diff --git a/res/cmake/dep.cmake b/res/cmake/dep.cmake
index 027cfe5ef..58c1f13f9 100644
--- a/res/cmake/dep.cmake
+++ b/res/cmake/dep.cmake
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 
+include("${PHARE_PROJECT_DIR}/res/cmake/dep/cppdict.cmake")
+add_subdirectory(subprojects/cppdict)
 
 # SAMRAI build option
 include("${PHARE_PROJECT_DIR}/res/cmake/dep/samrai.cmake")
@@ -15,6 +17,3 @@ include("${PHARE_PROJECT_DIR}/res/cmake/dep/pybind.cmake")
 
 # HighFive
 include("${PHARE_PROJECT_DIR}/res/cmake/dep/highfive.cmake")
-
-
-add_subdirectory(subprojects/cppdict)
diff --git a/res/cmake/dep/cppdict.cmake b/res/cmake/dep/cppdict.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c471a5043
--- /dev/null
+++ b/res/cmake/dep/cppdict.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+
+
+set(CPPDICT_SRCDIR ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/subprojects/cppdict)
+
+if (NOT EXISTS ${CPPDICT_SRCDIR})
+  execute_process(
+    COMMAND ${Git} clone https://github.com/LaboratoryOfPlasmaPhysics/cppdict ${CPPDICT_SRCDIR} -b master --recursive --depth 10
+  )
+else()
+  if(devMode)
+    message("downloading latest cppdict updates")
+    execute_process(COMMAND ${Git} pull origin master WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CPPDICT_SRCDIR})
+  endif(devMode)
+endif()
diff --git a/src/amr/load_balancing/concrete_load_balancer_hybrid_strategy_homogeneous.hpp b/src/amr/load_balancing/concrete_load_balancer_hybrid_strategy_homogeneous.hpp
index 53df0047f..24a0f9dd2 100644
--- a/src/amr/load_balancing/concrete_load_balancer_hybrid_strategy_homogeneous.hpp
+++ b/src/amr/load_balancing/concrete_load_balancer_hybrid_strategy_homogeneous.hpp
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
 
 
 
-
 namespace PHARE::amr
 {
 template<typename PHARE_T>
@@ -46,9 +45,6 @@ template<typename PHARE_T>
 void ConcreteLoadBalancerHybridStrategyHomogeneous<PHARE_T>::compute(
     level_t& level, PHARE::solver::IPhysicalModel<amr_types>& model)
 {
-    auto static constexpr dimension  = HybridModel::dimension;
-    bool static constexpr c_ordering = false;
-
     auto& hybridModel      = dynamic_cast<HybridModel&>(model);
     auto& resourcesManager = hybridModel.resourcesManager;
     auto& ions             = hybridModel.state.ions;
@@ -58,8 +54,6 @@ void ConcreteLoadBalancerHybridStrategyHomogeneous<PHARE_T>::compute(
         auto const& layout     = layoutFromPatch<gridlayout_type>(*patch);
         auto patch_data_lb     = dynamic_cast<cell_data_t*>(patch->getPatchData(this->id_).get());
         auto load_balancer_val = patch_data_lb->getPointer();
-        auto lb_view = core::make_array_view<c_ordering>(load_balancer_val, layout.nbrCells());
-        auto _       = resourcesManager->setOnPatch(*patch, ions);
 
         // The view on "load_balancer_val" do not have any ghost cells, meaning that this patch
         // data lies on a box defind by the nbr of cells in the physical domain
@@ -71,14 +65,7 @@ void ConcreteLoadBalancerHybridStrategyHomogeneous<PHARE_T>::compute(
 
         // The lb_view is a CellData, meaning that it is dual as the index of an amr box
 
-        // todo replace below with std::fill/std::fill_n data, size = 1
-        core::Box<std::uint32_t, dimension> local_box{
-            core::Point{core::ConstArray<std::uint32_t, dimension>()},
-            core::Point{
-                core::generate([](auto const& nCell) { return nCell - 1; }, layout.nbrCells())}};
-
-        for (auto const& idx : local_box)
-            lb_view(idx) = 1;
+        std::fill(load_balancer_val, load_balancer_val + core::product(layout.nbrCells()), 1);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/amr/multiphysics_integrator.hpp b/src/amr/multiphysics_integrator.hpp
index bf5a5e1dd..7c9c81a1b 100644
--- a/src/amr/multiphysics_integrator.hpp
+++ b/src/amr/multiphysics_integrator.hpp
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ namespace solver
         int solverIndex              = NOT_SET;
         int resourcesManagerIndex    = NOT_SET;
         int taggerIndex              = NOT_SET;
-        //        int loadBalancerIndex        = NOT_SET;
         std::string messengerName;
     };
 
