diff --git a/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh b/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000000..34c502e6b9a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright contributors to the vLLM project
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REQUIREMENTS_FILE="${KV_CONNECTORS_REQUIREMENTS:-/vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt}"
+
+uv pip install --system -r "${REQUIREMENTS_FILE}"
+
+NIXL_METADATA=$(python3 - <<'PY'
+import importlib.metadata as metadata
+
+import torch
+
+cuda_version = torch.version.cuda
+if cuda_version is None:
+    raise SystemExit("torch.version.cuda is not set")
+
+print(cuda_version.split(".", 1)[0], metadata.version("nixl"))
+PY
+)
+read -r CUDA_MAJOR NIXL_VERSION <<<"${NIXL_METADATA}"
+
+# nixl>=1.1.0 can install multiple CUDA wheel variants. Keep only the variant
+# matching this CI image so nixl_ep_cpp links against the available libcudart.
+uv pip uninstall --system nixl-cu12 nixl-cu13 2>/dev/null || true
+uv pip install --system --no-deps "nixl-cu${CUDA_MAJOR}==${NIXL_VERSION}"
+
+python3 - <<'PY'
+import importlib.metadata as metadata
+
+for package_name in ("nixl", "nixl-cu12", "nixl-cu13"):
+    try:
+        version = metadata.version(package_name)
+    except metadata.PackageNotFoundError:
+        version = "not installed"
+    print(f"{package_name}: {version}")
+PY
diff --git a/.buildkite/test_areas/disaggregated.yaml b/.buildkite/test_areas/disaggregated.yaml
index d3e02be23981..c9d5237b67b5 100644
--- a/.buildkite/test_areas/disaggregated.yaml
+++ b/.buildkite/test_areas/disaggregated.yaml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ steps:
     - vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/nixl/
     - tests/v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/
   commands:
-    - uv pip install --system -r /vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt
+    - bash /vllm-workspace/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
     - bash v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/config_sweep_accuracy_test.sh
 - label: Distributed FlashInfer NixlConnector PD accuracy (4 GPUs)
   key: distributed-flashinfer-nixlconnector-pd-accuracy-4-gpus
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ steps:
     - vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/nixl/
     - tests/v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/
   commands:
-    - uv pip install --system -r /vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt
+    - bash /vllm-workspace/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
     - FLASHINFER=1 bash v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/config_sweep_accuracy_test.sh
 
 - label: DP EP Distributed NixlConnector PD accuracy tests (4 GPUs)
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ steps:
     - vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/nixl/
     - tests/v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/
   commands:
-    - uv pip install --system -r /vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt
+    - bash /vllm-workspace/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
     - DP_EP=1 bash v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/config_sweep_accuracy_test.sh
 
 - label: CrossLayer KV layout Distributed NixlConnector PD accuracy tests (4 GPUs)
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ steps:
     - vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/nixl/
     - tests/v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/
   commands:
-    - uv pip install --system -r /vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt
+    - bash /vllm-workspace/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
     - CROSS_LAYERS_BLOCKS=True bash v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/config_sweep_accuracy_test.sh
 
 - label: Hybrid SSM NixlConnector PD accuracy tests (4 GPUs)
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ steps:
     - vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/nixl/
     - tests/v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/
   commands:
-    - uv pip install --system -r /vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt
+    - bash /vllm-workspace/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
     - HYBRID_SSM=1 bash v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/config_sweep_accuracy_test.sh
 
 - label: MultiConnector (Nixl+Offloading) PD accuracy (2 GPUs)
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ steps:
     - vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/offloading/
     - tests/v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/
   commands:
-    - uv pip install --system -r /vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt
+    - bash /vllm-workspace/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
     - bash v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/run_multi_connector_accuracy_test.sh
 
 - label: NixlConnector PD + Spec Decode acceptance (2 GPUs)
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ steps:
     - vllm/v1/worker/kv_connector_model_runner_mixin.py
     - tests/v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/
   commands:
-    - uv pip install --system -r /vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt
+    - bash /vllm-workspace/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
     - bash v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/config_sweep_spec_decode_test.sh
 
 - label: MultiConnector (Nixl+Offloading) PD edge cases (2 GPUs)
@@ -102,5 +102,5 @@ steps:
     - vllm/distributed/kv_transfer/kv_connector/v1/offloading/
     - tests/v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/
   commands:
-    - uv pip install --system -r /vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt
-    - bash v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/run_multi_connector_edge_case_test.sh
\ No newline at end of file
+    - bash /vllm-workspace/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
+    - bash v1/kv_connector/nixl_integration/run_multi_connector_edge_case_test.sh
diff --git a/.buildkite/test_areas/misc.yaml b/.buildkite/test_areas/misc.yaml
index ddeb692d831c..ce313060d8b7 100644
--- a/.buildkite/test_areas/misc.yaml
+++ b/.buildkite/test_areas/misc.yaml
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ steps:
     - tests/v1/metrics
     - tests/entrypoints/openai/correctness/test_lmeval.py
   commands:
-    - uv pip install --system -r /vllm-workspace/requirements/kv_connectors.txt
+    - bash /vllm-workspace/.buildkite/scripts/install-kv-connectors.sh
     - export VLLM_WORKER_MULTIPROC_METHOD=spawn
     # split the test to avoid interference
     - pytest -v -s -m 'not cpu_test' v1/core