diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration_tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration_tests.yml
index baf78508..468fc295 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration_tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration_tests.yml
@@ -23,6 +23,10 @@ on:
         type: boolean
         description: "Boolean to enable the test of the archive plugin. Defaults to true."
         default: true
+      check_foundation_enabled:
+        type: boolean
+        description: "Boolean to enable the check for Foundation dependency. Defaults to true."
+        default: true
       matrix_linux_command:
         type: string
         description: "The command of the current Swift version linux matrix job to execute."
@@ -88,15 +92,12 @@ jobs:
           COMMAND: ${{ inputs.matrix_linux_command }}
           EXAMPLE: ${{ matrix.examples }}
         run: |
-          ./scripts/integration_tests.sh
-          echo "✅ The examples compile correctly"
+          .github/workflows/scripts/integration_tests.sh
 
   test-archive-plugin:
     name: Test archive plugin
     if: ${{ inputs.archive_plugin_enabled }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    strategy:
-      fail-fast: false
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -106,25 +107,21 @@ jobs:
         # https://github.com/actions/checkout/issues/766
         run: git config --global --add safe.directory ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}
       - name: Test the archive plugin
-        env:
-          EXAMPLE: HelloWorld
-          OUTPUT_FILE: .build/plugins/AWSLambdaPackager/outputs/AWSLambdaPackager/MyLambda/bootstrap
-          ZIP_FILE: .build/plugins/AWSLambdaPackager/outputs/AWSLambdaPackager/MyLambda/MyLambda.zip
         run: |
-          pushd Examples/${EXAMPLE}
+          .github/workflows/scripts/check-archive-plugin.sh
 
