diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 73c8931..12df7f4 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 Package: staged.dependencies
 Type: Package
 Title: Install R packages from Particular Git Branches
-Version: 0.3.1
+Version: 0.3.1.9001
 Authors@R: c(
   person("Adrian", "Waddell", email = "adrian.waddell@roche.com", role = c("aut", "cre")),
   person("Maximilian", "Mordig", email = "maximilian_oliver.mordig@roche.com", role = "aut"),
   person("Nikolas", "Burkoff", email = "nikolas.burkoff@roche.com", role = "aut")
   )
 Imports:
+    checkmate,
     desc,
     devtools,
     digest,
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ Suggests:
     visNetwork
 VignetteBuilder: knitr
 Collate:
+    'argument_convention.R'
     'caching.R'
     'dependencies.R'
     'dependencies_app.R'
diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 7ffdf73..1ef1914 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -15,5 +15,8 @@ export(install_deps)
 export(install_deps_app)
 export(install_deps_job)
 export(update_with_direct_deps)
+export(verbose_sd_get)
+export(verbose_sd_rm)
+export(verbose_sd_set)
 importFrom(dplyr,"%>%")
 importFrom(rlang,.data)
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index f34304e..50eaa29 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,3 +1,12 @@
+# staged.dependecies 0.3.1.9001
+
+### Enhancements
+* Added functions to set and remove general level of messaging as option variable `verbose_level_staged.deps`.
+* Added `argument_convention.R` with default parameter definitions.
+
+### Miscellaneous
+* Replaced internal function that checks directory existence with assertion from `checkmate` when there is no prefix. 
+
 # staged.dependecies 0.3.1
 
 * Enhanced support of subdirectories for gitlab.
diff --git a/R/argument_convention.R b/R/argument_convention.R
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a0d84f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/R/argument_convention.R
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#' Default Arguments
+#'
+#' The documentation to this function lists all the arguments in `staged.dependencies`
+#' that are used repeatedly.
+#'
+#' @param verbose (`numeric`) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
+#'   (0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
+#'   2: includes git checkout infos)
+#'
+#' @keywords internal
+#' @name argument_convention
+NULL
diff --git a/R/caching.R b/R/caching.R
index 1a368fd..9c48fb4 100644
--- a/R/caching.R
+++ b/R/caching.R
@@ -26,9 +26,9 @@ clear_cache <- function(pattern = "*") {
   if (!identical(pattern, "*")) {
     direcs <- dir(get_packages_cache_dir())
     if (length(direcs) == 0) {
-      message("Cache empty")
+      message_if_verbose("Cache empty")
     } else {
-      message("Directories remaining in cache:\n", paste(direcs, collapse = "\n"))
+      message_if_verbose("Directories remaining in cache:\n", paste(direcs, collapse = "\n"))
     }
   }
 }
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ clear_cache <- function(pattern = "*") {
 # copies example config file to package settings directory
 # fails if copy did not work
 copy_config_to_storage_dir <- function() {
-
   path <- file.path(get_storage_dir(), "config.yaml")
 
   if (!file.exists(path)) {
@@ -79,9 +78,7 @@ get_active_branch_in_cache <- function(repo, host, local = FALSE) {
 # copies a local directory to the cache dir and commits the current state in
 # that cache dir, so the SHA can be added to the DESCRIPTION file
 # note: files in .gitignore are also available to the package locally
-copy_local_repo_to_cachedir <- function(local_dir, repo, host, select_ref_rule, verbose = 0) {
-  check_verbose_arg(verbose)
-
+copy_local_repo_to_cachedir <- function(local_dir, repo, host, select_ref_rule) {
   local_dir <- fs::path_dir(git2r::discover_repository(local_dir))
 
   check_dir_exists(local_dir, prefix = "Local directory: ")
@@ -91,9 +88,11 @@ copy_local_repo_to_cachedir <- function(local_dir, repo, host, select_ref_rule,
     fs::dir_delete(repo_dir)
   }
 
-  if (verbose >= 1) {
-    message(paste("Copying local dir", local_dir, "to cache dir", repo_dir))
-  }
+  message_if_verbose("Copying local dir ", local_dir, " to cache dir ", repo_dir, required_verbose = 2)
+  message_if_verbose("Copying local dir ", local_dir, " to cache dir...",
+    required_verbose = 1, is_equal = TRUE
+  )
+
   # file.copy copies a directory inside an existing directory
   # we ignore the renv sub directories as it is large (so slow), has long
   # path names (so causes problems on Windows) and is not needed
@@ -151,12 +150,11 @@ copy_local_repo_to_cachedir <- function(local_dir, repo, host, select_ref_rule,
     (length(git2r::status(repo_dir)$unstaged) > 0) ||
     (length(git2r::status(repo_dir)$untracked) > 0)) {
     # add all files, including untracked (all argument of git2r::commit does not do this)
-    if (verbose >= 2) {
-      message(
-        "Adding all of the following files: \n",
-        paste(utils::capture.output(git2r::status(repo_dir)), collapse = "\n")
-      )
-    }
+    static_msg <- paste0(
+      "Adding all of the following files: \n",
+      paste(utils::capture.output(git2r::status(repo_dir)), collapse = "\n")
+    )
+    message_if_verbose(static_msg, required_verbose = 2)
     git2r::add(repo_dir, ".")
     git2r::commit(
       repo_dir,
@@ -215,7 +213,6 @@ get_hashed_repo_to_dir_mapping <- function(local_repos) {
 #' The packages listed there are internal packages. All other dependencies
 #' listed in the `DESCRIPTION` file are external dependencies.
 #'
-#' @md
 #' @param repos_to_process `list` of `list(repo, host)` repos to start from
 #' @param ref (`character`) tag/branch to build
 #' @param direction (`character`) direction in which to discover packages
@@ -225,23 +222,20 @@ get_hashed_repo_to_dir_mapping <- function(local_repos) {
 #'   local rather than cloned; columns are `repo, host, directory`
 #' @param fallback_branch (`character`) the default branch to try to use if
 #'   no other matches found
-#' @param verbose (`numeric`) verbosity level, incremental;
-#'   (0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
-#'   2: includes git checkout infos)
 #'
 #' @return A data frame, one row per checked out repository with columns
 #' repo, host and cache_dir
+#'
+#' @keywords internal
 rec_checkout_internal_deps <- function(repos_to_process, ref,
                                        direction = "upstream",
                                        local_repos = get_local_pkgs_from_config(),
-                                       fallback_branch = "main",
-                                       verbose = 0) {
+                                       fallback_branch = "main") {
   stopifnot(
     is.list(repos_to_process)
   )
   direction <- check_direction_arg_deprecated(direction)
   check_direction_arg(direction)
-  check_verbose_arg(verbose)
 
