diff --git a/mirror/defs.bzl b/mirror/defs.bzl
index d5198b36..6a49b2e2 100644
--- a/mirror/defs.bzl
+++ b/mirror/defs.bzl
@@ -10,7 +10,10 @@ def _replace_colon_except_last_segment(input_string):
     output_string = "/".join(segments)
     return output_string
 
-def _mirror_image_impl(ctx):
+# Common implementation for mirror_image and mirror_image_test
+# Uses the following ctx attributes: src_image, digest, dst, dst_prefix
+# Returns the src_image, digest, and dst_without_hash
+def _impl_common(ctx):
     digest = ctx.attr.digest
     src_image = ctx.attr.src_image
     v = src_image.split("@", 1)
@@ -39,6 +42,11 @@ def _mirror_image_impl(ctx):
         dst_prefix = ctx.expand_make_variables("dst_prefix", ctx.attr.dst_prefix, {})
         dst_without_hash = dst_prefix.strip("/") + "/" + src_repository
 
+    return src_image, digest, dst_without_hash
+
+def _mirror_image_impl(ctx):
+    src_image, digest, dst_without_hash = _impl_common(ctx)
+
     digest_file = ctx.actions.declare_file(ctx.label.name + ".digest")
     ctx.actions.write(
         output = digest_file,
@@ -81,9 +89,6 @@ mirror_image_rule = rule(
             mandatory = True,
             doc = "The image to mirror",
         ),
-        "image_name": attr.string(
-            doc = "The name that could be referred in manifests. This field is deprecated and unused.",
-        ),
         "digest": attr.string(
             mandatory = False,
             doc = "The digest of the image. If not provided, it will be extracted from the src_image.",
@@ -114,46 +119,63 @@ Implements GitopsPushInfo and K8sPushInfo providers so the returned image can be
 """,
 )
 
-def validate_image_test(name, image, digest, tags = [], **kwargs):
-    """
-    Create a test that validates the image existance using crane validate.
-    Image tag will be ignored if provided and only the digest will be used.
-    if digest is provided as a part of the image, it will be used.
-    It is an error to provide both digest and image with digest if they do not match.
-    """
-    src_image = image
-    v = src_image.split("@", 1)
-    s = v[0]
-    if len(v) > 1:
-        # If the image has a digest, use that.
-        if digest and v[1] != digest:
-            fail("digest mismatch: %s != %s" % (v[1], digest))
-        digest = v[1]
-    else:
-        # If the image does not have a digest, use the one provided.
-        src_image = s + "@" + digest
-
-    if not digest:
-        fail("digest must be provided as an attribute to mirror_image or in the src_image")
+def _validate_mirror_impl(ctx):
+    src_image, digest, dst_without_hash = _impl_common(ctx)
 
-    native.sh_test(
-        name = name,
-        size = "small",
-        srcs = ["@rules_gitops//mirror:validate_image.sh"],
-        data = [
-            "@rules_gitops//vendor/github.com/google/go-containerregistry/cmd/crane:crane",
-        ],
-        args = [
-            src_image,
-        ],
-        tags = ["requires-network"] + tags,
-        env = {
-            "CRANE_BIN": "$(location @rules_gitops//vendor/github.com/google/go-containerregistry/cmd/crane:crane)",
+    ctx.actions.expand_template(
+        template = ctx.file._validate_image_script,
+        output = ctx.outputs.executable,
+        substitutions = {
+            "{crane_tool}": ctx.executable.crane_tool.short_path,
+            "{src_image}": src_image,
+            "{digest}": digest,
+            "{dst_image}": dst_without_hash,
         },
-        **kwargs
+        is_executable = True,
     )
 
-def mirror_image(name, src_image, digest, tags = [], **kwargs):
-    visibility = kwargs.pop("visibility", None)
-    mirror_image_rule(name = name, src_image = src_image, digest = digest, tags = tags, visibility = visibility, **kwargs)
-    validate_image_test(name = name + "_validate_src", image = src_image, digest = digest, visibility = visibility, tags = tags)
+    runfiles = ctx.runfiles(files = [ctx.file._validate_image_script]).merge(ctx.attr.crane_tool[DefaultInfo].default_runfiles)
+
+    return DefaultInfo(
+        runfiles = runfiles,
+        executable = ctx.outputs.executable,
+    )
+
+validate_mirror_test = rule(
+    implementation = _validate_mirror_impl,
+    test = True,
+    attrs = {
+        "src_image": attr.string(
+            mandatory = True,
+            doc = "The image to mirror",
+        ),
+        "digest": attr.string(
+            mandatory = False,
+            doc = "The digest of the image. If not provided, it will be extracted from the src_image.",
+        ),
+        "dst_prefix": attr.string(
+            doc = "The prefix of the destination image, should include the registry and repository. Either dst_prefix or dst_image must be specified.",
+        ),
+        "dst": attr.string(
+            doc = "The destination image location, should include the registry and repository. Either dst_prefix or dst_image must be specified.",
+        ),
+        "crane_tool": attr.label(
+            default = Label("//vendor/github.com/google/go-containerregistry/cmd/crane:crane"),
+            executable = True,
+            cfg = "exec",
+        ),
+        "_validate_image_script": attr.label(
+            default = ":validate_image.sh",
+            allow_single_file = True,
+        ),
+    },
+    executable = True,
+    doc = """Validate a mirrored image. It checks if at least one of remote or local image exists.
+""",
+)
+
+def mirror_image(name, image_name = None, push_timeout = "30s", **kwargs):
+    if image_name:
+        fail("image_name is deprecated and unused")
+    mirror_image_rule(name = name, push_timeout = push_timeout, **kwargs)
+    validate_mirror_test(name = name + "_validate_src", **kwargs)
diff --git a/mirror/mirror_image.sh b/mirror/mirror_image.sh
index f1fc1dd2..3e87f418 100644
--- a/mirror/mirror_image.sh
+++ b/mirror/mirror_image.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/bash
+#!/bin/bash -x
 set -eu
 
