diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 45af95a7cab8a5835ce5bca667fc9ac7e0d65563..65f75dca7d6f2690a1271e5cf4e46852c846aab0 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -30,7 +30,8 @@ build-release:
   stage: build
   # scheduled runs are only for housekeeping
   rules:
-    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE != "schedule"
+    # run build both on main and on MRs
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE != "schedule" && ($CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "merge_request_event" || $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "main")
   script:
     - NPM_VERSION=$(grep '"version":' package.json -m 1 | cut -d '"' -f 4)
     - make sinologie-anki-pack-$NPM_VERSION
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ build-release:
 release-package-json-version-as-git-tag:
   stage: release
   rules:
-    # tagging should only happen after the thing was merged
+    # tagging should only happen after the thing was merged, so do it on the main branch build
     - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE != "schedule" && $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "main"
   script:
     - NPM_VERSION=$(grep '"version":' package.json -m 1 | cut -d '"' -f 4)
@@ -68,6 +69,9 @@ prepare-gitlab-release:
   rules:
     # run when a tag is created, either by the job above or manually by a user (to create releases from older commits)
     - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG
+  needs:
+    - job: build-release
+      artifacts: true
   script:
     - NPM_VERSION=$(grep '"version":' package.json -m 1 | cut -d '"' -f 4)
     - NPM_VERSION_GIT_TAG=$(git tag --sort=-v:refname | grep ^${NPM_VERSION}$)
@@ -93,8 +97,6 @@ create-gitlab-release:
   rules:
     - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG
   needs:
-    - job: build-release
-      artifacts: true
     - job: prepare-gitlab-release
       artifacts: true
   script:
@@ -107,4 +109,29 @@ create-gitlab-release:
       links:
         - name: "$RELEASE_ZIP"
           url: '$RELEASE_ZIP_DOWNLOAD_URL'
-  
\ No newline at end of file
+  
+whatsapp-ping:
+  stage: notify
+  rules:
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule"
+  script:
+    - mudslide --cache .build-cache login || exit_code=$?
+    - mudslide --cache .build-cache send me "Good news, you are still logged into CI!"
+
+whatsapp-announce-release:
+  stage: notify
+#  rules:
+#    - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG
+#  needs:
+#    - job: prepare-gitlab-release
+#      artifacts: true
+  script:
+    # the command fails even if it succeeds sometimes
+    - mudslide --cache .build-cache login || exit_code=$?
+#    - 'mudslide --cache .build-cache send $WHATSAPP_RELEASE_NOTIFY_RECIPIENT "Sinologie Anki Pack $NPM_VERSION ist released! 🎉\nDownload: $RELEASE_ZIP_DOWNLOAD_URL\nDetails zum Release: https://gitlab.phaidra.org/kartenaale/sinologie-anki-pack/-/releases\nViel Spaß beim lernen!"'
+    - mudslide --cache .build-cache groups
+    - mudslide --cache .build-cache send --help
+    - for APKG in ls sinologie-anki-pack-*/*.apkg
+    - do
+    -     mudslide --cache .build-cache send-file $WHATSAPP_RELEASE_NOTIFY_RECIPIENT $APKG
+    - done
\ No newline at end of file