diff --git a/chains/solana/README.md b/chains/solana/README.md
index 289fdec8e4..195a136d70 100644
--- a/chains/solana/README.md
+++ b/chains/solana/README.md
@@ -1,28 +1,89 @@
 # CCIP Solana Onchain
 
-- `contracts`: solana programs (rust) + tests (go) built on the anchor framework
-- `gobindings`: auto-generated go bindings for contracts using `anchor-go`
-- `scripts`: various scripts for generating artifacts
+## Project Structure
+
+- `contracts/` — Solana programs (Rust/Anchor) + integration tests (Go)
+  - `programs/` — Anchor program source code (ccip-router, fee-quoter, token pools, mcm, timelock, etc.)
+  - `tests/` — Go integration tests organized by area (`ccip/`, `mcms/`, `examples/`)
+  - `target/deploy/` — compiled `.so` program binaries and IDL JSON files
+  - `target/vendor/` — pre-built third-party program binaries (CCTP), committed to git
+- `gobindings/` — auto-generated Go bindings for contracts using `anchor-go`
+- `scripts/` — build and generation scripts (e.g. `anchor-go-gen.sh`)
+- `utils/` — shared Go utility libraries
 
 ## Dependencies
 
-- rust: https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install
-- go: https://go.dev/doc/install
-- solana: https://docs.anza.xyz/cli/install
-- anchor: https://www.anchor-lang.com/docs/installation
+- [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install) (version pinned via `contracts/rust-toolchain.toml`)
+- [Go](https://go.dev/doc/install) (see `go.mod` for required version)
+- [Solana CLI](https://docs.anza.xyz/cli/install) (provides `solana-test-validator`)
+- [Anchor CLI](https://www.anchor-lang.com/docs/installation)
+- [anchor-go](https://github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go) v0.2.3 — `GOTOOLCHAIN=go1.20 go install github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go@v0.2.3`
+- [golangci-lint](https://golangci-lint.run/welcome/install/) v2.7.0 — `go install github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/v2/cmd/golangci-lint@v2.7.0`
+- [gotestloghelper](https://github.com/smartcontractkit/chainlink-testing-framework) — for `make go-tests` output formatting
+
+### macOS (Apple Silicon) Note
+
+The `solana-test-validator` requires GNU tar. Without it, you'll see errors like
+`Archive error: extra entry found: "._genesis.bin"`. Install it and put it on your PATH:
+
+```bash
+brew install gnu-tar
+export PATH="/opt/homebrew/opt/gnu-tar/libexec/gnubin:$PATH"
+```
+
+See [solana-labs/solana#35629](https://github.com/solana-labs/solana/issues/35629) for details.
 
 ## Development
 
+### Build contracts
+
+```bash
+# Build on the host (requires Anchor CLI + Solana CLI + Rust toolchain)
+make build-contracts
+
+# Or build inside Docker for reproducibility
+make docker-build-contracts
+```
+
+### Generate Go bindings
+
+After any contract changes, regenerate the Go bindings:
+
 ```bash
-# install anchor-go if needed
-go install github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go@v0.2.3
+make anchor-go-gen
+```
+
+This builds the contracts, then runs `anchor-go` against the IDL files to produce bindings in `gobindings/`.
+
+### Run tests
+
+```bash
+# Go integration tests (spins up local solana-test-validator per test)
+make go-tests
+
+# Rust unit tests
+make rust-tests
+
+# Run a specific test suite
+go test ./contracts/tests/ccip/ -run TestCCIPRouter -v -count=1
+go test ./contracts/tests/mcms/ -run TestMcmSetConfig -v -count=1
+go test ./contracts/tests/examples/ -run TestBaseTokenPoolHappyPath -v -count=1
+```
 
-# build contracts + IDL
-anchor build
+Note: Go integration tests require that contracts have been built (`make build-contracts`)
+and that the vendor `.so` files exist in `contracts/target/vendor/`.
 
-# go bindings need to be regenerated if contract changes were made
-./scripts/anchor-go-gen.sh
+### Format and lint
 
-# test contracts
-go test ./... -v -count=1 -failfast
+```bash
+make format      # format Go + Rust
+make lint-go     # run golangci-lint
 ```
+
+### Full CI check
+
+```bash
+make solana-checks
+```
+
+This runs, in order: `clippy`, `anchor-go-gen`, `format`, `gomodtidy`, `lint-go`, `rust-tests`, `go-tests`, `build-contracts`.
diff --git a/chains/solana/contracts/README.md b/chains/solana/contracts/README.md
index 09242816ee..76d5af9c4f 100644
--- a/chains/solana/contracts/README.md
+++ b/chains/solana/contracts/README.md
@@ -1,97 +1,75 @@
-# Chainlink Solana contracts (programs)
+# Chainlink Solana Contracts (Programs)
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
-Install Rust, Solana & Anchor. See https://solana.com/docs/intro/installation
+- [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install) (version pinned via `rust-toolchain.toml`)
+- [Solana CLI](https://docs.anza.xyz/cli/install) (provides `solana-test-validator`)
+- [Anchor CLI](https://www.anchor-lang.com/docs/installation)
+- [Go](https://go.dev/doc/install) (see `go.mod` for required version)
+- [anchor-go](https://github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go) v0.2.3 — `GOTOOLCHAIN=go1.20 go install github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go@v0.2.3`
 
