diff --git a/.github/workflows/bats.yaml b/.github/workflows/bats.yaml
index e393914fb..74861f411 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bats.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bats.yaml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ jobs:
       # deploy only these content
       CONTENT: "fastapi-simple quarto-website-py"
       CONNECT_LICENSE: ${{ secrets.CONNECT_LICENSE }}
-      PYTHON_VERSION: 3.12.1
+      PYTHON_VERSION: 3.12
       QUARTO_VERSION: 1.4.549
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           version: ${{ env.QUARTO_VERSION }}
       - uses: extractions/setup-just@v2
+
       - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
         with:
           name: bin
@@ -45,5 +46,6 @@ jobs:
       - run: chmod -R +x ./bin
       - run: just bats install
       - run: just bats test common
+      - run: just bats build-connect
       - run: just bats test init
       - run: just bats test deploy
diff --git a/.github/workflows/nightly.yaml b/.github/workflows/nightly.yaml
index b0a34dc42..acbb7a46b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nightly.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nightly.yaml
@@ -31,20 +31,6 @@ jobs:
     needs: nightly
     secrets: inherit
     uses: ./.github/workflows/cleanup.yaml
-  package:
-    needs: build
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/package.yaml
-  archive:
-    needs: build
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/archive.yaml
-  upload:
-    needs:
-      - archive
-      - package
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/upload.yaml
-    with:
-      nightly: true
-    secrets: inherit
 
   # Extensions
   vscode:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pull-request.yaml b/.github/workflows/pull-request.yaml
index 49b955870..c482ec37e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pull-request.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pull-request.yaml
@@ -39,8 +39,9 @@ jobs:
     secrets: inherit
     uses: ./.github/workflows/bats.yaml
 
-  # disable the vscode-ui tests for now
-  # vscode-ui:
-  #   needs: build
-  #   secrets: inherit
-  #   uses: ./.github/workflows/vscode-ui.yaml
+  vscode-ui:
+    needs:
+      - build
+      - package
+    secrets: inherit
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/vscode-ui.yaml
diff --git a/.github/workflows/vscode-ui.yaml b/.github/workflows/vscode-ui.yaml
index bca368a64..e9c441bfb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/vscode-ui.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/vscode-ui.yaml
@@ -4,13 +4,13 @@ on:
 env:
   VSCODE_VERSION: stable
 jobs:
-  native:
+  ui-tests:
     env:
-      DOCKER: false
       DOCKER_CONNECT: true
-      # deploy only these content
-      CONTENT: "fastapi-simple quarto-website-py"
       CONNECT_LICENSE: ${{ secrets.CONNECT_LICENSE }}
+      CI: true
+      QUARTO_VERSION: 1.4.549
+      PYTHON_VERSION: 3.12.4
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
@@ -22,32 +22,36 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - uses: ./.github/actions/setup
       - uses: extractions/setup-just@v2
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-        with:
-          node-version: 20.x
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          repository: rstudio/connect-content
-          path: "test/content"
-          sparse-checkout: bundles
-          sparse-checkout-cone-mode: false
-          token: ${{ secrets.CONNECT_PAT }}
+
       - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: 3.9
-      - uses: quarto-dev/quarto-actions/setup@v2
-        with:
-          version: 1.4.549
+          python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
+      # disabling quarto until we need it
+      # - uses: quarto-dev/quarto-actions/setup@v2
+      #   with:
+      #     version: ${{ env.QUARTO_VERSION }}
       - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
         with:
           name: bin
           path: bin
+      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: dist
+          path: dist
+
       - uses: t1m0thyj/unlock-keyring@v1
       - run: chmod -R +x ./bin
-      - run: just package
+
+      - name: Extract dist
+        run: unzip dist/*-linux-amd64.vsix -d dist/ext
+
       - run: just vscode configure
       - run: just vscode-ui install
-      - run: just vscode-ui test
+      - run: just vscode-ui build-connect
+      - run: just vscode-ui test vscode-nested
+        env:
+          SPEC_PATH: ./test/specs/nested-fastapi.spec.ts
+          WORKSPACE_PATH: ../sample-content/
 
       - name: Save screenshots
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
diff --git a/test/bats/justfile b/test/bats/justfile
index e83bfd75f..61b1b4321 100644
--- a/test/bats/justfile
+++ b/test/bats/justfile
@@ -24,6 +24,13 @@ default:
     just install
     just test
 
+build-connect:
+    #!/usr/bin/env bash
+    set -eou pipefail
+    {{ _with_debug }}
+
+    docker compose -f ../docker-compose.yml build
+
 # Deletes ephemeral project files (i.e., cleans the project).
 clean:
     #!/usr/bin/env bash
@@ -53,6 +60,7 @@ fuzzbucket-stop:
     pip install -r ../setup/requirements.txt
     fuzzbucket-client rm connect-publishing-client
 
+
 # Executes commands via `npm`. Equivalent to `npm run`. Provides arbitrary command chaining inside of Docker from project root (i.e., `just bats run test`)
 run *args:
     #!/usr/bin/env bash
diff --git a/test/scripts/test-runner.bash b/test/scripts/test-runner.bash
index 093913e08..cd1b34b8d 100755
--- a/test/scripts/test-runner.bash
+++ b/test/scripts/test-runner.bash
@@ -14,12 +14,11 @@ fi
 setup_connect() {
     pip install -r ../setup/requirements.txt
     if [[ "${DOCKER_CONNECT}" = true ]]; then
-        docker compose -f ../docker-compose.yml build
         docker compose -f ../docker-compose.yml up -d
         export CONNECT_SERVER="http://localhost:3939"
         export CONNECT_API_KEY="$(python ../setup/gen_apikey.py 'admin')"
         # wait until Connect is available
-        timeout 100 bash -c \
+        timeout 10 bash -c \
         'while [[ "$(curl -s -o /dev/null -w ''%{http_code}'' ${CONNECT_SERVER}/__ping__)" != "200" ]]; \
             do sleep 1; \
             echo "retry"; \
diff --git a/test/vscode-ui/justfile b/test/vscode-ui/justfile
index fd60692eb..e951e2399 100644
--- a/test/vscode-ui/justfile
+++ b/test/vscode-ui/justfile
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ build-connect:
     set -eou pipefail
     {{ _with_debug }}
 
-    docker compose build
+    docker compose -f ../docker-compose.yml build
 
 # Deletes ephemeral project files (i.e., cleans the project).
 clean:
@@ -67,4 +67,5 @@ test *args:
     #!/usr/bin/env bash
     set -eou pipefail
     {{ _with_debug }}
+
     ../scripts/test-runner.bash {{ args }}
diff --git a/test/vscode-ui/wdio.conf.ts b/test/vscode-ui/wdio.conf.ts
index 3b24fc764..0f68d21c6 100644
--- a/test/vscode-ui/wdio.conf.ts
+++ b/test/vscode-ui/wdio.conf.ts
@@ -79,7 +79,10 @@ export const config: Options.Testrunner = {
       browserVersion: "stable", // also possible: "insiders" or a specific version e.g. "1.80.0"
       "wdio:vscodeOptions": {
         // points to directory where extension package.json is located
-        extensionPath: path.resolve(__dirname, "../../extensions/vscode/"),
+        extensionPath:
+          process.env.CI === "true"
+            ? path.resolve(__dirname, "../../dist/ext/")
+            : path.resolve(__dirname, "../../extensions/vscode/"),
         workspacePath: path.resolve(
           __dirname,
           process.env.WORKSPACE_PATH || "../sample-content/",