diff --git a/emp/custom-registry/emp_image_helper.sh b/emp/custom-registry/emp_image_helper.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..0347828
--- /dev/null
+++ b/emp/custom-registry/emp_image_helper.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,320 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Detect shell and set appropriate options
+if [ -n "$ZSH_VERSION" ]; then
+    # Zsh-specific settings
+    setopt SH_WORD_SPLIT  # Ensure word splitting behavior similar to sh/bash
+    setopt NULLGLOB       # Allow empty globs
+    setopt POSIX_BUILTINS # Use POSIX standard for builtins
+elif [ -n "$BASH_VERSION" ]; then
+    # Bash-specific settings
+    set -o pipefail
+    export PS4='+(${BASH_SOURCE}:${LINENO}): ${FUNCNAME[0]:+${FUNCNAME[0]}(): }'
+fi
+
+# Strict error handling
+set -eu
+
+IMAGES=""
+IMAGES="$IMAGES registry.k8s.io/pause:3.1"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES registry.k8s.io/kube-controller-manager-amd64:v1.30.2"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES registry.k8s.io/kube-scheduler-amd64:v1.30.2"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES docker.io/nginxinc/nginx-unprivileged:1.25"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES registry.k8s.io/kube-scheduler-amd64:v1.21.4"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES registry.k8s.io/sig-storage/csi-node-driver-registrar:v2.9.0"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES registry.k8s.io/sig-storage/csi-provisioner:v3.6.1"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES registry.k8s.io/sig-storage/csi-resizer:v1.9.1"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES registry.k8s.io/sig-storage/csi-snapshotter:v8.0.1"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES registry.k8s.io/sig-storage/snapshot-controller:v6.3.1"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES quay.io/prometheus/prometheus:v2.48.1"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES quay.io/prometheus-operator/prometheus-operator:v0.70.0"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES quay.io/prometheus-operator/prometheus-config-reloader:v0.70.0"
+IMAGES="$IMAGES quay.io/prometheus/alertmanager:v0.26.0"
+
+VERBOSE=0
+K8S_CMD=kubectl
+K8SSECRET=emp-secret
+DRYRUN=0
+CNT_CMD=docker
+
+# Colors init via tput
+Cg="$(tput bold 2>/dev/null && tput setaf 0 2>/dev/null || /bin/true)"                    # Gray
+Cb="$(tput bold 2>/dev/null && tput setaf 7 2>/dev/null && tput setab 4 2>/dev/null || /bin/true)"    # White on Blue
+Cy="$(tput bold 2>/dev/null && tput setaf 3 2>/dev/null && tput setab 0 2>/dev/null || /bin/true)"    # Yellow on Black
+Cr="$(tput bold 2>/dev/null && tput setaf 3 2>/dev/null && tput setab 1 2>/dev/null || /bin/true)"    # Yellow on Red
+CR="$(tput sgr0 2>/dev/null || /bin/true)"                                                # RESET
+
+# Spinner animation
+spinner() {
+    local pid=$1
+    local delay=0.1
+    local spinstr='|/-\'
+    local temp=""
+    
+    while kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null; do
+        temp="${spinstr#?}"
+        spinstr=$temp${spinstr%"$temp"}
+        printf "\r${Cb} ⋯ %s  ${CR}" "${spinstr:0:1}" >&2
+        sleep "$delay"
+    done
+    printf "\r${Cg}✓ Complete${CR}\n" >&2
+}
+
+# debug - prints a DEBUG message (normally gray on black)
+debug() {
+    [ $VERBOSE -le 0 ] || echo "$(date +'%F %T') $Cg DEBUG: $* $CR" >&2
+}
+
+# info - prints an INFO message (normally white on blue)
+info() {
+    echo "$(date +'%F %T') $Cb INFO: $* $CR" >&2
+}
+
+# warn - prints a WARN message (normally yellow on black)
+warn() {
+    echo "$(date +'%F %T') $Cy WARN: $* $CR" >&2
+}
+
+# fail - prints a FATAL message (yellow on red) and exits the script
+fail() {
+    local args=${*:-error}
+    echo "$(date +'%F %T') $Cr FATAL $args $CR" >&2
+    trap - EXIT
+    exit 2
+}
+
+# SUPPORTING FUNCTIONS
+
+exit_trap() {
+    local rc=$?
+    if [ $rc -eq 0 ]; then
+        debug "END"
+    else
+        warn "$0 FAILED (rc=$rc)"
+    fi
+    exit $rc
+}
+trap exit_trap EXIT
+
+# dummy_cmd - replacement for docker/kubelet to display parameters/output
+dummy_cmd() {
+    if echo "$*" | grep -q -- '-$'; then
+        echo "DRY-RUN: $* << EOF" >&2
+        cat >&2
+        echo EOF >&2
+    else
+        echo "DRY-RUN: $*" 2>&1
+    fi
+}
+
+# num_images returns a number of images
+num_images() {
+    # shellcheck disable=SC2086
+    echo $IMAGES | wc -w
+}
+
+# pull_images - pulls container images with spinner
+pull_images() {
+    local num_img
+    num_img=$(num_images)
+    info "Pulling $num_img images for Elastic Machine Pool by Platform9"
+    
+    # Temporary file for output
+    local tmpfile
+    tmpfile=$(mktemp)
+    
+    # Async pull with spinner
+    {
+        for img in $IMAGES; do
+            info "Pulling $img"
+            $CNT_CMD pull "$img" 2>&1
+        done
+    } > "$tmpfile" 2>&1 &
+    
+    # Capture PID of background process
+    local pull_pid=$!
