diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index f98f2b970..c3e188bdc 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@ variables:
 # IDF environment
 
   IDF_PATH: "$CI_PROJECT_DIR"
+  BATCH_BUILD: "1"
+  V: "0"
   APPLY_BOT_FILTER_SCRIPT: "$CI_PROJECT_DIR/tools/ci/apply_bot_filter.py"
   CHECKOUT_REF_SCRIPT: "$CI_PROJECT_DIR/tools/ci/checkout_project_ref.py"
 
diff --git a/make/project.mk b/make/project.mk
index 31f72bc5f..a5bc916bf 100644
--- a/make/project.mk
+++ b/make/project.mk
@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ help:
 	@echo "See also 'make bootloader', 'make bootloader-flash', 'make bootloader-clean', "
 	@echo "'make partition_table', etc, etc."
 
+# Non-interactive targets. Mostly, those for which you do not need to build a binary
+NON_INTERACTIVE_TARGET += defconfig clean% %clean help list-components print_flash_cmd
+
 # dependency checks
 ifndef MAKE_RESTARTS
 ifeq ("$(filter 4.% 3.81 3.82,$(MAKE_VERSION))","")
diff --git a/make/project_config.mk b/make/project_config.mk
index 0a212cd28..8f0006c79 100644
--- a/make/project_config.mk
+++ b/make/project_config.mk
@@ -15,15 +15,19 @@ SDKCONFIG ?= $(PROJECT_PATH)/sdkconfig
 # overrides (usually used for esp-idf examples)
 SDKCONFIG_DEFAULTS ?= $(PROJECT_PATH)/sdkconfig.defaults
 
+# Workaround to run make parallel (-j). mconf and conf cannot be made simultaneously
+$(KCONFIG_TOOL_DIR)/mconf: $(KCONFIG_TOOL_DIR)/conf
+
 # reset MAKEFLAGS as the menuconfig makefile uses implicit compile rules
 $(KCONFIG_TOOL_DIR)/mconf $(KCONFIG_TOOL_DIR)/conf: $(wildcard $(KCONFIG_TOOL_DIR)/*.c)
 	MAKEFLAGS="" CC=$(HOSTCC) LD=$(HOSTLD) \
 	$(MAKE) -C $(KCONFIG_TOOL_DIR)
 
 ifeq ("$(wildcard $(SDKCONFIG))","")
-ifeq ("$(filter defconfig clean% %clean, $(MAKECMDGOALS))","")
-# if no configuration file is present and defconfig or clean
-# is not a named target, run defconfig then menuconfig to get the initial config
+# if no configuration file is present we need a rule for it
+ifeq ("$(filter $(NON_INTERACTIVE_TARGET), $(MAKECMDGOALS))","")
+# if special non-interactive item is not a named target (eg. 'defconfig', 'clean')
+# run defconfig then menuconfig to get the initial config
 $(SDKCONFIG): menuconfig
 menuconfig: defconfig
 else
diff --git a/tools/ci/build_examples.sh b/tools/ci/build_examples.sh
index df6c90811..f36ff60df 100755
--- a/tools/ci/build_examples.sh
+++ b/tools/ci/build_examples.sh
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Safety settings (see https://gist.github.com/ilg-ul/383869cbb01f61a51c4d).
 
-if [[ ! -z ${DEBUG} ]]
+if [[ ! -z ${DEBUG_SHELL} ]]
 then
   set -x # Activate the expand mode if DEBUG is anything but empty.
 fi
diff --git a/tools/ci/configure_ci_environment.sh b/tools/ci/configure_ci_environment.sh
index 77d094076..a92600e92 100644
--- a/tools/ci/configure_ci_environment.sh
+++ b/tools/ci/configure_ci_environment.sh
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@
 # Sets the error behaviour options for shell throughout the CI environment
 #
 set -o errexit # Exit if command failed.
+set -o pipefail # Exit if pipe failed.
+
+# we can use the appropriate secret variable for debugging
+[ ! -z $DEBUG_SHELL ] && set -x
 
 [ -z $CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME ] && echo "This internal script should only be run by a Gitlab CI runner." && exit 1
 
diff --git a/tools/ci/get-full-sources.sh b/tools/ci/get-full-sources.sh
index 058cab534..ee2604a31 100755
--- a/tools/ci/get-full-sources.sh
+++ b/tools/ci/get-full-sources.sh
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Common bash
-if [[ ! -z ${DEBUG} ]]; then
+if [[ ! -z ${DEBUG_SHELL} ]]; then
   set -x # Activate the expand mode if DEBUG is anything but empty.
 fi
 
diff --git a/tools/ci/mirror-submodule-update.sh b/tools/ci/mirror-submodule-update.sh
index 04471f143..068838a77 100755
--- a/tools/ci/mirror-submodule-update.sh
+++ b/tools/ci/mirror-submodule-update.sh
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Common bash
 
-if [[ ! -z ${DEBUG} ]]
+if [[ ! -z ${DEBUG_SHELL} ]]
 then
   set -x # Activate the expand mode if DEBUG is anything but empty.
 fi
diff --git a/tools/ci/mirror-synchronize.sh b/tools/ci/mirror-synchronize.sh
index 163e7db7f..5047744e5 100755
--- a/tools/ci/mirror-synchronize.sh
+++ b/tools/ci/mirror-synchronize.sh
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 # -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Common bash
 
-if [[ ! -z ${DEBUG} ]]
+if [[ ! -z ${DEBUG_SHELL} ]]
 then
   set -x # Activate the expand mode if DEBUG is anything but empty.
 fi
diff --git a/tools/unit-test-app/Makefile b/tools/unit-test-app/Makefile
index 13873900e..05f1dc353 100644
--- a/tools/unit-test-app/Makefile
+++ b/tools/unit-test-app/Makefile
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 
 PROJECT_NAME := unit-test-app
 
+NON_INTERACTIVE_TARGET += ut-apply-config-% ut-clean-%
+
 include $(IDF_PATH)/make/project.mk
 
 # List of unit-test-app configurations.