diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 5010fe1de..755a22fbf 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ checksum = "c7c24de15d275a1ecfd47a380fb4d5ec9bfe0933f309ed5e705b775596a3574d"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ checksum = "9035ad2d096bed7955a320ee7e2230574d28fd3c3a0f186cbea1ff3c7eed5dbb"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "regex",
  "rustc-hash",
  "shlex",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -512,7 +512,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "proc-macro-crate",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -621,7 +621,7 @@ checksum = "89385e82b5d1821d2219e0b095efa2cc1f246cbf99080f3be46a1a85c0d392d9"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -667,13 +667,13 @@ checksum = "3fce8dd7fcfcbf3a0a87d8f515194b49d6135acab73e18bd380d1d93bb1a15eb"
 dependencies = [
  "clap",
  "heck 0.4.1",
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "log",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
  "tempfile",
  "toml",
 ]
@@ -767,7 +767,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "heck 0.5.0",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -854,7 +854,7 @@ version = "3.0.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "fde0e0ec90c9dfb3b4b1a0891a7dcd0e2bffde2f7efed5fe7c9bb00e5bfb915e"
 dependencies = [
- "windows-sys 0.52.0",
+ "windows-sys 0.59.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1070,7 +1070,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
  "strsim 0.11.1",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1084,7 +1084,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
  "strsim 0.11.1",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1106,7 +1106,7 @@ checksum = "fc34b93ccb385b40dc71c6fceac4b2ad23662c7eeb248cf10d529b7e055b6ead"
 dependencies = [
  "darling_core 0.20.11",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1117,7 +1117,7 @@ checksum = "d38308df82d1080de0afee5d069fa14b0326a88c14f15c5ccda35b4a6c414c81"
 dependencies = [
  "darling_core 0.21.3",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1236,7 +1236,7 @@ version = "0.7.0"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1379,7 +1379,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "dataplane-tracectl",
  "derive_builder 0.20.2",
  "futures",
- "libc 1.0.0-alpha.1",
+ "libc 1.0.0-alpha.2",
  "multi_index_map",
  "nix 0.30.1",
  "rtnetlink",
@@ -1409,12 +1409,26 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
  "serde-duration-ext",
  "serde_json",
+ "serde_yaml_ng",
  "thiserror 2.0.17",
  "tokio",
  "tracing",
  "ureq",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "dataplane-k8s-less"
+version = "0.7.0"
+dependencies = [
+ "dataplane-gwname",
+ "dataplane-k8s-intf",
+ "dataplane-tracectl",
+ "inotify",
+ "tokio",
+ "tracing",
+ "tracing-test",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "dataplane-left-right-tlcache"
 version = "0.7.0"
@@ -1458,6 +1472,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "dataplane-id",
  "dataplane-interface-manager",
  "dataplane-k8s-intf",
+ "dataplane-k8s-less",
  "dataplane-lpm",
  "dataplane-nat",
  "dataplane-net",
@@ -1766,7 +1781,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "darling 0.20.11",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1786,7 +1801,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "ab63b0e2bf4d5928aff72e83a7dace85d7bba5fe12dcc3c5a572d78caffd3f3c"
 dependencies = [
  "derive_builder_core 0.20.2",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1808,7 +1823,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
  "rustc_version",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
  "unicode-xid",
 ]
 
@@ -1869,7 +1884,7 @@ checksum = "97369cbbc041bc366949bc74d34658d6cda5621039731c6310521892a3a20ae0"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1948,7 +1963,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "enum-ordinalize",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1960,7 +1975,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "enum-ordinalize",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1992,7 +2007,7 @@ checksum = "8ca9601fb2d62598ee17836250842873a413586e5d7ed88b356e38ddbb0ec631"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -2008,7 +2023,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "39cab71617ae0d63f51a36d69f866391735b51691dbda63cf6f96d042b63efeb"
 dependencies = [
  "libc 0.2.179",
- "windows-sys 0.52.0",
+ "windows-sys 0.61.2",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -2097,7 +2112,7 @@ source = "git+https://github.com/githedgehog/fixin?branch=main#5e0de31606466b173
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro-error2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -2230,7 +2245,7 @@ checksum = "162ee34ebcb7c64a8abebc059ce0fee27c2262618d7b60ed8faf72fef13c3650"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -2363,9 +2378,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "h2"
-version = "0.4.12"
+version = "0.4.13"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "f3c0b69cfcb4e1b9f1bf2f53f95f766e4661169728ec61cd3fe5a0166f2d1386"
+checksum = "2f44da3a8150a6703ed5d34e164b875fd14c2cdab9af1252a9a1020bde2bdc54"
 dependencies = [
  "atomic-waker",
  "bytes",
@@ -2373,7 +2388,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "futures-core",
