instance). The goal of this guide is to get an Inference Gateway up and running!
 
@@ -19,6 +15,9 @@ A cluster with:
   - Support for [sidecar containers](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/workloads/pods/sidecar-containers/) (enabled by default since Kubernetes v1.29)
   to run the model server deployment.
 
+Tooling:
+  - [Helm](https://helm.sh/docs/intro/install/) installed
+
 ## **Steps**
 
 ### Deploy Sample Model Server
@@ -50,6 +49,10 @@ A cluster with:
 
 === "CPU-Based Model Server"
 
+      ???+ warning
+
+         CPU deployment can be unreliable i.e. the pods may crash/restart because of resource contraints.
+
       This setup is using the formal `vllm-cpu` image, which according to the documentation can run vLLM on x86 CPU platform.
       For this setup, we use approximately 9.5GB of memory and 12 CPUs for each replica.
 
@@ -80,6 +83,54 @@ A cluster with:
    kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/releases/latest/download/manifests.yaml
    ```
 
+### Deploy the InferencePool and Endpoint Picker Extension
+
+   Install an InferencePool named `vllm-llama3-8b-instruct` that selects from endpoints with label `app: vllm-llama3-8b-instruct` and listening on port 8000. The Helm install command automatically installs the endpoint-picker, inferencepool along with provider specific resources.
+
+=== "GKE"
+
+      ```bash
+      export GATEWAY_PROVIDER=gke
+      helm install vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
+      --set inferencePool.modelServers.matchLabels.app=vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
+      --set provider.name=$GATEWAY_PROVIDER \
+      --version v1.0.0 \
+      oci://registry.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/charts/inferencepool
+      ```
+
+=== "Istio"
+
+      ```bash
+      export GATEWAY_PROVIDER=none
+      helm install vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
+      --set inferencePool.modelServers.matchLabels.app=vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
+      --set provider.name=$GATEWAY_PROVIDER \
+      --version v1.0.0 \
+      oci://registry.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/charts/inferencepool
+      ```
+
+=== "Kgateway"
+
+      ```bash
+      export GATEWAY_PROVIDER=none
+      helm install vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
+      --set inferencePool.modelServers.matchLabels.app=vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
+      --set provider.name=$GATEWAY_PROVIDER \
+      --version v1.0.0 \
+      oci://registry.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/charts/inferencepool
+      ```
+
+=== "Agentgateway"
+
+      ```bash
+      export GATEWAY_PROVIDER=none
+      helm install vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
+      --set inferencePool.modelServers.matchLabels.app=vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
+      --set provider.name=$GATEWAY_PROVIDER \
+      --version v1.0.0 \
+      oci://registry.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/charts/inferencepool
+      ```
+
 ### Deploy an Inference Gateway
 
    Choose one of the following options to deploy an Inference Gateway.
@@ -268,22 +319,6 @@ A cluster with:
          kubectl get httproute llm-route -o yaml
          ```
 
-
-### Deploy the InferencePool and Endpoint Picker Extension
-
-   Install an InferencePool named `vllm-llama3-8b-instruct` that selects from endpoints with label app: vllm-llama3-8b-instruct and listening on port 8000, you can run the following command:
-
-   ```bash
-   export GATEWAY_PROVIDER=none #  See [README](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/blob/main/config/charts/inferencepool/README.md#configuration) for valid configurations
-   helm install vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
-   --set inferencePool.modelServers.matchLabels.app=vllm-llama3-8b-instruct \
-   --set provider.name=$GATEWAY_PROVIDER \
-   --version v0.3.0 \
-   oci://registry.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/charts/inferencepool
-   ```
-
-   The Helm install automatically installs the endpoint-picker, inferencepool along with provider specific resources.
-
 ### Deploy InferenceObjective (Optional)
 
    Deploy the sample InferenceObjective which allows you to specify priority of requests.
@@ -302,7 +337,7 @@ A cluster with:
    PORT=80
 
    curl -i ${IP}:${PORT}/v1/completions -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{
-   "model": "food-review",
+   "model": "food-review-1",
    "prompt": "Write as if you were a critic: San Francisco",
    "max_tokens": 100,
    "temperature": 0
@@ -317,10 +352,11 @@ A cluster with:
    1. Uninstall the InferencePool, InferenceModel, and model server resources
 
