diff --git a/.github/actions/install/gcovr/action.yml b/.github/actions/install/gcovr/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f4ab5ce8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/install/gcovr/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+name: Install gcovr
+description: Install gcovr for generating coverage reports
+
+inputs:
+  version:
+    description: gcovr version to install
+    required: false
+    default: "8.3" # pick the latest stable version
+
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - name: Install Python and pip
+      run: |
+        sudo apt-get install -y python3 python3-pip
+      shell: bash
+
+    - name: Install gcovr
+      run: |
+        python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip
+        python3 -m pip install gcovr==${{ inputs.version }}
+      shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/actions/install/gtest/action.yml b/.github/actions/install/gtest/action.yml
index 11a6c5f34..4b4008f65 100644
--- a/.github/actions/install/gtest/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/install/gtest/action.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ description: Install and setup GTest for linking and building test application
 runs:
   using: composite
   steps:
-    - run: sudo apt-get install libgtest-dev lcov
+    - run: sudo apt-get install libgtest-dev # lcov
       shell: bash
     - run: (cd /usr/src/gtest && sudo `which cmake` .)
       shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/actions/install/lcov/action.yml b/.github/actions/install/lcov/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f90c471ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/install/lcov/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+name: Install lcov
+description: Install lcov from official tarball and required Perl modules
+
+inputs:
+  version:
+    description: The lcov version to install
+    required: false
+    default: "2.3.1"
+
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - name: Install system dependencies
+      run: |
+        sudo apt-get install -y \
+            libcapture-tiny-perl \
+            libdatetime-perl \
+            libfile-slurp-perl \
+            libfile-copy-recursive-perl \
+            libsort-naturally-perl
+      shell: bash
+
+    - name: Download lcov tarball
+      run: |
+        cd /tmp
+        wget https://github.com/linux-test-project/lcov/releases/download/v${{ inputs.version }}/lcov-${{ inputs.version }}.tar.gz
+        tar -zxf lcov-${{ inputs.version }}.tar.gz
+      shell: bash
+
+    - name: Build and install lcov
+      run: |
+        cd /tmp/lcov-${{ inputs.version }}
+        sudo make install
+      shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/workflows/jwt.yml b/.github/workflows/jwt.yml
index 46eed9718..85b9b504f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/jwt.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/jwt.yml
@@ -13,12 +13,16 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - uses: lukka/get-cmake@latest
       - uses: ./.github/actions/install/gtest
+      #  - uses: ./.github/actions/install/lcov
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install/gcovr
       - uses: ./.github/actions/install/danielaparker-jsoncons
       - uses: ./.github/actions/install/boost-json
       - uses: ./.github/actions/install/open-source-parsers-jsoncpp
 
       - name: configure
         run: cmake --preset coverage
+        #      - name: run-lcov
+        #        run: cmake --build --preset coverage
       - name: run
         run: cmake --build --preset coverage
 
@@ -31,19 +35,19 @@ jobs:
   fuzzing:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-    - uses: lukka/get-cmake@latest
-      
-    - name: configure
-      run: cmake --preset ci-fuzzing
-    - name: build
-      run: cmake --build --preset ci-fuzzing
-        
-    - name: run
-      run: |
-        cmake --build --preset ci-fuzzing --target jwt-cpp-fuzz-BaseEncodeFuzz-run
-        cmake --build --preset ci-fuzzing --target jwt-cpp-fuzz-BaseDecodeFuzz-run
-        cmake --build --preset ci-fuzzing --target jwt-cpp-fuzz-TokenDecodeFuzz-run
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: lukka/get-cmake@latest
+
+      - name: configure
+        run: cmake --preset ci-fuzzing
+      - name: build
+        run: cmake --build --preset ci-fuzzing
+
+      - name: run
+        run: |
+          cmake --build --preset ci-fuzzing --target jwt-cpp-fuzz-BaseEncodeFuzz-run
+          cmake --build --preset ci-fuzzing --target jwt-cpp-fuzz-BaseDecodeFuzz-run
+          cmake --build --preset ci-fuzzing --target jwt-cpp-fuzz-TokenDecodeFuzz-run
 
   asan:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index 6c7b75504..7251868c3 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -81,5 +81,30 @@ if(JWT_ENABLE_COVERAGE)
   setup_coverage(jwt-cpp-test)
   set(COVERAGE_EXCLUDES "/usr/**" "/home/*/.conan/**" "*test*" "*build*" "**/nlohmann/json.hpp"
                         "**/picojson/picojson.h" "*boost*" "*jsoncons*")
-  setup_target_for_coverage_lcov(NAME coverage EXECUTABLE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/jwt-cpp-test)
+
+ # --- LCOV target with ignore flags ---
+ # setup_target_for_coverage_lcov(
+ #     NAME coverage
+ #     EXECUTABLE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/jwt-cpp-test
+ #     EXCLUDE ${COVERAGE_EXCLUDES}
+ #     LCOV_ARGS --ignore-errors inconsistent,mismatch,unused,count
+ # )
+
+  # --- GCOVR target ---
+  add_custom_target(coverage
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E echo "Running gcovr coverage..."
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/jwt-cpp-test
+    COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E env PYTHONPATH=$ENV{PYTHONPATH} gcovr 
+            -r ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR} 
+            --lcov=${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/coverage.info
+            --exclude '.*test.*'
+            --exclude '/.*/build/'
+            --exclude '.*nlohmann/json.hpp'
+            --exclude '.*picojson/picojson.h'
+            --exclude '.*boost.*'
+            --exclude '.*jsoncons.*'
+    DEPENDS jwt-cpp-test
+    WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}
+    COMMENT "Generate coverage report with gcovr"
+  )
 endif()