diff --git a/src/amr/wrappers/integrator.hpp b/src/amr/wrappers/integrator.hpp
index 609499ee1..bd7ad91f6 100644
--- a/src/amr/wrappers/integrator.hpp
+++ b/src/amr/wrappers/integrator.hpp
@@ -33,22 +33,21 @@ class Integrator
 
     bool static _rebalance_coarsest(initializer::PHAREDict const& dict)
     {
-        return initializer::dict_get(dict, "simulation/advanced/integrator/rebalance_coarsest", 0)
-               > 0;
+        return cppdict::get_value(dict, "simulation/advanced/integrator/rebalance_coarsest", 0) > 0;
     }
 
     bool static _rebalance_coarsest_on_init(initializer::PHAREDict const& dict)
     {
-        return initializer::dict_get(dict,
-                                     "simulation/advanced/integrator/rebalance_coarsest_on_init", 0)
+        return cppdict::get_value(dict, "simulation/advanced/integrator/rebalance_coarsest_on_init",
+                                  0)
                > 0;
     }
 
     std::size_t static _rebalance_coarsest_every(initializer::PHAREDict const& dict)
     {
         auto in
-            = initializer::dict_get(dict, "simulation/advanced/integrator/rebalance_coarsest_every",
-                                    rebalance_coarsest_every_default);
+            = cppdict::get_value(dict, "simulation/advanced/integrator/rebalance_coarsest_every",
+                                 rebalance_coarsest_every_default);
         if (in < 0)
             throw std::runtime_error("rebalance_coarsest_every must be positive");
         return static_cast<std::size_t>(in);
@@ -56,8 +55,8 @@ class Integrator
 
     bool static _is_tagging_refinement(initializer::PHAREDict const& dict)
     {
-        return initializer::dict_get(dict, "simulation/AMR/refinement/tagging/method",
-                                     std::string{"none"})
+        return cppdict::get_value(dict, "simulation/AMR/refinement/tagging/method",
+                                  std::string{"none"})
                == std::string{"auto"};
     }
 
diff --git a/src/core/data/ions/particle_initializers/particle_initializer_factory.hpp b/src/core/data/ions/particle_initializers/particle_initializer_factory.hpp
index eb1359177..ca324311f 100644
--- a/src/core/data/ions/particle_initializers/particle_initializer_factory.hpp
+++ b/src/core/data/ions/particle_initializers/particle_initializer_factory.hpp
@@ -47,9 +47,9 @@ namespace core
 
                 auto charge = dict["charge"].template to<double>();
 
-                auto nbrPartPerCell = initializer::dict_get(dict, "nbr_part_per_cell", int{0});
+                auto nbrPartPerCell = cppdict::get_value(dict, "nbr_part_per_cell", int{0});
                 FunctionType nbrPartPerCellFn
-                    = initializer::dict_get(dict, "nbr_part_per_cell_fn", FunctionType{nullptr});
+                    = cppdict::get_value(dict, "nbr_part_per_cell_fn", FunctionType{nullptr});
                 if (not nbrPartPerCellFn and nbrPartPerCell == 0)
                 {
                     throw std::runtime_error("PPC cannot be 0");
diff --git a/src/initializer/data_provider.hpp b/src/initializer/data_provider.hpp
index b1a99ee2f..da5d244fa 100644
--- a/src/initializer/data_provider.hpp
+++ b/src/initializer/data_provider.hpp
@@ -92,53 +92,5 @@ namespace initializer
 } // namespace initializer
 } // namespace PHARE
 
