diff --git a/xCAT-test/unit/go_xcat_os_release.t b/xCAT-test/unit/go_xcat_os_release.t
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..db9081947
--- /dev/null
+++ b/xCAT-test/unit/go_xcat_os_release.t
@@ -0,0 +1,345 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env perl
+use strict;
+use warnings;
+
+use File::Path qw(make_path);
+use File::Spec;
+use File::Temp qw(tempdir);
+use FindBin;
+use lib "$FindBin::Bin/../lib";
+use POSIX qw(_exit);
+use Test::More;
+
+use XCAT::Test::File qw(repo_path slurp_repo_file);
+
+my $go_xcat_relative = 'xCAT-server/share/xcat/tools/go-xcat';
+my ( $source_go_xcat, $go_xcat_source );
+if ( defined $ENV{XCAT_TEST_GO_XCAT} ) {
+    $source_go_xcat = $ENV{XCAT_TEST_GO_XCAT};
+    die 'XCAT_TEST_GO_XCAT must name a readable regular file'
+      unless length($source_go_xcat)
+      && -f $source_go_xcat
+      && -r _;
+    $go_xcat_source = read_file($source_go_xcat);
+}
+else {
+    $source_go_xcat = repo_path($go_xcat_relative);
+    plan skip_all => "$source_go_xcat is required"
+      unless -f $source_go_xcat && -r _;
+    $go_xcat_source = slurp_repo_file($go_xcat_relative);
+}
+
+is( system( 'bash', '-n', $source_go_xcat ), 0,
+    'go-xcat has valid Bash syntax' );
+
+my $gawk = find_command('gawk');
+
+my @public_scenarios = (
+    {
+        name       => 'quoted',
+        os_release => qq{NAME="Ubuntu"\nID="ubuntu"\nVERSION_ID="24.04"\n},
+        redhat     => "Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 9.6 (Plow)\n",
+        suse       => "VERSION = 15.6\n",
+        expected   => "distro=ubuntu\nversion=24.04\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name       => 'unquoted',
+        os_release => "ID_LIKE=rhel\nID=rocky\nVERSION_ID=9.6\n",
+        expected   => "distro=rocky\nversion=9.6\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name       => 'single-quoted',
+        os_release => "ID='debian'\nVERSION_ID='13'\n",
+        expected   => "distro='debian'\nversion='13'\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name          => 'redhat-fallback',
+        redhat        => "Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 9.6 (Plow)\n",
+        requires_gawk => 1,
+        expected      => "distro=rhel\nversion=9.6\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name       => 'suse-release-fallback',
+        os_release => "ID=\nVERSION_ID=\n",
+        suse       => "VERSION = 15.6\n",
+        expected   => "distro=sles\nversion=15.6\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name       => 'suse-brand-fallback',
+        os_release => '',
+        suse_brand => "VERSION = 12.5\n",
+        expected   => "distro=sles\nversion=12.5\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name     => 'missing-release-data',
+        expected => "distro=\nversion=\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name       => 'independent-fields',
+        os_release => "VERSION_ID=10.1\n",
+        redhat     => "Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 8.10 (Ootpa)\n",
+        expected   => "distro=rhel\nversion=10.1\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name       => 'redhat-distro-precedes-suse',
+        os_release => "VERSION_ID=10.1\n",
+        redhat     => "Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 9.6 (Plow)\n",
+        suse       => "VERSION = 15.6\n",
+        suse_brand => "VERSION = 12.5\n",
+        expected   => "distro=rhel\nversion=10.1\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name          => 'redhat-version-precedes-suse',
+        redhat        => "Red Hat Enterprise Linux release 9.6 (Plow)\n",
+        suse          => "VERSION = 15.6\n",
+        suse_brand    => "VERSION = 12.5\n",
+        requires_gawk => 1,
+        expected      => "distro=rhel\nversion=9.6\n",
+    },
+    {
+        name       => 'suse-release-precedes-brand',
+        suse       => "VERSION = 15.6\n",
+        suse_brand => "VERSION = 12.5\n",
+        expected   => "distro=sles\nversion=15.6\n",
