diff --git a/.githooks/check-branch-name.sh b/.githooks/check-branch-name.sh
index 752e199..6a6669a 100755
--- a/.githooks/check-branch-name.sh
+++ b/.githooks/check-branch-name.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/bash
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 # This script checks if the current branch name follows the specified format.
 # It's designed to be used as a 'pre-commit' git hook.
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 # An array of allowed commit types
 ALLOWED_TYPES=(feat fix refactor perf style test docs build chore revert)
 # An array of branches to ignore
-IGNORED_BRANCHES=(main dev)
+IGNORED_BRANCHES=(main dev demo)
 
 # --- Colors for Output ---
 RED='\033[0;31m'
diff --git a/.githooks/check-commit-msg.sh b/.githooks/check-commit-msg.sh
index 82bd441..eacf2a8 100755
--- a/.githooks/check-commit-msg.sh
+++ b/.githooks/check-commit-msg.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-#!/bin/bash
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
 
 # This script checks if a commit message follows the specified format.
 # It's designed to be used as a 'commit-msg' git hook.
@@ -23,6 +23,44 @@ NC='\033[0m' # No Color
 # The first argument to the hook is the path to the file containing the commit message
 COMMIT_MSG_FILE=$1
 
+# --- Automated Commit Detection ---
+
+# Read the first line (header) for initial checks
+HEADER=$(head -n 1 "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE")
+
+# Check for Merge commits (covers 'git merge' and PR merges from GitHub/GitLab)
+# Examples: "Merge branch 'main' into ...", "Merge pull request #123 from ..."
+MERGE_PATTERN="^Merge (branch|pull request|tag) .*"
+if [[ "$HEADER" =~ $MERGE_PATTERN ]]; then
+  echo -e "${GREEN}Merge commit detected by message content. Skipping validation.${NC}"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Check for Revert commits
+# Example: "Revert "feat: add new feature""
+REVERT_PATTERN="^Revert \".*\""
+if [[ "$HEADER" =~ $REVERT_PATTERN ]]; then
+  echo -e "${GREEN}Revert commit detected by message content. Skipping validation.${NC}"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Check for Cherry-pick commits (this pattern appears at the end of the message)
+# Example: "(cherry picked from commit deadbeef...)"
+# We use grep -q to search the whole file quietly.
+CHERRY_PICK_PATTERN="\(cherry picked from commit [a-f0-9]{7,40}\)"
+if grep -qE "$CHERRY_PICK_PATTERN" "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE"; then
+  echo -e "${GREEN}Cherry-pick detected by message content. Skipping validation.${NC}"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Check for Squash
+# Example: "Squash commits ..."
+SQUASH_PATTERN="^Squash .+"
+if [[ "$HEADER" =~ $SQUASH_PATTERN ]]; then
+  echo -e "${GREEN}Squash commit detected by message content. Skipping validation.${NC}"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
 # --- Validation Functions ---
 
 # Function to print an error message and exit
@@ -56,20 +94,24 @@ if ! [[ "$HEADER" =~ $HEADER_REGEX ]]; then
   error_exit "Invalid header format.\n\nHeader must be in the format: <type>: <short description>\nAllowed types: ${ALLOWED_TYPES[*]}\nExample: feat: add new user authentication feature"
 fi
 
-# 3. Validate the footer (last line) of the commit message
-FOOTER=$(tail -n 1 "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE")
+# Only validate footer if commit type is not chore
+TYPE=$(echo "$HEADER" | cut -d':' -f1)
+if [ "$TYPE" != "chore" ]; then
+  # 3. Validate the footer (last line) of the commit message
+  FOOTER=$(tail -n 1 "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE")
 
-# Regex breakdown:
-# ^(ref|close)         - Starts with 'ref' or 'close'
-# :                    - Followed by a literal colon
-# \s                   - Followed by a single space
-# N25B-                - Followed by the literal string 'N25B-'
-# [0-9]+               - Followed by one or more digits
-# $                    - End of the line
-FOOTER_REGEX="^(ref|close): N25B-[0-9]+$"
+  # Regex breakdown:
+  # ^(ref|close)         - Starts with 'ref' or 'close'
+  # :                    - Followed by a literal colon
+  # \s                   - Followed by a single space
+  # N25B-                - Followed by the literal string 'N25B-'
+  # [0-9]+               - Followed by one or more digits
+  # $                    - End of the line
+  FOOTER_REGEX="^(ref|close): N25B-[0-9]+$"
 
