diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 516b859531..5478f58d37 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ ifeq ($(SELINUX_ENABLED),1)
 endif
 
 # Set build time variables including version details
-LDFLAGS := $(shell hack/version.sh)
+LDFLAGS ?= $(shell hack/version.sh)
 
 # Additional CAPV vars (everything else is ~ kept in sync with core CAPI)
 # Allow overriding manifest generation destination directory
diff --git a/test/e2e/README.md b/test/e2e/README.md
index a5c3a3225b..3fe3b54b87 100644
--- a/test/e2e/README.md
+++ b/test/e2e/README.md
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ The first step to running the e2e tests is setting up the required environment v
 Run the following command to execute the CAPV e2e tests:
 
 ```shell
+# For local testing, uncomment the line below to turn off traceability in the built image.
+# export LDFLAGS="" 
+
 make e2e
 ```