diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 8c2683c1e8fbfdf59be996713ff4fbbac4f3571e..c3dbd73d0ac5412ad0cb8a0d6a8e101812dec43a 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -14,5 +14,5 @@ code_quality:
     - venv/bin/pip install -U pip
     - venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.lock
   script:
-    - . venv/bin/activate && make coverage
+    - . venv/bin/activate && PYTEST_SLOW=1 make coverage
     - . venv/bin/activate && make lint
diff --git a/tests/test_storage.py b/tests/test_storage.py
index 0a371a645ae934ff1f6d2cf80123f884a38882d6..9e8bcf4227c3ce2a92a80f7312bce589d1fd0ba1 100644
--- a/tests/test_storage.py
+++ b/tests/test_storage.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """rwm storagemanager and bucket policing tests"""
 
 import json
+import os
 from io import BytesIO
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -187,6 +188,7 @@ def test_storage_drop_versions(tmpworkdir: str, microceph: str, radosuser_admin:
     assert len(object_versions) == 1
 
 
+@pytest.mark.skipif('PYTEST_SLOW' not in os.environ, reason='slow on devnode, runs in CI')
 def test_storage_drop_versions_many(tmpworkdir: str, microceph: str, radosuser_admin: rwm.StorageManager):  # pylint: disable=unused-argument
     """test manager storage_drop_versions"""