  "futures-sink",
  "http 1.4.0",
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "slab",
  "tokio",
  "tokio-util",
@@ -2409,6 +2424,7 @@ version = "0.16.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "841d1cc9bed7f9236f321df977030373f4a4163ae1a7dbfe1a51a2c1a51d9100"
 dependencies = [
+ "equivalent",
  "foldhash 0.2.0",
 ]
 
@@ -2793,9 +2809,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "indexmap"
-version = "2.12.1"
+version = "2.13.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "0ad4bb2b565bca0645f4d68c5c9af97fba094e9791da685bf83cb5f3ce74acf2"
+checksum = "7714e70437a7dc3ac8eb7e6f8df75fd8eb422675fc7678aff7364301092b1017"
 dependencies = [
  "equivalent",
  "hashbrown 0.16.1",
@@ -2803,6 +2819,28 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde_core",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "inotify"
+version = "0.11.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f37dccff2791ab604f9babef0ba14fbe0be30bd368dc541e2b08d07c8aa908f3"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitflags 2.10.0",
+ "futures-core",
+ "inotify-sys",
+ "libc 0.2.179",
+ "tokio",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "inotify-sys"
+version = "0.1.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e05c02b5e89bff3b946cedeca278abc628fe811e604f027c45a8aa3cf793d0eb"
+dependencies = [
+ "libc 0.2.179",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "instant"
 version = "0.1.13"
@@ -3033,7 +3071,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "quote",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3088,9 +3126,9 @@ checksum = "c5a2d376baa530d1238d133232d15e239abad80d05838b4b59354e5268af431f"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "libc"
-version = "1.0.0-alpha.1"
+version = "1.0.0-alpha.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "7222002e5385b4d9327755661e3847c970e8fbf9dea6da8c57f16e8cfbff53a8"
+checksum = "85272f924988b0557659867ecbb172a88990b2c5175bebd38c44956e7c74e701"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "libflate"
@@ -3149,7 +3187,7 @@ checksum = "e5cec0ec4228b4853bb129c84dbf093a27e6c7a20526da046defc334a1b017f7"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3282,7 +3320,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "3589659543c04c7dc5526ec858591015b87cd8746583b51b48ef4353f99dbcda"
 dependencies = [
  "base64 0.22.1",
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "metrics",
  "metrics-util",
  "quanta",
@@ -3332,7 +3370,7 @@ checksum = "db5b29714e950dbb20d5e6f74f9dcec4edbcc1067bb7f8ed198c097b8c1a818b"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3409,7 +3447,7 @@ checksum = "4568f25ccbd45ab5d5603dc34318c1ec56b117531781260002151b8530a9f931"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3441,7 +3479,7 @@ source = "git+https://github.com/githedgehog/testn.git?tag=v0.0.9#299344af36ed01
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3649,7 +3687,7 @@ checksum = "ed3955f1a9c7c0c15e092f9c887db08b1fc683305fdf6eb6684f22555355e202"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3752,11 +3790,11 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "ordermap"
-version = "1.0.0"
+version = "1.1.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "ed637741ced8fb240855d22a2b4f208dab7a06bcce73380162e5253000c16758"
+checksum = "cfa78c92071bbd3628c22b1a964f7e0eb201dc1456555db072beb1662ecd6715"
 dependencies = [
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3871,7 +3909,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "pest_meta",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3939,7 +3977,7 @@ checksum = "6e918e4ff8c4549eb882f14b3a4bc8c8bc93de829416eacf579f1207a8fbf861"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3967,7 +4005,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "740ebea15c5d1428f910cd1a5f52cebf8d25006245ed8ade92702f4943d91e07"
 dependencies = [
  "base64 0.22.1",
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "quick-xml",
  "serde",
  "time",
@@ -4056,7 +4094,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "93980406f12d9f8140ed5abe7155acb10bb1e69ea55c88960b9c2f117445ef96"
 dependencies = [
  "equivalent",
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4087,14 +4125,14 @@ dependencies = [
  "proc-macro-error-attr2",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "proc-macro2"
-version = "1.0.104"
+version = "1.0.105"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "9695f8df41bb4f3d222c95a67532365f569318332d03d5f3f67f37b20e6ebdf0"
+checksum = "535d180e0ecab6268a3e718bb9fd44db66bbbc256257165fc699dadf70d16fe7"
 dependencies = [
  "unicode-ident",
 ]
@@ -4163,7 +4201,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "itertools 0.14.0",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4183,7 +4221,7 @@ checksum = "7347867d0a7e1208d93b46767be83e2b8f978c3dad35f775ac8d8847551d6fe1"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4241,9 +4279,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "quote"
-version = "1.0.42"
+version = "1.0.43"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "a338cc41d27e6cc6dce6cefc13a0729dfbb81c262b1f519331575dd80ef3067f"
+checksum = "dc74d9a594b72ae6656596548f56f667211f8a97b3d4c3d467150794690dc40a"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
 ]
