diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yaml b/.github/workflows/build.yaml
index 7e75004..b9aa09b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yaml
@@ -16,10 +16,9 @@ jobs:
       run:
         shell: bash -l {0}
     env:
-      CHANS_DEV: "-c pyviz/label/dev -c bokeh"
+      CHANS: "-c pyviz -c bokeh"
       PKG_TEST_PYTHON: "--test-python=py37"
       PYTHON_VERSION: "3.7"
-      CHANS: "-c pyviz"
       MPLBACKEND: "Agg"
       CONDA_UPLOAD_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CONDA_UPLOAD_TOKEN }}
     steps:
@@ -33,8 +32,8 @@ jobs:
         with:
           miniconda-version: "latest"
           python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
-      - name: Fetch unshallow
-        run: git fetch --prune --tags --unshallow -f
+      - name: Fetch
+        run: git fetch --prune --tags -f
       - name: Set output
         id: vars
         run: echo ::set-output name=tag::${GITHUB_REF#refs/*/}
@@ -44,7 +43,7 @@ jobs:
           conda install -c pyviz "pyctdev>=0.5"
           doit ecosystem_setup
       - name: conda build
-        run: doit package_build $CHANS_DEV $PKG_TEST_PYTHON --test-group=unit
+        run: doit package_build $CHANS $PKG_TEST_PYTHON --test-group=unit
       - name: conda dev upload
         if: (contains(steps.vars.outputs.tag, 'a') || contains(steps.vars.outputs.tag, 'b') || contains(steps.vars.outputs.tag, 'rc'))
         run: doit package_upload --token=$CONDA_UPLOAD_TOKEN --label=dev
@@ -58,10 +57,9 @@ jobs:
       run:
         shell: bash -l {0}
     env:
-      CHANS_DEV: "-c pyviz/label/dev -c bokeh"
+      CHANS: "-c pyviz -c bokeh"
       PKG_TEST_PYTHON: "--test-python=py37"
       PYTHON_VERSION: "3.7"
-      CHANS: "-c pyviz"
       MPLBACKEND: "Agg"
       PPU: ${{ secrets.PPU }}
       PPP: ${{ secrets.PPP }}
@@ -77,21 +75,24 @@ jobs:
         with:
           miniconda-version: "latest"
           python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
-      - name: Fetch unshallow
-        run: git fetch --prune --tags --unshallow -f
+      - name: Fetch
+        run: git fetch --prune --tags -f
       - name: conda setup
         run: |
           conda config --set always_yes True
           conda install -c pyviz "pyctdev>=0.5"
           doit ecosystem_setup
-          doit env_create $CHANS_DEV --python=$PYTHON_VERSION
+          doit env_create $CHANS --python=$PYTHON_VERSION
       - name: env setup
         run: |
           eval "$(conda shell.bash hook)"
           conda activate test-environment
           doit develop_install $CHANS_DEV -o unit_tests
-          pip uninstall -y holoviews
           doit pip_on_conda
+      - name: doit env_capture
+        run: |
+          conda activate test-environment
+          doit env_capture
       - name: pip build
         run: |
           eval "$(conda shell.bash hook)"
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 925c863..b46fc2b 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 /doc/Reference_Manual/*
 !/doc/Reference_Manual/index.rst
 .ipynb_checkpoints
+.tox/
 .coverage
 coverage.xml
 __pycache__
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@ __pycache__
 */.version
 pip-wheel-metadata
 **.ipynb_checkpoints
+/build
 
 # nbsite
 # these files normally shouldn't be checked in as they should be
diff --git a/dodo.py b/dodo.py
index ea079c9..2a89778 100644
--- a/dodo.py
+++ b/dodo.py
@@ -26,3 +26,13 @@ def task_build_website():
         "nbsite generate-rst --org pyviz --project-name colorcet --offset 0",
         "nbsite build --what=html --output=builtdocs",
     ]}
+
+
+def task_pip_on_conda():
+    """Experimental: provide pip build env via conda"""
+    return {'actions':[
+        # some ecosystem=pip build tools must be installed with conda when using conda...
+        'conda install -y pip twine wheel',
+        # ..and some are only available via conda-forge
+        'conda install -y -c conda-forge tox virtualenv',
+    ]}
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 29fbc55..1d0a5c5 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ commands = flake8
 [_unit]
 description = There are just some basic unit tests so far
 deps = .[tests]
-commands = pytest colorcet --cov=./colorcet   --cov-append --cov-report xml
+commands = pytest colorcet --cov=colorcet   --cov-append --cov-report xml
 
 [_unit_extra]
 description = Run the unit tests with pytest-mpl and matplotlib