diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 4a7df05b40..fdef50b268 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ test-docker-py: build ## run the docker-py tests
 	$(DOCKER_RUN_DOCKER) hack/make.sh dynbinary test-docker-py
 
 test-integration-cli: build ## run the integration tests
-	$(DOCKER_RUN_DOCKER) hack/make.sh dynbinary test-integration-cli
+	$(DOCKER_RUN_DOCKER) hack/make.sh build-integration-test-binary dynbinary test-integration-cli
 
 test-unit: build ## run the unit tests
 	$(DOCKER_RUN_DOCKER) hack/make.sh test-unit
diff --git a/hack/make.sh b/hack/make.sh
index cb2f51ab66..9e01fe8f6e 100755
--- a/hack/make.sh
+++ b/hack/make.sh
@@ -285,7 +285,6 @@ install_binary() {
 	fi
 }
 
-
 main() {
 	# We want this to fail if the bundles already exist and cannot be removed.
 	# This is to avoid mixing bundles from different versions of the code.
diff --git a/hack/make/.integration-test-helpers b/hack/make/.integration-test-helpers
index af7cfed5a8..4e6580563c 100644
--- a/hack/make/.integration-test-helpers
+++ b/hack/make/.integration-test-helpers
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 bundle_test_integration_cli() {
 	TESTFLAGS="$TESTFLAGS -check.v -check.timeout=${TIMEOUT} -test.timeout=360m"
-	go_test_dir ./integration-cli
+	go_test_dir integration-cli $DOCKER_INTEGRATION_TESTS_VERIFIED
 }
 
 # If $TESTFLAGS is set in the environment, it is passed as extra arguments to 'go test'.
@@ -19,16 +19,17 @@ bundle_test_integration_cli() {
 #
 go_test_dir() {
 	dir=$1
-	coverpkg=$2
+	precompiled=$2
+	testbinary="$DEST/test.main"
 	testcover=()
 	testcoverprofile=()
-	testbinary="$DEST/test.main"
 	(
 		mkdir -p "$DEST/coverprofiles"
-		echo '+ go test' $TESTFLAGS "${DOCKER_PKG}${dir#.}"
-		cd "$dir"
 		export DEST="$ABS_DEST" # in a subshell this is safe -- our integration-cli tests need DEST, and "cd" screws it up
-		go test -c -o "$testbinary" -ldflags "$LDFLAGS" "${BUILDFLAGS[@]}"
+		if [ -z $precompiled ]; then
+			ensure_test_dir $1 $testbinary
+		fi
+		cd "$dir"
 		i=0
 		while ((++i)); do
 			test_env "$testbinary" $TESTFLAGS
@@ -40,22 +41,37 @@ go_test_dir() {
 	)
 }
 
-test_env() {
-	# use "env -i" to tightly control the environment variables that bleed into the tests
-	env -i \
-		DEST="$DEST" \
-		DOCKER_TLS_VERIFY="$DOCKER_TEST_TLS_VERIFY" \
-		DOCKER_CERT_PATH="$DOCKER_TEST_CERT_PATH" \
-		DOCKER_ENGINE_GOARCH="$DOCKER_ENGINE_GOARCH" \
-		DOCKER_GRAPHDRIVER="$DOCKER_GRAPHDRIVER" \
-		DOCKER_USERLANDPROXY="$DOCKER_USERLANDPROXY" \
-		DOCKER_HOST="$DOCKER_HOST" \
-		DOCKER_REMAP_ROOT="$DOCKER_REMAP_ROOT" \
-		DOCKER_REMOTE_DAEMON="$DOCKER_REMOTE_DAEMON" \
-		GOPATH="$GOPATH" \
-		GOTRACEBACK=all \
-		HOME="$ABS_DEST/fake-HOME" \
-		PATH="$PATH" \
-		TEMP="$TEMP" \
-		"$@"
+ensure_test_dir() {
+	(
+		# make sure a test dir will compile
+		dir="$1"
+		out="$2"
+		echo Building test dir: "$dir"
+		set -xe
+		cd "$dir"
+		go test -c -o "$out" -ldflags "$LDFLAGS" "${BUILDFLAGS[@]}"
+	)
+}
+
+test_env() {
+	(
+		set -xe
+		# use "env -i" to tightly control the environment variables that bleed into the tests
+		env -i \
+			DEST="$DEST" \
+			DOCKER_TLS_VERIFY="$DOCKER_TEST_TLS_VERIFY" \
+			DOCKER_CERT_PATH="$DOCKER_TEST_CERT_PATH" \
+			DOCKER_ENGINE_GOARCH="$DOCKER_ENGINE_GOARCH" \
+			DOCKER_GRAPHDRIVER="$DOCKER_GRAPHDRIVER" \
+			DOCKER_USERLANDPROXY="$DOCKER_USERLANDPROXY" \
+			DOCKER_HOST="$DOCKER_HOST" \
+			DOCKER_REMAP_ROOT="$DOCKER_REMAP_ROOT" \
+			DOCKER_REMOTE_DAEMON="$DOCKER_REMOTE_DAEMON" \
+			GOPATH="$GOPATH" \
+			GOTRACEBACK=all \
+			HOME="$ABS_DEST/fake-HOME" \
+			PATH="$PATH" \
+			TEMP="$TEMP" \
+			"$@"
+	)
 }
diff --git a/hack/make/build-integration-test-binary b/hack/make/build-integration-test-binary
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2039be416f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/make/build-integration-test-binary
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+rm -rf "$DEST"
+DEST="$DEST/../test-integration-cli"
+
+if [ -z $DOCKER_INTEGRATION_TESTS_VERIFIED ]; then
+	source ${MAKEDIR}/.integration-test-helpers
+	ensure_test_dir integration-cli "$DEST/test.main"
+	export DOCKER_INTEGRATION_TESTS_VERIFIED=1
+fi