diff --git a/metrics/lib/common.bash b/metrics/lib/common.bash
index adcee14..9ca0cd1 100755
--- a/metrics/lib/common.bash
+++ b/metrics/lib/common.bash
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ RESULT_DIR="${LIB_DIR}/../results"
 
 source ${LIB_DIR}/kata-common.bash
 source ${LIB_DIR}/json.bash
+source ${LIB_DIR}/k8s-api.bash
 source /etc/os-release || source /usr/lib/os-release
 
 # Set variables to reasonable defaults if unset or empty
diff --git a/metrics/lib/k8s-api.bash b/metrics/lib/k8s-api.bash
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dc50796
--- /dev/null
+++ b/metrics/lib/k8s-api.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2019 Intel Corporation
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+# Helper routines for talking to k8s over its API, via http/curl
+
+API_ADDRESS="http://127.0.0.1"
+API_PORT="8090"
+PROXY_CMD="kubectl proxy --port=${API_PORT}"
+clean_up_proxy=false
+
+k8s_api_init() {
+	# check if kubectl proxy is already running. If it is use the port,
+	# specified, otherwise start kubectl proxy command.
+	if [ $use_api != "no" ]; then
+		# assuming command was called "kubectl proxy --port=####"
+		# FIXME make this more flexible for --port parameter being in a different order
+		local port
+		port=$(ps -ef | awk '$8 == "kubectl" && $9 == "proxy" {print $10}' | cut -b1-7 --complement)
+		if [ -z $port ]; then
+			echo "starting kubectl proxy"
+			clean_up_proxy=true
+			${PROXY_CMD} &
+		else
+			echo "found proxy port: ${port}"
+			API_PORT=$port
+		fi
+	fi
+}
+
+k8s_api_shutdown() {
+	# if this script launched the proxy, clean it up to prevent hang on exit
+	if [ "$clean_up_proxy" = "true" ]; then
+		echo "cleaning up kubectl proxy"
+		kill $(pgrep -f "${PROXY_CMD}")
+	fi
+}
+
+# get the number of nodes in the "Ready" state
+get_num_nodes() {
+	n=$(kubectl get nodes --no-headers=true | awk '$2 == "Ready" {print $1}' | wc -l)
+	echo "$n"
+}
+
diff --git a/metrics/scaling/k8s_scale.sh b/metrics/scaling/k8s_scale.sh
index 8bdb064..32bb253 100755
--- a/metrics/scaling/k8s_scale.sh
+++ b/metrics/scaling/k8s_scale.sh
@@ -34,17 +34,6 @@ use_api=${use_api:-yes}
 TEST_ARGS="runtime=${RUNTIME}"
 TEST_NAME="k8s scaling"
 
-API_ADDRESS="http://127.0.0.1"
-API_PORT="8090"
-PROXY_CMD="kubectl proxy --port=${API_PORT}"
-clean_up_proxy=false
-
-# get the number of nodes in the "Ready" state
-get_num_nodes() {
-	n=$(kubectl get nodes --no-headers=true | awk '$2 == "Ready" {print $1}' | wc -l)
-	echo "$n"
-}
-
 # $1 is the launch time in seconds this pod/container took to start up.
 # $2 is the number of pod/containers under test
 grab_stats() {
@@ -104,22 +93,7 @@ init() {
 	# FIXME - check the node(s) can run enough pods - check 'max-pods' in the
 	# kubelet config - from 'kubectl describe node -o json' ?
 
-	# check if kubectl proxy is already running. If it is use the port,
-	# specified, otherwise start kubectl proxy command.
-	if [ $use_api != "no" ]; then
-		# assuming command was called "kubectl proxy --port=####"
-		# FIXME make this more flexible for --port parameter being in a different order
-		local port
-		port=$(ps -ef | awk '$8 == "kubectl" && $9 == "proxy" {print $10}' | cut -b1-7 --complement)
-		if [ -z $port ]; then
-			echo "starting kubectl proxy"
-			clean_up_proxy=true
-			${PROXY_CMD} &
-		else
-			echo "found proxy port: ${port}"
-			API_PORT=$port
-		fi
-	fi
+	k8s_api_init
 
 	# Launch our stats gathering pod
 	kubectl apply -f ${SCRIPT_PATH}/${stats_pod}.yaml
@@ -245,11 +219,7 @@ EOF
 	metrics_json_add_fragment "$json"
 	metrics_json_save
 
-	# if this script launched the proxy, clean it up to prevent hang on exit
-	if [ "$clean_up_proxy" = "true" ]; then
-		echo "cleaning up kubectl proxy"
-		kill $(pgrep -f "${PROXY_CMD}")
-	fi
+	k8s_api_shutdown
 }
 
 show_vars()