-namespace PHARE::initializer
-{
-
-template<typename Dict, typename Paths>
-std::optional<Dict> _traverse_to_node(Dict const& dict, Paths const& paths, std::size_t idx = 0)
-{
-    if (dict.contains(paths[idx]))
-    {
-        auto const& next = dict[paths[idx]];
-        if (idx == paths.size() - 1)
-            return next;
-        return _traverse_to_node(next, paths, ++idx);
-    }
-    return std::nullopt;
-}
-
-template<typename Dict>
-std::optional<PHAREDict> traverse_to_node(Dict const& dict, std::string const& path)
-{
-    char delimiter  = '/';
-    std::string tmp = "";
-    std::vector<std::string> paths;
-    std::istringstream iss(path);
-    while (std::getline(iss, tmp, delimiter))
-        paths.push_back(tmp);
-    return _traverse_to_node(dict, paths);
-}
-
-template<typename T, typename Dict>
-T const& dict_get(Dict const& dict, std::string const& path)
-{
-    // error if not found
-    auto leaf = traverse_to_node(dict, path);
-    if (leaf)
-        return leaf->template to<T>();
-    throw std::runtime_error("Dict contains no path " + path);
-}
-
-template<typename T, typename Dict>
-T dict_get(Dict const& dict, std::string const& path, T const default_value)
-{
-    auto leaf = traverse_to_node(dict, path);
-    if (leaf)
-        return leaf->template to<T>();
-    return default_value;
-}
-
-} // namespace PHARE::initializer
 
 #endif // DATA_PROVIDER_HPP
diff --git a/src/simulator/simulator.hpp b/src/simulator/simulator.hpp
index 0ec21cdde..7cf44e4d0 100644
--- a/src/simulator/simulator.hpp
+++ b/src/simulator/simulator.hpp
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ void Simulator<dim, _interp, nbRefinedPart>::hybrid_init(initializer::PHAREDict
 
     auto loadBalancer_db = std::make_shared<SAMRAI::tbox::MemoryDatabase>("LoadBalancerDB");
     double flexible_load_tolerance
-        = initializer::dict_get(dict, "simulation/advanced/integrator/flexible_load_tolerance", .5);
+        = cppdict::get_value(dict, "simulation/advanced/integrator/flexible_load_tolerance", .5);
 
     loadBalancer_db->putDouble("flexible_load_tolerance", flexible_load_tolerance);
     auto loadBalancer = std::make_shared<SAMRAI::mesh::CascadePartitioner>(
diff --git a/subprojects/cppdict b/subprojects/cppdict
deleted file mode 160000
index 6b02756b9..000000000
--- a/subprojects/cppdict
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit 6b02756b9646811c65b5df83497b82ba75f1270e
diff --git a/tests/simulator/test_load_balancing.py b/tests/simulator/test_load_balancing.py
index be6234a71..c11bed819 100644
--- a/tests/simulator/test_load_balancing.py
+++ b/tests/simulator/test_load_balancing.py
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 
+
+import unittest
 import pyphare.pharein as ph
 from pyphare.simulator.simulator import Simulator, startMPI
+from tests.simulator import SimulatorTest
 
 import numpy as np
 import matplotlib as mpl
@@ -166,30 +169,23 @@ def _parse_rank(patch_id):
     return per_rank
 
 
-def assert_has_balanced(sim):
-    t0 = time_info(sim)
-    tend = time_info(sim, timestamps[-1])
-
-    t0_sdev = np.std(list(t0.values()))
-    tend_sdev = np.std(list(tend.values()))
-
-    print("init sdev", t0_sdev)
-    print("end sdev", tend_sdev)
-    assert tend_sdev < t0_sdev * 0.1  # empirical
-
+class LoadBalancingTest(SimulatorTest):
+    def test_has_balanced(self):
+        if mpi_size == 1:  # doesn't make sense
+            return
 
-def main():
-    if mpi_size == 1:
-        return  # doesn't make sense
+        sim = config()
+        self.register_diag_dir_for_cleanup(diag_outputs)
+        Simulator(sim).run()
 
-    sim = config()
-    Simulator(sim).run()
+        if cpp.mpi_rank() > 0:
+            return
 
-    if cpp.mpi_rank() > 0:
-        return
+        t0_sdev = np.std(list(time_info(sim).values()))
+        tend_sdev = np.std(list(time_info(sim, timestamps[-1]).values()))
 
-    assert_has_balanced(sim)
+        assert tend_sdev < t0_sdev * 0.1  # empirical
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
-    main()
+    unittest.main()