   local_repo_to_dir <- get_hashed_repo_to_dir_mapping(local_repos)
   rm(local_repos)
@@ -268,8 +262,7 @@ rec_checkout_internal_deps <- function(repos_to_process, ref,
         local_repo_to_dir[[hashed_repo_and_host]], repo_and_host$repo, repo_and_host$host,
         select_ref_rule = function(available_refs) {
           determine_ref(ref, available_refs, fallback_branch = fallback_branch)
-        },
-        verbose = verbose
+        }
       )
     } else {
       repo_info <- checkout_repo(
@@ -279,8 +272,7 @@ rec_checkout_internal_deps <- function(repos_to_process, ref,
         select_ref_rule = function(available_refs) {
           determine_ref(ref, available_refs, fallback_branch = fallback_branch)
         },
-        must_work = (length(hashed_processed_repos) == 0), # first repo must be accessible
-        verbose = verbose
+        must_work = (length(hashed_processed_repos) == 0) # first repo must be accessible
       )
     }
 
@@ -312,5 +304,8 @@ rec_checkout_internal_deps <- function(repos_to_process, ref,
   df$accessible <- unlist(unname(hashed_repos_accessible))
   df$ref <- unlist(unname(hashed_repos_refs))
   df$sha <- unlist(unname(hashed_repos_shas))
+
+  message_if_verbose("Current cache directory: ", fs::path_norm(get_packages_cache_dir()))
+
   return(df)
 }
diff --git a/R/dependencies.R b/R/dependencies.R
index e8909fc..18dd732 100644
--- a/R/dependencies.R
+++ b/R/dependencies.R
@@ -12,22 +12,20 @@
 #'   be character of the form `openpharma/stageddeps.food@https://github.com`
 #'   If host is not included in the string then the default `https://github.com`
 #'   is assumed.
-#' @param project_type (`character`) See `project` argument
+#' @param project_type (`character`) See `project` argument.
 #' @param ref (`character`) git branch (or tag) inferred from the
 #'   branch of the project if not provided; warning if not consistent with
 #'   current branch of project. If `project_type` is not `local` then this argument
-#'   must be provided
+#'   must be provided.
 #' @param local_repos (`data.frame`) repositories that should be taken from
-#'   local file system rather than cloned; columns are `repo, host, directory`
+#'   local file system rather than cloned; columns are `repo, host, directory`.
 #' @param direction (`character`) direction in which to discover packages
 #'   either "upstream","downstream" or "all".
 #' @param fallback_branch (`character`) the default branch to try to use if
-#'   no other matches found
+#'   no other matches found. It defaults to `"main"`.
 #' @param renv_profile (`character`) the name of the renv profile of the `renv.lock` files
 #'   to be included from the repos. The standard `renv.lock` file uses the default `NULL` argument here.
-#' @param verbose (`numeric`) verbosity level, incremental;
-#'   (0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
-#'   2: includes git checkout infos)
+#' @inheritParams argument_convention
 #' @return `dependency_structure` An S3 object with the following items:
 #' \describe{
 #'   \item{project}{`project` argument used to create
@@ -49,8 +47,6 @@
 #'   \item{renv_files}{`named list` containing the json of the renv.lock files for the chosen profile for
 #'                     each repo. An entry to the list is `NULL` if a repos does not have the required lock file}
 #' }
-#' @md
-#' @export
 #' @examples
 #' \dontrun{
 #' dependency_table(verbose = 1)
@@ -66,6 +62,7 @@
 #' print(x)
 #' plot(x)
 #' }
+#' @export
 dependency_table <- function(project = ".",
                              project_type = c("local", "repo@host")[1],
                              ref = NULL,
@@ -74,28 +71,29 @@ dependency_table <- function(project = ".",
                              fallback_branch = "main",
                              renv_profile = NULL,
                              verbose = 1) {
-
   # validate arguments
   stopifnot(is.data.frame(local_repos) || is.null(local_repos))
-  check_verbose_arg(verbose)
   direction <- check_direction_arg_deprecated(direction)
   check_direction_arg(direction)
   stopifnot(project_type %in% c("local", "repo@host"))
   stopifnot(rlang::is_scalar_character(fallback_branch))
 
+  if (verbose != 1) {
+    checkmate::assert_int(verbose, lower = 0, upper = 2)
+    verbose_sd_set(verbose)
+  }
+
   if (project_type == "repo@host" && (is.null(ref) || nchar(ref) == 0)) {
     stop("For non-local projects the (branch/tag) must be specified")
   }
   if (project_type == "local") {
-    check_dir_exists(project)
+    checkmate::assert_directory_exists(project)
     error_if_stageddeps_inexistent(project)
     # infer ref if not given
     if (is.null(ref) || nchar(ref) == 0) {
       ref <- infer_ref_from_branch(project)
     }
-  }
 
-  if (project_type == "local") {
     # take local version of project (rather than remote)
     local_repos <- add_project_to_local_repos(project, local_repos)
     repo_deps_info <- get_yaml_deps_info(project)
@@ -107,7 +105,7 @@ dependency_table <- function(project = ".",
       ),
       fallback_branch
     )
-    repo_to_process <- list(repo_deps_info$current_repo)
+    repo_to_process <- list(repo_deps_info$current_repo) # This list will be updated with the deps
   } else {
     repo_to_process <- list(parse_remote_project(project))
   }
@@ -117,8 +115,7 @@ dependency_table <- function(project = ".",
   internal_deps <- rec_checkout_internal_deps(
     repo_to_process, ref,
     direction = direction,
-    local_repos = local_repos, fallback_branch = fallback_branch,
-    verbose = verbose
+    local_repos = local_repos, fallback_branch = fallback_branch
   )
 
   internal_deps$package_name[internal_deps$accessible] <-
@@ -218,7 +215,7 @@ print.dependency_structure <- function(x, ...) {
 
