diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 952754ce111fa1fd0eaacbfc263fd0ee9c7dc174..15ee26c44ccf5087860d23caf354153cb8f1495f 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -8,6 +8,17 @@ include:
 variables:
   APP_PATH: $CI_PROJECT_DIR/$APP_DIR
 # build the two gitlab-ci pipeline docker images
+
+workflow:
+  rules:
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_MESSAGE =~ /^adjust PIPELINE_IMAGE_TAG.*/ # not after semantic release commit
+      when: never
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_MESSAGE =~ /^chore\(release\).*/ # not after semantic release commit
+      when: never
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH =~ /^[0-9]+\.([0-9]+|x)\.x$/ # hotfix branches
+    - if: $CI_MERGE_REQUEST_ID
 docker-build-pipeline:
   stage: build
   image: docker:20
@@ -23,6 +34,7 @@ docker-build-pipeline:
 docker-build-docker-in-docker:
   stage: build
   image: docker:20
+
   variables:
     CACHE_IMAGE_TAG: cache
     IMAGE_TAG: $CI_COMMIT_SHA
@@ -32,10 +44,6 @@ docker-build-docker-in-docker:
     - .docker-build-app-base
 
 replacePipelineImageTag:
-  rules:
-    - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG
-      when: never
-    - when: always
   stage: pre-release
   script:
     - git config --global user.email "pipeline@panter.ch"
diff --git a/dockerfiles/pipeline/scripts/extractValuesFromMr.ts b/dockerfiles/pipeline/scripts/extractValuesFromMr.ts
index d48b77a9ebf563f706da1548fe427bbb732a1a33..38347e4071129e4d3f20b4bc6c559c20bc7fb898 100755
--- a/dockerfiles/pipeline/scripts/extractValuesFromMr.ts
+++ b/dockerfiles/pipeline/scripts/extractValuesFromMr.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,13 @@ import { Gitlab } from "@gitbeaker/node"; // Just the Project Resource
 import { parse } from "yaml";
 import { merge } from "lodash";
 
-const { GL_TOKEN, CI_SERVER_URL, CI_PROJECT_ID, CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID } =
-  process.env;
+const {
+  NODE_ENV,
+  GL_TOKEN,
+  CI_SERVER_URL,
+  CI_PROJECT_ID,
+  CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID,
+} = process.env;
 
 const gitlabApi = new Gitlab({
   token: GL_TOKEN,
@@ -33,7 +38,7 @@ export const extractValuesFromMRMessage = (mrMessage: string) => {
   }, {});
 };
 
-if (CI_PROJECT_ID && CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID) {
+if (NODE_ENV !== "test" && CI_PROJECT_ID && CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID) {
   getMRInfo(CI_PROJECT_ID, Number(CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID))
     .then(async (r) => {
       const values = extractValuesFromMRMessage(r.description);
diff --git a/helm-chart.yml b/helm-chart.yml
index b39432daf150229de85d13dbd1e0775181ab062e..51e5c6566db6070942a6a434f4b328c07925aa75 100644
--- a/helm-chart.yml
+++ b/helm-chart.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ image:
 variables:
   HELM_EXPERIMENTAL_OCI: 1
   AUTO_RELEASE: "true"
-  PIPELINE_IMAGE_TAG: c6a1d3ef2e8639f5fb16ce703350ce91eed9e5ab
+  PIPELINE_IMAGE_TAG: 88316e626f303b94b04797f091d9e9b0435a9690
 
 stages:
   - lint
diff --git a/monorepo.yml b/monorepo.yml
index e1ded018f7a72aec99d62cce99b60852ce74a17b..e308a0c1eba935c95949b01ef9be6ea752d0c131 100644
--- a/monorepo.yml
+++ b/monorepo.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ include:
   - /includes/open-mr.yml
 
 variables:
-  PIPELINE_IMAGE_TAG: c6a1d3ef2e8639f5fb16ce703350ce91eed9e5ab
+  PIPELINE_IMAGE_TAG: 88316e626f303b94b04797f091d9e9b0435a9690
 
 image: git.panter.ch:5001/catladder/gitlab-ci/pipeline:$PIPELINE_IMAGE_TAG
 
diff --git a/panter-kubernetes-base.yml b/panter-kubernetes-base.yml
index 59ed0a84a21523ad01e4f6c0f1912e5c8a24652c..bda9cc77ab1c180d28da16a7b1aaea1f8e07965c 100644
--- a/panter-kubernetes-base.yml
+++ b/panter-kubernetes-base.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ include:
   - /includes/open-mr.yml
 
 variables:
-  PIPELINE_IMAGE_TAG: c6a1d3ef2e8639f5fb16ce703350ce91eed9e5ab
+  PIPELINE_IMAGE_TAG: 88316e626f303b94b04797f091d9e9b0435a9690
   CUSTOMER_NAME: panter
   APP_NAME: demo
   COMPONENT_NAME: web
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ variables:
   VALUES_DIR: "."
   WORKER_ENABLED: "false" # whether to create a custom worker
   HELM_EXPERIMENTAL_OCI: 1
-  HELM_GITLAB_CHART_VERSION: "2.1.1"
+  HELM_GITLAB_CHART_VERSION: "2.2.3"
   HELM_GITLAB_CHART_PATH: catladder/helm-charts
   HELM_GITLAB_CHART_NAME: the-panter-chart
   DEFAULT_VALUE_application_replicas: "3" # number of pods (default for prod)