diff --git a/.github/workflows/makefile-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/makefile-ci.yml
index 25f6e118..12e72f56 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/makefile-ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/makefile-ci.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ name: Makefile CI
 on:
   # Triggers the workflow on push and pull request events but only for pull_requests on the main branch
   push:
+    branches:
+      - main
+  
   pull_request:
     branches:
       - main
@@ -38,10 +41,13 @@ jobs:
 
     - name: Start
       run: make start
-
-    - name: Test
-      run: make test
     
-    - name: Setup tmate session
-      if: ${{ failure() }}
-      uses: mxschmitt/action-tmate@v3
+    - name: Test
+      run: make test 
+      
+    - name: Clean testdata
+      run: make clean-testdata
+
+    - name: Test parallel using multiple workers 
+      run: CONTROLLER_WORKERS=3 make -j test 
+  
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index d8746948..2d654210 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -10,9 +10,15 @@ COMPOSE_PROFILES ?= with-kitodo-production,with-ocrd-controller
 .EXPORT_ALL_VARIABLES:
 
 # conditional assignment operator ?= creates deferred variables only, so use conditionals directly:
+ifndef APP_DATA
+APP_DATA != source .env && echo $$APP_DATA # ${PWD}/kitodo/data 
+endif
 ifndef APP_KEY
 APP_KEY != source .env && echo $$APP_KEY # ./kitodo/.ssh/id_rsa
 endif
+ifndef APP_PORT
+APP_PORT != source .env && echo $$APP_PORT # 8080
+endif
 ifndef MANAGER_KEYS
 MANAGER_KEYS != source .env && echo $$MANAGER_KEYS # ./ocrd/manager/.ssh/authorized_keys
 endif
@@ -147,6 +153,28 @@ pull:
 
 status:
 	docker compose ps
+	
+	
+$(APP_DATA)/metadata/testdata-kitodo:
+	mkdir -p $@/images
+	for page in {00000009..00000014}; do \
+	  wget -P $@/images https://digital.slub-dresden.de/data/kitodo/LankDres_1760234508/LankDres_1760234508_tif/jpegs/$$page.tif.original.jpg; \
+	done
+
+test: test-kitodo
+
+test-kitodo: $(APP_DATA)/metadata/testdata-kitodo
+# remove ocr directory if exist
+	rm -rf $(APP_DATA)/metadata/testdata-kitodo/ocr
+# wait until Kitodo.Production directory structure is initialized
+	docker exec -t `docker container ls -qf name=kitodo-app` bash -c "/wait-for-it.sh -t 0 kitodo-app:$$APP_PORT"
+# run asynchronous ocr processing, which should return within 5 seconds with exit status 1
+	timeout --preserve-status 5 docker exec -t `docker container ls -qf name=kitodo-app` bash -c '/usr/local/kitodo/scripts/script_ocr_process_dir.sh "testdata-kitodo" 1'; test $$? = 1
+# check with interval of 1 second if ocr folder exists. It fails if the ocr folder is not created within 5 minutes.
+	timeout 5m bash -c 'until test -s $(APP_DATA)/metadata/testdata-kitodo/ocr/alto/00000014.tif.original.xml; do sleep 5; done'
+# rest if the alto directory and file exist
+	test -d $(APP_DATA)/metadata/testdata-kitodo/ocr/alto
+	test -s $(APP_DATA)/metadata/testdata-kitodo/ocr/alto/00000009.tif.original.xml
 
 test test-production test-presentation clean-testdata: NETWORK=ocrd_kitodo_default
 # if there is no shell override for MANAGER_DATA, then get it from the .env
@@ -184,7 +212,7 @@ endef
 export HELP
 help: ; @eval "$$HELP"
 
-.PHONY: clean clean-testdata prepare prepare-keys prepare-examples build build-kitodo start down config pull status test help
+.PHONY: clean clean-testdata prepare prepare-keys prepare-examples build build-kitodo start down config pull status test test-kitodo help
 
 # do not search for implicit rules here:
 %.zip: ;