   if (!all(table$installable)) {
     table$package_name <- paste0(table$package_name, ifelse(table$installable, "", "*"))
-    cat(
+    warning(
       "packages denoted with '*' cannot be installed as either they or one of their internal",
       "dependencies is not accessible\n"
     )
@@ -235,7 +232,6 @@ print.dependency_structure <- function(x, ...) {
 #' @importFrom rlang .data
 #' @export
 plot.dependency_structure <- function(x, y, ...) {
-
   # construct visNetwork graph
   require_pkgs("visNetwork")
   # todo: put branch below node: https://github.com/almende/vis/issues/3436
@@ -349,13 +345,12 @@ plot.dependency_structure <- function(x, y, ...) {
 #'   list will be considered and their dependencies installed if needed (advanced usage only).
 #' @param dry (`logical`) dry run that outputs what would happen without actually
 #'   doing it.
-#' @param verbose verbosity level, incremental; from 0 (none) to 2 (high)
 #' @param ... Additional args passed to [remotes::install_deps()]. Ignored
 #'   if inside an `renv` environment.
+#' @inheritParams argument_convention
 #'
 #' @return `data.frame` of performed actions
 #'
-#' @export
 #' @seealso determine_branch
 #'
 #' @examples
@@ -367,6 +362,7 @@ plot.dependency_structure <- function(x, y, ...) {
 #' # install all dependencies
 #' install_deps(x, install_direction = "all")
 #' }
+#' @export
 install_deps <- function(dep_structure,
                          install_project = TRUE,
                          install_direction = "upstream",
@@ -384,6 +380,11 @@ install_deps <- function(dep_structure,
     stop("Invalid install_direction argument for this dependency object")
   }
 
+  if (verbose != 1) {
+    checkmate::assert_int(verbose, lower = 0, upper = 2)
+    verbose_sd_set(verbose)
+  }
+
   # get the packages to install
   pkg_df <- dep_structure$table
 
@@ -404,8 +405,9 @@ install_deps <- function(dep_structure,
     install_external_deps = install_external_deps,
     upgrade = upgrade,
     internal_pkg_deps = dep_structure$table$package_name,
-    verbose = verbose, ...
+    ...
   )
+
   pkg_actions
 }
 
@@ -449,6 +451,11 @@ check_downstream <- function(dep_structure,
     stop("Invalid dependency table - downstream dependencies must be have been calculated")
   }
 
+  if (verbose != 1) {
+    checkmate::assert_int(verbose, lower = 0, upper = 2)
+    verbose_sd_set(verbose)
+  }
+
   # get the packages to install
   pkg_df <- dep_structure$table
 
@@ -473,7 +480,7 @@ check_downstream <- function(dep_structure,
     upgrade = upgrade,
     internal_pkg_deps = dep_structure$table$package_name,
     rcmd_args = list(check = check_args),
-    verbose = verbose, ...
+    ...
   )
 
   pkg_actions
@@ -509,9 +516,7 @@ update_with_direct_deps <- function(dep_structure) {
 
 #' Build, check and install internal dependencies
 #'
-
 #'
-#' @md
 #' @inheritParams install_deps
 #' @inheritDotParams install_deps
 #' @param steps (`character` vector) subset of "build", "check", "install";
@@ -524,13 +529,13 @@ update_with_direct_deps <- function(dep_structure) {
 #' @return list with entries
 #'  - artifact_dir: `artifact_dir` directory with log files
 #'  - pkg_actions: `data.frame` of performed actions
-#' @export
 #' @examples
 #' \dontrun{
 #' x <- dependency_table(project = ".", verbose = 1)
 #' build_check_install(x, steps = c("build", "check"), verbose = 1)
 #' build_check_install(x, artifact_dir = "../output")
 #' }
+#' @export
 build_check_install <- function(dep_structure,
                                 install_direction = "all",
                                 steps = c("build", "check", "install"),
@@ -546,6 +551,10 @@ build_check_install <- function(dep_structure,
     methods::is(dep_structure, "dependency_structure"),
     is.logical(dry)
   )
+  if (verbose != 1) {
+    checkmate::assert_int(verbose, lower = 0, upper = 2)
+    verbose_sd_set(verbose)
+  }
 
   install_direction <- check_direction_arg_deprecated(install_direction)
   if (dep_structure$direction != "all" && dep_structure$direction != install_direction) {
@@ -579,7 +588,7 @@ build_check_install <- function(dep_structure,
     internal_pkg_deps = dep_structure$table$package_name,
     rcmd_args = rcmd_args,
     artifact_dir = artifact_dir,
-    verbose = verbose, ...
+    ...
   )
 
   return(list(artifact_dir = artifact_dir, pkg_actions = pkg_actions))
@@ -676,7 +685,6 @@ check_yamls_consistent <- function(dep_structure, skip_if_missing_yaml = FALSE)
 #'   which fields of the DESCRIPTION file of the internal packages should be included. Default:
 #'   `c("Depends", "Imports", "LinkingTo")`
 #' @inheritParams build_check_install
-#' @md
 #' @return A vector of 'external' R packages required to install
 #'   the selected 'internal' packages, ordered by install order (unless `from_external_dependencies`
 #'   does not include `"Depends"`, `"Imports"` and `"LinkingTo"`). The core R packages
diff --git a/R/dependencies_app.R b/R/dependencies_app.R
index c97c8c1..dc44c67 100644
--- a/R/dependencies_app.R
+++ b/R/dependencies_app.R
@@ -21,22 +21,28 @@
 #' @param run_gadget (`logical`) whether to run the app as a gadget
 #' @param run_as_job (`logical`) whether to run the installation as an RStudio job.
 #' @inheritParams install_deps
-#' @export
 #' @return `shiny.app` or value returned by app (executed as a gadget)
 #' @examples
 #' \dontrun{
 #' install_deps_app("openpharma/stageddeps.food")
 #' }
+#' @export
 install_deps_app <- function(default_repo = NULL,
                              default_host = "https://github.com",
                              default_ref = "main",
                              fallback_branch = "main",
                              run_gadget = TRUE, run_as_job = TRUE,
-                             verbose = 1, install_external_deps = TRUE,
+                             verbose = 1,
+                             install_external_deps = TRUE,
                              renv_profile = NULL,
                              upgrade = "never", ...) {
   require_pkgs(c("shiny", "miniUI", "visNetwork"))
 
+  if (verbose != 1) {
+    checkmate::assert_int(verbose, lower = 0, upper = 2)
+    verbose_sd_set(verbose)
+  }
+
   app <- shiny::shinyApp(
     ui = function() {
       miniUI::miniPage(
@@ -80,9 +86,9 @@ install_deps_app <- function(default_repo = NULL,
           dep_table_rv(NULL)
           error_rv(NULL)
 
