diff --git a/.github/workflows/hosted-notebook-samples-check.yml b/.github/workflows/hosted-notebook-samples-check.yml
index 7d9cab370995..b5f4cce054d8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/hosted-notebook-samples-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/hosted-notebook-samples-check.yml
@@ -4,17 +4,27 @@ on:
   pull_request:
     branches: 
       - feature/samples-gallery
-  workflow_dispatch:
-  
+env:
+  pipelineVars: '{''qcHash'': ''${{ github.sha }}'', ''githubRepo'': ''${{ github.repository }}'', ''prCommitHash'': ''${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}'', ''isGithubPrBuild'': ''true'' }'
+
 jobs:
   build:
     name: Call Azure Pipeline
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Azure Pipelines Action
-        uses: Azure/pipelines@v1
+        uses: Azure/pipelines@v1.2
         with:
           azure-devops-project-url: ${{ secrets.QUANTUM_PROGRAM_ADO_URL }}
           azure-pipeline-name:  ${{ secrets.HOSTED_NOTEBOOKS_PIPELINE_NAME }}
           azure-devops-token: ${{ secrets.HOSTED_NOTEBOOKS_PIPELINE_ADO_PAT }}
-          azure-pipeline-variables: '{"Quantum Computing Samples Commit Hash": "$GITHUB_SHA"}'
+          azure-pipeline-variables: ${{ env.pipelineVars }}
+      - name: Set status to pending
+        run: |
+          curl \
+          -X POST \
+          -H "Accept: application/json" \
+          -u achocron:${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }} https://api.github.com/repos/${{ github.repository }}/statuses/${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }} \
+          -d '{"state":"pending", "description": "Waiting to be run", "context": "Notebook Samples E2E Test"}'
+
+