diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 53e007d376..be1dc716c3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -4,42 +4,12 @@ on:
         inputs:
             release-version:
                 required: true
-            exclude-slow-tests:
-                description: 'Exclude slow tests'
-                required: true
-                type: boolean
-                default: false
-            exclude-unstable-tests:
-                description: 'Exclude unstable tests'
-                required: true
-                type: boolean
-                default: false
-            exclude-release-only-tests:
-                description: 'Exclude release tests'
-                required: true
-                type: boolean
-                default: false
             signing-key-id:
                 required: true
                 type: string
                 default: C8B77BCBE16CD2B94B43F9C8757397B82D4ED7B0
 
 jobs:
-    get-exclude-dirs:
-        name: Get exclude directories
-        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-        outputs:
-            exclude-dirs: ${{ steps.get-exclude-dirs.outputs.exclude-dirs }}
-        steps:
-            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-            - id: get-exclude-dirs
-              uses: ./.github/actions/get_exclude_dirs
-              with:
-                  exclude-slow: ${{ github.event.inputs.exclude-slow-tests }}
-                  exclude-unstable: ${{ github.event.inputs.exclude-unstable-tests }}
-                  exclude-release-only: ${{ github.event.inputs.exclude-release-only-tests }}
-
     create-branch-prefix:
         uses: ./.github/workflows/create_branch_prefix.yml
         with:
@@ -52,7 +22,6 @@ jobs:
     prepare-release:
         name: Prepare Release
         needs:
-            - get-exclude-dirs
             - create-branch-prefix
         runs-on: ubuntu-latest
         env:
@@ -111,9 +80,7 @@ jobs:
             - id: get-test-infos
               uses: ./.github/actions/get_test_infos
               with:
-                  directories: |
-                      ./examples
-                  exclude-dirs: ${{ needs.get-exclude-dirs.outputs.exclude-dirs }}
+                  directories: ./examples
 
     update-test-files-for-release-commit:
         needs:
@@ -152,10 +119,10 @@ jobs:
               working-directory: ${{ matrix.test.path }}
               run: dfx start --clean --background --host 127.0.0.1:8000 --artificial-delay 0
 
-            - name: Run npm test (continue on error)
-              working-directory: ${{ matrix.test.path }}
-              continue-on-error: true
-              run: npm test
+            # TODO we would like to also update the Candid files
+            # TODO what we should do is detect if there is a Candid file to generate
+            # TODO probably by looking at the dfx.json candid property of any azle canisters
+            # TODO if that is defined and if it does not go to .azle, we should probably generate it
 
             - name: Create branch name
               id: create-branch-name
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 4a5e4c966e..e4768c3348 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -41,9 +41,7 @@
                 "wasmedge_quickjs": "github:demergent-labs/wasmedge-quickjs#3b3b0ee91248ccf9cd954ffafbac7e024648af92"
             },
             "bin": {
-                "azle": "src/build/index.ts",
-                "cuzz": "node_modules/.bin/cuzz",
-                "tsc": "node_modules/.bin/tsc"
+                "azle": "src/build/index.ts"
             },
             "devDependencies": {
                 "@dfinity/identity": "^2.2.0",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index d4d79f2c4f..a22929d5e7 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -11,9 +11,7 @@
     },
     "type": "module",
     "bin": {
-        "azle": "./src/build/index.ts",
-        "cuzz": "./node_modules/.bin/cuzz",
-        "tsc": "./node_modules/.bin/tsc"
+        "azle": "./src/build/index.ts"
     },
     "main": "./src/lib/stable/index.ts",
     "repository": {
diff --git a/src/lib/experimental/globals.ts b/src/lib/experimental/globals.ts
index e493d1ed96..2eb5ccf416 100644
--- a/src/lib/experimental/globals.ts
+++ b/src/lib/experimental/globals.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import './experimental';
 import '../stable/globals'; // We import this to remove type errors having to do with the stable and experimental globals
 
