diff --git a/.github/actions/before-install/action.yml b/.github/actions/before-install/action.yml
index df4f8c0f67..deba9fc7d8 100644
--- a/.github/actions/before-install/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/before-install/action.yml
@@ -1,13 +1,79 @@
 name: "before-install"
 description: "launch before_install.sh and then parse env vars"
+inputs:
+  act:
+    description: 'enable act debug'
+    required: false
+    type: boolean
+    default: 'false'
 runs:
   using: "composite"
-  steps:
+  steps:  
     - name: Before install
+      if: ${{ ! env.ACT }}
       shell: bash
       run: |
-        bash -xv ./scripts/ci/job_hooks/before_install.sh "/tmp/github_vars.env"
-        while read ENVVAR; do
-          echo "$ENVVAR" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-        done < "/tmp/github_vars.env"
+        pip install --user --quiet awscli
+
+    - name: base vars
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        {
+          echo "GIT_HASH=$(git rev-parse HEAD)";
+          echo "BASE_HASH=$(git merge-base origin/${GITHUB_BASE_REF} HEAD)";
+          echo "HEAD_HASH=HEAD";
+          echo "HEAD_COMMIT_HASH=${TRAVIS_PULL_REQUEST_SHA:-${TRAVIS_COMMIT}}";
+          echo "NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS=--all";
+          echo "BUILD_OPTS=--configuration production";
+          echo CI_FORCE_RUN=false;
+          echo NODE_VERSION=$(node -v);
+        } >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+    - name: affected:* flag parser
+      shell: bash
+      if: ${{ contains(github.event.head_commit.message , '[affected:*]') }}
+      run: |
+        echo "Setting up CI to run with commit flag [affected:*] flag."
+        echo "BREAK_ACTION=true" >> $GITHUB_ENV
         
+    - name: ci:force flag parser
+      shell: bash
+      if: ${{ contains(github.event.head_commit.message , '[ci:force]') }}
+      run: |
+        echo "Forcing CI to run with commit flag [ci:force]."
+        echo CI_FORCE_RUN=true >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        echo "BREAK_ACTION=true" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+    - name: RELEASE on master/develop patch branch
+      if: ${{ env.BREAK_ACTION == false && github.event.pull_request.merged }}
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        if [[ "${{ github.ref_name }}" =~ ^master(-patch.*)?$ ]]; then
+            # into master(-patch*)
+            echo "Setting up CI flags for Push on master patch"
+        elif [[ "${{ github.ref_name }}" =~ ^develop-patch.*$ ]]; then
+            # into develop-patch*
+            echo "Setting up CI flags for Push develop patch"
+        else
+          echo "Setting up CI flags for Push on develop branch"
+          base=$(git describe --tags $(git rev-list --tags --max-count=1))
+          echo "NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS=--base=$base --head=$HEAD_HASH" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        fi
+
+    - name: PULL_REQUEST event
+      if: ${{ env.BREAK_ACTION == false && github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        echo "Setting up CI flags for Pull Request event"
+        NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS="--base=origin/${GITHUB_BASE_REF} --head=$HEAD_HASH"
+        echo "NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS=$NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        BASE_HASH="origin/${GITHUB_BASE_REF}"
+
+    - name: SCHEDULE event
+      if: ${{ github.event_name == 'schedule' }}
+      shell: bash
+      env: 
+        EV_NAME: ${{ github.event_name }}      
+      run: |
+        echo "Setting up CI to run on SCHEDULE"
+        echo "NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS=--all" >> $GITHUB_ENV
diff --git a/.github/actions/e2e/action.yml b/.github/actions/e2e/action.yml
index f3e4b19491..2c42296cda 100644
--- a/.github/actions/e2e/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/e2e/action.yml
@@ -125,9 +125,6 @@ runs:
       run: |
         set -u;
         echo $PROXY_HOST_BPM
-        NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS=$(echo $NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS | sed "s@'@@g")
-        echo "NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS=$NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-        GIT_HASH=$(echo $GIT_HASH | sed "s@'@@g")
         echo "GIT_HASH=$GIT_HASH" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
     - name: run test with retries
diff --git a/.github/actions/setup/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup/action.yml
index 629f3a9c43..0de9216466 100644
--- a/.github/actions/setup/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/setup/action.yml
@@ -6,7 +6,16 @@ inputs:
     required: false
     type: boolean
     default: 'true'
-    
+  enable-node-modules-cache:
+    description: 'enable caching for node modules'
+    required: false
+    type: boolean
+    default: 'true'    
+  act:
+    description: 'enable act debug'
+    required: false
+    type: boolean
+    default: 'false'
 runs:
   using: "composite"
   steps:
@@ -66,12 +75,8 @@ runs:
         uses: ./.github/actions/travis-env-var-facade
       - name: before install script
         uses: ./.github/actions/before-install
-      # sanitize nx calculation flags string
-      - name: input validation for NX CALCULATION FLAGS
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          export NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS=$(echo $NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS | sed "s@'@@g")
-          echo "NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS=$NX_CALCULATION_FLAGS" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        with:
+          act: ${{ inputs.act }}
       - name: link nx executable
         run: sudo ln -s $(npm bin)/nx /usr/bin/nx
         shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/actions/travis-env-var-facade/action.yml b/.github/actions/travis-env-var-facade/action.yml
index beb895419e..e02d356af6 100644
--- a/.github/actions/travis-env-var-facade/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/travis-env-var-facade/action.yml
@@ -32,9 +32,11 @@ runs:
         fi
 
         if [[ GITHUB_REF_NAME == "master" ]]; then
+            echo "Set up TAG_NPM to latest on master branch"
             TAG_NPM="latest"
         fi
         if [[ GITHUB_REF_NAME == "develop" ]]; then
+            echo "Set up TAG_NPM to alpha on develop branch"
             TAG_NPM="alpha"
         fi
         echo "TAG_NPM=${TAG_NPM}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 54d2e9ef60..64f7cf3e0d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ jobs:
         with: 
           enable-cache: false
           enable-node-modules-cache: false
+          act: ${{ inputs.dry-run-release }}
       - uses: ./.github/actions/download-cache-and-artifacts
       - name: release Storybook docker
         run: |