diff --git a/.ci/run.sh b/.ci/run.sh
index bf39686e35..cab8a2b21b 100755
--- a/.ci/run.sh
+++ b/.ci/run.sh
@@ -13,6 +13,12 @@ pushd "${tests_repo_dir}"
 .ci/run.sh
 testcidir=$(dirname "$0")
 
+# docker version may need to be upgraded to let make proto go on arm64
+arch=$(go env GOARCH)
+if [ "$arch" == "arm64" ]; then
+	"../agent/.ci/run_arm64.sh"
+fi
+
 echo "Starting docker service before making proto"
 sudo systemctl start docker
 
diff --git a/.ci/run_arm64.sh b/.ci/run_arm64.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..7a13562e07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.ci/run_arm64.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2020 Arm Ltd Corporation
+#
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+source "${tests_repo_dir}/.ci/lib.sh"
+
+arch=$(go env GOARCH)
+install_docker_ubuntu() {
+        pkg_name="docker-ce"
+        repo_url="https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu"
+        curl -L "${repo_url}/gpg" | sudo apt-key add -
+        sudo -E add-apt-repository "deb [arch=${arch}] ${repo_url} $(lsb_release -cs) stable"
+        sudo -E apt-get update
+        docker_version_full=$(apt-cache madison $pkg_name | grep "$docker_version" | awk '{print $3}' | head -1)
+        sudo -E apt-get -y install "${pkg_name}=${docker_version_full}"
+}
+
+# make proto will fail on arm64 when use docker 18.06 and using docker 19.03
+# can avoid this failure. For now this change is only for ubuntu as we know little
+# about the other cases.
+main() {
+	ID=$(cat /etc/os-release | grep "^ID=" | cut -f 2 -d "=")
+        if [ "$ID" != "ubuntu" ]; then
+		echo "docker upgrade is only done for ubuntu"
+                exit 0
+        fi
+        current_docker_version=$(docker version | awk '/Engine/{getline; print $2 }')
+        current_docker_version=${current_docker_version%.*}
+        docker_version=$(get_version "externals.docker.architecture.aarch64.agent.version")
+        docker_version=${docker_version/v}
+        docker_version=${docker_version/-*}
+        if [[ `echo "$current_docker_version < $docker_version" | bc` -eq 1 ]]; then
+                command -v docker >/dev/null 2>&1 && "./cmd/container-manager/manage_ctr_mgr.sh" docker remove
+                echo "reinstall docker $docker_version for arm64"
+                install_docker_ubuntu $docker_version
+        fi
+}
+
+main