diff --git a/.github/workflows/pull-request.yaml b/.github/workflows/pull-request.yaml
index 09002f0cd..b75434d3e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pull-request.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pull-request.yaml
@@ -38,12 +38,21 @@ jobs:
         cache: 'maven'
 
     - name: Validate source code formatting
-      run: make lint
+      run: |
+        make lint
 
     - name: Test
       run: |
         #make test
-        echo "skipping to test the acceptance job"
+        make package
+
+    - name: Upload application jar files
+      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+      with:
+        name: application-jars
+        path: ./**/target/*-bin.jar
+        retention-days: 1
+        compression-level: 0 # no compression
 
   acceptance:
     name: Acceptance Tests
@@ -67,9 +76,23 @@ jobs:
         java-version: '21'
         cache: 'maven'
 
+    - name: Download application jar files
+      uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+      with:
+        name: application-jars
+        path: .
+
+    - name: Unzip application jar files
+      run: |
+        find src/ -type f -name *-bin.jar
+
+    - name: Copy config directory
+      # during the validate phase, the config/ dir is copied to each app's target/config
+      run: ./mvnw validate
+
     - name: Build images
       # REPACKAGE=false avoids to re-package the apps during build-image
-      run: REPACKAGE=false make package build-image
+      run: REPACKAGE=false make build-image
 
     - name: Install CI dependencies
       run: python3 -m pip install --user --requirement=ci/requirements.txt
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 79206b6db..19c6312f4 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -13,23 +13,23 @@ clean:
 
 .PHONY: lint
 lint:
-	./mvnw fmt:check sortpom:verify -Dsort.verifyFailOn=strict -Dsort.verifyFail=stop -ntp
+	./mvnw fmt:check sortpom:verify -Dsort.verifyFailOn=strict -Dsort.verifyFail=stop -ntp -T1C
 
 .PHONY: format
 format:
-	./mvnw sortpom:sort fmt:format -ntp
+	./mvnw sortpom:sort fmt:format -ntp -T1C
 
 .PHONY: install
 install:
-	./mvnw clean install -DskipTests -ntp -T4 -U
+	./mvnw clean install -DskipTests -ntp -U -T1C
 
 .PHONY: package
 package:
-	./mvnw clean package -DskipTests -ntp -T4 -U
+	./mvnw clean package -DskipTests -ntp -U -T1C
 
 .PHONY: test
 test:
-	./mvnw verify -ntp -T4
+	./mvnw verify -ntp -T1C
 
 .PHONY: build-image
 build-image: build-base-images build-image-infrastructure build-image-geoserver