-if ! [[ "$FOOTER" =~ $FOOTER_REGEX ]]; then
-  error_exit "Invalid footer format.\n\nFooter must be in the format: [ref/close]: <issue identifier>\nExample: ref: N25B-123"
+  if ! [[ "$FOOTER" =~ $FOOTER_REGEX ]]; then
+    error_exit "Invalid footer format.\n\nFooter must be in the format: [ref/close]: <issue identifier>\nExample: ref: N25B-123"
+  fi
 fi
 
 # 4. If the message has more than 2 lines, validate the separator
diff --git a/src/control_backend/agents/ri_command_agent.py b/src/control_backend/agents/ri_command_agent.py
index 9c5d2bc..dac41f3 100644
--- a/src/control_backend/agents/ri_command_agent.py
+++ b/src/control_backend/agents/ri_command_agent.py
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import spade.agent
 import zmq
 from spade.agent import Agent
 from spade.behaviour import CyclicBehaviour
+from zmq.asyncio import Context
 
 from control_backend.core.config import settings
-from control_backend.core.zmq_context import context
 from control_backend.schemas.ri_message import SpeechCommand
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -71,6 +71,8 @@ class RICommandAgent(Agent):
         """
         logger.info("Setting up %s", self.jid)
 
+        context = Context.instance()
+
         # To the robot
         self.pubsocket = context.socket(zmq.PUB)
         if self.bind:
@@ -80,7 +82,7 @@ class RICommandAgent(Agent):
 
         # Receive internal topics regarding commands
         self.subsocket = context.socket(zmq.SUB)
-        self.subsocket.connect(settings.zmq_settings.internal_comm_address)
+        self.subsocket.connect(settings.zmq_settings.internal_sub_address)
         self.subsocket.setsockopt(zmq.SUBSCRIBE, b"command")
 
         # Add behaviour to our agent
diff --git a/src/control_backend/agents/ri_communication_agent.py b/src/control_backend/agents/ri_communication_agent.py
index 8d56b09..638b967 100644
--- a/src/control_backend/agents/ri_communication_agent.py
+++ b/src/control_backend/agents/ri_communication_agent.py
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@ import logging
 import zmq
 from spade.agent import Agent
 from spade.behaviour import CyclicBehaviour
+from zmq.asyncio import Context
 
 from control_backend.agents.ri_command_agent import RICommandAgent
 from control_backend.core.config import settings
-from control_backend.core.zmq_context import context
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ class RICommunicationAgent(Agent):
         # Let's try a certain amount of times before failing connection
         while retries < max_retries:
             # Bind request socket
-            self.req_socket = context.socket(zmq.REQ)
+            self.req_socket = Context.instance().socket(zmq.REQ)
             if self._bind:
                 self.req_socket.bind(self._address)
             else:
diff --git a/src/control_backend/agents/transcription/transcription_agent.py b/src/control_backend/agents/transcription/transcription_agent.py
index 196fd28..25103a4 100644
--- a/src/control_backend/agents/transcription/transcription_agent.py
+++ b/src/control_backend/agents/transcription/transcription_agent.py
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ from spade.message import Message
 
 from control_backend.agents.transcription.speech_recognizer import SpeechRecognizer
 from control_backend.core.config import settings
-from control_backend.core.zmq_context import context as zmq_context
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -73,7 +72,7 @@ class TranscriptionAgent(Agent):
         return await super().stop()
 
     def _connect_audio_in_socket(self):
-        self.audio_in_socket = zmq_context.socket(zmq.SUB)
+        self.audio_in_socket = azmq.Context.instance().socket(zmq.SUB)
         self.audio_in_socket.setsockopt_string(zmq.SUBSCRIBE, "")
         self.audio_in_socket.connect(self.audio_in_address)
 
