diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 4da7c8a..f3396be 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -42,11 +42,12 @@ jobs:
             mkdir -p ${EXAWIND_MANAGER}/environments/exawind && \
             cd ${EXAWIND_MANAGER}/environments/exawind && \
             ln -s ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE} exawind && \
-            quick-create-dev -s exawind@master && \
             spack -e e4s-build config add view:true && \
-            spack -e e4s-build add cmake && \
-            spack -e e4s-build concretize && \
+            spack -e e4s-build add cmake^zlib-ng~new_strategies && \
+            spack -e e4s-build concretize -f && \
+            quick-create-dev -s exawind@master && \
             spack manager external ${EXAWIND_MANAGER}/environments/e4s-build --exclude exawind && \
+            spack concretize -f && \
             spack install && \
             spack cd -b exawind && \
             spack build-env exawind ctest -j $(nproc) --output-on-failure \