diff --git a/.github/workflows/stage.yaml b/.github/workflows/stage.yaml
index ab4f7d8d..f1a7582f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/stage.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/stage.yaml
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ jobs:
     uses: ./.github/workflows/stage_call.yaml
     with:
       resource_id: ${{inputs.resource_id}}
+      package_url: ${{inputs.package_url}}
       S3_HOST: ${{vars.S3_HOST}}
       S3_BUCKET: ${{vars.S3_BUCKET}}
       S3_FOLDER: ${{vars.S3_FOLDER}}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/stage_call.yaml b/.github/workflows/stage_call.yaml
index 9adb295a..bad9d53b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/stage_call.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/stage_call.yaml
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ jobs:
           python-version: "3.12"
           cache: "pip" # caching pip dependencies
       - run: pip install -r requirements.txt
-      - name: stage
+      - id: stage
         run: |
           python scripts/stage.py "${{ inputs.resource_id }}" "${{ inputs.package_url }}"
 
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: "3.12"
           cache: "pip" # caching pip dependencies
-      - run: pip install -r scripts/requirements.txt
+      - run: pip install -r requirements.txt
       - run: |
           python scripts/conclude.py "${{ inputs.resource_id }}" "${{needs.stage.outputs.version}}"
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yaml b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
index 183d1be1..a909b9a1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yaml
@@ -4,6 +4,13 @@ on: push
 
 concurrency: test
 
+env:
+  S3_HOST: ${{vars.S3_HOST}}
+  S3_BUCKET: ${{vars.S3_TEST_BUCKET}}
+  S3_FOLDER: ${{vars.S3_TEST_FOLDER}}
+  S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{secrets.S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID}}
+  S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: ${{secrets.S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY}}
+
 jobs:
   test-stage-wf:
     uses: ./.github/workflows/stage_call.yaml
@@ -23,7 +30,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: "3.12"
           cache: "pip" # caching pip dependencies
-      - run: pip install -r .github/scripts/requirements.txt
+      - run: pip install -r requirements.txt
       - run: black .
       - run: pyright -p pyproject.toml
       - run: pytest
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 454362b4..897afc6f 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-bioimageio.spec @ git+https://github.com/bioimage-io/spec-bioimage-io@0b707b83b061da7584e554cedbf0c6d725980619  # TODO: chenage to released version
-bioimageio.core @ git+https://github.com/bioimage-io/core-bioimage-io-python@154a7d6f3c585045bb23a5a0fcfc6f418355bc1a  # TODO: chenage to released version
+bioimageio.spec @ git+https://github.com/bioimage-io/spec-bioimage-io@19105665ad779014e03c7b311c0b4003ab08f752  # TODO: chenage to released version
+bioimageio.core @ git+https://github.com/bioimage-io/core-bioimage-io-python@3a7875b5debc2d52b2fc87f6579afe217e1c7280  # TODO: chenage to released version
 black==24.2.0
 loguru==0.7.2
 minio==7.2.3
diff --git a/scripts/conclude.py b/scripts/conclude.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b8f85558
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/conclude.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+from typer import run
+from utils.remote_resource import StagedVersion
+from utils.s3_client import Client
+
+
+def conclude(
+    resource_id: str,
+    version: int,
+):
+    staged = StagedVersion(client=Client(), id=resource_id, version=version)
+    staged.set_status(
+        "awaiting review",
+        description="Thank you for your contribution! Our bioimage.io maintainers will take a look soon.",
+    )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    run(conclude)
diff --git a/scripts/upload_model_to_zenodo.py b/scripts/upload_model_to_zenodo.py
index fd89b449..0f715b2d 100644
--- a/scripts/upload_model_to_zenodo.py
+++ b/scripts/upload_model_to_zenodo.py
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# type: ignore
 import argparse
 import logging
 import os
@@ -8,14 +9,13 @@
 from typing import Optional
 from urllib.parse import quote_plus, urljoin, urlparse
 
-import requests  # type: ignore
-import spdx_license_list  # type: ignore
-from loguru import logger  # type: ignore
+import requests
+import spdx_license_list
+from loguru import logger
 from packaging.version import parse as parse_version
-from ruyaml import YAML  # type: ignore
-from s3_client import create_client, version_from_resource_path_or_s3
+from ruyaml import YAML
 
