diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index fa7c4d7e2..67530944a 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ default_environment: &default_environment
 executors:
   golang:
     docker:
-      - image: circleci/golang:1.15.2
+      - image: cimg/go:1.16.7
     working_directory: ~/ipfs/go-ipfs
     environment:
       <<: *default_environment
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ executors:
       E2E_IPFSD_TYPE: go
   dockerizer:
     docker:
-      - image: circleci/golang:1.15.2
+      - image: cimg/go:1.16.7
     environment:
       IMAGE_NAME: ipfs/go-ipfs
       WIP_IMAGE_TAG: wip
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ jobs:
   sharness:
     machine:
         image: ubuntu-2004:202010-01
+    resource_class: 2xlarge
     working_directory: ~/ipfs/go-ipfs
     environment:
         <<: *default_environment
@@ -126,6 +127,12 @@ jobs:
         TEST_VERBOSE: 1
     steps:
     - run: sudo apt update
+    - run: |
+        mkdir ~/localgo && cd ~/localgo
+        wget https://golang.org/dl/go1.16.6.linux-amd64.tar.gz
+        tar xfz go1.16.6.linux-amd64.tar.gz
+        echo "export PATH=$(pwd)/go/bin:\$PATH" >> ~/.bashrc
+    - run: go version
     - run: sudo apt install socat net-tools
     - checkout
 
@@ -150,8 +157,7 @@ jobs:
         command: echo "export TEST_DOCKER_HOST=$(ip -4 addr show docker0 | grep -Po 'inet \K[\d.]+')" >> $BASH_ENV
     - run:
         echo TEST_DOCKER_HOST=$TEST_DOCKER_HOST &&
-        make -O -j 3 coverage/sharness_tests.coverprofile test/sharness/test-results/sharness.xml TEST_GENERATE_JUNIT=1 CONTINUE_ON_S_FAILURE=1 TEST_DOCKER_HOST=$TEST_DOCKER_HOST
-
+        make -O -j 10 coverage/sharness_tests.coverprofile test/sharness/test-results/sharness.xml TEST_GENERATE_JUNIT=1 CONTINUE_ON_S_FAILURE=1 TEST_DOCKER_HOST=$TEST_DOCKER_HOST
     - run:
         when: always
         command: bash <(curl -s https://codecov.io/bash) -cF sharness -X search -f coverage/sharness_tests.coverprofile
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 113c6599d..9322e891b 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Note: when updating the go minor version here, also update the go-channel in snap/snapcraft.yml
-FROM golang:1.15.2-buster
+FROM golang:1.16.7-buster
 LABEL maintainer="Steven Allen <steven@stebalien.com>"
 
 # Install deps
diff --git a/docs/plugins.md b/docs/plugins.md
index 124f8f8b2..9bd504145 100644
--- a/docs/plugins.md
+++ b/docs/plugins.md
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ To build out-of-tree plugins, use the plugin's Makefile if provided. Otherwise,
 you can manually build the plugin by running:
 
 ```bash
-myplugin$ go build -buildmode=plugin -i -o myplugin.so myplugin.go
+myplugin$ go build -buildmode=plugin -o myplugin.so myplugin.go
 ```
 
 Finally, as with in-tree plugins:
diff --git a/mk/util.mk b/mk/util.mk
index e761aeb21..2ce48583f 100644
--- a/mk/util.mk
+++ b/mk/util.mk
@@ -30,8 +30,7 @@ SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS += openbsd-amd64
 SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS += netbsd-386
 SUPPORTED_PLATFORMS += netbsd-amd64
 
-space:=
-space+=
+space:=$() $()
 comma:=,
 join-with=$(subst $(space),$1,$(strip $2))
 
diff --git a/plugin/plugins/Rules.mk b/plugin/plugins/Rules.mk
index 80924bad2..12c7cf0b3 100644
--- a/plugin/plugins/Rules.mk
+++ b/plugin/plugins/Rules.mk
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ $($(d)_plugins_main):
 
 $($(d)_plugins_so): %.so : %/main/main.go
 $($(d)_plugins_so): $$(DEPS_GO) ALWAYS
-	$(GOCC) build -buildmode=plugin -i -pkgdir "$(GOPATH)/pkg/linux_amd64_dynlink" $(go-flags-with-tags) -o "$@" "$(call go-pkg-name,$(basename $@))/main"
+	$(GOCC) build -buildmode=plugin -pkgdir "$(GOPATH)/pkg/linux_amd64_dynlink" $(go-flags-with-tags) -o "$@" "$(call go-pkg-name,$(basename $@))/main"
 	chmod +x "$@"
 
 CLEAN += $($(d)_plugins_so)