@@ -4431,7 +4469,7 @@ checksum = "b7186006dcb21920990093f30e3dea63b7d6e977bf1256be20c3563a5db070da"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4529,7 +4567,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "bytecheck",
  "bytes",
  "hashbrown 0.16.1",
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "munge",
  "ptr_meta",
  "rancor",
@@ -4547,7 +4585,7 @@ checksum = "7f6dffea3c91fa91a3c0fc8a061b0e27fef25c6304728038a6d6bcb1c58ba9bd"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4610,14 +4648,14 @@ dependencies = [
  "errno",
  "libc 0.2.179",
  "linux-raw-sys 0.11.0",
- "windows-sys 0.52.0",
+ "windows-sys 0.61.2",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "rustls"
-version = "0.23.35"
+version = "0.23.36"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "533f54bc6a7d4f647e46ad909549eda97bf5afc1585190ef692b4286b198bd8f"
+checksum = "c665f33d38cea657d9614f766881e4d510e0eda4239891eea56b4cadcf01801b"
 dependencies = [
  "aws-lc-rs",
  "log",
@@ -4762,7 +4800,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
  "serde_derive_internals",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4869,7 +4907,7 @@ checksum = "d540f220d3187173da220f885ab66608367b6574e925011a9353e4badda91d79"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4880,14 +4918,14 @@ checksum = "18d26a20a969b9e3fdf2fc2d9f21eda6c40e2de84c9408bb5d3b05d499aae711"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "serde_json"
-version = "1.0.148"
+version = "1.0.149"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "3084b546a1dd6289475996f182a22aba973866ea8e8b02c51d9f46b1336a22da"
+checksum = "83fc039473c5595ace860d8c4fafa220ff474b3fc6bfdb4293327f1a37e94d86"
 dependencies = [
  "itoa",
  "memchr",
@@ -4904,7 +4942,7 @@ checksum = "175ee3e80ae9982737ca543e96133087cbd9a485eecc3bc4de9c1a37b47ea59c"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4938,7 +4976,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "chrono",
  "hex",
  "indexmap 1.9.3",
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "schemars 0.9.0",
  "schemars 1.2.0",
  "serde_core",
@@ -4952,7 +4990,7 @@ version = "0.9.34+deprecated"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "6a8b1a1a2ebf674015cc02edccce75287f1a0130d394307b36743c2f5d504b47"
 dependencies = [
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "itoa",
  "ryu",
  "serde",
@@ -4965,7 +5003,7 @@ version = "0.10.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "7b4db627b98b36d4203a7b458cf3573730f2bb591b28871d916dfa9efabfd41f"
 dependencies = [
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "itoa",
  "ryu",
  "serde",
@@ -4992,7 +5030,7 @@ checksum = "6f50427f258fb77356e4cd4aa0e87e2bd2c66dbcee41dc405282cae2bfc26c83"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5117,9 +5155,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "small-map"
-version = "0.1.4"
+version = "0.1.5"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "3212e658a14154c44759b0e2fe264bcfa369cf2aa2f789b6915de9db366d8d19"
+checksum = "64c0b79fa0e86d80062670059d27f93911776cdeba2555bf428b455d8738c32f"
 dependencies = [
  "hashbrown 0.16.1",
 ]
@@ -5182,7 +5220,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "heck 0.5.0",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5248,9 +5286,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "syn"
-version = "2.0.113"
+version = "2.0.114"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "678faa00651c9eb72dd2020cbdf275d92eccb2400d568e419efdd64838145cb4"
+checksum = "d4d107df263a3013ef9b1879b0df87d706ff80f65a86ea879bd9c31f9b307c2a"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
@@ -5274,7 +5312,7 @@ checksum = "728a70f3dbaf5bab7f0c4b1ac8d7ae5ea60a4b5549c8a5914361c99147a709d2"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5293,7 +5331,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "getrandom 0.3.4",
  "once_cell",
  "rustix",
- "windows-sys 0.52.0",
+ "windows-sys 0.61.2",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5353,7 +5391,7 @@ checksum = "4fee6c4efc90059e10f81e6d42c60a18f76588c3d74cb83a0b242a2b6c7504c1"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5364,7 +5402,7 @@ checksum = "3ff15c8ecd7de3849db632e14d18d2571fa09dfc5ed93479bc4485c7a517c913"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5466,7 +5504,7 @@ checksum = "af407857209536a95c8e56f8231ef2c2e2aff839b22e07a1ffcbc617e9db9fa5"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5559,7 +5597,7 @@ version = "0.20.7"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "70f427fce4d84c72b5b732388bf4a9f4531b53f74e2887e3ecb2481f68f66d81"
 dependencies = [
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "toml_datetime",
  "winnow 0.5.40",
 ]
@@ -5570,7 +5608,7 @@ version = "0.22.27"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "41fe8c660ae4257887cf66394862d21dbca4a6ddd26f04a3560410406a2f819a"
 dependencies = [
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "serde",
  "serde_spanned",
  "toml_datetime",
@@ -5632,7 +5670,7 @@ checksum = "d039ad9159c98b70ecfd540b2573b97f7f52c3e8d9f8ad57a24b916a536975f9"
 dependencies = [
  "futures-core",
  "futures-util",
- "indexmap 2.12.1",
+ "indexmap 2.13.0",
  "pin-project-lite",
  "slab",
  "sync_wrapper",
