diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 653f551498e98cf2427e191c58e22f31446682c1..ef1641be7c61924da962a586676fda75044fa545 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ variables:
   DOCKER_IMAGE: docker.io/docker:24.0.5
   SINGULARITY_IMAGE: quay.io/singularity/singularity:v3.11.4
 
-  ## Application versions used for the main release 
+  ## Default versions are specified in packages.yaml but can be overridden
   ## note: nightly builds will always use the master/main branch
-  JUGGLER_VERSION: "v13.0.0"
-  EICRECON_VERSION: "v1.9.1"
+  JUGGLER_VERSION: ""
+  EICRECON_VERSION: ""
 
   ## Local registry
   CI_PUSH: 1
diff --git a/spack-environment/packages.yaml b/spack-environment/packages.yaml
index 6d376cd11c27593ba0dad90520e4dc1389a59b20..d2afb467cb9be624e45c50dc4584a40b952e9283 100644
--- a/spack-environment/packages.yaml
+++ b/spack-environment/packages.yaml
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ packages:
     - '@1.1.12'
   eicrecon:
     require:
-    - '@1.8.1'
+    - '@1.9.1'
   eigen:
     require:
     - '@3.4.0'
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ packages:
     - -ipo +podio +root +zmq
   juggler:
     require:
-    - '@12.0.0'
+    - '@13.0.0'
     - cxxstd=20
   k4actstracking:
     require: