diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr.yml b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
index 43c980d54cda..bd97f3a8e617 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
@@ -1,52 +1,8 @@
 name: pr
 on: pull_request
 jobs:
-  test:
-    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        os: [ubuntu-22.04, windows-2022, macos-12]
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 1
-      - uses: coursier/cache-action@v6
-      - name: Set up JDK
-        uses: actions/setup-java@v3
-        with:
-          distribution: 'temurin'
-          java-version: '19'
-      - name: Set up Ruby
-        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
-        with:
-          ruby-version: 2.7
-      - name: Install Bundler
-        run: gem install bundler
-      - name: Delete `.rustup` directory
-        run: rm -rf /home/runner/.rustup # to save disk space
-        if: runner.os == 'Linux'
-      - name: Delete `.cargo` directory # to save disk space
-        run: rm -rf /home/runner/.cargo
-        if: runner.os == 'Linux'
-      - name: Compile and run tests
-        run: sbt clean +test
-  formatting:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 1
-      - name: Set up JDK
-        uses: actions/setup-java@v3
-        with:
-          distribution: 'temurin'
-          java-version: '19'
-      - name: Check formatting
-        run: sbt scalafmtCheck Test/scalafmtCheck
-      - run: echo "Previous step failed because code is not formatted. Run 'sbt scalafmt Test/scalafmt'"
-        if: ${{ failure() }}
   test-scripts:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
+    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
         with:
@@ -54,15 +10,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up JDK
         uses: actions/setup-java@v3
         with:
-          distribution: 'temurin'
-          java-version: '19'
+          distribution: 'oracle'
+          java-version: '17'
       - run: ./testDistro.sh
-      - run: |
-          mkdir /tmp/foo
-          echo "int foo(int a, int b, int c, int d, int e, int f) {}" > /tmp/foo/foo.c
-          ./joern --src /tmp/foo --run scan
-          ./joern-scan /tmp/foo
-          ./joern-scan --dump
-      - run: |
-          cd joern-cli/target/universal/stage
-          ./schema-extender/test.sh
diff --git a/testDistro.sh b/testDistro.sh
index c46079dbab10..0e3f26a9bd69 100755
--- a/testDistro.sh
+++ b/testDistro.sh
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@ echo "staging joern"
 pushd $REPO_ROOT
   sbt -Dsbt.log.noformat=true clean joerncli/stage querydb/createDistribution
   tests/frontends-tests.sh
-  tests/scripts-test.sh
-  tests/querydb-test.sh
 popd
 
 echo "success. go analyse some code"
diff --git a/tests/frontends-tests.sh b/tests/frontends-tests.sh
index 7fe012d131f8..060ff03c3215 100755
--- a/tests/frontends-tests.sh
+++ b/tests/frontends-tests.sh
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ SCRIPT_ABS_DIR=$(dirname "$SCRIPT_ABS_PATH")
 JOERN="$SCRIPT_ABS_DIR"/../joern
 
 # first, run a simplistic smoke test
-$JOERN --script tests/frontends-smoketest.sc
+$JOERN --script tests/frontends-smoketest.sc --verbose
 
 # now test all frontends with proper input code
 frontends=(c jssrc javasrc java ghidra pythonsrc php)