diff --git a/.github/workflows/verify.yaml b/.github/workflows/verify.yaml
index 2dbd70a26312..dd664445a0e4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/verify.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/verify.yaml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up Go
         uses: actions/setup-go@v5.5.0
         with:
-          go-version: '1.24.0'
+          go-version: '1.25.0'
           cache-dependency-path: |
              ${{ env.GOPATH}}/src/k8s.io/autoscaler/cluster-autoscaler/go.sum
              ${{ env.GOPATH}}/src/k8s.io/autoscaler/vertical-pod-autoscaler/go.sum
diff --git a/hack/install-verify-tools.sh b/hack/install-verify-tools.sh
index aad2127dff7c..49519a6b910d 100755
--- a/hack/install-verify-tools.sh
+++ b/hack/install-verify-tools.sh
@@ -26,4 +26,6 @@ go install github.com/tools/godep@latest
 
 go install github.com/client9/misspell/cmd/misspell@latest
 
+go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/golangci-lint@latest
+
 # ex: ts=2 sw=2 et filetype=sh
diff --git a/hack/tools/.custom-gcl.yml b/hack/tools/.custom-gcl.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..fd0d8686a3b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/tools/.custom-gcl.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+version: v2.5.0
+name: golangci-kube-api-linter
+destination: ./bin
+plugins:
+  - module: 'sigs.k8s.io/kube-api-linter'
+    version: v0.0.0-20250908163129-65a570bd22aa
diff --git a/hack/tools/.golangci-kal.yml b/hack/tools/.golangci-kal.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..84f5947b2d61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/tools/.golangci-kal.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+version: "2"
+run:
+  go: "1.25"
+  allow-parallel-runners: true
+linters:
+  default: none
+  enable:
+    - kubeapilinter # linter for Kube API conventions
+  settings:
+    custom:
+      kubeapilinter:
+        type: module
+        description: KAL is the Kube-API-Linter and lints Kube like APIs based on API conventions and best practices.
+        settings:
+          linters:
+            enable:
+              #- "commentstart" # Ensure comments start with the serialized version of the field name.
+              #- "conditions" # Ensure conditions have the correct json tags and markers.
+              #- "conflictingmarkers"
+              #- "duplicatemarkers" # Ensure there are no exact duplicate markers. for types and fields.
+              #- "integers" # Ensure only int32 and int64 are used for integers.
+              #- "jsontags" # Ensure every field has a json tag.
+              #- "maxlength" # Ensure all strings and arrays have maximum lengths/maximum items.
+              #- "nobools" # Bools do not evolve over time, should use enums instead.
+              #- "nodurations" # Prevents usage of `Duration` types.
+              #- "nofloats" # Ensure floats are not used.
+              #- "nomaps" # Ensure maps are not used.
+              #- "nonullable" # Ensure that types and fields do not have the nullable marker.
+              #- "optionalorrequired" # Every field should be marked as `+optional` or `+required`.
+              #- "requiredfields" # Required fields should not be pointers, and should not have `omitempty`.
+              #- "ssatags" # Ensure array fields have the appropriate listType markers
+              #- "statusoptional" # Ensure all first children within status should be optional.
+              #- "statussubresource" # All root objects that have a `status` field should have a status subresource.
+              #- "uniquemarkers" # Ensure that types and fields do not contain more than a single definition of a marker that should only be present once.
+            disable:
+            - "*" # Disable all by default.
+          lintersConfig:
+
+
+  exclusions:
+    build-tags:
+      - ignore_autogenerated
+    paths:
+      - ".*_test.go"  # Exclude test files.
+    rules:
+    ## KAL should only run on APIS folders.
+    - path-except: "apis//*"
+      linters:
+        - kubeapilinter
+
+issues:
+  max-same-issues: 0
+  max-issues-per-linter: 0
diff --git a/hack/verify-kubelint.sh b/hack/verify-kubelint.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000000..752a9dec2baf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/verify-kubelint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Copyright 2014 The Kubernetes Authors.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+set -o errexit
+set -o nounset
+set -o pipefail
+
+echo "verify-kubelint"
+
+KUBE_ROOT=$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE}")/..
+cd "${KUBE_ROOT}"
+ROOT_DIR="$PWD"
+
+TOOLS_DIR="${ROOT_DIR}/hack/tools"
+TOOLS_BIN_DIR="${TOOLS_DIR}/bin"
+
+GOLANGCI_LINT_BIN=${GOLANGCI_LINT_BIN:-"golangci-lint"}
+GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL_BIN=${GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL_BIN:-"${TOOLS_BIN_DIR}/golangci-kube-api-linter"}
+GOLANGCI_LINT_CONFIG_PATH=${GOLANGCI_LINT_CONFIG_PATH:-"${TOOLS_DIR}/.golangci-kal.yml"}
+
+echo "creating custom golangci linter"
+cd "${TOOLS_DIR}"; "${GOLANGCI_LINT_BIN}" custom
+
+cd "${ROOT_DIR}"
+
+PACKAGES=(
+    "${ROOT_DIR}/cluster-autoscaler"
+    "${ROOT_DIR}/vertical-pod-autoscaler"
+)
+
+for package in "${PACKAGES[@]}"; do
+  cd "${package}"
+  "${GOLANGCI_LINT_KAL_BIN}" run -v --config "${GOLANGCI_LINT_CONFIG_PATH}"
+done