diff --git a/src/control_backend/agents/vad_agent.py b/src/control_backend/agents/vad_agent.py
index 5b7f598..9cf2adf 100644
--- a/src/control_backend/agents/vad_agent.py
+++ b/src/control_backend/agents/vad_agent.py
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ from spade.behaviour import CyclicBehaviour
 
 from control_backend.agents.transcription import TranscriptionAgent
 from control_backend.core.config import settings
-from control_backend.core.zmq_context import context as zmq_context
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -66,7 +65,8 @@ class Streaming(CyclicBehaviour):
         self._ready = True
 
     async def run(self) -> None:
-        if not self._ready: return
+        if not self._ready:
+            return
 
         data = await self.audio_in_poller.poll()
         if data is None:
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ class VADAgent(Agent):
         return await super().stop()
 
     def _connect_audio_in_socket(self):
-        self.audio_in_socket = zmq_context.socket(zmq.SUB)
+        self.audio_in_socket = azmq.Context.instance().socket(zmq.SUB)
         self.audio_in_socket.setsockopt_string(zmq.SUBSCRIBE, "")
         if self.audio_in_bind:
             self.audio_in_socket.bind(self.audio_in_address)
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ class VADAgent(Agent):
     def _connect_audio_out_socket(self) -> int | None:
         """Returns the port bound, or None if binding failed."""
         try:
-            self.audio_out_socket = zmq_context.socket(zmq.PUB)
+            self.audio_out_socket = azmq.Context.instance().socket(zmq.PUB)
             return self.audio_out_socket.bind_to_random_port("tcp://*", max_tries=100)
         except zmq.ZMQBindError:
             logger.error("Failed to bind an audio output socket after 100 tries.")
diff --git a/src/control_backend/api/v1/endpoints/command.py b/src/control_backend/api/v1/endpoints/command.py
index e19290f..d7f963b 100644
--- a/src/control_backend/api/v1/endpoints/command.py
+++ b/src/control_backend/api/v1/endpoints/command.py
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import logging
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Request
-from zmq import Socket
 
 from control_backend.schemas.ri_message import SpeechCommand
 
@@ -15,7 +14,7 @@ async def receive_command(command: SpeechCommand, request: Request):
     # Validate and retrieve data.
     SpeechCommand.model_validate(command)
     topic = b"command"
-    pub_socket: Socket = request.app.state.internal_comm_socket
-    pub_socket.send_multipart([topic, command.model_dump_json().encode()])
+    pub_socket = request.app.state.endpoints_pub_socket
+    await pub_socket.send_multipart([topic, command.model_dump_json().encode()])
 
     return {"status": "Command received"}
diff --git a/src/control_backend/api/v1/endpoints/message.py b/src/control_backend/api/v1/endpoints/message.py
index 1053c3c..bd88a0b 100644
--- a/src/control_backend/api/v1/endpoints/message.py
+++ b/src/control_backend/api/v1/endpoints/message.py
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import logging
 
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Request
-from zmq import Socket
 
 from control_backend.schemas.message import Message
 
@@ -17,8 +16,7 @@ async def receive_message(message: Message, request: Request):
     topic = b"message"
     body = message.model_dump_json().encode("utf-8")
 
-    pub_socket: Socket = request.app.state.internal_comm_socket
-
-    pub_socket.send_multipart([topic, body])
+    pub_socket = request.app.state.endpoints_pub_socket
+    await pub_socket.send_multipart([topic, body])
 
     return {"status": "Message received"}
diff --git a/src/control_backend/core/config.py b/src/control_backend/core/config.py
index 2fd16b8..8de2403 100644
--- a/src/control_backend/core/config.py
+++ b/src/control_backend/core/config.py
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings, SettingsConfigDict
 
 
 class ZMQSettings(BaseModel):
-    internal_comm_address: str = "tcp://localhost:5560"
+    internal_pub_address: str = "tcp://localhost:5560"
+    internal_sub_address: str = "tcp://localhost:5561"
 
