diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 4b45611a3cb..a1750ca5a35 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -102,6 +102,8 @@ variables:
   S3_TRACIE_RESULTS_BUCKET: mesa-tracie-results
   S3_TRACIE_PUBLIC_BUCKET: mesa-tracie-public
   S3_TRACIE_PRIVATE_BUCKET: mesa-tracie-private
+  # Base path used for various artifacts
+  S3_BASE_PATH: "${S3_HOST}/${S3_KERNEL_BUCKET}"
   # per-pipeline artifact storage on MinIO
   PIPELINE_ARTIFACTS_BASE: ${S3_HOST}/${S3_ARTIFACTS_BUCKET}/${CI_PROJECT_PATH}/${CI_PIPELINE_ID}
   # per-job artifact storage on MinIO
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci/conditional-build-image-tags.yml b/.gitlab-ci/conditional-build-image-tags.yml
index 6129e7d744f..08b9e7ab677 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci/conditional-build-image-tags.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci/conditional-build-image-tags.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 variables:
   CONDITIONAL_BUILD_ANGLE_TAG: 30422b1b4732b9f6de6d3e7fe329b569
   CONDITIONAL_BUILD_CROSVM_TAG: bb7f75d912ef43be8c9204385d79820a
-  CONDITIONAL_BUILD_FLUSTER_TAG: f1af06c34ccdbb5b44f78adaeb63603c
+  CONDITIONAL_BUILD_FLUSTER_TAG: f42cd5fa50a120b580b6de838260d5d2
   CONDITIONAL_BUILD_PIGLIT_TAG: 009be6e9949c1121f67c8a3985b08505
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci/container/build-fluster.sh b/.gitlab-ci/container/build-fluster.sh
index bf0a98afec1..48196e9f6bd 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci/container/build-fluster.sh
+++ b/.gitlab-ci/container/build-fluster.sh
@@ -22,28 +22,18 @@ FLUSTER_REVISION="e997402978f62428fffc8e5a4a709690d9ca9bc5"
 
 git clone https://github.com/fluendo/fluster.git --single-branch --no-checkout
 
-export SKIP_UPDATE_FLUSTER_VECTORS=false
-
-check_fluster()
-{
-    S3_FLUSTER_TAR="${S3_HOST}/${S3_KERNEL_BUCKET}/$1/${DATA_STORAGE_PATH}/fluster/${FLUSTER_TAG}/vectors.tar.zst"
-    if curl -L --retry 4 -f --retry-connrefused --retry-delay 30 -s --head \
-      "https://${S3_FLUSTER_TAR}"; then
-        echo "Fluster vectors are up-to-date, skip rebuilding them."
-        export SKIP_UPDATE_FLUSTER_VECTORS=true
-    fi
-}
-
-check_fluster "${FDO_UPSTREAM_REPO}"
-if ! $SKIP_UPDATE_FLUSTER_VECTORS; then
-    check_fluster "${CI_PROJECT_PATH}"
-fi
-
 pushd fluster || exit
 git checkout "${FLUSTER_REVISION}"
 popd || exit
 
-if ! $SKIP_UPDATE_FLUSTER_VECTORS; then
+ARTIFACT_PATH="${DATA_STORAGE_PATH}/fluster/${FLUSTER_TAG}/vectors.tar.zst"
+
+if FOUND_ARTIFACT_URL="$(find_s3_project_artifact "${ARTIFACT_PATH}")"; then
+    echo "Found fluster vectors at: ${FOUND_ARTIFACT_URL}"
+    mv fluster/ /
+    curl-with-retry "${FOUND_ARTIFACT_URL}" | tar --zstd -x -C /
+else
+    echo "No cached vectors found, rebuilding..."
     # Download the necessary vectors: H264, H265 and VP9
     # When updating FLUSTER_REVISION, make sure to update the vectors if necessary or
     # fluster-runner will report Missing results.
@@ -54,14 +44,9 @@ if ! $SKIP_UPDATE_FLUSTER_VECTORS; then
 
