diff --git a/.github/workflows/create_test_conda_env.yml b/.github/workflows/create_test_conda_env.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c6c83e44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/create_test_conda_env.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+name: create_test_conda_env
+
+on: [push]
+
+jobs:
+  build-linux:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - name: Set up Python
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      with:
+        python-version: '>=3.9'
+
+    - name: Add conda to system path
+      run: |
+        # $CONDA is an environment variable pointing to the root of the miniconda directory
+        echo $CONDA/bin >> $GITHUB_PATH
+
+    - name: Create fre-cli environment
+      run: |
+        # create environment fre-cli will be installed into
+        conda env create -f environment.yml --name fre-cli
+        # try to make sure the right things are in GITHUB_PATH
+        echo $CONDA/envs/fre-cli/bin >> $GITHUB_PATH
+        # install fre-cli w pip
+        $CONDA/envs/fre-cli/bin/python -m pip install --prefix $CONDA/envs/fre-cli .
+
+    - name: Run pytest in fre-cli environment
+      run: |
+        # try to make sure the right things are in GITHUB_PATH
+        echo $CONDA/envs/fre-cli/bin >> $GITHUB_PATH
+        which python
+        python --version
+        $CONDA/envs/fre-cli/bin/python --version
+        # run pytest
+        $CONDA/envs/fre-cli/bin/pytest
diff --git a/.github/workflows/upload_conda.yml b/.github/workflows/publish_conda.yml
similarity index 96%
rename from .github/workflows/upload_conda.yml
rename to .github/workflows/publish_conda.yml
index 86b4eeb6..b4d00b43 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/upload_conda.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish_conda.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ on:
     branches:
     - main
 jobs:
-  build_and_publish:
+  publish:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     container:
       image: continuumio/miniconda3:latest
diff --git a/environment.yml b/environment.yml
index 88e71c47..32a2a781 100644
--- a/environment.yml
+++ b/environment.yml
@@ -5,12 +5,18 @@ channels:
   - noaa-gfdl
 dependencies:
   - python
+  - pip
   - click
   - pyyaml
   - pylint
   - jsonschema
   - noaa-gfdl::intakebuilder
-  - conda-forge::cylc-flow
+  - conda-forge::cylc-flow>=8.2.0
   - conda-forge::cylc-rose
   - conda-forge::metomi-rose
   - conda-forge::cmor
+  - conda-forge::cylc-uiserver
+  - conda-forge::pytest
+  - conda-forge::pytest-cov
+  - conda-forge::python-cdo
+  - conda-forge::cdo>=2.0.0