diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 842aefbc7a8e3de37f20683cd4be07ae8bc45dfe..e8acbd24b06567ce5d4796d64356bc347e82b73a 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -800,7 +800,7 @@ stages:
     - *build-merge-target-binaries
     # need to restore cache again
     - *overwrite-pytest-cache-with-artifact
-    - python3 -m pytest --tb=no -q $TEST_SUITE -v --keep_files --create_cut --html=$HTML_REPORT_MAIN --self-contained-html --junit-xml=$XML_REPORT_MAIN $comp_args --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $DUT_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $DUT_DECODER_PATH -n auto --testcase_timeout $testcase_timeout || true
+    - python3 -m pytest --tb=no -q $TEST_SUITE -v --keep_files --create_cut --html=$HTML_REPORT_MAIN --self-contained-html --junit-xml=$XML_REPORT_MAIN $comp_args --ref_encoder_path $REF_ENCODER_PATH --ref_decoder_path $REF_DECODER_PATH --dut_encoder_path $MERGE_TARGET_ENCODER_PATH --dut_decoder_path $MERGE_TARGET_DECODER_PATH -n auto --testcase_timeout $testcase_timeout || true
     - python3 scripts/parse_xml_report.py $XML_REPORT_MAIN $CSV_MAIN
 
     ### compare the two csv files for regressions
@@ -1496,6 +1496,7 @@ check-regressions-short-enc-0db:
     - *set-reference-for-basop-port-branch
     - USE_LTV=0
     - DUT_DECODER_PATH=./IVAS_dec_ref
+    - MERGE_TARGET_DECODER_PATH=./IVAS_dec_ref
     - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE_ENCODER"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=1.0
     - rm -rf tests/dut tests/ref
@@ -1515,6 +1516,7 @@ check-regressions-short-enc-+10db:
     - *set-reference-for-basop-port-branch
     - USE_LTV=0
     - DUT_DECODER_PATH=./IVAS_dec_ref
+    - MERGE_TARGET_DECODER_PATH=./IVAS_dec_ref
     - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE_ENCODER"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=3.162
     - rm -rf tests/dut tests/ref
@@ -1534,6 +1536,7 @@ check-regressions-short-enc--10db:
     - *set-reference-for-basop-port-branch
     - USE_LTV=0
     - DUT_DECODER_PATH=./IVAS_dec_ref
+    - MERGE_TARGET_DECODER_PATH=./IVAS_dec_ref
     - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE_ENCODER"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=0.3162
     - rm -rf tests/dut tests/ref
@@ -1553,6 +1556,7 @@ check-regressions-short-dec-0db:
     - *set-reference-for-basop-port-branch
     - USE_LTV=0
     - DUT_ENCODER_PATH=./IVAS_cod_ref
+    - MERGE_TARGET_ENCODER_PATH=./IVAS_cod_ref
     - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=1.0
     - rm -rf tests/dut tests/ref
@@ -1572,6 +1576,7 @@ check-regressions-short-dec-+10db:
     - *set-reference-for-basop-port-branch
     - USE_LTV=0
     - DUT_ENCODER_PATH=./IVAS_cod_ref
+    - MERGE_TARGET_ENCODER_PATH=./IVAS_cod_ref
     - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=3.162
     - rm -rf tests/dut tests/ref
@@ -1591,6 +1596,7 @@ check-regressions-short-dec--10db:
     - *set-reference-for-basop-port-branch
     - USE_LTV=0
     - DUT_ENCODER_PATH=./IVAS_cod_ref
+    - MERGE_TARGET_ENCODER_PATH=./IVAS_cod_ref
     - TEST_SUITE="$SHORT_TEST_SUITE"
     - LEVEL_SCALING=0.3162
     - rm -rf tests/dut tests/ref