     # Build fluster vectors archive and upload it
     tar --zstd -cf "vectors.tar.zst" fluster/resources/
-    ci-fairy s3cp --token-file "${S3_JWT_FILE}" "vectors.tar.zst" "https://${S3_FLUSTER_TAR}"
-fi
-
-mv fluster/ /
-
-if $SKIP_UPDATE_FLUSTER_VECTORS; then
-    curl -L --retry 4 -f --retry-connrefused --retry-delay 30 \
-      "${FDO_HTTP_CACHE_URI:-}https://${S3_FLUSTER_TAR}" | tar --zstd -x -C /
+    ci-fairy s3cp --token-file "${S3_JWT_FILE}" "vectors.tar.zst" \
+        "https://${S3_BASE_PATH}/${CI_PROJECT_PATH}/${ARTIFACT_PATH}"
+    mv fluster/ /
 fi
 
 section_end fluster
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci/image-tags.yml b/.gitlab-ci/image-tags.yml
index 6897bad2788..a31ed1dbed4 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci/image-tags.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci/image-tags.yml
@@ -25,12 +25,12 @@ variables:
 
   DEBIAN_TEST_ANDROID_TAG: "20250603-curl-O-2"
   DEBIAN_TEST_GL_TAG: "20250603-vkcts-main"
-  DEBIAN_TEST_VIDEO_TAG: "20250503-fluster"
+  DEBIAN_TEST_VIDEO_TAG: "20250609-helper"
   DEBIAN_TEST_VK_TAG: "20250603-vkcts-main"
 
   ALPINE_X86_64_BUILD_TAG: "20250423-rootfs"
   ALPINE_X86_64_LAVA_SSH_TAG: "20250423-rootfs"
-  ALPINE_X86_64_LAVA_TRIGGER_TAG: "20250604-time-drift"
+  ALPINE_X86_64_LAVA_TRIGGER_TAG: "20250609-helper"
 
   FEDORA_X86_64_BUILD_TAG: "20250423-rootfs"
 
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci/lava/lava-gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci/lava/lava-gitlab-ci.yml
index 11019ecd654..efa3f0a1ac2 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci/lava/lava-gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci/lava/lava-gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -35,11 +35,7 @@ variables:
     FDO_CI_CONCURRENT: 6 # should be replaced by per-machine definitions
     # the dispatchers use this to cache data locally
     LAVA_HTTP_CACHE_URI: "http://caching-proxy/cache/?uri="
-    # base system generated by the container build job, shared between many pipelines
-    BASE_SYSTEM_HOST_PREFIX: "${S3_HOST}/${S3_KERNEL_BUCKET}"
-    # path to the LAVA rootfs
-    BASE_SYSTEM_MAINLINE_HOST_PATH: "${BASE_SYSTEM_HOST_PREFIX}/${FDO_UPSTREAM_REPO}/${MESA_IMAGE_PATH}:${FDO_DISTRIBUTION_TAG}"
-    BASE_SYSTEM_FORK_HOST_PATH: "${BASE_SYSTEM_HOST_PREFIX}/${CI_PROJECT_PATH}/${MESA_IMAGE_PATH}:${FDO_DISTRIBUTION_TAG}"
+    LAVA_ROOTFS_PATH: "${MESA_IMAGE_PATH}:${FDO_DISTRIBUTION_TAG}/lava-rootfs.tar.zst"
     # per-job build artifacts
     JOB_RESULTS_PATH: "${JOB_ARTIFACTS_BASE}/results.tar.zst"
     S3_ARTIFACT_NAME: "mesa-${ARCH}-default-debugoptimized"
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci/lava/lava-submit.sh b/.gitlab-ci/lava/lava-submit.sh
index 3588c95b24e..7011dccb875 100755
--- a/.gitlab-ci/lava/lava-submit.sh
+++ b/.gitlab-ci/lava/lava-submit.sh
@@ -6,27 +6,17 @@
 # .gitlab-ci/image-tags.yml tags:
 # ALPINE_X86_64_LAVA_TRIGGER_TAG
 