 
 class AgentSettings(BaseModel):
diff --git a/src/control_backend/core/zmq_context.py b/src/control_backend/core/zmq_context.py
deleted file mode 100644
index a74544f..0000000
--- a/src/control_backend/core/zmq_context.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-from zmq.asyncio import Context
-
-context = Context()
diff --git a/src/control_backend/main.py b/src/control_backend/main.py
index 4fddc1e..043eefd 100644
--- a/src/control_backend/main.py
+++ b/src/control_backend/main.py
@@ -3,37 +3,59 @@
 # External imports
 import contextlib
 import logging
+import threading
 
 import zmq
 from fastapi import FastAPI
 from fastapi.middleware.cors import CORSMiddleware
+from zmq.asyncio import Context
 
 from control_backend.agents.bdi.bdi_core import BDICoreAgent
 from control_backend.agents.bdi.text_extractor import TBeliefExtractor
 from control_backend.agents.belief_collector.belief_collector import BeliefCollectorAgent
 from control_backend.agents.llm.llm import LLMAgent
-
-# Internal imports
 from control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent import RICommunicationAgent
 from control_backend.agents.vad_agent import VADAgent
 from control_backend.api.v1.router import api_router
 from control_backend.core.config import settings
-from control_backend.core.zmq_context import context
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)
 
 
+def setup_sockets():
+    context = Context.instance()
+
+    internal_pub_socket = context.socket(zmq.XPUB)
+    internal_pub_socket.bind(settings.zmq_settings.internal_sub_address)
+    logger.debug("Internal publishing socket bound to %s", internal_pub_socket)
+
+    internal_sub_socket = context.socket(zmq.XSUB)
+    internal_sub_socket.bind(settings.zmq_settings.internal_pub_address)
+    logger.debug("Internal subscribing socket bound to %s", internal_sub_socket)
+    try:
+        zmq.proxy(internal_sub_socket, internal_pub_socket)
+    except zmq.ZMQError:
+        logger.warning("Error while handling PUB/SUB proxy. Closing sockets.")
+    finally:
+        internal_pub_socket.close()
+        internal_sub_socket.close()
+
+
 @contextlib.asynccontextmanager
 async def lifespan(app: FastAPI):
     logger.info("%s starting up.", app.title)
 
     # Initiate sockets
-    internal_comm_socket = context.socket(zmq.PUB)
-    internal_comm_address = settings.zmq_settings.internal_comm_address
-    internal_comm_socket.bind(internal_comm_address)
-    app.state.internal_comm_socket = internal_comm_socket
-    logger.info("Internal publishing socket bound to %s", internal_comm_socket)
+    proxy_thread = threading.Thread(target=setup_sockets)
+    proxy_thread.daemon = True
+    proxy_thread.start()
+
+    context = Context.instance()
+
+    endpoints_pub_socket = context.socket(zmq.PUB)
+    endpoints_pub_socket.connect(settings.zmq_settings.internal_pub_address)
+    app.state.endpoints_pub_socket = endpoints_pub_socket
 
     # Initiate agents
     ri_communication_agent = RICommunicationAgent(
diff --git a/test/integration/agents/test_ri_commands_agent.py b/test/integration/agents/test_ri_commands_agent.py
index 4249401..00edcb1 100644
--- a/test/integration/agents/test_ri_commands_agent.py
+++ b/test/integration/agents/test_ri_commands_agent.py
@@ -7,19 +7,21 @@ import zmq
 from control_backend.agents.ri_command_agent import RICommandAgent
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def zmq_context(mocker):
+    mock_context = mocker.patch("control_backend.agents.vad_agent.azmq.Context.instance")
+    mock_context.return_value = MagicMock()
+    return mock_context
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_bind(monkeypatch):
+async def test_setup_bind(zmq_context, mocker):
     """Test setup with bind=True"""
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_command_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
 
     agent = RICommandAgent("test@server", "password", address="tcp://localhost:5555", bind=True)
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_command_agent.settings",
-        MagicMock(zmq_settings=MagicMock(internal_comm_address="tcp://internal:1234")),
-    )
+    settings = mocker.patch("control_backend.agents.ri_command_agent.settings")
+    settings.zmq_settings.internal_sub_address = "tcp://internal:1234"
 
     await agent.setup()
 