@@ -5696,7 +5734,7 @@ checksum = "7490cfa5ec963746568740651ac6781f701c9c5ea257c58e057f3ba8cf69e8da"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5766,7 +5804,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "04659ddb06c87d233c566112c1c9c5b9e98256d9af50ec3bc9c8327f873a7568"
 dependencies = [
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -5880,14 +5918,15 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "url"
-version = "2.5.7"
+version = "2.5.8"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "08bc136a29a3d1758e07a9cca267be308aeebf5cfd5a10f3f67ab2097683ef5b"
+checksum = "ff67a8a4397373c3ef660812acab3268222035010ab8680ec4215f38ba3d0eed"
 dependencies = [
  "form_urlencoded",
  "idna",
  "percent-encoding",
  "serde",
+ "serde_derive",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -6039,7 +6078,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "bumpalo",
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
  "wasm-bindgen-shared",
 ]
 
@@ -6114,7 +6153,7 @@ checksum = "053e2e040ab57b9dc951b72c264860db7eb3b0200ba345b4e4c3b14f67855ddf"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -6125,7 +6164,7 @@ checksum = "3f316c4a2570ba26bbec722032c4099d8c8bc095efccdc15688708623367e358"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -6387,28 +6426,28 @@ checksum = "b659052874eb698efe5b9e8cf382204678a0086ebf46982b79d6ca3182927e5d"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
  "synstructure",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "zerocopy"
-version = "0.8.31"
+version = "0.8.33"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "fd74ec98b9250adb3ca554bdde269adf631549f51d8a8f8f0a10b50f1cb298c3"
+checksum = "668f5168d10b9ee831de31933dc111a459c97ec93225beb307aed970d1372dfd"
 dependencies = [
  "zerocopy-derive",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "zerocopy-derive"
-version = "0.8.31"
+version = "0.8.33"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "d8a8d209fdf45cf5138cbb5a506f6b52522a25afccc534d1475dad8e31105c6a"
+checksum = "2c7962b26b0a8685668b671ee4b54d007a67d4eaf05fda79ac0ecf41e32270f1"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -6428,7 +6467,7 @@ checksum = "d71e5d6e06ab090c67b5e44993ec16b72dcbaabc526db883a360057678b48502"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
  "synstructure",
 ]
 
@@ -6468,11 +6507,11 @@ checksum = "eadce39539ca5cb3985590102671f2567e659fca9666581ad3411d59207951f3"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
- "syn 2.0.113",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "zmij"
-version = "1.0.10"
+version = "1.0.12"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "30e0d8dffbae3d840f64bda38e28391faef673a7b5a6017840f2a106c8145868"
+checksum = "2fc5a66a20078bf1251bde995aa2fdcc4b800c70b5d92dd2c62abc5c60f679f8"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 317eeb906..b0046f199 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ members = [
     "init",
     "interface-manager",
     "k8s-intf",
+    "k8s-less",
     "left-right-tlcache",
     "mgmt",
     "nat",
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ id = { path = "./id", package = "dataplane-id", features = [] }
 init = { path = "./init", package = "dataplane-init", features = [] }
 interface-manager = { path = "./interface-manager", package = "dataplane-interface-manager", features = [] }
 k8s-intf = { path = "./k8s-intf", package = "dataplane-k8s-intf", features = [] }
+k8s-less = { path = "./k8s-less", package = "dataplane-k8s-less", features = [] }
 left-right-tlcache = { path = "./left-right-tlcache", package = "dataplane-left-right-tlcache", features = [] }
 lpm = { path = "./lpm", package = "dataplane-lpm", features = [] }
 mgmt = { path = "./mgmt", package = "dataplane-mgmt", features = [] }
@@ -116,6 +118,7 @@ hashbrown = { version = "0.16.1", default-features = false, features = [] }
 hwlocality = { version = "1.0.0-alpha.11", default-features = false, features = [] }
 hyper = { version = "1.8.1", default-features = false, features = [] }
 hyper-util = { version = "0.1.19", default-features = false, features = [] }
+inotify = { version = "0.11.0", default-features = false, features = [] }
 ipnet = { version = "2.11.0", default-features = false, features = [] }
 k8s-openapi = { version = "0.26.1", default-features = false, features = [] }
 kanal = { version = "0.1.1", default-features = false, features = [] }
diff --git a/args/Cargo.toml b/args/Cargo.toml
index 8a31b0cd5..ba9226a76 100644
--- a/args/Cargo.toml
+++ b/args/Cargo.toml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ serde = { workspace = true, features = ["derive"] }
 sha2 = { workspace = true, features = [] }
 thiserror = { workspace = true, features = [] }
 tracing = { workspace = true, features = ["std"] }
-url = { workspace = true, features = ["std"] }
+url = { workspace = true, features = ["std", "serde"] }
 uuid = { workspace = true, features = [] }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
diff --git a/args/src/lib.rs b/args/src/lib.rs
index 32f2db251..5ead9fa62 100644
--- a/args/src/lib.rs
+++ b/args/src/lib.rs
@@ -555,7 +555,8 @@ pub struct RoutingConfigSection {
 #[rkyv(attr(derive(PartialEq, Eq, Debug)))]
 pub struct ConfigServerSection {
     /// gRPC server address (TCP or Unix socket)
-    pub address: GrpcAddress,
+    pub address: Option<GrpcAddress>,
+    pub config_dir: Option<String>,
 }
 
 /// Complete dataplane launch configuration.
