diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 62e00c689da73463a22bb85cc9671f8634b25c06..86ab9c2faabf361a78652d0621fae36e165c8a6c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 # ~~Yashchiki~~Koutakia
 
 For now, this repository provides helpers for the EBRAINS container image build flow.
+The lowest spack version which should be used with this library is v0.22.0
diff --git a/esd/tests/spack_from_scratch_test.py b/esd/tests/spack_from_scratch_test.py
index cca0d2e9e957b0cd271c47729c9b75ff29198df3..3cdbc327bae8694a65bfb56a44046e4b12f19db2 100644
--- a/esd/tests/spack_from_scratch_test.py
+++ b/esd/tests/spack_from_scratch_test.py
@@ -12,24 +12,24 @@ def test_spack_repo_exists_1():
     assert spack_manager.spack_repo_exists('ebrains-spack-builds') == False
 
 
-def test_spack_repo_exists_2():
-    install_dir = Path('./install').resolve()
+def test_spack_repo_exists_2(tmp_path):
+    install_dir = tmp_path
     env = SpackModel('ebrains-spack-builds', install_dir)
     spack_manager = SpackManagerScratch(env=env)
     with pytest.raises(NoSpackEnvironmentException):
         spack_manager.spack_repo_exists(env.env_name)
 
 
-# def test_spack_repo_exists_3():
-#     install_dir = Path('./install').resolve()
-#     env = SpackModel('ebrains-spack-builds', install_dir)
-#     spack_manager = SpackManagerScratch(env=env)
-#     spack_manager.setup_spack_env()
-#     assert spack_manager.spack_repo_exists(env.env_name) == False
+def test_spack_repo_exists_3(tmp_path):
+    install_dir = tmp_path
+    env = SpackModel('ebrains-spack-builds', install_dir)
+    spack_manager = SpackManagerScratch(env=env)
+    spack_manager.setup_spack_env()
+    assert spack_manager.spack_repo_exists(env.env_name) == False
 
 
-def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_1():
-    install_dir = Path('./install').resolve()
+def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_1(tmp_path):
+    install_dir = tmp_path
     env = SpackModel('ebrains-spack-builds', install_dir,
                      'https://gitlab.ebrains.eu/ri/tech-hub/platform/esd/ebrains-spack-builds.git', )
     spack_manager = SpackManagerScratch(env=env, repos=[env], system_name='ebrainslab')
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_1():
     assert spack_manager.spack_repo_exists(env.env_name) == True
 
 
-def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_2():
-    install_dir = Path('./install').resolve()
+def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_2(tmp_path):
+    install_dir = tmp_path
     env = SpackModel('ebrains-spack-builds', install_dir,
                      'https://gitlab.ebrains.eu/ri/tech-hub/platform/esd/ebrains-spack-builds.git', )
     repo = env
@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_2():
     assert spack_manager.spack_repo_exists(env.env_name) == True
 
 
-def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_3():
-    install_dir = Path('./install').resolve()
+def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_3(tmp_path):
+    install_dir = tmp_path
     env = SpackModel('new_env1', install_dir)
     repo = env
     spack_manager = SpackManagerScratch(env=env, repos=[repo, repo], system_name='ebrainslab')
@@ -56,8 +56,8 @@ def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_3():
         spack_manager.setup_spack_env()
 
 
-def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_4():
-    install_dir = Path('./install').resolve()
+def test_spack_from_scratch_setup_4(tmp_path    ):
+    install_dir = tmp_path
     env = SpackModel('new_env2', install_dir)
     spack_manager = SpackManagerScratch(env=env)
     spack_manager.setup_spack_env()
diff --git a/esd/tests/spack_install_test.py b/esd/tests/spack_install_test.py
index 34f683234b064d0f800bfa9376fcf6fec592d7ef..50e940441f9c52a328ae345292a84b19b8ce6080 100644
--- a/esd/tests/spack_install_test.py
+++ b/esd/tests/spack_install_test.py
@@ -4,18 +4,18 @@ from esd.spack_manager.factory.SpackManagerBuildCache import SpackManagerBuildCa
 from esd.spack_manager.factory.SpackManagerScratch import SpackManagerScratch
 
 
+SPACK_VERSION = "0.22.0"
+
 # we need this test to run first so that spack is installed only once
 @pytest.mark.run(order=1)
 def test_spack_install_scratch():
     spack_manager = SpackManagerScratch()
-    spack_manager.install_spack(spack_version="v0.21.1")
+    spack_manager.install_spack(spack_version=f'v{SPACK_VERSION}')
     installed_spack_version = spack_manager.get_spack_installed_version()
-    required_version = "0.21.1"
-    assert required_version == installed_spack_version
+    assert SPACK_VERSION == installed_spack_version
 
 
 def test_spack_install_buildcache():
     spack_manager = SpackManagerBuildCache()
     installed_spack_version = spack_manager.get_spack_installed_version()
-    required_version = "0.21.1"
-    assert required_version == installed_spack_version
+    assert SPACK_VERSION == installed_spack_version