diff --git a/.github/workflows/clean-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/clean-ci.yml
index aa5364983..982db579b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/clean-ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/clean-ci.yml
@@ -14,10 +14,6 @@ name: Clean PR builds
       # Warning: the check_* keys are magic and must consist of the string
       # "check_" followed by the applicable check name exactly. The
       # "description" field is only the human-readable label for the input.
-      'check_build/O2DPG/sim/o2':
-        description: build/O2DPG/sim/o2
-        type: boolean
-        default: true
       'check_build/O2DPG/O2fst/o2':
         description: build/O2DPG/O2fst/o2
         type: boolean
diff --git a/test/README.md b/test/README.md
index 276e9eaf7..80bdc2bc9 100644
--- a/test/README.md
+++ b/test/README.md
@@ -125,7 +125,17 @@ commit cannot pass it. Two escape hatches, in order of preference:
 
 1. If the O2 change is already in a published daily, pin it: add a line
    `sim-tests-tag: daily-YYYYMMDD-HHMM-1` to the pull request description.
-2. If it is not published anywhere yet, touch `test/needs-o2-dev` with a
-   one-line reason and a link to the O2 pull request. That enables
-   `build/O2DPG/sim/o2dev`, which builds O2 from source against `dev`. It is
-   much slower, so it is opt-in.
+2. If it is not published anywhere yet, run the tests against your own build:
+
+```bash
+aliBuild build O2DPG-sim-tests
+```
+
+   This builds the O2sim stack from your work area and runs `run_tests.sh`
+   against your O2DPG checkout, so it covers O2 changes that are not committed
+   anywhere yet. It needs O2DPG as a development package (`aliBuild init
+   O2DPG`); without one, the sub-tests stop with `is not a git repository`.
+
+   Touching `test/needs-o2-dev` makes the CVMFS check skip, which is useful to
+   keep a pull request from being gated by a check that cannot pass for it. No
+   check replaces it, so pair it with the command above.
diff --git a/test/run_analysisqc_tests.sh b/test/run_analysisqc_tests.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index a4064ba30..000000000
--- a/test/run_analysisqc_tests.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-
-# for now, obsolete
-exit 0
diff --git a/test/run_tests.sh b/test/run_tests.sh
index 400f4d5e4..df636d98b 100755
--- a/test/run_tests.sh
+++ b/test/run_tests.sh
@@ -51,18 +51,6 @@ if [[ -n "${G4INSTALL:-}" ]] ; then
               sed -e 's/[^ ]* //' -e 's/G4/export G4/' -e 's/DATA /DATA=/')"
 fi
 
-# O2's CCDB dictionary payload includes <curl/curl.h>. An aliBuild build
-# environment has curl's headers; a plain runtime environment from CVMFS does
-# not, and cling then dies compiling the payload. Derive the prefix from
-# curl-config rather than hardcoding a version.
-if command -v curl-config > /dev/null 2>&1 ; then
-    curl_include=$(curl-config --prefix 2>/dev/null)/include
-    if [[ -f "${curl_include}/curl/curl.h" && ":${ROOT_INCLUDE_PATH:-}:" != *":${curl_include}:"* ]] ; then
-        export ROOT_INCLUDE_PATH="${curl_include}${ROOT_INCLUDE_PATH:+:${ROOT_INCLUDE_PATH}}"
-        echo "Added ${curl_include} to ROOT_INCLUDE_PATH for the CCDB dictionary"
-    fi
-fi
-
 # LHAPDF data, needed by several generator configurations.
 if [[ -z "${LHAPDF_DATA_PATH:-}" && -n "${LHAPDF_ROOT:-}" ]] ; then
     export LHAPDF_DATA_PATH="${LHAPDF_ROOT}/share/LHAPDF:${LHAPDF_PDFSETS_ROOT:-}/share/LHAPDF"