@@ -1088,12 +1089,12 @@ impl TryFrom<CmdArgs> for LaunchConfiguration {
             general: GeneralConfigSection {
                 name: value.get_name().cloned(),
             },
-            config_server: value
-                .grpc_address()
-                .map_err(InvalidCmdArguments::InvalidGrpcAddress)?
-                .map(|grpc_address| ConfigServerSection {
-                    address: grpc_address,
-                }),
+            config_server: Some(ConfigServerSection {
+                address: value
+                    .grpc_address()
+                    .map_err(InvalidCmdArguments::InvalidGrpcAddress)?,
+                config_dir: value.config_dir().cloned(),
+            }),
             driver: match &value.driver {
                 Some(driver) if driver == "dpdk" => {
                     // TODO: adjust command line to specify lcore usage more flexibly in next PR
@@ -1275,6 +1276,17 @@ E.g. default=error,all=info,nat=debug will set the default target to error, and
 
     #[arg(long, help = "Set the name of this gateway")]
     name: Option<String>,
+
+    #[arg(
+        long,
+        help = "Run in k8s-less mode using this directory to watch for configurations.
+You can copy json/yaml config files in this directory to reconfigure dataplane. You can modify existing
+files or just 'touch' them to trigger a new reconfiguration. Every change will increase the generation id by one.
+NOTE: dataplane tracks file 'save' events. If you modify an existing file, depending on the editor used, this will
+trigger more than one reconfiguration (e.g. gedit). If this is undesired, use nano or vi(m), or edit your file
+elsewhere and copy it in the configuration directory. This mode is meant mostly for debugging or early testing."
+    )]
+    config_dir: Option<String>,
 }
 
 impl CmdArgs {
@@ -1464,6 +1476,14 @@ impl CmdArgs {
     pub fn get_name(&self) -> Option<&String> {
         self.name.as_ref()
     }
+
+    /// Get the configuration directory.
+    /// Setting the configuration directory enables k8s-less mode, where configurations are retrieved from files
+    /// or their changes in the configuration directory.
+    #[must_use]
+    pub fn config_dir(&self) -> Option<&String> {
+        self.config_dir.as_ref()
+    }
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
diff --git a/dataplane/src/main.rs b/dataplane/src/main.rs
index bc95d53a2..4aad85604 100644
--- a/dataplane/src/main.rs
+++ b/dataplane/src/main.rs
@@ -158,6 +158,7 @@ fn main() {
     /* start management */
     start_mgmt(MgmtParams {
         grpc_addr,
+        config_dir: args.config_dir().cloned(),
         hostname: get_gw_name().unwrap_or_else(|| unreachable!()).to_owned(),
         processor_params: ConfigProcessorParams {
             router_ctl: setup.router.get_ctl_tx(),
diff --git a/k8s-intf/Cargo.toml b/k8s-intf/Cargo.toml
index a3efed406..95fc5fc8f 100644
--- a/k8s-intf/Cargo.toml
+++ b/k8s-intf/Cargo.toml
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ schemars = { workspace = true, features = ["derive", "std"] }
 serde = { workspace = true }
 serde-duration-ext = { workspace = true }
 serde_json = { workspace = true }
+serde_yaml_ng = { workspace = true }
 thiserror = { workspace = true }
 tokio = { workspace = true }
 
diff --git a/k8s-intf/src/lib.rs b/k8s-intf/src/lib.rs
index b6beb6718..d7d8dc0b2 100644
--- a/k8s-intf/src/lib.rs
+++ b/k8s-intf/src/lib.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 pub mod bolero;
 pub mod client;
 pub mod generated;
+pub mod utils;
 
 pub mod gateway_agent_crd {
     pub use crate::generated::gateway_agent_crd::*;
diff --git a/k8s-intf/src/utils.rs b/k8s-intf/src/utils.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1828da73c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/k8s-intf/src/utils.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+// Copyright Open Network Fabric Authors
+
+//! Utils to build the gateway CRD `GatewayAgentSpec` from JSON / YAML text files.