-// @ts-expect-error
+// @ts-ignore
 import { TextDecoder, TextEncoder } from '@sinonjs/text-encoding';
 import { Buffer } from 'buffer';
 import * as process from 'process';
diff --git a/src/lib/stable/globals.ts b/src/lib/stable/globals.ts
index 2b64ea7173..9145dfd5d1 100644
--- a/src/lib/stable/globals.ts
+++ b/src/lib/stable/globals.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// @ts-expect-error
+// @ts-ignore
 import { TextDecoder, TextEncoder } from '@sinonjs/text-encoding';
 
 import { AzleIcExperimental } from '../experimental/ic/azle_ic_experimental';
diff --git a/src/lib/stable/ic_apis/reject_code.ts b/src/lib/stable/ic_apis/reject_code.ts
index 2704abddde..179f13d990 100644
--- a/src/lib/stable/ic_apis/reject_code.ts
+++ b/src/lib/stable/ic_apis/reject_code.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 // TODO this should be removed once https://github.com/demergent-labs/azle/issues/2271 is resolved
-// @ts-expect-error
+// @ts-ignore
 import { TextDecoder, TextEncoder } from '@sinonjs/text-encoding';
 globalThis.TextDecoder = TextDecoder;
 globalThis.TextEncoder = TextEncoder;
diff --git a/src/lib/stable/stable_structures/stable_json.ts b/src/lib/stable/stable_structures/stable_json.ts
index 52974a09e2..defea82b21 100644
--- a/src/lib/stable/stable_structures/stable_json.ts
+++ b/src/lib/stable/stable_structures/stable_json.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { Principal } from '@dfinity/principal';
-// @ts-expect-error
+// @ts-ignore
 import { TextDecoder, TextEncoder } from '@sinonjs/text-encoding';
 
 import { Serializable } from './stable_b_tree_map';
diff --git a/test/fuzz.ts b/test/fuzz.ts
index afe645c263..5b87b4e0b5 100644
--- a/test/fuzz.ts
+++ b/test/fuzz.ts
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ function getCallDelay(cuzzConfig: CuzzConfig): string {
 
 function fuzzTestCanister(canisterName: string, callDelay: string): void {
     const baseCuzzArgs = [
+        'exec',
+        '--offline',
+        'cuzz',
+        '--',
         '--canister-name',
         canisterName,
         '--skip-deploy',
@@ -69,7 +73,7 @@ function fuzzTestCanister(canisterName: string, callDelay: string): void {
             : [])
     ];
 
-    let cuzzProcess = spawn('node_modules/.bin/cuzz', cuzzArgs, {
+    let cuzzProcess = spawn('npm', cuzzArgs, {
         stdio: 'inherit'
     });
 
diff --git a/test/index.ts b/test/index.ts
index 61bcb8ec09..6c9becce25 100644
--- a/test/index.ts
+++ b/test/index.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ dns.setDefaultResultOrder('ipv4first');
 
 import { describe, expect, test } from '@jest/globals';
 import * as fc from 'fast-check';
-import { join } from 'path';
 
 import { execSyncPretty } from '../src/build/stable/utils/exec_sync_pretty';
 export { expect } from '@jest/globals';
@@ -17,7 +16,7 @@ export { getCanisterActor } from './get_canister_actor';
 export function runTests(
     tests: Test,
     canisterNames: string | string[] | undefined = undefined,
-    cwd: string = process.cwd()
+    _cwd: string = process.cwd()
 ): void {
     const {
         shouldRunTests,
@@ -35,12 +34,7 @@ export function runTests(
             it('checks types', () => {
                 try {
                     execSyncPretty(
-                        `${join(
-                            cwd,
-                            'node_modules',
-                            '.bin',
-                            'tsc'
-                        )} --noEmit --skipLibCheck --target es2020 --strict --moduleResolution node --allowJs`,
+                        `npm exec --offline tsc -- --noEmit --skipLibCheck --target es2020 --strict --moduleResolution node --allowJs`,
                         'inherit'
                     );
                 } catch {