diff --git a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/direct-install.sh b/.github/workflows/support/scripts/direct-install.sh
index c4841619d..4836c1175 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/direct-install.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/support/scripts/direct-install.sh
@@ -92,6 +92,10 @@ function start_node_all() {
 
   verify_node_all || return "${EX_ERR}"
 
+  sleep 2
+
+  verify_haproxy || return "${EX_ERR}"
+
   return "${EX_OK}"
 }
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/env.sh b/.github/workflows/support/scripts/env.sh
index 9fd27b87c..12c202c4c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/env.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/support/scripts/env.sh
@@ -46,34 +46,11 @@ function show_env_vars() {
     echo "NAMESPACE: ${NAMESPACE}"
     echo "SCRIPT_DIR: ${SCRIPT_DIR}"
     echo "TMP_DIR: ${TMP_DIR}"
+    echo "NODE_NAMES: ${NODE_NAMES[*]}"
     echo "-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
     echo ""
 }
 
-function setup_tmp_dir() {
-    if [ ! -f "${TMP_DIR}/.env" ]; then \
-      echo "Creating .env file from template.env"
-      cp "${SCRIPT_DIR}/template.env" "${TMP_DIR}/.env"
-      echo "File list in ${TMP_DIR}"
-      ls -la "${TMP_DIR}"
-    fi
-}
-
-function load_env_file() {
-    setup_tmp_dir
-    if [ -f "${TMP_DIR}/.env" ]; then \
-        echo "Loading .env file: ${TMP_DIR}/.env"
-        set -a
-        # shellcheck source=./../temp/.env
-        source "${TMP_DIR}/.env"
-        set +a
-    fi
-}
-
-function setup() {
-    load_env_file
-}
-
 function parse_minor_version() {
   local platform_version="$1"
   IFS=. read -a VERSION_PARTS <<< "$platform_version"
@@ -103,20 +80,19 @@ SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" &>/dev/null && pwd)"
 readonly TMP_DIR="${SCRIPT_DIR}/../temp"
 readonly CLUSTER_SETUP_VALUES_FILE="${TMP_DIR}/cluster-values.yaml"
 mkdir -p "$TMP_DIR"
-load_env_file
 
 USER="${USER:-changeme}"
 CLUSTER_NAME="${CLUSTER_NAME:-fst}"
 NAMESPACE="${NAMESPACE:-fst-${USER}}"
 RELEASE_NAME="${RELEASE_NAME:-fst}"
-NMT_VERSION=v2.0.0-alpha.0
-PLATFORM_VERSION=v0.39.1
+NMT_VERSION=v1.2.4
+PLATFORM_VERSION=v0.49.0-alpha.2
 
 POD_MONITOR_ROLE="${POD_MONITOR_ROLE:-pod-monitor-role}"
 GATEWAY_CLASS_NAME="${GATEWAY_CLASS_NAME:-fst-gateway-class}"
 
 #NODE_NAMES=(node0 node1 node2 node3)
-NODE_NAMES=(node0)
+NODE_NAMES=(node0 node1 node2)
 
 POD_MONITOR_ROLE="${POD_MONITOR_ROLE:-pod-monitor-role}"
 GATEWAY_CLASS_NAME="${GATEWAY_CLASS_NAME:-fst-gateway-class}"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/helper.sh b/.github/workflows/support/scripts/helper.sh
index 1f75834ff..98fe63f84 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/helper.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/support/scripts/helper.sh
@@ -678,6 +678,20 @@ function verify_network_state() {
   return "$EX_OK"
 }
 
+function verify_haproxy() {
+  # iterate over each haprox pod check if READY is 1/1
+  local pods=$("${KCTL}" get pods -l fullstack.hedera.com/type=haproxy -o jsonpath='{.items[*].metadata.name}')
+  for pod in ${pods}; do
+    local status=$("${KCTL}" get pod "${pod}" -o 'jsonpath={..status.conditions[?(@.type=="Ready")].status}')
+    if [[ "${status}" != "True" ]]; then
+      echo "ERROR: <<< HAProxy pod ${pod} is not ready. >>>"
+      return "${EX_ERR}"
+    fi
+    echo "HAProxy pod ${pod} is ready"
+  done
+  return "${EX_OK}"
+}
+
 function verify_node_all() {
   if [[ "${#NODE_NAMES[*]}" -le 0 ]]; then
     echo "ERROR: Node list is empty. Set NODE_NAMES env variable with a list of nodes"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/nmt-install.sh b/.github/workflows/support/scripts/nmt-install.sh
index ff886fa83..fd236728b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/nmt-install.sh
+++ b/.github/workflows/support/scripts/nmt-install.sh
@@ -62,6 +62,10 @@ function start_node_all() {
 
   verify_node_all || return "${EX_ERR}"
 
+  sleep 2
+
+  verify_haproxy || return "${EX_ERR}"
+
   return "${EX_OK}"
 }
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/template.env b/.github/workflows/support/scripts/template.env
deleted file mode 100644
index 9c4d8cf9e..000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/support/scripts/template.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-USER="${USER:-changeme}"
-CLUSTER_NAME="${CLUSTER_NAME:-fst}"
-NAMESPACE="${NAMESPACE:-fst-${USER}}"
-RELEASE_NAME="${RELEASE_NAME:-fst}"
-NMT_VERSION=v1.2.4
-PLATFORM_VERSION=v0.49.0-alpha.2
-
-POD_MONITOR_ROLE="${POD_MONITOR_ROLE:-pod-monitor-role}"
-GATEWAY_CLASS_NAME="${GATEWAY_CLASS_NAME:-fst-gateway-class}"
-
-#NODE_NAMES=(node0 node1 node2 node3)
-NODE_NAMES=(node0)