+    },
+);
+
+for my $scenario (@public_scenarios) {
+    SKIP: {
+        skip "$scenario->{name} requires gawk", 3
+          if $scenario->{requires_gawk} && !defined $gawk;
+        my $result = run_case(
+            %{$scenario},
+            command => ['public'],
+            gawk    => $scenario->{requires_gawk} ? $gawk : undef,
+        );
+        is( $result->{status}, 0, "$scenario->{name} detection completes" );
+        is( $result->{stdout}, $scenario->{expected},
+            "$scenario->{name} detection preserves distro and version" );
+        is( $result->{stderr}, '',
+            "$scenario->{name} detection stays quiet" );
+    }
+}
+
+my $helper_probe = run_case(
+    name    => 'helper-probe',
+    command => ['helper-present'],
+);
+die 'os_release_value is required in the repository go-xcat'
+  if $helper_probe->{status} != 0 && !defined $ENV{XCAT_TEST_GO_XCAT};
+
+SKIP: {
+    skip 'the legacy characterization source has no shared helper', 12
+      if $helper_probe->{status} != 0;
+
+    my $quoted_id = run_case(
+        name            => 'helper-quoted-id',
+        helper_contents => "ID_LIKE=debian\nID=\"ubuntu\"\nVERSION_ID=\"24.04\"\n",
+        command         => [ 'value', 'ID' ],
+    );
+    is( $quoted_id->{status}, 0, 'the helper reads a quoted ID' );
+    is( $quoted_id->{stdout}, "ubuntu\n",
+        'the helper removes double quotes from an ID' );
+    is( $quoted_id->{stderr}, '', 'quoted ID parsing stays quiet' );
+
+    my $unquoted_version = run_case(
+        name            => 'helper-unquoted-version',
+        helper_contents => "ID=rocky\nVERSION_ID=9.6\n",
+        command         => [ 'value', 'VERSION_ID' ],
+    );
+    is( $unquoted_version->{status}, 0,
+        'the helper reads an unquoted version' );
+    is( $unquoted_version->{stdout}, "9.6\n",
+        'the helper preserves an unquoted version' );
+    is( $unquoted_version->{stderr}, '',
+        'unquoted version parsing stays quiet' );
+
+    my $missing_key = run_case(
+        name            => 'helper-missing-key',
+        helper_contents => "ID=ubuntu\n",
+        command         => [ 'value', 'VERSION_ID' ],
+    );
+    is( $missing_key->{status}, 0, 'a missing key is not an error' );
+    is( $missing_key->{stdout}, '', 'a missing key produces no value' );
+    is( $missing_key->{stderr}, '', 'a missing key stays quiet' );
+
+    my $missing_file = run_case(
+        name    => 'helper-missing-file',
+        command => [ 'value', 'ID' ],
+    );
+    isnt( $missing_file->{status}, 0, 'a missing file preserves the AWK failure' );
+    is( $missing_file->{stdout}, '', 'a missing file produces no value' );
+    is( $missing_file->{stderr}, '', 'a missing file suppresses AWK diagnostics' );
+}
+
+done_testing();
+
+sub run_case
+{
+    my (%option) = @_;
+    my $root = tempdir( CLEANUP => 1 );
+    my $fixtures = File::Spec->catdir( $root, 'fixtures' );
+    my $bin = File::Spec->catdir( $root, 'bin' );
+    make_path( $fixtures, $bin );
+
+    my $os_release = File::Spec->catfile( $fixtures, 'os-release' );
+    my $redhat_release = File::Spec->catfile( $fixtures, 'redhat-release' );
+    my $suse_release = File::Spec->catfile( $fixtures, 'SuSE-release' );
+    my $suse_brand = File::Spec->catfile( $fixtures, 'SUSE-brand' );
+    my $helper_dir = File::Spec->catdir( $root, 'helper fixture' );
+    my $helper_file = File::Spec->catfile( $helper_dir, 'os-release' );
+    my $sandboxed_source = File::Spec->catfile( $root, 'go-xcat' );
+    my $driver = File::Spec->catfile( $root, 'driver.sh' );
+    my $stdout_file = File::Spec->catfile( $root, 'stdout' );
+    my $stderr_file = File::Spec->catfile( $root, 'stderr' );
+
+    my $body = $go_xcat_source;
+    replace_required( \$body, '/etc/os-release', $os_release );
+    replace_required( \$body, '/etc/redhat-release', $redhat_release );
+    replace_required( \$body, '/etc/SuSE-release', $suse_release );
+    replace_required( \$body, '/etc/SUSE-brand', $suse_brand );
+    write_executable( $sandboxed_source, $body );
