diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 710b66cf0585a2c0b6a2ff447a1e14bf41759325..da0b8ef969ea0c59d0621e2caa39485407cbf889 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -171,9 +171,9 @@ test:
       # here the server and the mysql backend docker are being started
     - CAOSDB_TAG=$CAOSDB_TAG docker-compose  up -d
       # store versions of CaosDB parts
-    - docker exec -u 0 -t docker_caosdb-server_1 cat /opt/caosdb/git/caosdb_server_commit > hash_server
-    - docker exec -u 0 -t docker_caosdb-server_1 cat /opt/caosdb/git/caosdb_mysqlbackend_commit > hash_mysql
-    - docker exec -u 0 -t docker_caosdb-server_1 cat /opt/caosdb/git/caosdb_proto_commit > hash_server
+    - docker exec -u 0 -t docker_caosdb-server_1 cat /opt/caosdb/git/caosdb_server_commit | tee hash_server
+    - docker exec -u 0 -t docker_caosdb-server_1 cat /opt/caosdb/git/caosdb_mysqlbackend_commit | tee hash_mysql
+    - docker exec -u 0 -t docker_caosdb-server_1 cat /opt/caosdb/git/caosdb_proto_commit | tee hash_server
 
       # the pyinttest docker writes the return value of the tests into the
       # file result
@@ -199,6 +199,7 @@ test:
     - exit $rc
   timeout: 3h
   artifacts:
+    when: on_failure
     paths:
       - caosdb_log.txt
       - mariadb_log.txt