diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index f11a824cf9fe58e194a078c122d3ab67ec89e00a..34ff950aeb0365deab29437a8c39cb5dac5f7f1b 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -244,6 +244,10 @@ sync-gitlab-spack-instance:
     - cp $CI_PROJECT_DIR/packages.yaml $SPACK_PATH/spack/etc/spack/packages.yaml
     # activate spack
     - . $SPACK_PATH/spack/share/spack/setup-env.sh
+    # get latest state of EBRAINS repo
+    - rm -rf $SPACK_REPO_PATH && mkdir $SPACK_REPO_PATH && cp -r -t $SPACK_REPO_PATH $CI_PROJECT_DIR/{packages,repo.yaml}
+    - spack repo list | grep -q ebrains-spack-builds && echo "Repository registered already" || spack repo add $SPACK_REPO_PATH
+    - spack repo list
     # install compiler (if not already installed)
     - EBRAINS_SPACK_COMPILER=$(grep 'compiler' $CI_PROJECT_DIR/packages.yaml | awk -F'[][]' '{ print $2 }')
     - spack compiler find
@@ -251,10 +255,6 @@ sync-gitlab-spack-instance:
     - spack load $EBRAINS_SPACK_COMPILER
     - spack compiler find
     - spack compiler list
-    # get latest state of EBRAINS repo
-    - rm -rf $SPACK_REPO_PATH && mkdir $SPACK_REPO_PATH && cp -r -t $SPACK_REPO_PATH $CI_PROJECT_DIR/{packages,repo.yaml}
-    - spack repo list | grep -q ebrains-spack-builds && echo "Repository registered already" || spack repo add $SPACK_REPO_PATH
-    - spack repo list
     # activate and update environment (and create it, if it doesn't exist)
     - spack env list | grep -q $SPACK_NFS_ENV && echo "Environment created already" || spack env create $SPACK_NFS_ENV $CI_PROJECT_DIR/spack.yaml
     - spack env activate $SPACK_NFS_ENV