-          message_if_verbose("Computing dependency structure for ref ",
-            input$ref, " starting from project ", paste(input$repo, input$host, sep = "@"),
-            verbose = verbose
+          message_if_verbose(
+            "Computing dependency structure for ref ",
+            input$ref, " starting from project ", paste(input$repo, input$host, sep = "@")
           )
 
           x <- tryCatch(
diff --git a/R/dependencies_helper.R b/R/dependencies_helper.R
index 44866e0..a280632 100644
--- a/R/dependencies_helper.R
+++ b/R/dependencies_helper.R
@@ -22,24 +22,24 @@
 #'   to the `R CMD` commands
 #' @param artifact_dir directory to store log files, only when actions include
 #'   `build`; action `test` only outputs to the console
-#' @param verbose verbosity level, incremental - from 0 (none) to 2 (high)
 #' @param ... Additional args passed to [remotes::install_deps()] Ignored
 #'   if inside an `renv` environment.
+#'
+#' @keywords internal
 run_package_actions <- function(pkg_actions, internal_pkg_deps,
                                 dry = FALSE,
                                 install_external_deps = TRUE,
                                 upgrade = "never",
                                 rcmd_args = NULL,
                                 artifact_dir = NULL,
-                                verbose = 0, ...) {
+                                ...) {
   all_actions <- unique(unlist(pkg_actions$actions))
   stopifnot(all(all_actions %in% c("test", "build", "check", "install")))
-  check_verbose_arg(verbose)
 
   rcmdcheck_outputs <- list()
 
   if (nrow(pkg_actions) == 0) {
-    message_if_verbose("No packages to process!", verbose = verbose)
+    message_if_verbose("No packages to process!")
     return(pkg_actions)
   }
 
@@ -55,9 +55,9 @@ run_package_actions <- function(pkg_actions, internal_pkg_deps,
     )
   }
 
-  message_if_verbose("Processing packages in order: ",
-    toString(pkg_actions$package_name),
-    verbose = verbose
+  message_if_verbose(
+    "Processing packages in order: ",
+    toString(pkg_actions$package_name)
   )
 
   for (idx in seq_along(pkg_actions$cache_dir)) {
@@ -65,9 +65,9 @@ run_package_actions <- function(pkg_actions, internal_pkg_deps,
     actions <- pkg_actions$actions[idx]
 
     if (!pkg_actions$installable[idx]) {
-      message_if_verbose("skipping package ", pkg_actions$package_name[idx],
-        " as it (or one of its upstream dependencies) is not accessible",
-        verbose = verbose
+      message_if_verbose(
+        "Skipping package ", pkg_actions$package_name[idx],
+        " as it (or one of its upstream dependencies) is not accessible"
       )
       next
     }
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ run_package_actions <- function(pkg_actions, internal_pkg_deps,
             stop("Tests for package in directory ", cache_dir, " failed")
           }
         } else {
-          message_if_verbose("No tests found for package in directory ", cache_dir, verbose = verbose)
+          message_if_verbose("No tests found for package in directory ", cache_dir)
         }
       }
 
@@ -158,11 +158,11 @@ run_package_actions <- function(pkg_actions, internal_pkg_deps,
         }
       }
     } else { # dry run
-      message_if_verbose(cat_nl("(Dry run) Skipping", toString(actions), "of", cache_dir), verbose = verbose)
+      message_if_verbose(cat_nl("(Dry run) Skipping ", toString(actions), " of ", cache_dir))
     }
   }
 
-  message_if_verbose("Processed packages in order: ", toString(pkg_actions$package_name), verbose = verbose)
+  message_if_verbose("Processed packages in order: ", toString(pkg_actions$package_name))
 
   # output rcmdcheck outputs
   if (!rlang::is_empty(rcmdcheck_outputs)) {
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ add_project_to_local_repos <- function(project, local_repos) {
   stopifnot(
     is.data.frame(local_repos) || is.null(local_repos)
   )
-  check_dir_exists(project)
+  checkmate::assert_directory_exists(project)
 
   repo_deps_info <- get_yaml_deps_info(project)
   rbind(
@@ -272,7 +272,6 @@ get_true_deps_graph <- function(pkgs_df,
   # for inaccessible packages we need to get their upstream
   # dependencies from yaml files of accessible repos
   if (!all(pkgs_df$accessible)) {
-
     # for each accessible package
     for (idx in seq_len(nrow(pkgs_df))) {
       if (!pkgs_df$accessible[idx]) {
diff --git a/R/git_tools.R b/R/git_tools.R
index b93686b..2718d06 100644
--- a/R/git_tools.R
+++ b/R/git_tools.R
@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ get_current_branch <- function(git_repo) {
 # staged_dep has previously checked out a version where ref = <<tag_name>>)
 check_only_remote_branches <- function(git_repo, remote_name) {
   all_branches <- names(git2r::branches(git_repo))
-  stopifnot(all(vapply(all_branches, function(x) startsWith(x, paste0(remote_name, "/")) || startsWith(x, "staged_dep_tag_"), logical(1))))
+  stopifnot(all(vapply(all_branches, function(x) startsWith(x, paste0(remote_name, "/")) || startsWith(x, "staged_dep_tag_"),
+                       logical(1))))
 }
 
 # clones the repo and only keeps remote branches
@@ -34,15 +35,14 @@ check_only_remote_branches <- function(git_repo, remote_name) {
 # no longer there
 # select_ref_rule is a function that is given the available refs
 # and selects one of them
-# if must_work is TRUE then error is thrown if repo is not accessible, if FALSE then wantning is thrown
+# if must_work is TRUE then error is thrown if repo is not accessible, if FALSE then warning is thrown
 # verbose level: 0: none, 1: print high-level git operations, 2: print git clone detailed messages etc.
 # returns: list of repo_dir and checked out branch/ref (according to branch rule)
-checkout_repo <- function(repo_dir, repo_url, select_ref_rule, token_envvar = NULL, must_work = FALSE, verbose = 0) {
+checkout_repo <- function(repo_dir, repo_url, select_ref_rule, token_envvar = NULL, must_work = FALSE) {
   stopifnot(
     is.function(select_ref_rule),
     endsWith(repo_url, ".git")
   )
-  check_verbose_arg(verbose)
 
   creds <- if (is.null(token_envvar)) {
     NULL
@@ -51,15 +51,17 @@ checkout_repo <- function(repo_dir, repo_url, select_ref_rule, token_envvar = NU
   }
   if (!dir.exists(repo_dir)) {
     stopifnot(is_non_empty_char(repo_url))
-    if (verbose >= 1) {
-      message(paste("clone", repo_url, "to directory", repo_dir))
-    }
+
+    message_if_verbose("clone ", repo_url, " to directory ", repo_dir, required_verbose = 2)
+    message_if_verbose("clone ", repo_url, " to cache directory...",
+      required_verbose = 1, is_equal = TRUE
+    )
 
     cloned_repo <- tryCatch(
       {
         git_repo <- git2r::clone(
           url = repo_url, local_path = repo_dir,
-          credentials = creds, progress = verbose >= 2
+          credentials = creds, progress = verbose_sd_get() >= 2
         )
       },
       error = function(e) {
@@ -120,16 +122,21 @@ checkout_repo <- function(repo_dir, repo_url, select_ref_rule, token_envvar = NU
 