       ```bash
-      kubectl delete -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/raw/main/config/manifests/inferencepool-resources.yaml --ignore-not-found
+      helm uninstall vllm-llama3-8b-instruct
       kubectl delete -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/raw/main/config/manifests/inferenceobjective.yaml --ignore-not-found
       kubectl delete -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/raw/main/config/manifests/vllm/cpu-deployment.yaml --ignore-not-found
       kubectl delete -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/raw/main/config/manifests/vllm/gpu-deployment.yaml --ignore-not-found
+      kubectl delete -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/raw/main/config/manifests/vllm/sim-deployment.yaml --ignore-not-found
       kubectl delete secret hf-token --ignore-not-found
       ```
 
diff --git a/site-src/guides/serve-multiple-genai-models.md b/site-src/guides/serve-multiple-genai-models.md
index ea4281d..92bfeda 100644
--- a/site-src/guides/serve-multiple-genai-models.md
+++ b/site-src/guides/serve-multiple-genai-models.md
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ spec:
         value: /
     backendRefs:
     - name: gemma3
+      group: inference.networking.x-k8s.io
       kind: InferencePool
   - matches:
     - headers:
@@ -78,6 +79,7 @@ spec:
         value: /
     backendRefs:
     - name: deepseek-r1
+      group: inference.networking.x-k8s.io
       kind: InferencePool
 ```
 



Test patch:
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/filter_test.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/filter_test.go
index ceff9e8..7e51453 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/filter_test.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/filter_test.go
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ func TestSubsetPriorityBandAccessor(t *testing.T) {
 
 	t.Run("should pass through priority and name", func(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Parallel()
-		assert.Equal(t, uint(10), subsetAccessor.Priority(), "Priority() should pass through from the original accessor")
+		assert.Equal(t, 10, subsetAccessor.Priority(), "Priority() should pass through from the original accessor")
 		assert.Equal(t, "High", subsetAccessor.PriorityName(),
 			"PriorityName() should pass through from the original accessor")
 	})
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/processor_test.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/processor_test.go
index 67657a9..81807e0 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/processor_test.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/controller/internal/processor_test.go
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
-	"slices"
+	"sort"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"testing"
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ type testHarness struct {
 	// The harness's mutex protects the single source of truth for all mock state.
 	mu            sync.Mutex
 	queues        map[types.FlowKey]*mocks.MockManagedQueue
-	priorityFlows map[uint][]types.FlowKey // Key: `priority`
+	priorityFlows map[int][]types.FlowKey // Key: `priority`
 
 	// Customizable policy logic for tests to override.
 	interFlowPolicySelectQueue func(band framework.PriorityBandAccessor) (framework.FlowQueueAccessor, error)
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ func newTestHarness(t *testing.T, expiryCleanupInterval time.Duration) *testHarn
 		logger:            logr.Discard(),
 		startSignal:       make(chan struct{}),
 		queues:            make(map[types.FlowKey]*mocks.MockManagedQueue),
-		priorityFlows:     make(map[uint][]types.FlowKey),
+		priorityFlows:     make(map[int][]types.FlowKey),
 	}
 
 	// Wire up the harness to provide the mock implementations for the shard's dependencies.
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ func newTestHarness(t *testing.T, expiryCleanupInterval time.Duration) *testHarn
 	h.StatsFunc = func() contracts.ShardStats {
 		return contracts.ShardStats{
 			TotalCapacityBytes: 1e9,
-			PerPriorityBandStats: map[uint]contracts.PriorityBandStats{
+			PerPriorityBandStats: map[int]contracts.PriorityBandStats{
 				testFlow.Priority: {CapacityBytes: 1e9},
 			},
 		}
@@ -249,20 +249,23 @@ func (h *testHarness) managedQueue(key types.FlowKey) (contracts.ManagedQueue, e
 }
 
 // allOrderedPriorityLevels provides the mock implementation for the `RegistryShard` interface.