 function guess_runfiles() {
diff --git a/mirror/tests/BUILD.bazel b/mirror/tests/BUILD.bazel
index 051b4606..e5ee512a 100644
--- a/mirror/tests/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/mirror/tests/BUILD.bazel
@@ -202,3 +202,25 @@ sh_test(
     },
     tags = ["exclusive"],  # this test starts a registry on fixed port 1338
 )
+
+sh_test(
+    name = "image_mirror_verify_test",
+    srcs = ["image_mirror_test.sh"],
+    data = [
+        ":image_mirror",
+        ":image_mirror_validate_src",
+        ":push_image",
+        "//vendor/github.com/google/go-containerregistry/cmd/crane",
+        "//vendor/github.com/google/go-containerregistry/cmd/registry",
+    ],
+    env = {
+        "LOCAL": "localhost:1338/mirror/localhost1338/image@sha256:b812c0570a7c369b2863c64e22760dc1b1dbc025a739f02db376bac62862f4cc",
+        "REMOTE": "localhost:1338/image@sha256:b812c0570a7c369b2863c64e22760dc1b1dbc025a739f02db376bac62862f4cc",
+        "PUSH_IMAGE": "$(location :push_image)",
+        "IMAGE_MIRROR": "$(location :image_mirror)",
+        "IMAGE_MIRROR_VALIDATE_SRC": "$(location :image_mirror_validate_src)",
+        "CRANE_BIN": "$(location //vendor/github.com/google/go-containerregistry/cmd/crane)",
+        "REGISTRY_BIN": "$(location //vendor/github.com/google/go-containerregistry/cmd/registry)",
+    },
+    tags = ["exclusive"],  # this test starts a registry on fixed port 1338
+)
diff --git a/mirror/tests/image_mirror_test.sh b/mirror/tests/image_mirror_test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..211a114b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/mirror/tests/image_mirror_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+#!/bin/bash -x
+#
+# This test runs the script passed as the first argument and verifies the image is pushed to the registry
+#
+${REGISTRY_BIN}&
+registry_pid=$!
+trap "kill -9 $registry_pid" EXIT
+
+echo verifying image $REMOTE does not exist
+${CRANE_BIN} validate -v --fast --remote $REMOTE
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image $REMOTE should not exist"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo verifying image $LOCAL does not exist
+${CRANE_BIN} validate -v --fast --remote $LOCAL
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image $LOCAL should not exist"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+#test should fail before pushing the image (no src, no dst)
+echo verifying mirror image validation fails
+${IMAGE_MIRROR_VALIDATE_SRC}
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image verification should fail"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo pushing image $SRC_IMAGE
+${PUSH_IMAGE}
+
+echo verifying image $REMOTE exists
+${CRANE_BIN} validate -v --fast --remote $REMOTE
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image $REMOTE should exist"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo verifying image $LOCAL does not exist
+${CRANE_BIN} validate -v --fast --remote $LOCAL
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image $LOCAL should not exist"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+#test should succeed with src image only
+echo verifying mirror image validation fails
+${IMAGE_MIRROR_VALIDATE_SRC}
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image verification should succeed"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo running image mirror
+${IMAGE_MIRROR}
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image mirroring should succeed"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo verifying image $LOCAL exists
+${CRANE_BIN} validate -v --fast --remote $LOCAL
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image $LOCAL should exist"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo verifying image $REMOTE exists
+${CRANE_BIN} validate -v --fast --remote $REMOTE
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image $REMOTE should exist"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+#test should succeed with src and dst images
+echo verifying mirror image validation succeeds
+${IMAGE_MIRROR_VALIDATE_SRC}
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image verification should succeed"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo removing image $REMOTE
+${CRANE_BIN} delete $REMOTE || exit 1
+
+echo verifying image $REMOTE does not exist
+${CRANE_BIN} validate -v --fast --remote $REMOTE
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image $REMOTE should not exist"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo verifying image $LOCAL exists
+${CRANE_BIN} validate -v --fast --remote $LOCAL
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image $LOCAL should exist"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+#test should succeed with dst image only
+echo verifying mirror image validation succeeds
+${IMAGE_MIRROR_VALIDATE_SRC}
+if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image verification should succeed"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+
+# exit 1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/mirror/validate_image.sh b/mirror/validate_image.sh
index 35afc6c4..40f48f30 100755
--- a/mirror/validate_image.sh
+++ b/mirror/validate_image.sh
@@ -1,3 +1,20 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-echo "Validating image $1"
-$CRANE_BIN validate -v --fast --remote $1
+REMOTE="{src_image}"
+LOCAL="{dst_image}@{digest}"
+echo "Validating images ${REMOTE} and ${LOCAL}"
+{crane_tool} validate -v --fast --remote ${REMOTE}
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image ${REMOTE} exist"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+echo "Image ${REMOTE} does not exist, checking ${LOCAL}"
+
+{crane_tool} validate -v --fast --remote ${LOCAL}
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "Image ${LOCAL} exist"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+echo "Image ${LOCAL} does not exist"
+exit 1