-from scripts.conclude import update_status
+# from utils.s3_client import create_client, version_from_resource_path_or_s3
 
 yaml = YAML(typ="safe")
 
diff --git a/scripts/utils/remote_resource.py b/scripts/utils/remote_resource.py
index 132c6f70..c742408b 100644
--- a/scripts/utils/remote_resource.py
+++ b/scripts/utils/remote_resource.py
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def stage_new_version(self, package_url: str) -> StagedVersion:
         try:
             remotezip = urllib.request.urlopen(package_url)
         except Exception:
-            logger.error("failed to open %s", package_url)
+            logger.error("failed to open {}", package_url)
             raise
 
         zipinmemory = io.BytesIO(remotezip.read())
@@ -185,16 +185,17 @@ class StagedVersion(_RemoteResourceVersion):
     version_prefix: ClassVar[str] = "staged/"
 
     def publish(self) -> PublishedVersion:
-        logger.debug("Publishing {}", self.folder)
         # get next version and update versions.json
         versions_path = f"{self.id}/versions.json"
         versions_data = self.client.load_file(versions_path)
         if versions_data is None:
-            versions: dict[str, Any] = {"1": {}}
+            versions: dict[str, Any] = {}
+            next_version = 1
         else:
             versions = json.loads(versions_data)
+            next_version = max(map(int, versions)) + 1
 
-        next_version = max(map(int, versions)) + 1
+        logger.debug("Publishing {} as version {}", self.folder, next_version)
 
         assert next_version not in versions, (next_version, versions)
 
diff --git a/scripts/utils/s3_client.py b/scripts/utils/s3_client.py
index 9288b41e..6daa88a4 100644
--- a/scripts/utils/s3_client.py
+++ b/scripts/utils/s3_client.py
@@ -54,14 +54,15 @@ def put(
         if length == -1:
             part_size = 10 * 1024 * 1024
 
-        path = f"{self.prefix}/{path}"
+        prefixed_path = f"{self.prefix}/{path}"
         _ = self._client.put_object(
             self.bucket,
-            path,
+            prefixed_path,
             file_object,
             length=length,
             part_size=part_size,
         )
+        logger.info("Uploaded {}", self.get_file_url(path))
 
     def put_json(self, path: str, json_value: Any):
         data = json.dumps(json_value).encode()
diff --git a/scripts/utils/validate_format.py b/scripts/utils/validate_format.py
index 2d1d603e..a750e95e 100644
--- a/scripts/utils/validate_format.py
+++ b/scripts/utils/validate_format.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 import pooch
 from bioimageio.spec import InvalidDescr, ResourceDescr, load_description
-from bioimageio.spec.model import AnyModelDescr, v0_4, v0_5
+from bioimageio.spec.model import v0_4, v0_5
 from packaging.version import Version
 from ruyaml import YAML
 
@@ -223,7 +223,7 @@ def ensure_valid_conda_env_name(name: str) -> str:
 def prepare_dynamic_test_cases(rd: ResourceDescr) -> list[dict[str, str]]:
     validation_cases: list[dict[str, str]] = []
     # construct test cases based on resource type
-    if isinstance(rd, AnyModelDescr):
+    if isinstance(rd, (v0_4.ModelDescr, v0_5.ModelDescr)):
         # generate validation cases per weight format
         for wf, entry in rd.weights:
             # we skip the keras validation for now, see
diff --git a/tests/conftest.py b/tests/conftest.py
index 2db59e62..ebb55f26 100644
--- a/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/tests/conftest.py
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ def client():
         bucket=os.environ["S3_TEST_BUCKET"],
         prefix=os.environ["S3_TEST_FOLDER"] + "/pytest",
     )
-    yield cl
     cl.rm_dir("")  # wipe s3 test folder
+    yield cl
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
diff --git a/tests/test_scripts/test_utils/test_remote_resource.py b/tests/test_scripts/test_utils/test_remote_resource.py
index e462e9f3..0c94f47a 100644
--- a/tests/test_scripts/test_utils/test_remote_resource.py
+++ b/tests/test_scripts/test_utils/test_remote_resource.py
@@ -1,12 +1,19 @@
-def test_lifecycle(package_url: str, package_id: str, s3_test_folder_url: str):
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from scripts.utils.s3_client import Client
+
+
+def test_lifecycle(
+    client: "Client", package_url: str, package_id: str, s3_test_folder_url: str
+):
     from scripts.utils.remote_resource import (
         PublishedVersion,
         RemoteResource,
         StagedVersion,
     )
-    from scripts.utils.s3_client import Client
 
-    resource = RemoteResource(client=Client(), id=package_id)
+    resource = RemoteResource(client=client, id=package_id)
     staged = resource.stage_new_version(package_url)
     assert isinstance(staged, StagedVersion)
     staged_rdf_url = staged.get_rdf_url()
@@ -18,5 +25,5 @@ def test_lifecycle(package_url: str, package_id: str, s3_test_folder_url: str):
     assert isinstance(published, PublishedVersion)
     published_rdf_url = published.get_rdf_url()
     assert (
-        published_rdf_url == f"{s3_test_folder_url}frank-water-buffalo/3/files/rdf.yaml"
+        published_rdf_url == f"{s3_test_folder_url}frank-water-buffalo/1/files/rdf.yaml"
     )