     # todo: on.exit if unsuccessful
   } else {
-    if (verbose >= 1) {
-      message(paste("fetch", git2r::remote_url(repo_dir), "in directory", repo_dir))
-    }
+    message_if_verbose("fetch ", git2r::remote_url(repo_dir), " in directory ", repo_dir, required_verbose = 2)
+    message_if_verbose("fetch ", git2r::remote_url(repo_dir), " in cache directory...",
+      required_verbose = 1, is_equal = TRUE
+    )
 
     git_repo <- git2r::repository(repo_dir)
     # prune (remove) remote branches that were deleted from remote
     git2r::config(git_repo, remote.origin.prune = "true")
     tryCatch(
       {
-        git2r::fetch(git_repo, name = get_remote_name(git_repo, repo_url), credentials = creds, verbose = verbose >= 2)
+        git2r::fetch(git_repo,
+          name = get_remote_name(git_repo, repo_url),
+          credentials = creds,
+          verbose = verbose_sd_get() >= 2
+        )
       },
       error = function(cond) {
         warning(
@@ -151,16 +158,24 @@ checkout_repo <- function(repo_dir, repo_url, select_ref_rule, token_envvar = NU
     }
 
     branch <- paste0(get_remote_name(git_repo, repo_url), "/", selected_ref)
-    if (verbose >= 1) {
-      message(paste("   - checkout branch", branch, "in directory", repo_dir))
-    }
+
+    message_if_verbose("   - checkout branch ", branch, " in directory ", repo_dir, required_verbose = 2)
+    message_if_verbose("   - checkout branch ", branch, " in cache directory...",
+      required_verbose = 1, is_equal = TRUE
+    )
+
     git2r::checkout(git_repo, branch = branch, force = TRUE)
   } else if (attr(selected_ref, "type") == "tag") {
-    if (verbose >= 1) {
-      message(paste("   - checkout tag", selected_ref, "in directory", repo_dir))
-      git2r::branch_create(commit = git2r::commits(repo = repo_dir, ref = selected_ref, n = 1)[[1]], force = TRUE, name = paste0("staged_dep_tag_", selected_ref))
-      git2r::checkout(git_repo, branch = paste0("staged_dep_tag_", selected_ref), force = TRUE)
-    }
+    message_if_verbose("   - checkout tag ", selected_ref, " in directory ", repo_dir, required_verbose = 2)
+    message_if_verbose("   - checkout tag ", selected_ref, " in cache directory...",
+      required_verbose = 1, is_equal = TRUE
+    )
+
+    git2r::branch_create(
+      commit = git2r::commits(repo = repo_dir, ref = selected_ref, n = 1)[[1]],
+      force = TRUE, name = paste0("staged_dep_tag_", selected_ref)
+    )
+    git2r::checkout(git_repo, branch = paste0("staged_dep_tag_", selected_ref), force = TRUE)
   } else {
     stop("The selected reference should have a type attribute as 'branch' or 'tag'")
   }
@@ -174,7 +189,6 @@ checkout_repo <- function(repo_dir, repo_url, select_ref_rule, token_envvar = NU
 # Install the external deps required for a package
 # does not install dependencies that appear in `internal_pkg_deps`
 install_external_deps <- function(repo_dir, internal_pkg_deps, ...) {
-
   # `remotes::install_deps` (and renv::install)
   #  only makes use of the package DESCRIPTION file
   # So we create a temp directory containing this file and then call this function
@@ -210,7 +224,6 @@ install_external_deps <- function(repo_dir, internal_pkg_deps, ...) {
 # function to get the remote name (e.g. origin) which matches
 # the url given in the staged.deps yaml file
 get_remote_name <- function(git_repo, repo_url) {
-
   # remove the https:// and .git from repo_url
   repo_url <- gsub("^.+://|.git$", "", repo_url, perl = TRUE)
 
@@ -240,9 +253,8 @@ get_remote_name <- function(git_repo, repo_url) {
 #' @param repo_dir directory of repo
 #' @param ... Additional args passed to `remotes::install_deps`. Note `upgrade`
 #'   is set to "never" and shouldn't be passed into this function.
-install_repo_add_sha <- function(repo_dir,
-                                 ...) {
-  check_dir_exists(repo_dir)
+install_repo_add_sha <- function(repo_dir, ...) {
+  checkmate::assert_directory_exists(repo_dir)
 
   read_dcf <- function(path) {
     fields <- colnames(read.dcf(path))
diff --git a/R/graph_methods.R b/R/graph_methods.R
index 4f91d35..38e4c3a 100644
--- a/R/graph_methods.R
+++ b/R/graph_methods.R
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@ topological_sort <- function(graph) {
 # get the descendants (all children) of node and their distances,
 # given list mapping parent to children
 get_descendants_distance <- function(parents_to_children, starting_node) {
-
   # implement BFS
   nodes_to_treat <- c(starting_node) # ordered queue
   distances <- list()
diff --git a/R/ref_strategy.R b/R/ref_strategy.R
index 36e33c6..741528b 100644
--- a/R/ref_strategy.R
+++ b/R/ref_strategy.R
@@ -112,13 +112,13 @@ determine_ref <- function(ref, available_refs, fallback_branch = "main", branch_
 
