diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 4bb4bcc37d7d919717ccaa95a107730b6ea0ef99..c1f77083efcb021007b5241b8535a3490d57141d 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ variables:
   ## Application versions used for the main release 
   ## note: nightly builds will always use the master/main branch
   JUGGLER_VERSION: "v9.0.0"
-  NPDET_VERSION: "v1.4.1"
 
   ## Spack github version, e.g. v0.18.1 or commit hash
   SPACK_VERSION: "v0.19.0"
@@ -289,7 +288,6 @@ jug_xl:default:
                    --build-arg BASE_IMAGE=${BASE_IMAGE}
                    --build-arg INTERNAL_TAG=${INTERNAL_TAG}
                    --build-arg JUGGLER_VERSION=${JUGGLER_VERSION}
-                   --build-arg NPDET_VERSION=${NPDET_VERSION}
                    --build-arg JUG_VERSION=${INTERNAL_TAG}-$(git rev-parse HEAD)
                    containers/jug
     - !reference [.build, script]
@@ -427,7 +425,6 @@ juggler:main:
   variables:
     TRIGGERED_BY_NIGHTLY: 1
     JUGGLER_VERSION: main
-    NPDET_VERSION: master
     DETECTOR_VERSION: master
     IP6_VERSION: master
   trigger:
diff --git a/containers/jug/xl.Dockerfile b/containers/jug/xl.Dockerfile
index 1acfad436ac661921ada518319e7aa35cc7dbed6..635c16b78a20455762f4aa263fe05da204f8fc3c 100644
--- a/containers/jug/xl.Dockerfile
+++ b/containers/jug/xl.Dockerfile
@@ -11,25 +11,13 @@ FROM ${DOCKER_REGISTRY}${BASE_IMAGE}:${INTERNAL_TAG}
 
 ARG EICWEB="https://eicweb.phy.anl.gov/api/v4/projects"
 ARG JUGGLER_VERSION="main"
-ARG NPDET_VERSION="master"
 
 ## version will automatically bust cache for nightly, as it includes
 ## the date
 ARG JUG_VERSION=1
 
-ADD ${EICWEB}/18/repository/tree?ref=${NPDET_VERSION} /tmp/18.json
 RUN cd /tmp                                                                     \
- && echo " - jug_xl: ${JUG_VERSION}" >> /etc/jug_info                           \
- && echo "INSTALLING NPDET"                                                     \
- && git config --global http.version HTTP/1.1                                   \
- && git clone -b ${NPDET_VERSION} --depth 1                                     \
-        https://eicweb.phy.anl.gov/EIC/NPDet.git                                \
- && cmake -B build -S NPDet -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17                             \
- && cmake --build build -j12 -- install                                         \
- && pushd NPDet                                                                 \
- && echo " - NPDet: ${NPDET_VERSION}-$(git rev-parse HEAD)">> /etc/jug_info     \
- && popd                                                                        \
- && rm -rf build NPDet
+ && echo " - jug_xl: ${JUG_VERSION}" >> /etc/jug_info
 
 ADD ${EICWEB}/369/repository/tree?ref=${JUGGLER_VERSION} /tmp/369.json
 RUN cd /tmp                                                                     \
diff --git a/spack.yaml b/spack.yaml
index 0098bfbba3f7fd9b3c94eb17088e35e7ffd6bc37..58a33976896c7eac4be57476690a3655d29220ef 100644
--- a/spack.yaml
+++ b/spack.yaml
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ spack:
     - madx@5.08.01
     - mesa@22.1.2 +glx -llvm +opengl +opengles +osmesa
     - nlohmann-json@3.11.2
+    - npsim@1.1.0 +geocad +http
     - opencascade@7.6.3
     - pkg-config@0.29.2
     - podio@0.15