+    write_executable( $driver, <<'DRIVER' );
+#!/bin/bash
+set -uo pipefail
+
+function_body=$(
+    for function_name in \
+        os_release_value \
+        check_linux_distro \
+        check_linux_version
+    do
+        awk -v name="$function_name" '
+            $0 == "function " name "()" { copy = 1 }
+            copy { print }
+            copy && /^}$/ { exit }
+        ' "$GO_XCAT_SOURCE"
+    done
+)
+eval "$function_body"
+if [ "$?" -ne 0 ]; then
+    printf 'unable to evaluate go-xcat functions\n' >&2
+    exit 69
+fi
+for function_name in check_linux_distro check_linux_version; do
+    if ! declare -F "$function_name" >/dev/null; then
+        printf 'missing %s\n' "$function_name" >&2
+        exit 70
+    fi
+done
+
+case "$1" in
+    public)
+        printf 'distro=%s\n' "$(check_linux_distro)"
+        printf 'version=%s\n' "$(check_linux_version)"
+        ;;
+    helper-present)
+        declare -F os_release_value >/dev/null
+        ;;
+    value)
+        if ! declare -F os_release_value >/dev/null; then
+            printf 'missing os_release_value\n' >&2
+            exit 70
+        fi
+        os_release_value "$2" "$HELPER_OS_RELEASE"
+        ;;
+    *)
+        exit 64
+        ;;
+esac
+DRIVER
+
+    write_file( $os_release, $option{os_release} )
+      if defined $option{os_release};
+    write_file( $redhat_release, $option{redhat} )
+      if defined $option{redhat};
+    write_file( $suse_release, $option{suse} )
+      if defined $option{suse};
+    write_file( $suse_brand, $option{suse_brand} )
+      if defined $option{suse_brand};
+    if ( defined $option{helper_contents} ) {
+        make_path($helper_dir);
+        write_file( $helper_file, $option{helper_contents} );
+    }
+    if ( defined $option{gawk} ) {
+        symlink( $option{gawk}, File::Spec->catfile( $bin, 'awk' ) )
+          or die "Unable to select gawk: $!";
+    }
+
+    local %ENV = (
+        %ENV,
+        GO_XCAT_SOURCE    => $sandboxed_source,
+        HELPER_OS_RELEASE => $helper_file,
+        PATH              => "$bin:$ENV{PATH}",
+    );
+
+    my $pid = fork();
+    die "Unable to fork go-xcat fixture: $!" unless defined $pid;
+    if ( $pid == 0 ) {
+        open( STDIN, '<', '/dev/null' ) or _exit(126);
+        open( STDOUT, '>:raw', $stdout_file ) or _exit(126);
+        open( STDERR, '>:raw', $stderr_file ) or _exit(126);
+        exec 'bash', $driver, @{ $option{command} } or _exit(127);
+    }
+    my $reaped = waitpid( $pid, 0 );
+    my $raw_status = $?;
+    my $status = $reaped == $pid && !( $raw_status & 127 )
+      ? $raw_status >> 8
+      : 255;
+
+    return {
+        status => $status,
+        stdout => read_optional($stdout_file),
+        stderr => read_optional($stderr_file),
+    };
+}
+
+sub replace_required
+{
+    my ( $body_ref, $from, $to ) = @_;
+    my $count = $$body_ref =~ s/\Q$from\E/$to/g;
+    die "Unable to sandbox $from" unless $count;
+    die "Sandbox rewrite left $from in go-xcat"
+      if index( $$body_ref, $from ) >= 0;
+}
+
+sub write_executable
+{
+    my ( $file, $contents ) = @_;
+    write_file( $file, $contents );
+    chmod 0755, $file or die "Unable to make $file executable: $!";
+}
+
+sub write_file
+{
+    my ( $file, $contents ) = @_;
+    open( my $fh, '>:raw', $file ) or die "Unable to write $file: $!";
+    print {$fh} $contents;
+    close($fh) or die "Unable to close $file: $!";
+}
+
+sub read_file
+{
+    my ($file) = @_;
+    open( my $fh, '<:raw', $file ) or die "Unable to read $file: $!";
+    my $contents = do { local $/; <$fh> };
+    close($fh) or die "Unable to close $file: $!";
+    return $contents;
+}
+
+sub read_optional
+{
+    my ($file) = @_;
+    return '' unless -f $file;
+    return read_file($file) // '';
+}
+
+sub find_command
+{
+    my ($command) = @_;
+    for my $directory ( File::Spec->path() ) {
+        my $candidate = File::Spec->catfile( $directory, $command );
+        return $candidate if -f $candidate && -x _;
+    }
+    return;
+}