+
+use crate::gateway_agent_crd::GatewayAgentSpec;
+use serde_yaml_ng;
+use std::fs;
+use std::path::Path;
+
+/// Read the file at `path` and deserialize it from YAML into a `GatewayAgentSpec` object.
+fn load_crd_from_yaml(path: &str) -> Result<GatewayAgentSpec, String> {
+    let yaml = fs::read_to_string(path)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to read CRD from YAML file ({path}): {e}"))?;
+    let crd: GatewayAgentSpec = serde_yaml_ng::from_str(&yaml)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to deserialize CRD from YAML file ({path}): {e}"))?;
+    Ok(crd)
+}
+
+/// Read the file at `path` and deserialize it from JSON into a `GatewayAgentSpec` object.
+fn load_crd_from_json(path: &str) -> Result<GatewayAgentSpec, String> {
+    let json = fs::read_to_string(path)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to read CRD from JSON file ({path}): {e}"))?;
+    let crd: GatewayAgentSpec = serde_json::from_str(&json)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to deserialize CRD from JSON file ({path}): {e}"))?;
+    Ok(crd)
+}
+
+/// Read the file at `path` and deserialize into a `GatewayAgentSpec` object.
+/// The file is assumed to contain a gateway spec CRD in JSON or YAML.
+///
+/// # Errors
+/// This function may fail if the file does not exist or cannot be opened / read, or if the contents
+/// cannot be deserialized.
+pub fn load_crd_from_file(path: &str) -> Result<GatewayAgentSpec, String> {
+    let ext = Path::new(path).extension();
+    match ext {
+        Some(ext) if ext.eq_ignore_ascii_case("yaml") || ext.eq_ignore_ascii_case("yml") => {
+            load_crd_from_yaml(path)
+        }
+        Some(ext) if ext.eq_ignore_ascii_case("json") => load_crd_from_json(path),
+        Some(ext) => Err(format!("Unsupported file extension {}", ext.display())),
+        None => Err("Missing file extension".to_string()),
+    }
+}
diff --git a/k8s-less/Cargo.toml b/k8s-less/Cargo.toml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd4a62d94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/k8s-less/Cargo.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+[package]
+name = "dataplane-k8s-less"
+version.workspace = true
+edition.workspace = true
+license.workspace = true
+publish.workspace = true
+repository.workspace = true
+
+[dependencies]
+gwname = { workspace = true }
+inotify = { workspace = true, features = ["stream"] }
+k8s-intf = { workspace = true }
+tokio = { workspace = true, features = ["macros", "rt", "fs"] }
+tracectl = { workspace = true }
+tracing = { workspace = true }
+tracing-test = { workspace = true }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/k8s-less/src/lib.rs b/k8s-less/src/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a72f5070e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/k8s-less/src/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+// Copyright Open Network Fabric Authors
+
+//! Support for k8s-less mode where CRDs are learnt from a file
+
+mod local;
+
+pub use local::kubeless_watch_gateway_agent_crd;
diff --git a/k8s-less/src/local.rs b/k8s-less/src/local.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f1e3c85d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/k8s-less/src/local.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+// Copyright Open Network Fabric Authors
+
+use gwname::get_gw_name;
+use inotify::{Event, EventMask, Inotify, WatchMask};
+use k8s_intf::gateway_agent_crd::GatewayAgent;
+use k8s_intf::utils::load_crd_from_file;
+use std::collections::BTreeSet;
+use std::ffi::OsStr;
+use std::os::fd::AsRawFd;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use tokio::fs::create_dir_all;
+use tokio::io::unix::AsyncFd;
+
+#[allow(unused)]
+use tracing::{debug, error, trace, warn};
+
+/// Tell if an event reported by `Inotify` is worth checking according
+/// to our configuration. This function is somewhat heuristic to accommodate
+/// for changes done by text editors, which may create temporary files when
+/// editing them instead of modifying them in-place. This helper returns
+/// the name of the file to process or `None` if the event should be ignored.
+fn check_event(event: &Event<&OsStr>, dir: &str) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    // trace!("event: {:?}, name: {:?}", event.mask, event.name);
+
+    // we watch a directory; so `Inotify` should report the name of a file.
+    let filename = event.name?;
+
+    // OsStr should be valid Unicode
+    let filename = filename.to_str()?;
+
+    // some editors create '.swp/.swx' (e.g. nano) files or temporary hidden files (vi)
+    if filename.contains(".sw") || filename.starts_with('.') {
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    // This is sanity
+    if event.mask != EventMask::CLOSE_WRITE {
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    // name of file to read a crd spec from
+    Some(Path::new(dir).join(filename))
+}
+
+/// Watch for changes in the directory named `path`. If the directory does not exist,
+/// it gets created. When files are created or modified in the watched directory:
+///    - read their contents (assumed to contain a crd spec in yaml or json)
+///    - deserialize them into a `GatewayAgentSpec`
+///    - build a GatewayAgent object
+///    - call the caller-specified callback.
