diff --git a/.semaphore/semaphore.yml b/.semaphore/semaphore.yml
index 5c1dfb9671..69b4cc1b5f 100644
--- a/.semaphore/semaphore.yml
+++ b/.semaphore/semaphore.yml
@@ -32,13 +32,13 @@ blocks:
     dependencies: []
     run:
       # don't run the tests on non-functional changes...
-      when: "change_in('/', {exclude: ['/.deployed-versions/', '.github/'], default_branch: 'master'})"
+      when: "change_in('/', {exclude: ['/.deployed-versions/', '.github/', 'service.yml', 'README.md'], default_branch: 'master'})"
     task:
       jobs:
         - name: Test
           commands:
-            - . sem-pint -c
-            - ci-tools ci-update-version
+            - ci-sem-pint -c
+            - ci-tools ci-update-version --direct-pom-edit
             - mvn -U -Dmaven.wagon.http.retryHandler.count=10 --batch-mode --no-transfer-progress clean verify install dependency:analyze validate
             - . cache-maven store
       epilogue:
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ blocks:
       jobs:
         - name: Release
           commands:
-            - ci-tools ci-update-version
+            - ci-tools ci-update-version --direct-pom-edit
             - ci-tools ci-push-tag
             - mvn -U -Dmaven.wagon.http.retryHandler.count=10 --batch-mode 
               -DaltDeploymentRepository=confluent-codeartifact-internal::default::https://confluent-519856050701.d.codeartifact.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/maven/maven-snapshots/ 
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ after_pipeline:
         commands:
           - checkout
           - artifact pull workflow target
-          - emit-sonarqube-data --enable_sonarqube_enterprise --run_only_sonar_scan
+          - emit-sonarqube-data --run_only_sonar_scan
       - name: Trigger downstream projects
         commands:
           - >-