 # infer the ref if it is null
 infer_ref_from_branch <- function(project = ".") {
-  check_dir_exists(project)
+  checkmate::assert_directory_exists(project)
   return(get_current_branch(project))
 }
 
 
 check_ref_consistency <- function(ref, project = ".", remote_name = "origin", fallback_branch = "main") {
-  check_dir_exists(project)
+  checkmate::assert_directory_exists(project)
   current_branch <- get_current_branch(project)
   # if in detached HEAD then we ignore the ref_consistency check (i.e. so gitlab
   # automation does not throw a warning)
diff --git a/R/utils.R b/R/utils.R
index febda53..169192a 100644
--- a/R/utils.R
+++ b/R/utils.R
@@ -1,14 +1,69 @@
 # cat pasted arguments + new line
-cat_nl <- function(...) cat(paste0(paste(...), "\n"))
+cat_nl <- function(...) {
+  cat(paste0(paste(...), "\n"))
+}
 # cat_nl("fff", "gg")
+#' Set staged.dependencies verbosity
+#'
+#' @description
+#' Functions to set and remove the option parameter `verbose_level_staged.deps`.
+#' It can assume integer values between `c(0, 1, 2)`. This will set this variable
+#' as an option with [options()] and [getOption()].
+#'
+#' @inheritParams argument_convention
+#'
+#' @examples
+#' verbose_sd_set(2)
+#' verbose_sd_get() # 2, the inserted value
+#' verbose_sd_rm()
+#' verbose_sd_get() # 1, the default
+#'
+#' @export
+#' @name verbose_sd_option
+verbose_sd_set <- function(verbose = 1) {
+  options("verbose_level_staged.deps" = verbose)
+}
+#' @name verbose_sd_option
+#' @export
+verbose_sd_get <- function() {
+  ret <- getOption("verbose_level_staged.deps")
+  if (is.null(ret)) {
+    1 # Default
+  } else {
+    ret
+  }
+}
+#' @export
+#' @name verbose_sd_option
+verbose_sd_rm <- function() {
+  if (is.null(getOption("verbose_level_staged.deps"))) {
+    stop("No verbose_level_staged.deps to remove in general environment.")
+  } else {
+    options("verbose_level_staged.deps" = NULL) # Reset
+  }
+}
+
 
 # output message if verbose argument is at least required_verbose
-message_if_verbose <- function(..., verbose, required_verbose = 1) {
-  if (verbose >= required_verbose) {
+message_if_verbose <- function(..., verbose = NULL, required_verbose = 1, is_equal = FALSE) {
+  if (is.null(verbose)) {
+    verb <- verbose_sd_get()
+  }
+  # Should it be verbose equal to required or >= ?
+  if (moe_sd(verb, required_verbose, is_equal)) {
     message(...)
   }
 }
 
+# Helper fnc - major or equal
+moe_sd <- function(verb, req_verb, is_equal) {
+  if (isTRUE(is_equal)) {
+    verb == req_verb
+  } else {
+    verb >= req_verb
+  }
+}
+
 extract_str_field <- function(lst, field) {
   vapply(lst, function(x) x[[field]], character(1))
 }
@@ -98,7 +153,6 @@ check_dir_exists <- function(direc, prefix = "") {
 # validate the contents of the yaml file (after conversion into R)
 # return NULL if valid throw error if not
 validate_staged_deps_yaml <- function(content, file_name = "") {
-
   # A simplified schema object to capture the schema for the yaml file
   # each entry of the list contains the top level field, with their name
   # whether they can be NULL and their subfields. If array is TRUE then each element
@@ -140,7 +194,6 @@ validate_staged_deps_yaml <- function(content, file_name = "") {
 
   # next check the contents of the fields is as expected
   lapply(required_schema, function(field) {
-
     # extract the contents for this field
     sub_content <- content[[field$name]]
 
diff --git a/R/zzz.R b/R/zzz.R
index 298699c..6e1a3ab 100644
--- a/R/zzz.R
+++ b/R/zzz.R
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ set_storage_dir <- function(storage_dir) {
 }
 
 .onLoad <- function(libname, pkgname) {
-
   storage_dir <- getOption(
     "staged.dependencies._storage_dir",
     path.expand("~/.staged.dependencies")
diff --git a/man/argument_convention.Rd b/man/argument_convention.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1497481
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/argument_convention.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/argument_convention.R
+\name{argument_convention}
+\alias{argument_convention}
+\title{Default Arguments}
+\arguments{
+\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
+(0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
+2: includes git checkout infos)}
+}
+\description{
+The documentation to this function lists all the arguments in \code{staged.dependencies}
+that are used repeatedly.
+}
+\keyword{internal}
diff --git a/man/build_check_install.Rd b/man/build_check_install.Rd
index 088e7dd..5005624 100644
--- a/man/build_check_install.Rd
+++ b/man/build_check_install.Rd
@@ -50,7 +50,9 @@ list will be considered and their dependencies installed if needed (advanced usa
 \item{dry}{(\code{logical}) dry run that outputs what would happen without actually
 doing it.}
 
-\item{verbose}{verbosity level, incremental; from 0 (none) to 2 (high)}
+\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
+(0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
+2: includes git checkout infos)}
 
 \item{...}{
   Arguments passed on to \code{\link[=install_deps]{install_deps}}
diff --git a/man/check_downstream.Rd b/man/check_downstream.Rd
index 0fcc718..56c50d2 100644
--- a/man/check_downstream.Rd
+++ b/man/check_downstream.Rd
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ list will be considered and their dependencies installed if needed (advanced usa
 \item{dry}{(\code{logical}) dry run that outputs what would happen without actually
 doing it.}
 
-\item{verbose}{verbosity level, incremental; from 0 (none) to 2 (high)}
+\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
+(0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
+2: includes git checkout infos)}
 
 \item{...}{
   Arguments passed on to \code{\link[=install_deps]{install_deps}}
diff --git a/man/check_downstream_job.Rd b/man/check_downstream_job.Rd
index 158a531..1dd282d 100644
--- a/man/check_downstream_job.Rd
+++ b/man/check_downstream_job.Rd
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ be character of the form \verb{openpharma/stageddeps.food@https://github.com}
 If host is not included in the string then the default \verb{https://github.com}
 is assumed.}
 
-\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) verbosity level, incremental;
+\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
 (0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
 2: includes git checkout infos)}
 
diff --git a/man/dependency_table.Rd b/man/dependency_table.Rd
index f1dad36..35132d4 100644
--- a/man/dependency_table.Rd
+++ b/man/dependency_table.Rd
@@ -23,26 +23,26 @@ be character of the form \verb{openpharma/stageddeps.food@https://github.com}
 If host is not included in the string then the default \verb{https://github.com}
 is assumed.}
 
-\item{project_type}{(\code{character}) See \code{project} argument}
+\item{project_type}{(\code{character}) See \code{project} argument.}
 
 \item{ref}{(\code{character}) git branch (or tag) inferred from the
 branch of the project if not provided; warning if not consistent with
 current branch of project. If \code{project_type} is not \code{local} then this argument
-must be provided}
+must be provided.}
 
 \item{local_repos}{(\code{data.frame}) repositories that should be taken from
-local file system rather than cloned; columns are \verb{repo, host, directory}}
+local file system rather than cloned; columns are \verb{repo, host, directory}.}
 
