diff --git a/.github/workflows/wheels.yaml b/.github/workflows/wheels.yaml
index b6b25f92cb..af97687d51 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/wheels.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/wheels.yaml
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ jobs:
       # If one of the jobs fails, continue with the others.
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        os: [windows-latest, macos-11, ubuntu-latest]
+        os: [macos-11, ubuntu-latest]
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@ jobs:
         if: runner.os == 'Windows'
         uses: pypa/cibuildwheel@v2.15
         env:
+          # when building with windows the Cython generated sources lacks linking
+          # against -lpythonX.Y, I don't know why, or how to bypass this problem.
+          # Nothing apparent on the web... :(
           CMAKE_GENERATOR: MinGW Makefiles
           PIP_NO_CLEAN: "yes"
 
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index e79c5b942c..e681c35b51 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -298,13 +298,13 @@ extend_skip = ["src/sisl/__init__.py"]
 build-verbosity = 3
 test-extras = "test"
 
-# placeholder for quicker tests
-build = ["cp38-*"]
 skip = [
     "pp*",
-    "cp312-*",
 ]
 
+# The netCDF package does not have a wheel for 312 (yet!)
+test-skip = "cp312-*"
+
 # Instead of running pytest directly, we use a bash script that will set up
 # the appropiate value for the SISL_FILES_TEST variable, a path pointing to
 # the sisl-files directory, which contains files for testing.
@@ -324,7 +324,6 @@ archs = [
     "AMD64",
     "x86",
 ]
-before-build = "pip install mingwpy"
 
 test-command = "pytest --pyargs sisl -m 'not slow'"