diff --git a/.github/workflows/downstream-basic.yml b/.github/workflows/downstream-basic.yml
index aec628435..a97cb6c53 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/downstream-basic.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/downstream-basic.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Trigger OQS-BoringSSL CI
-        if: !cancelled() # run all steps independent of failures
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() }} # run all steps independent of failures
         run: |
           curl --silent \
                --write-out "\n%{response_code}\n" \
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ jobs:
                https://api.github.com/repos/open-quantum-safe/boringssl/dispatches | tee curl_out \
           && grep -q "204" curl_out
       - name: Trigger OQS-OpenSSH CI
-        if: !cancelled() # run all steps independent of failures
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() }} # run all steps independent of failures
         run: |
           curl --silent \
                --write-out "\n%{response_code}\n" \
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ jobs:
                https://api.github.com/repos/open-quantum-safe/openssh/actions/workflows/ubuntu.yaml/dispatches | tee curl_out \
           && grep -q "204" curl_out
       - name: Trigger oqs-provider CI
-        if: !cancelled() # run all steps independent of failures
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() }} # run all steps independent of failures
         run: |
           curl --silent \
                --write-out "\n%{response_code}\n" \
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ jobs:
                https://circleci.com/api/v2/project/gh/open-quantum-safe/oqs-provider/pipeline | tee curl_out \
           && grep -q "201" curl_out
       - name: Trigger liboqs-cpp CI
-        if: !cancelled() # run all steps independent of failures
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() }} # run all steps independent of failures
         run: |
           curl --silent \
                --write-out "\n%{response_code}\n" \
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ jobs:
                https://api.github.com/repos/open-quantum-safe/liboqs-cpp/dispatches | tee curl_out \
           && grep -q "204" curl_out
       - name: Trigger liboqs-go CI
-        if: !cancelled() # run all steps independent of failures
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() }} # run all steps independent of failures
         run: |
           curl --silent \
                --write-out "\n%{response_code}\n" \
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ jobs:
                https://api.github.com/repos/open-quantum-safe/liboqs-go/dispatches | tee curl_out \
           && grep -q "204" curl_out
       - name: Trigger liboqs-python CI
-        if: !cancelled() # run all steps independent of failures
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() }} # run all steps independent of failures
         run: |
           curl --silent \
                --write-out "\n%{response_code}\n" \