+///
+/// The generation id of the GatewayAgent is automatically set by this function and
+/// monotonically increases every time a `GatewayAgentSpec` is successfully deserialized
+/// from a file.
+///
+/// # Errors
+/// Returns an error if the directory or the corresponding watch cannot be created.
+pub async fn kubeless_watch_gateway_agent_crd(
+    path: &str,
+    callback: impl AsyncFn(&GatewayAgent),
+) -> Result<(), String> {
+    let gwname = get_gw_name().unwrap_or_else(|| {
+        let name = "test-gw";
+        warn!("Warning, gateway name is NOT set. Setting to '{name}'...");
+        name
+    });
+
+    create_dir_all(path)
+        .await
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to create directory '{path}': {e}"))?;
+
+    let mut inotify = Inotify::init().map_err(|e| format!("Failed to initialize inotify: {e}"))?;
+    inotify
+        .watches()
+        .add(Path::new(path), WatchMask::CLOSE_WRITE)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to add watch for path {path}: {e}"))?;
+
+    // generation id is automatically set and will monotonically increase
+    let mut generation: i64 = 1;
+
+    let async_fd = AsyncFd::new(inotify.as_raw_fd())
+        .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to create async fd for inotify: {e}"))?;
+
+    debug!("Starting kubeless watcher for directory '{path}'...");
+    loop {
+        trace!("Waiting for changes...");
+        let Ok(mut guard) = async_fd.readable().await else {
+            error!("Failure checking async fd readiness");
+            continue;
+        };
+
+        let mut buffer = [0u8; 4096];
+        match inotify.read_events(&mut buffer) {
+            Ok(events) => {
+                // collapse all events by filename: `check_event` will filter out unwanted events.
+                let files: BTreeSet<PathBuf> =
+                    events.filter_map(|e| check_event(&e, path)).collect();
+
+                // iterate over the set of files. Deserialize their contents and call user callback.
+                for file in files.iter() {
+                    debug!("Processing file {file:#?}...");
+                    match load_crd_from_file(file.to_str().unwrap()) {
+                        Ok(crd_spec) => {
+                            let mut crd = GatewayAgent::new(gwname, crd_spec);
+                            crd.metadata.generation = Some(generation);
+                            crd.metadata.namespace = Some("fab".to_string());
+                            generation += 1;
+                            callback(&crd).await;
+                        }
+                        Err(e) => error!("Failed to load crd spec from file: {e}"),
+                    };
+                }
+            }
+            Err(e) => error!("Failed to read events from file: {e}"),
+        }
+        guard.clear_ready();
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod test {
+    use std::fs::File;
+    use std::io::Write;
+    use std::path::PathBuf;
+    use std::time::Duration;
+
+    use super::kubeless_watch_gateway_agent_crd;
+    use tracing::debug;
+    use tracing_test::traced_test;
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    #[traced_test]
+    async fn test_kubeless() {
+        let path = "/tmp/kubeless-dir";
+
+        // spawn a task to create a config file in the directory watched by kubeless
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            // wait 2 seconds before creating config
+            tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_secs(2)).await;
+
+            // build minimal config for us to know that it was deserialized successfully
+            let yaml = "
+agentVersion: MINIMAL
+gateway:
+  asn: 65000
+";
+            let mut filepath = PathBuf::from(path).join("minimal-config");
+            filepath.add_extension("yaml");
+            let mut file = File::create(filepath.to_str().unwrap()).unwrap();
+            file.write_all(yaml.as_bytes()).unwrap();
+        });
+
+        // start watcher. Watcher will exit as soon as a config is detected and successfully
+        // deserialized into a GatewayAgent object
+        kubeless_watch_gateway_agent_crd(path, async move |crd| {
+            let generation = crd.metadata.generation.unwrap();
+            let name = crd.metadata.name.as_ref().unwrap();
+            let asn = crd.spec.gateway.as_ref().unwrap().asn.unwrap();
+            let agent_version = crd.spec.agent_version.as_ref().unwrap();
+            debug!("Got CRD to chew:\n generation: {generation}\n name: {name}\n agentVersion: {agent_version}\n asn: {asn}");
+            assert_eq!(generation, 1);
+            assert_eq!(name, "test-gw");
+            assert_eq!(agent_version, "MINIMAL");
+            assert_eq!(asn, 65000);
+            std::process::exit(0);
+        })
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    }
+}
diff --git a/mgmt/Cargo.toml b/mgmt/Cargo.toml
index 5fb394b73..97cb77b86 100644
--- a/mgmt/Cargo.toml
+++ b/mgmt/Cargo.toml
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ gateway_config = { workspace = true }
 id = { workspace = true }
 interface-manager = { workspace = true }
 k8s-intf = { workspace = true }
+k8s-less = { workspace = true }
 lpm = { workspace = true }
 nat = { workspace = true }