-# If we run in the fork (not from mesa or Marge-bot), reuse mainline kernel and rootfs, if exist.
-_check_artifact_path() {
-	_url="https://${1}/${2}"
-	if curl -s -o /dev/null -I -L -f --retry 4 --retry-delay 15 "${_url}"; then
-		echo -n "${_url}"
-	fi
-}
+. "${SCRIPTS_DIR}/setup-test-env.sh"
 
-get_path_to_artifact() {
-	_mainline_artifact="$(_check_artifact_path ${BASE_SYSTEM_MAINLINE_HOST_PATH} ${1})"
-	if [ -n "${_mainline_artifact}" ]; then
-		echo -n "${_mainline_artifact}"
-		return
-	fi
-	_fork_artifact="$(_check_artifact_path ${BASE_SYSTEM_FORK_HOST_PATH} ${1})"
-	if [ -n "${_fork_artifact}" ]; then
-		echo -n "${_fork_artifact}"
-		return
-	fi
+section_start prepare_rootfs "Preparing root filesystem"
+
+set -ex
+
+# If we run in the fork (not from mesa or Marge-bot), reuse mainline kernel and rootfs, if exist.
+ROOTFS_URL="$(find_s3_project_artifact "$LAVA_ROOTFS_PATH")" ||
+{
 	set +x
-	error "Sorry, I couldn't find a viable built path for ${1} in either mainline or a fork." >&2
+	error "Sorry, I couldn't find a viable built path for ${LAVA_ROOTFS_PATH} in either mainline or a fork." >&2
 	echo "" >&2
 	echo "If you're working on CI, this probably means that you're missing a dependency:" >&2
 	echo "this job ran ahead of the job which was supposed to upload that artifact." >&2
@@ -38,15 +28,6 @@ get_path_to_artifact() {
 	exit 1
 }
 
-. "${SCRIPTS_DIR}/setup-test-env.sh"
-
-section_start prepare_rootfs "Preparing root filesystem"
-
-set -ex
-
-ROOTFS_URL="$(get_path_to_artifact lava-rootfs.tar.zst)"
-[ $? != 1 ] || exit 1
-
 rm -rf results
 mkdir results
 
@@ -73,7 +54,7 @@ if [ -n "${LAVA_FIRMWARE:-}" ]; then
         LAVA_EXTRA_OVERLAYS+=(
             - append-overlay
               --name=linux-firmware
-              --url="https://${BASE_SYSTEM_HOST_PREFIX}/${FIRMWARE_REPO}/${fw}-${FIRMWARE_TAG}.tar"
+              --url="https://${S3_BASE_PATH}/${FIRMWARE_REPO}/${fw}-${FIRMWARE_TAG}.tar"
               --path="/"
               --format=tar
         )
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci/setup-test-env.sh b/.gitlab-ci/setup-test-env.sh
index 34fd37fc109..1572d850fa4 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci/setup-test-env.sh
+++ b/.gitlab-ci/setup-test-env.sh
@@ -291,6 +291,29 @@ export -f get_tag_file
 
 # Structured tagging ------
 
+curl-with-retry() {
+    curl --fail --location --retry-connrefused --retry 4 --retry-delay 15 "$@"
+}
+export -f curl-with-retry
+
+function find_s3_project_artifact() {
+    x_off
+    local artifact_path="$1"
+
+    for project in "${FDO_UPSTREAM_REPO}" "${CI_PROJECT_PATH}"; do
+        local full_path="${FDO_HTTP_CACHE_URI:-}${S3_BASE_PATH}/${project}/${artifact_path}"
+        if curl-with-retry -s --head "https://${full_path}" >/dev/null; then
+            echo "https://${full_path}"
+            x_restore
+            return 0
+        fi
+    done
+
+    x_restore
+    return 1
+}
+export -f find_s3_project_artifact
+
 export -f error
 export -f trap_err