+    
+    # Show spinner while pulling
+    spinner "$pull_pid"
+    
+    # Check pull results
+    if wait "$pull_pid"; then
+        info "Successfully pulled $num_img images"
+    else
+        warn "Some images failed to pull. Check the log:"
+        cat "$tmpfile" >&2
+    fi
+    
+    # Clean up temp file
+    rm "$tmpfile"
+}
+
+# push_images_registry - loads container images into given registry
+push_images_registry() {
+    [ $# -eq 1 ] || fail "push: Please provide registry server"
+    local reg=${1%%/}
+
+    local num_img
+    num_img=$(num_images)
+    info "Pushing $num_img images into $reg container registry/repository..."
+    
+    # Temporary file for output
+    local tmpfile
+    tmpfile=$(mktemp)
+    
+    # Async push with spinner
+    {
+        # Transformation function for image names
+        local trans
+        if echo "$reg" | grep -q /; then
+            trans() {
+                echo "$reg/$(basename "$1")"
+            }
+        else
+            trans() {
+                local i2="${1##docker.io/}" #remove docker.io
+                local i3="${i2##registry.k8s.io/}" #remove registry.k8s.io from i2
+                echo "$reg/${i3##quay.io/}" #remove quay.io from i3
+            }
+        fi
+        
+        # Push images
+        for img in $IMAGES; do
+            local tg
+            tg=$(trans "$img")
+            $CNT_CMD tag "$img" "$tg"
+            $CNT_CMD push "$tg"
+            $CNT_CMD rmi "$tg"
+            debug "Pushed $tg into $reg"
+        done
+    } > "$tmpfile" 2>&1 &
+    
+    # Capture PID of background process
+    local push_pid=$!
+    
+    # Show spinner while pushing
+    spinner "$push_pid"
+    
+    # Check push results
+    if wait "$push_pid"; then
+        info "Finished pushing $num_img images into $reg"
+    else
+        warn "Some images failed to push. Check the log:"
+        cat "$tmpfile" >&2
+    fi
+    
+    # Clean up temp file
+    rm "$tmpfile"
+}
+
+# import_secrets creates the YAML that can be applied
+# on k8s using the current docker/podman configuration
+import_secrets() {
+    local f
+    if echo "$CNT_CMD" | grep -qw podman; then
+        f=/run/user/0/containers/auth.json
+        [ -f "$f" ] || f=/run/containers/0/auth.json
+    else
+        f=$HOME/.docker/config.json
+    fi
+    [ -f "$f" ] || fail "Registry secrets file $f not available"
+
+    # Use base64 with appropriate flag for both GNU and BSD base64
+    local B64CONTENT
+    B64CONTENT=$(base64 -w0 "$f" 2>/dev/null || base64 "$f")
+
+    $K8S_CMD apply -f - << EOF
+apiVersion: v1
+data:
+   .dockerconfigjson: $B64CONTENT
+kind: Secret
+metadata:
+   name: $K8SSECRET
+   namespace: kube-system
+type: kubernetes.io/dockerconfigjson
+EOF
+    info "Registry secrets kube-system/$K8SSECRET imported from $f"
+}
+
+# usage - prints usage
+usage() {
+    local rc=${1:-0}
+    local SELF
+    SELF=$(readlink -f "$0")
+    [ ! -f "$SELF" ] && SELF='curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/platform9/support-locker/refs/heads/master/emp/custom-registry/emp_image_helper.sh | sh -s --'
+    cat << _EOF >&2
+Usage: $SELF <options> <commands>
+
+IMAGE-COMMANDS:
+    pull                      pulls the Elastic Machine Pool by Platform9 container images locally
+    push <registry[/repo]>    pushes the Elastic Machine Pool by Platform9 images into remote container registry server
+    load node1 [node2 [...]]  loads the images tarball to remote nodes  (note: ssh-access required)
+
+OPTIONS:
+    -n|--dry-run              show commands instead of running
+    -V|--version              print version of the script
+    -v                        verbose output
+
+EXAMPLES:
+
+    # Pull images from default container registries, push them to custom registry server (default repositories)
+    $SELF pull push your-registry.company.com:5000
+
+    # Pull images from default container registries, push them to custom registry server and Elastic Machine Pool by Platform9 repository
+    $SELF pull
+    $SELF push your-registry.company.com:5000/emp-pf9
+
+    # Push images to password-protected remote registry, then import docker/podman configuration as kubernetes secret
+    $CNT_CMD login your-registry.company.com:5000
+    $SELF pull
+    $SELF push your-registry.company.com:5000/emp-pf9
+    $SELF import-secrets
+
+_EOF
+    exit "$rc"
+}
+
+# Argument parsing with zsh and bash compatibility
+[ $# -gt 0 ] || usage
+
+while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+    case "$1" in
+        pull)
+            info "Using '$CNT_CMD' to handle container images"
+            pull_images
+            ;;
+        push)
+            info "Using '$CNT_CMD' to handle container images"
+            push_images_registry "$2"
+            shift ;;
+        import-secrets)
+            import_secrets
+            ;;
+        -n|--dry-run)
+            # dry-run mode
+            CNT_CMD="dummy_cmd $CNT_CMD"
+            K8S_CMD="dummy_cmd $K8S_CMD"
+            LOAD='cat > /dev/null'
+            DRYRUN=1
+            ;;
+        -v)
+            VERBOSE=$((VERBOSE+1))
+            ;;
+        -V|--version)
+            echo "Elastic Machine Pool by Platform9 v1.2"
+            shift "$#"
+            break ;;
+        -h|--help)
+            usage
+            break ;;
+        --)
+            shift
+            break ;;
+        *)
+            usage
+            break ;;
+    esac
+    shift
+done
+
+[ $# -eq 0 ] || fail "Unknown argument(s): $*"