 net = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/mgmt/src/processor/k8s_less_client.rs b/mgmt/src/processor/k8s_less_client.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3dfc328c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mgmt/src/processor/k8s_less_client.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+// Copyright Open Network Fabric Authors
+
+use config::{ExternalConfig, GwConfig};
+use futures::TryFutureExt;
+use k8s_less::kubeless_watch_gateway_agent_crd;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use tracing::{error, info};
+
+use crate::processor::mgmt_client::{ConfigClient, ConfigProcessorError};
+
+#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
+pub enum K8sLessError {
+    #[error("K8sless exited early")]
+    EarlyTermination,
+    #[error("Watching error: {0}")]
+    WatchError(String),
+}
+
+pub struct K8sLess {
+    pathdir: String,
+    client: ConfigClient,
+}
+
+impl K8sLess {
+    pub fn new(pathdir: &str, client: ConfigClient) -> Self {
+        Self {
+            pathdir: pathdir.to_string(),
+            client,
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub async fn start_config_watch(k8sless: Arc<Self>) -> Result<(), K8sLessError> {
+        info!("Starting config watcher for directory {}", k8sless.pathdir);
+
+        kubeless_watch_gateway_agent_crd(&k8sless.pathdir.clone(), async move |ga| {
+            info!("Attempting to deserialize new gateway CRD ...");
+
+            let external_config = ExternalConfig::try_from(ga);
+            match external_config {
+                Err(e) => error!("Failed to convert K8sGatewayAgent to ExternalConfig: {e}"),
+                Ok(external_config) => {
+                    let genid = external_config.genid;
+                    let applied_genid = match k8sless.client.get_generation().await {
+                        Ok(genid) => genid,
+                        Err(ConfigProcessorError::NoConfigApplied) => 0,
+                        Err(e) => {
+                            error!("Failed to get current config generation: {e}");
+                            return;
+                        }
+                    };
+                    info!("Current configuration is {applied_genid}");
+
+                    let gwconfig = GwConfig::new(external_config);
+
+                    // request the config processor to apply the config and update status on success
+                    match k8sless.client.apply_config(gwconfig).await {
+                        Ok(()) => info!("Config for generation {genid} was successfully applied"),
+                        Err(e) => error!("Failed to apply the config for generation {genid}: {e}"),
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        })
+        .map_err(K8sLessError::WatchError)
+        .await?;
+
+        Err(K8sLessError::EarlyTermination)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/mgmt/src/processor/launch.rs b/mgmt/src/processor/launch.rs
index e51b17fa8..2e6882074 100644
--- a/mgmt/src/processor/launch.rs
+++ b/mgmt/src/processor/launch.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 // Copyright Open Network Fabric Authors
 
 use crate::processor::k8s_client::{K8sClient, K8sClientError};
+use crate::processor::k8s_less_client::{K8sLess, K8sLessError};
 use crate::processor::proc::ConfigProcessor;
 
 use std::fmt::Display;
@@ -47,6 +48,9 @@ pub enum LaunchError {
     ProcessorError(std::io::Error),
     #[error("Error starting/waiting for Config Processor task: {0}")]
     ProcessorJoinError(tokio::task::JoinError),
+
+    #[error("Error in k8s-less mode: {0}")]
+    K8LessError(#[from] K8sLessError),
 }
 
 /// Start the gRPC server on TCP
@@ -181,6 +185,7 @@ impl Display for ServerAddress {
 
 pub struct MgmtParams {
     pub grpc_addr: Option<GrpcAddress>,
+    pub config_dir: Option<String>,
     pub hostname: String,
     pub processor_params: ConfigProcessorParams,
 }
@@ -229,7 +234,17 @@ pub fn start_mgmt(
                         Err(LaunchError::PrematureGrpcExit)
                     }
                 })
-            } else {
+            }  else if let Some(config_dir) = &params.config_dir {
+                warn!("Running in k8s-less mode....");
+                rt.block_on(async {
+                    let (processor, client) = ConfigProcessor::new(params.processor_params);
+                    let k8sless = Arc::new(K8sLess::new(config_dir, client));
+                    tokio::spawn(async { processor.run().await });
+                    K8sLess::start_config_watch(k8sless).await
+                })?;
+                Ok(())
+            }
+            else {
                 debug!("Will start watching k8s for configuration changes");
                 rt.block_on(async {
                     let (processor, client) = ConfigProcessor::new(params.processor_params);
diff --git a/mgmt/src/processor/mod.rs b/mgmt/src/processor/mod.rs
index 05fff069f..20c8ddc36 100644
--- a/mgmt/src/processor/mod.rs
+++ b/mgmt/src/processor/mod.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ pub(crate) mod confbuild;
 mod display;
 pub(crate) mod gwconfigdb;
 pub(crate) mod k8s_client;
+pub(crate) mod k8s_less_client;
 pub(crate) mod launch;
 pub(crate) mod mgmt_client;
 pub(crate) mod proc;