-func (h *testHarness) allOrderedPriorityLevels() []uint {
+func (h *testHarness) allOrderedPriorityLevels() []int {
 	h.mu.Lock()
 	defer h.mu.Unlock()
-	prios := make([]uint, 0, len(h.priorityFlows))
+	prios := make([]int, 0, len(h.priorityFlows))
 	for p := range h.priorityFlows {
 		prios = append(prios, p)
 	}
-	slices.Sort(prios)
+	sort.Slice(prios, func(i, j int) bool {
+		return prios[i] > prios[j]
+	})
+
 	return prios
 }
 
 // priorityBandAccessor provides the mock implementation for the `RegistryShard` interface. It acts as a factory for a
 // fully-configured, stateless mock that is safe for concurrent use.
-func (h *testHarness) priorityBandAccessor(p uint) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
+func (h *testHarness) priorityBandAccessor(p int) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
 	band := &frameworkmocks.MockPriorityBandAccessor{PriorityV: p}
 
 	// Safely get a snapshot of the flow IDs under a lock.
@@ -288,7 +291,7 @@ func (h *testHarness) priorityBandAccessor(p uint) (framework.PriorityBandAccess
 }
 
 // interFlowDispatchPolicy provides the mock implementation for the `contracts.RegistryShard` interface.
-func (h *testHarness) interFlowDispatchPolicy(p uint) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error) {
+func (h *testHarness) interFlowDispatchPolicy(p int) (framework.InterFlowDispatchPolicy, error) {
 	policy := &frameworkmocks.MockInterFlowDispatchPolicy{}
 	// If the test provided a custom implementation, use it.
 	if h.interFlowPolicySelectQueue != nil {
@@ -362,7 +365,7 @@ func TestShardProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 			item := h.newTestItem("req-capacity-reject", testFlow, testTTL)
 			h.addQueue(testFlow)
 			h.StatsFunc = func() contracts.ShardStats {
-				return contracts.ShardStats{PerPriorityBandStats: map[uint]contracts.PriorityBandStats{
+				return contracts.ShardStats{PerPriorityBandStats: map[int]contracts.PriorityBandStats{
 					testFlow.Priority: {CapacityBytes: 50}, // 50 is less than item size of 100
 				}}
 			}
@@ -685,7 +688,7 @@ func TestShardProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 					name: "should reject item on registry priority band lookup failure",
 					setupHarness: func(h *testHarness) {
 						h.addQueue(testFlow)
-						h.PriorityBandAccessorFunc = func(uint) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) { return nil, testErr }
+						h.PriorityBandAccessorFunc = func(int) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) { return nil, testErr }
 					},
 					assert: func(t *testing.T, h *testHarness, item *flowItem) {
 						outcome, err := item.FinalState()
@@ -776,7 +779,7 @@ func TestShardProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 					itemByteSize: 1,
 					stats: contracts.ShardStats{
 						TotalCapacityBytes: 200, TotalByteSize: 100,
-						PerPriorityBandStats: map[uint]contracts.PriorityBandStats{
+						PerPriorityBandStats: map[int]contracts.PriorityBandStats{
 							testFlow.Priority: {ByteSize: 50, CapacityBytes: 50},
 						},
 					},
@@ -787,7 +790,7 @@ func TestShardProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 					itemByteSize: 1,
 					stats: contracts.ShardStats{
 						TotalCapacityBytes: 200, TotalByteSize: 100,
-						PerPriorityBandStats: map[uint]contracts.PriorityBandStats{}, // Missing stats for priority 10
+						PerPriorityBandStats: map[int]contracts.PriorityBandStats{}, // Missing stats for priority 10
 					},
 					expectHasCap: false,
 				},
@@ -796,7 +799,7 @@ func TestShardProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 					itemByteSize: 10,
 					stats: contracts.ShardStats{
 						TotalCapacityBytes: 200, TotalByteSize: 100,
-						PerPriorityBandStats: map[uint]contracts.PriorityBandStats{
+						PerPriorityBandStats: map[int]contracts.PriorityBandStats{
 							testFlow.Priority: {ByteSize: 50, CapacityBytes: 100},
 						},
 					},
@@ -854,7 +857,7 @@ func TestShardProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 					{
 						name: "should skip band on priority band accessor error",
 						setupHarness: func(h *testHarness) {
-							h.PriorityBandAccessorFunc = func(uint) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
+							h.PriorityBandAccessorFunc = func(int) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
 								return nil, registryErr
 							}
 						},
@@ -1003,8 +1006,8 @@ func TestShardProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Parallel()
 				// --- ARRANGE ---
 				h := newTestHarness(t, testCleanupTick)