@@ -34,18 +36,13 @@ async def test_setup_bind(monkeypatch):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_connect(monkeypatch):
+async def test_setup_connect(zmq_context, mocker):
     """Test setup with bind=False"""
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_command_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
 
     agent = RICommandAgent("test@server", "password", address="tcp://localhost:5555", bind=False)
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_command_agent.settings",
-        MagicMock(zmq_settings=MagicMock(internal_comm_address="tcp://internal:1234")),
-    )
+    settings = mocker.patch("control_backend.agents.ri_command_agent.settings")
+    settings.zmq_settings.internal_sub_address = "tcp://internal:1234"
 
     await agent.setup()
 
diff --git a/test/integration/agents/test_ri_communication_agent.py b/test/integration/agents/test_ri_communication_agent.py
index fd555e1..443d609 100644
--- a/test/integration/agents/test_ri_communication_agent.py
+++ b/test/integration/agents/test_ri_communication_agent.py
@@ -84,21 +84,23 @@ def fake_json_invalid_id_negototiate():
     )
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def zmq_context(mocker):
+    mock_context = mocker.patch("control_backend.agents.vad_agent.azmq.Context.instance")
+    mock_context.return_value = MagicMock()
+    return mock_context
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_1(monkeypatch):
+async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_1(zmq_context):
     """
     Test the setup of the communication agent
     """
     # --- Arrange ---
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     fake_socket.recv_json = fake_json_correct_negototiate_1()
 
-    # Mock context.socket to return our fake socket
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     # Mock RICommandAgent agent startup
     with patch(
         "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.RICommandAgent", autospec=True
@@ -128,20 +130,15 @@ async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_1(monkeypatch):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_2(monkeypatch):
+async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_2(zmq_context):
     """
     Test the setup of the communication agent
     """
     # --- Arrange ---
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     fake_socket.recv_json = fake_json_correct_negototiate_2()
 
-    # Mock context.socket to return our fake socket
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     # Mock RICommandAgent agent startup
     with patch(
         "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.RICommandAgent", autospec=True
@@ -171,20 +168,15 @@ async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_2(monkeypatch):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_3(monkeypatch, caplog):
+async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_3(zmq_context, caplog):
     """
     Test the functionality of setup with incorrect negotiation message
     """
     # --- Arrange ---
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     fake_socket.recv_json = fake_json_wrong_negototiate_1()
 
-    # Mock context.socket to return our fake socket
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     # Mock RICommandAgent agent startup
 
     # We are sending wrong negotiation info to the communication agent,
@@ -215,20 +207,15 @@ async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_3(monkeypatch, caplog):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_4(monkeypatch):
+async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_4(zmq_context):
     """
     Test the setup of the communication agent with different bind value
     """
     # --- Arrange ---
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     fake_socket.recv_json = fake_json_correct_negototiate_3()
 
-    # Mock context.socket to return our fake socket
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     # Mock RICommandAgent agent startup
     with patch(
         "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.RICommandAgent", autospec=True
@@ -258,20 +245,15 @@ async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_4(monkeypatch):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_5(monkeypatch):
+async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_5(zmq_context):
     """
     Test the setup of the communication agent
     """
     # --- Arrange ---
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     fake_socket.recv_json = fake_json_correct_negototiate_4()
 
-    # Mock context.socket to return our fake socket
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     # Mock RICommandAgent agent startup
     with patch(
         "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.RICommandAgent", autospec=True
@@ -301,20 +283,15 @@ async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_5(monkeypatch):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_6(monkeypatch):
+async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_6(zmq_context):
     """
     Test the setup of the communication agent
     """
     # --- Arrange ---
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     fake_socket.recv_json = fake_json_correct_negototiate_5()
 
-    # Mock context.socket to return our fake socket
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     # Mock RICommandAgent agent startup
     with patch(
         "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.RICommandAgent", autospec=True
@@ -344,20 +321,15 @@ async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_6(monkeypatch):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_7(monkeypatch, caplog):
+async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_7(zmq_context, caplog):
     """
     Test the functionality of setup with incorrect id
     """
     # --- Arrange ---
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     fake_socket.recv_json = fake_json_invalid_id_negototiate()
 
-    # Mock context.socket to return our fake socket
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     # Mock RICommandAgent agent startup
 