 ## Build
 
 To build on the host:
 
-```
+```bash
 anchor build
+# or from the repo root:
+make build-contracts
 ```
 
-To build inside a docker environment:
+To build inside a Docker environment (reproducible builds):
 
 ```bash
-anchor build --verifiable
+make docker-build-contracts
 ```
 
-To build for a specific network, specify via a cargo feature:
+## Test
+
+### Rust unit tests
 
 ```bash
-anchor build -- --features mainnet
+cargo test
+# or from the repo root:
+make rust-tests
 ```
 
-Available networks with declared IDs:
-
-- mainnet
-- testnet
-- devnet
-- localnet (default)
+### Go integration tests
 
-## Test
+The Go tests spin up a local `solana-test-validator`, deploy the compiled programs, and run
+integration tests against them.
 
-Make sure to run `pnpm i` to fetch mocha and other test dependencies.
+Prerequisites:
 
-Start a dockerized shell that contains Solana and Anchor:
+- `solana-test-validator` installed and on your PATH
+- Contracts built (`anchor build` or `make build-contracts`)
+- Vendor programs present in `target/vendor/` (pre-built CCTP `.so` files, committed to git)
 
 ```bash
-./scripts/anchor-shell.sh
+# from the repo root:
+make go-tests
 ```
 
-Next, generate a keypair for anchor:
+To run specific test suites:
 
 ```bash
-solana-keygen new -o id.json
+go test ./tests/ccip/ -run TestCCIPRouter -v -count=1
+go test ./tests/mcms/ -run TestMcmSetConfig -v -count=1
+go test ./tests/examples/ -run TestBaseTokenPoolHappyPath -v -count=1
 ```
 
-### Run anchor TypeScript tests (automatically tests against a local node)
+Note: subtests within a single top-level `Test*` function share sequential state, so running
+an individual subtest in isolation (e.g. `-run TestCCIPRouter/Config`) will likely fail because
+earlier setup subtests won't have executed.
 
-```bash
-anchor test
-```
-
-### Run GoLang tests (automatically tests against a local node)
+## Go bindings generation
 
-Pre-requisites:
-
-- Have the `solana-test-validator` command installed
-- Run `anchor build` if there have been any changes to the program under test.
+Install `anchor-go` and regenerate bindings after contract changes:
 
 ```bash
-make contracts-go-tests
+GOTOOLCHAIN=go1.20 go install github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go@v0.2.3
+make anchor-go-gen
 ```
 
-#### `anchor-go` bindings generation
-
-Install `https://github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go`
-
-Current version: [v0.2.3](https://github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go/tree/v0.2.3)
-
-To install `anchor-go` locally so that you can use the `anchor-go` command globally, follow these steps:
-
-1. **Clone the repository:**
-
-   ```bash
-   git clone https://github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go.git
-   cd anchor-go
-   git checkout v0.2.3
-   ```
-
-2. **Install the command globally:**
-
-   Run the following command to install the `anchor-go` command globally:
-
-   ```bash
-   go install
-   ```
-
-   This will install the `anchor-go` binary to your `$GOPATH/bin` directory. Make sure that this directory is included in your system's `PATH` environment variable.
-
-3. **Then run the following command to generate the Go bindings:**
-
-   ```bash
-   make anchor-go-gen
-   ```
+This builds the contracts, generates Go bindings from the IDL files in `target/idl/` and
+`target/vendor/`, and outputs them to `gobindings/`.
diff --git a/chains/solana/contracts/rust-toolchain.toml b/chains/solana/contracts/rust-toolchain.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3c4b81ebf6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/chains/solana/contracts/rust-toolchain.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+[toolchain]
+channel = "1.73.0"
+components = ["clippy", "rustfmt"]
diff --git a/chains/solana/scripts/anchor-go-gen.sh b/chains/solana/scripts/anchor-go-gen.sh
index adc02e2aa2..4efb79fec6 100755
--- a/chains/solana/scripts/anchor-go-gen.sh
+++ b/chains/solana/scripts/anchor-go-gen.sh
@@ -2,6 +2,13 @@
 
 set -e
 
+# Ensure anchor-go v0.2.3 is installed. It requires Go <= 1.22 to compile,
+# so we pin GOTOOLCHAIN=go1.20 for the install step.
+if ! command -v anchor-go &>/dev/null; then
+  echo "anchor-go not found, installing v0.2.3..."
+  GOTOOLCHAIN=go1.20 go install github.com/gagliardetto/anchor-go@v0.2.3
+fi
+
 function generate_bindings() {
   local idl_path_str="$1"
   IFS='/' read -r -a idl_path <<< "${idl_path_str}"