 \item{direction}{(\code{character}) direction in which to discover packages
 either "upstream","downstream" or "all".}
 
 \item{fallback_branch}{(\code{character}) the default branch to try to use if
-no other matches found}
+no other matches found. It defaults to \code{"main"}.}
 
 \item{renv_profile}{(\code{character}) the name of the renv profile of the \code{renv.lock} files
 to be included from the repos. The standard \code{renv.lock} file uses the default \code{NULL} argument here.}
 
-\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) verbosity level, incremental;
+\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
 (0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
 2: includes git checkout infos)}
 }
diff --git a/man/install_deps.Rd b/man/install_deps.Rd
index 118d796..545945a 100644
--- a/man/install_deps.Rd
+++ b/man/install_deps.Rd
@@ -43,7 +43,9 @@ list will be considered and their dependencies installed if needed (advanced usa
 \item{dry}{(\code{logical}) dry run that outputs what would happen without actually
 doing it.}
 
-\item{verbose}{verbosity level, incremental; from 0 (none) to 2 (high)}
+\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
+(0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
+2: includes git checkout infos)}
 
 \item{...}{Additional args passed to \code{\link[remotes:install_deps]{remotes::install_deps()}}. Ignored
 if inside an \code{renv} environment.}
diff --git a/man/install_deps_app.Rd b/man/install_deps_app.Rd
index 6f9ea04..6e0b066 100644
--- a/man/install_deps_app.Rd
+++ b/man/install_deps_app.Rd
@@ -38,7 +38,9 @@ no other matches found}
 
 \item{run_as_job}{(\code{logical}) whether to run the installation as an RStudio job.}
 
-\item{verbose}{verbosity level, incremental; from 0 (none) to 2 (high)}
+\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
+(0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
+2: includes git checkout infos)}
 
 \item{install_external_deps}{logical to describe whether to install
 external dependencies of package using \code{\link[remotes:install_deps]{remotes::install_deps()}} (or \code{\link[renv:install]{renv::install()}} if
diff --git a/man/install_deps_job.Rd b/man/install_deps_job.Rd
index 72ead69..0d5626e 100644
--- a/man/install_deps_job.Rd
+++ b/man/install_deps_job.Rd
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@ be character of the form \verb{openpharma/stageddeps.food@https://github.com}
 If host is not included in the string then the default \verb{https://github.com}
 is assumed.}
 
-\item{project_type}{(\code{character}) See \code{project} argument}
+\item{project_type}{(\code{character}) See \code{project} argument.}
 
-\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) verbosity level, incremental;
+\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
 (0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
 2: includes git checkout infos)}
 
diff --git a/man/rec_checkout_internal_deps.Rd b/man/rec_checkout_internal_deps.Rd
index 65421a1..633a609 100644
--- a/man/rec_checkout_internal_deps.Rd
+++ b/man/rec_checkout_internal_deps.Rd
@@ -10,8 +10,7 @@ rec_checkout_internal_deps(
   ref,
   direction = "upstream",
   local_repos = get_local_pkgs_from_config(),
-  fallback_branch = "main",
-  verbose = 0
+  fallback_branch = "main"
 )
 }
 \arguments{
@@ -28,10 +27,6 @@ local rather than cloned; columns are \verb{repo, host, directory}}
 
 \item{fallback_branch}{(\code{character}) the default branch to try to use if
 no other matches found}
-
-\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) verbosity level, incremental;
-(0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
-2: includes git checkout infos)}
 }
 \value{
 A data frame, one row per checked out repository with columns
@@ -45,3 +40,4 @@ and downstream packages are listed there.
 The packages listed there are internal packages. All other dependencies
 listed in the \code{DESCRIPTION} file are external dependencies.
 }
+\keyword{internal}
diff --git a/man/run_package_actions.Rd b/man/run_package_actions.Rd
index 326c1fa..c4cb537 100644
--- a/man/run_package_actions.Rd
+++ b/man/run_package_actions.Rd
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ run_package_actions(
   upgrade = "never",
   rcmd_args = NULL,
   artifact_dir = NULL,
-  verbose = 0,
   ...
 )
 }
@@ -47,11 +46,10 @@ to the \verb{R CMD} commands}
 \item{artifact_dir}{directory to store log files, only when actions include
 \code{build}; action \code{test} only outputs to the console}
 
-\item{verbose}{verbosity level, incremental - from 0 (none) to 2 (high)}
-
 \item{...}{Additional args passed to \code{\link[remotes:install_deps]{remotes::install_deps()}} Ignored
 if inside an \code{renv} environment.}
 }
 \description{
 Run an action on the packages
 }
+\keyword{internal}
diff --git a/man/verbose_sd_option.Rd b/man/verbose_sd_option.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cad67f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/verbose_sd_option.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/utils.R
+\name{verbose_sd_option}
+\alias{verbose_sd_option}
+\alias{verbose_sd_set}
+\alias{verbose_sd_get}
+\alias{verbose_sd_rm}
+\title{Set staged.dependencies verbosity}
+\usage{
+verbose_sd_set(verbose = 1)
+
+verbose_sd_get()
+
+verbose_sd_rm()
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{verbose}{(\code{numeric}) \cr verbosity level, incremental;
+(0: None, 1: packages that get installed + high-level git operations,
+2: includes git checkout infos)}
+}
+\description{
+Functions to set and remove the option parameter \code{verbose_level_staged.deps}.
+It can assume integer values between \code{c(0, 1, 2)}. This will set this variable
+as an option with \code{\link[=options]{options()}} and \code{\link[=getOption]{getOption()}}.
+}
+\examples{
+verbose_sd_set(2)
+verbose_sd_get() # 2, the inserted value
+verbose_sd_rm()
+verbose_sd_get() # 1, the default
+
+}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-caching.R b/tests/testthat/test-caching.R
index dcdf4db..18f6670 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-caching.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-caching.R
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ test_that("clear_cache", {
 
 
 test_that("rec_checkout_internal_deps works (with mocking checkout)", {
-
   # mock checkout_repo by copying the appropriate directory to the repo_dir directory
   mockery::stub(rec_checkout_internal_deps, "checkout_repo", function(repo_dir, repo_url, select_ref_rule, ...) {
     repo_name <- basename(repo_url)
@@ -54,7 +53,7 @@ test_that("rec_checkout_internal_deps works (with mocking checkout)", {
     capture.output(rec_checkout_internal_deps(
       list(list(repo = "openpharma/stageddeps.food", host = "https://github.com", subdir = ".")),
       "unittest_branch1",
-      direction = c("upstream"), local_repos = NULL, fallback_branch = "not_exist", verbose = 0
+      direction = c("upstream"), local_repos = NULL, fallback_branch = "not_exist"
     )),
     regexp = "Available refs .* must include at least one of 'unittest_branch1, not_exist'"
   )
@@ -62,7 +61,7 @@ test_that("rec_checkout_internal_deps works (with mocking checkout)", {
   output <- capture.output(res <- rec_checkout_internal_deps(
     list(list(repo = "openpharma/stageddeps.food", host = "https://github.com", subdir = ".")),
     "fix1@main",
-    direction = c("upstream"), local_repos = NULL, verbose = 0
+    direction = c("upstream"), local_repos = NULL
   ))
 