     # We are sending wrong negotiation info to the communication agent,
@@ -385,20 +357,15 @@ async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_7(monkeypatch, caplog):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_timeout(monkeypatch, caplog):
+async def test_setup_creates_socket_and_negotiate_timeout(zmq_context, caplog):
     """
     Test the functionality of setup with incorrect negotiation message
     """
     # --- Arrange ---
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     fake_socket.recv_json = AsyncMock(side_effect=asyncio.TimeoutError)
 
-    # Mock context.socket to return our fake socket
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     with patch(
         "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.RICommandAgent", autospec=True
     ) as MockCommandAgent:
@@ -480,8 +447,8 @@ async def test_listen_behaviour_ping_wrong_endpoint(caplog):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_listen_behaviour_timeout(caplog):
-    fake_socket = AsyncMock()
+async def test_listen_behaviour_timeout(zmq_context, caplog):
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     # recv_json will never resolve, simulate timeout
     fake_socket.recv_json = AsyncMock(side_effect=asyncio.TimeoutError)
@@ -529,16 +496,12 @@ async def test_listen_behaviour_ping_no_endpoint(caplog):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_unexpected_exception(monkeypatch, caplog):
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+async def test_setup_unexpected_exception(zmq_context, caplog):
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
     # Simulate unexpected exception during recv_json()
     fake_socket.recv_json = AsyncMock(side_effect=Exception("boom!"))
 
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     agent = RICommunicationAgent(
         "test@server", "password", address="tcp://localhost:5555", bind=False
     )
@@ -551,9 +514,9 @@ async def test_setup_unexpected_exception(monkeypatch, caplog):
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
-async def test_setup_unpacking_exception(monkeypatch, caplog):
+async def test_setup_unpacking_exception(zmq_context, caplog):
     # --- Arrange ---
-    fake_socket = MagicMock()
+    fake_socket = zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value
     fake_socket.send_json = AsyncMock()
 
     # Make recv_json return malformed negotiation data to trigger unpacking exception
@@ -563,11 +526,6 @@ async def test_setup_unpacking_exception(monkeypatch, caplog):
     }  # missing 'port' and 'bind'
     fake_socket.recv_json = AsyncMock(return_value=malformed_data)
 
-    # Patch context.socket
-    monkeypatch.setattr(
-        "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.context.socket", lambda _: fake_socket
-    )
-
     # Patch RICommandAgent so it won't actually start
     with patch(
         "control_backend.agents.ri_communication_agent.RICommandAgent", autospec=True
diff --git a/test/integration/agents/vad_agent/test_vad_agent.py b/test/integration/agents/vad_agent/test_vad_agent.py
index 54c9d82..0e1fae2 100644
--- a/test/integration/agents/vad_agent/test_vad_agent.py
+++ b/test/integration/agents/vad_agent/test_vad_agent.py
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ from control_backend.agents.vad_agent import VADAgent
 
 @pytest.fixture
 def zmq_context(mocker):
-    return mocker.patch("control_backend.agents.vad_agent.zmq_context")
+    mock_context = mocker.patch("control_backend.agents.vad_agent.azmq.Context.instance")
+    mock_context.return_value = MagicMock()
+    return mock_context
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
@@ -54,13 +56,18 @@ def test_in_socket_creation(zmq_context, do_bind: bool):
 
     assert vad_agent.audio_in_socket is not None
 
-    zmq_context.socket.assert_called_once_with(zmq.SUB)
-    zmq_context.socket.return_value.setsockopt_string.assert_called_once_with(zmq.SUBSCRIBE, "")
+    zmq_context.return_value.socket.assert_called_once_with(zmq.SUB)
+    zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value.setsockopt_string.assert_called_once_with(
+        zmq.SUBSCRIBE,
+        "",
+    )
 
     if do_bind:
-        zmq_context.socket.return_value.bind.assert_called_once_with("tcp://*:12345")
+        zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value.bind.assert_called_once_with("tcp://*:12345")
     else:
-        zmq_context.socket.return_value.connect.assert_called_once_with("tcp://localhost:12345")
+        zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value.connect.assert_called_once_with(
+            "tcp://localhost:12345"
+        )
 
 
 def test_out_socket_creation(zmq_context):
@@ -73,8 +80,8 @@ def test_out_socket_creation(zmq_context):
 
     assert vad_agent.audio_out_socket is not None
 
-    zmq_context.socket.assert_called_once_with(zmq.PUB)
-    zmq_context.socket.return_value.bind_to_random_port.assert_called_once()
+    zmq_context.return_value.socket.assert_called_once_with(zmq.PUB)
+    zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value.bind_to_random_port.assert_called_once()
 
