diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 8e95420bea7b4e76f771f5081ddff8de9146ceec..17a49753ff7f940f7e899b737ee1d5111128d3f0 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -909,6 +909,7 @@ clang-format-check:
       - run: git apply $PATCH_FILE_NAME\n
       - commit new changes"
 
+    - format_problems=0
     - scripts/check-format.sh -af -p 8 || format_problems=$?
     - if [ $format_problems == 0 ] ; then exit 0; fi
 
@@ -926,7 +927,7 @@ clang-format-check:
     expire_in: 1 day
     paths:
       - tmp-formatting-fix/
-    when: always
+    when: on_failure
     name: "$ARTIFACT_BASE_NAME"
     expose_as: "formatting patch"