-				keyHigh := types.FlowKey{ID: "flow-high", Priority: 10}
-				keyLow := types.FlowKey{ID: "flow-low", Priority: 20}
+				keyHigh := types.FlowKey{ID: "flow-high", Priority: 20}
+				keyLow := types.FlowKey{ID: "flow-low", Priority: 10}
 				qHigh := h.addQueue(keyHigh)
 				qLow := h.addQueue(keyLow)
 
@@ -1196,8 +1199,8 @@ func TestShardProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Parallel()
 				// --- ARRANGE ---
 				h := newTestHarness(t, testCleanupTick)
-				h.AllOrderedPriorityLevelsFunc = func() []uint { return []uint{testFlow.Priority} }
-				h.PriorityBandAccessorFunc = func(p uint) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
+				h.AllOrderedPriorityLevelsFunc = func() []int { return []int{testFlow.Priority} }
+				h.PriorityBandAccessorFunc = func(p int) (framework.PriorityBandAccessor, error) {
 					return nil, errors.New("registry error")
 				}
 
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/managedqueue_test.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/managedqueue_test.go
index f5e3d7f..64e5ab8 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/managedqueue_test.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/managedqueue_test.go
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ type mockStatsPropagator struct {
 	byteSizeDelta atomic.Int64
 }
 
-func (p *mockStatsPropagator) propagate(_ uint, lenDelta, byteSizeDelta int64) {
+func (p *mockStatsPropagator) propagate(_ int, lenDelta, byteSizeDelta int64) {
 	p.lenDelta.Add(lenDelta)
 	p.byteSizeDelta.Add(byteSizeDelta)
 }
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/registry_test.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/registry_test.go
index 5ffa600..0e1bee1 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/registry_test.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/registry_test.go
@@ -589,7 +589,7 @@ func TestFlowRegistry_UpdateShardCount(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			h := newRegistryTestHarness(t, harnessOptions{config: &config})
-			key := types.FlowKey{ID: "flow", Priority: 10}
+			key := types.FlowKey{ID: "flow", Priority: highPriority}
 			h.openConnectionOnFlow(key)
 
 			err := h.fr.updateShardCount(tc.targetShardCount)
diff --git a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/shard_test.go b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/shard_test.go
index 214497e..7fbda57 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/shard_test.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/flowcontrol/registry/shard_test.go
@@ -37,11 +37,11 @@ import (
 
 const (
 	// highPriority is the priority level for the "High" priority band in the test harness config.
-	highPriority uint = 10
+	highPriority int = 20
 	// lowPriority is the priority level for the "Low" priority band in the test harness config.
-	lowPriority uint = 20
+	lowPriority int = 10
 	// nonExistentPriority is a priority that is known not to exist in the test harness config.
-	nonExistentPriority uint = 99
+	nonExistentPriority int = 99
 )
 
 // --- Test Harness and Mocks ---
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ func TestShard_New(t *testing.T) {
 
 		assert.Equal(t, "test-shard-1", h.shard.ID(), "Shard ID must match the value provided during construction")
 		assert.True(t, h.shard.IsActive(), "A newly created shard must be initialized in the Active state")
-		assert.Equal(t, []uint{highPriority, lowPriority}, h.shard.AllOrderedPriorityLevels(),
+		assert.Equal(t, []int{highPriority, lowPriority}, h.shard.AllOrderedPriorityLevels(),
 			"Shard must report configured priority levels sorted numerically (highest priority first)")
 
 		bandHigh, ok := h.shard.priorityBands[highPriority]
diff --git a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/multi/prefix/plugin_test.go b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/multi/prefix/plugin_test.go
index d6ec43c..3fbac2c 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/multi/prefix/plugin_test.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/multi/prefix/plugin_test.go
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ func TestPrefixPlugin(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	plugin.PreRequest(context.Background(), req1, schedulingResult, 0)
+	plugin.wg.Wait()
 
 	// Second request doesn't share any prefix with first one. It should be added to the cache but
 	// the pod score should be 0.
@@ -98,6 +99,7 @@ func TestPrefixPlugin(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	plugin.PreRequest(context.Background(), req2, schedulingResult, 0)
+	plugin.wg.Wait()
 
 	// Third request shares partial prefix with first one.
 	req3 := &types.LLMRequest{
@@ -123,6 +125,7 @@ func TestPrefixPlugin(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	plugin.PreRequest(context.Background(), req3, schedulingResult, 0)
+	plugin.wg.Wait()
 
 	// 4th request is same as req3 except the model is different, still no match.
 	req4 := &types.LLMRequest{
@@ -148,6 +151,7 @@ func TestPrefixPlugin(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	plugin.PreRequest(context.Background(), req4, schedulingResult, 0)
+	plugin.wg.Wait()
 
 	// 5th request shares partial prefix with 3rd one.
 	req5 := &types.LLMRequest{
@@ -173,6 +177,7 @@ func TestPrefixPlugin(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	plugin.PreRequest(context.Background(), req5, schedulingResult, 0)
+	plugin.wg.Wait()
 }
 
 // TestPrefixPluginStress is a stress test for the prefix scoring plugin, using prompts of increasing length.
@@ -220,6 +225,7 @@ func BenchmarkPrefixPluginStress(b *testing.B) {
 			},
 		}
 		plugin.PreRequest(context.Background(), req, schedulingResult, 0)
+		plugin.wg.Wait()
 
 		// Second cycle: validate internal state
 		state, err := plugins.ReadPluginStateKey[*SchedulingContextState](plugin.pluginState, req.RequestId, plugins.StateKey(plugin.TypedName().String()))
diff --git a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/picker_test.go b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/picker_test.go
index 741a49d..022328e 100644
--- a/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/picker_test.go
+++ b/pkg/epp/scheduling/framework/plugins/picker/picker_test.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ package picker
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"math"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
@@ -138,8 +139,8 @@ func TestPickMaxScorePicker(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestPickWeightedRandomPicker(t *testing.T) {
 	const (
-		testIterations = 1000
-		tolerance      = 0.2 // 20% tolerance in [0,1] range
+		testIterations = 10000
+		tolerance      = 0.05 // Verify within tolerance ±5%
 	)
 
 	pod1 := &types.PodMetrics{Pod: &backend.Pod{NamespacedName: k8stypes.NamespacedName{Name: "pod1"}}}
@@ -197,14 +198,14 @@ func TestPickWeightedRandomPicker(t *testing.T) {
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			picker := NewWeightedRandomPicker(test.maxPods)
-			selectionCounts := make(map[string]int)
 
-			// Calculate expected probabilities based on scores
+			// Summarize the total score of all pods
 			totalScore := 0.0
 			for _, pod := range test.input {
 				totalScore += pod.Score
 			}
 
+			// Calculate expected probabilities based on scores
 			expectedProbabilities := make(map[string]float64)
 			for _, pod := range test.input {
 				podName := pod.GetPod().NamespacedName.Name
@@ -216,20 +217,19 @@ func TestPickWeightedRandomPicker(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 
 			// Initialize selection counters for each pod
+			selectionCounts := make(map[string]int)
 			for _, pod := range test.input {
 				podName := pod.GetPod().NamespacedName.Name
 				selectionCounts[podName] = 0
 			}
 
 			// Run multiple iterations to gather statistical data
-			for i := 0; i < testIterations; i++ {
+			for range testIterations {
 				result := picker.Pick(context.Background(), types.NewCycleState(), test.input)
 
 				// Count selections for probability analysis
-				if len(result.TargetPods) > 0 {
-					selectedPodName := result.TargetPods[0].GetPod().NamespacedName.Name
-					selectionCounts[selectedPodName]++
-				}
+				selectedPodName := result.TargetPods[0].GetPod().NamespacedName.Name
+				selectionCounts[selectedPodName]++
 			}
 
 			// Verify probability distribution
@@ -237,11 +237,7 @@ func TestPickWeightedRandomPicker(t *testing.T) {
 				actualCount := selectionCounts[podName]
 				actualProb := float64(actualCount) / float64(testIterations)
 
-				toleranceValue := expectedProb * tolerance
-				lowerBound := expectedProb - toleranceValue
-				upperBound := expectedProb + toleranceValue
-
-				if actualProb < lowerBound || actualProb > upperBound {
+				if math.Abs(actualProb-expectedProb) > tolerance {
 					t.Errorf("Pod %s: expected probability %.3f ±%.1f%%, got %.3f (count: %d/%d)",
 						podName, expectedProb, tolerance*100, actualProb, actualCount, testIterations)
 				} else {