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
@@ -83,7 +90,9 @@ async def test_out_socket_creation_failure(zmq_context):
     Test setup failure when the audio output socket cannot be created.
     """
     with patch.object(Agent, "stop", new_callable=AsyncMock) as mock_super_stop:
-        zmq_context.socket.return_value.bind_to_random_port.side_effect = zmq.ZMQBindError
+        zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value.bind_to_random_port.side_effect = (
+            zmq.ZMQBindError
+        )
         vad_agent = VADAgent("tcp://localhost:12345", False)
 
         await vad_agent.setup()
@@ -98,11 +107,14 @@ async def test_stop(zmq_context, transcription_agent):
     Test that when the VAD agent is stopped, the sockets are closed correctly.
     """
     vad_agent = VADAgent("tcp://localhost:12345", False)
-    zmq_context.socket.return_value.bind_to_random_port.return_value = random.randint(1000, 10000)
+    zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value.bind_to_random_port.return_value = random.randint(
+        1000,
+        10000,
+    )
 
     await vad_agent.setup()
     await vad_agent.stop()
 
-    assert zmq_context.socket.return_value.close.call_count == 2
+    assert zmq_context.return_value.socket.return_value.close.call_count == 2
     assert vad_agent.audio_in_socket is None
     assert vad_agent.audio_out_socket is None
diff --git a/test/integration/api/endpoints/test_command_endpoint.py b/test/integration/api/endpoints/test_command_endpoint.py
index 04890c1..1c9213a 100644
--- a/test/integration/api/endpoints/test_command_endpoint.py
+++ b/test/integration/api/endpoints/test_command_endpoint.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
 
 import pytest
 from fastapi import FastAPI
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ def app():
     """
     app = FastAPI()
     app.include_router(command.router)
-    app.state.internal_comm_socket = MagicMock()  # mock ZMQ socket
     return app
 
 
@@ -26,32 +25,30 @@ def client(app):
     return TestClient(app)
 
 
-def test_receive_command_endpoint(client, app):
+def test_receive_command_success(client):
     """
-    Test that a POST to /command sends the right multipart message
-    and returns a 202 with the expected JSON body.
+    Test for successful reception of a command. Ensures the status code is 202 and the response body
+    is correct. It also verifies that the ZeroMQ socket's send_multipart method is called with the
+    expected data.
     """
-    mock_socket = app.state.internal_comm_socket
+    # Arrange
+    mock_pub_socket = AsyncMock()
+    client.app.state.endpoints_pub_socket = mock_pub_socket
 
-    # Prepare test payload that matches SpeechCommand
-    payload = {"endpoint": "actuate/speech", "data": "yooo"}
+    command_data = {"endpoint": "actuate/speech", "data": "This is a test"}
+    speech_command = SpeechCommand(**command_data)
 
-    # Send POST request
-    response = client.post("/command", json=payload)
+    # Act
+    response = client.post("/command", json=command_data)
 
-    # Check response
+    # Assert
     assert response.status_code == 202
     assert response.json() == {"status": "Command received"}
 
-    # Verify that the socket was called with the correct data
-    assert mock_socket.send_multipart.called, "Socket should be used to send data"
-
-    args, kwargs = mock_socket.send_multipart.call_args
-    sent_data = args[0]
-
-    assert sent_data[0] == b"command"
-    # Check JSON encoding roughly matches
-    assert isinstance(SpeechCommand.model_validate_json(sent_data[1].decode()), SpeechCommand)
+    # Verify that the ZMQ socket was used correctly
+    mock_pub_socket.send_multipart.assert_awaited_once_with(
+        [b"command", speech_command.model_dump_json().encode()]
+    )
 
 
 def test_receive_command_invalid_payload(client):