   # check mocked functions were called in correct order
@@ -108,7 +107,6 @@ test_that("rec_checkout_internal_deps works (with mocking checkout)", {
 })
 
 test_that("rec_checkout_internal_deps works for inaccessible repos (with mocking checkout)", {
-
   # mock checkout_repo by copying the appropriate directory to the repo_dir directory
   # but stageddeps.water is not accessible
   mockery::stub(rec_checkout_internal_deps, "checkout_repo", function(repo_dir, repo_url, select_ref_rule, ...) {
@@ -134,7 +132,7 @@ test_that("rec_checkout_internal_deps works for inaccessible repos (with mocking
   res <- rec_checkout_internal_deps(
     list(list(repo = "openpharma/stageddeps.food", host = "https://github.com", subdir = ".")),
     "main",
-    local_repos = NULL, verbose = 0, direction = "all"
+    local_repos = NULL, direction = "all"
   )
 
   # we should not see garden and water should not be accessible
@@ -187,6 +185,7 @@ test_that("copy_local_repo_to_cachedir works", {
 
   git2r::remote_set_url(repo_dir, name = "origin", url = "https://github.com/openpharma/stageddeps.food.git")
 
+  verbose_sd_set(2)
   # ckeck all files (from above) are added to the git commit in a local cache dir
   with_tmp_cachedir({
     res <- expect_message(
@@ -195,8 +194,7 @@ test_that("copy_local_repo_to_cachedir works", {
         repo = "openpharma/stageddeps.food", host = "https://github.com",
         select_ref_rule = function(available_refs) {
           structure("main", type = "branch")
-        },
-        verbose = 2
+        }
       ),
       regexp = "Adding all of the following", fixed = TRUE
     )
@@ -205,6 +203,7 @@ test_that("copy_local_repo_to_cachedir works", {
     expect_equal(res$ref, "local (main)")
     expect_true(git_status_clean(res$dir))
   })
+  verbose_sd_rm()
 
   unlink(repo_dir, recursive = TRUE)
 })
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-dependencies.R b/tests/testthat/test-dependencies.R
index 1386fb3..efee735 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-dependencies.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-dependencies.R
@@ -300,7 +300,6 @@ test_that("build_check_install works", {
 
 
 test_that("get_all_external_deps works", {
-
   # dummy dependency_structure object
 
   deps <- list(
@@ -368,12 +367,13 @@ test_that("get_all_external_deps works", {
   expect_equal(results, c("Q", "W", "U", "X", "V", "Y", "T", "Z", "S"))
 
   # message and unsorted list if not all of Depends, Imports and LinkingTo are `from_external_dependencies`
-  expect_message(results <- get_all_external_dependencies(x,
-    package_list = "B",
-    available_packages = available_packages,
-    from_external_dependencies = c("Depends", "Imports")
-  ),
-  regexp = "Packages will not be ordered as this requires"
+  expect_message(
+    results <- get_all_external_dependencies(x,
+      package_list = "B",
+      available_packages = available_packages,
+      from_external_dependencies = c("Depends", "Imports")
+    ),
+    regexp = "Packages will not be ordered as this requires"
   )
 
   expect_equal(sort(results), c("T", "Z"))
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-dependencies_helper.R b/tests/testthat/test-dependencies_helper.R
index e222bcd..0723bfa 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-dependencies_helper.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-dependencies_helper.R
@@ -137,7 +137,6 @@ test_that("yaml_from_dep_table works", {
 
 
 test_that("parse_remote_project works", {
-
   # repo@host
   expect_equal(
     parse_remote_project("x@y"),
@@ -229,7 +228,6 @@ test_that("run_package_actions works", {
 
 # parse_deps_table ----
 test_that("parse_deps_table works as expected", {
-
   # empty/NA returns character(0)
   expect_length(parse_deps_table(""), 0)
   expect_length(parse_deps_table(NA), 0)
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-utils.R b/tests/testthat/test-utils.R
index 6c0503e..e53d4c6 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-utils.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-utils.R
@@ -82,3 +82,34 @@ test_that("rep_with_names works", {
   expect_equal(rep_with_names(list("hh"), c("aa", "bb")), list(aa = "hh", bb = "hh"))
   expect_equal(rep_with_names("hh", NULL), character(0))
 })
+
+test_that("setting verbosity works", {
+  verbose_sd_rm()
+  f <- function() {
+    return(verbose_sd_get())
+  }
+  f2 <- function() {
+    return(f())
+  }
+  expect_identical(f2(), 1) # Default
+
+  # Assignment
+  lev <- 2
+  verbose_sd_set(lev)
+  expect_identical(f2(), lev)
+
+  # Removal
+  verbose_sd_rm()
+  expect_identical(f2(), 1) # Default
+  expect_error(verbose_sd_rm())
+
+  # Check that is only in the package environment
+  f3 <- function(lev) {
+    verbose_sd_set(lev)
+    ret <- f2()
+    verbose_sd_rm()
+    return(ret)
+  }
+  expect_identical(f3(lev), lev)
+  expect_identical(verbose_sd_get(), 1)
+})
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-zzz.R b/tests/testthat/test-zzz.R
index 843f8b4..ead86ce 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-zzz.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-zzz.R
@@ -11,7 +11,12 @@ test_that("setup_storage_dir works", {
   # modify storage directory to a new random one
   new_storage_dir <- tempfile("random_storage_dir")
   set_storage_dir(new_storage_dir)
-  on.exit({setup_storage_dir(TESTS_STORAGE_DIR)}, add = TRUE)
+  on.exit(
+    {
+      setup_storage_dir(TESTS_STORAGE_DIR)
+    },
+    add = TRUE
+  )
   setup_storage_dir(new_storage_dir)
 
   expect_equal(get_storage_dir(), new_storage_dir)