-          # package the example (docker and swift toolchain are installed on the GH runner)
-          LAMBDA_USE_LOCAL_DEPS=../.. swift package archive --allow-network-connections docker
-
-          # did the plugin generated a Linux binary?
-          [ -f ${OUTPUT_FILE} ]
-          file ${OUTPUT_FILE} | grep --silent ELF
-
-          # did the plugin created a ZIP file?
-          [ -f ${ZIP_FILE} ]
-
-          # does the ZIP file contain the bootstrap?
-          unzip -l ${ZIP_FILE} | grep --silent bootstrap
-
-          echo "✅ The archive plugin is OK"
-          popd
+  check-foundation:
+    name: No dependencies on Foundation
+    if: ${{ inputs.check_foundation_enabled }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - name: Mark the workspace as safe
+        # https://github.com/actions/checkout/issues/766
+        run: git config --global --add safe.directory ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}
+      - name: Check for Foundation or ICU dependency
+        run: |
+          .github/workflows/scripts/check-link-foundation.sh
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/check-archive-plugin.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/check-archive-plugin.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..3a15c138
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/check-archive-plugin.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+##===----------------------------------------------------------------------===##
+##
+## This source file is part of the SwiftAWSLambdaRuntime open source project
+##
+## Copyright (c) 2017-2024 Apple Inc. and the SwiftAWSLambdaRuntime project authors
+## Licensed under Apache License v2.0
+##
+## See LICENSE.txt for license information
+## See CONTRIBUTORS.txt for the list of SwiftAWSLambdaRuntime project authors
+##
+## SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+##
+##===----------------------------------------------------------------------===##
+
+EXAMPLE=HelloWorld
+OUTPUT_DIR=.build/plugins/AWSLambdaPackager/outputs/AWSLambdaPackager
+OUTPUT_FILE=${OUTPUT_DIR}/MyLambda/bootstrap
+ZIP_FILE=${OUTPUT_DIR}/MyLambda/MyLambda.zip
+
+pushd Examples/${EXAMPLE} || exit 1
+
+# package the example (docker and swift toolchain are installed on the GH runner)
+LAMBDA_USE_LOCAL_DEPS=../.. swift package archive --allow-network-connections docker || exit 1
+
+# did the plugin generated a Linux binary?
+[ -f "${OUTPUT_FILE}" ]
+file "${OUTPUT_FILE}" | grep --silent ELF
+
+# did the plugin created a ZIP file?
+[ -f "${ZIP_FILE}" ]
+
+# does the ZIP file contain the bootstrap?
+unzip -l "${ZIP_FILE}" | grep --silent bootstrap
+
+echo "✅ The archive plugin is OK"
+popd || exit 1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scripts/check-link-foundation.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/check-link-foundation.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..be84116c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/scripts/check-link-foundation.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+##===----------------------------------------------------------------------===##
+##
+## This source file is part of the SwiftAWSLambdaRuntime open source project
+##
+## Copyright (c) 2017-2024 Apple Inc. and the SwiftAWSLambdaRuntime project authors
+## Licensed under Apache License v2.0
+##
+## See LICENSE.txt for license information
+## See CONTRIBUTORS.txt for the list of SwiftAWSLambdaRuntime project authors
+##
+## SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+##
+##===----------------------------------------------------------------------===##
+
+log() { printf -- "** %s\n" "$*" >&2; }
+error() { printf -- "** ERROR: %s\n" "$*" >&2; }
+fatal() { error "$@"; exit 1; }
+
+EXAMPLE=APIGateway
+OUTPUT_DIR=.build/release
+OUTPUT_FILE=${OUTPUT_DIR}/APIGatewayLambda
+LIBS_TO_CHECK="libFoundation.so libFoundationInternationalization.so lib_FoundationICU.so"
+
+pushd Examples/${EXAMPLE} || fatal "Failed to change directory to Examples/${EXAMPLE}."
+
+# recompile the example without the --static-swift-stdlib flag
+LAMBDA_USE_LOCAL_DEPS=../.. swift build -c release -Xlinker -s || fatal "Failed to build the example."
+
+# check if the binary exists
+if [ ! -f "${OUTPUT_FILE}" ]; then
+  error "❌ ${OUTPUT_FILE} does not exist."
+fi
+
+# Checking for Foundation or ICU dependencies
+echo "Checking for Foundation or ICU dependencies in ${OUTPUT_DIR}/${OUTPUT_FILE}."
+LIBRARIES=$(ldd ${OUTPUT_FILE} | awk '{print $1}')
+for LIB in ${LIBS_TO_CHECK}; do
+  echo -n "Checking for ${LIB}... "
+  
+  # check if the binary has a dependency on Foundation or ICU
+  echo "${LIBRARIES}" | grep "${LIB}"  # return 1 if not found
+
+  # 1 is success (grep failed to find the lib), 0 is failure (grep successly found the lib)
+  SUCCESS=$?
+  if [ "$SUCCESS" -eq 0 ]; then
+    log "❌ ${LIB} found." && break
+  else
+    log "✅ ${LIB} not found."
+  fi
+done
+
+popd || fatal "Failed to change directory back to the root directory."
+
+# exit code is the opposite of the grep exit code
+if [ "$SUCCESS" -eq 0 ]; then
+  fatal "❌ At least one foundation lib was found, reporting the error."
+else
+  log "✅ No foundation lib found, congrats!" && exit 0
+fi
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/integration_tests.sh b/.github/workflows/scripts/integration_tests.sh
similarity index 100%
rename from scripts/integration_tests.sh
rename to .github/workflows/scripts/integration_tests.sh
diff --git a/Examples/APIGateway/Sources/main.swift b/Examples/APIGateway/Sources/main.swift
index 2d5707d6..f7662d1c 100644
--- a/Examples/APIGateway/Sources/main.swift
+++ b/Examples/APIGateway/Sources/main.swift
@@ -15,13 +15,6 @@
 import AWSLambdaEvents
 import AWSLambdaRuntime
 
-#if canImport(FoundationEssentials)
-import FoundationEssentials
-#else
-import Foundation
-#endif
-
-let encoder = JSONEncoder()
 let runtime = LambdaRuntime {
     (event: APIGatewayV2Request, context: LambdaContext) -> APIGatewayV2Response in
 
@@ -31,10 +24,7 @@ let runtime = LambdaRuntime {
     header["content-type"] = "application/json"
 
     // echo the request in the response
-    let data = try encoder.encode(event)
-    let response = String(decoding: data, as: Unicode.UTF8.self)
-
-    return APIGatewayV2Response(statusCode: .ok, headers: header, body: response)
+    return try APIGatewayV2Response(statusCode: .ok, headers: header, encodableBody: event)
 }
 
 try await runtime.run()