diff --git a/.github/workflows/flow-pull-request-checks-on-macos.yaml b/.github/workflows/flow-pull-request-checks-on-macos.yaml
index 3fd76caf..db492789 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/flow-pull-request-checks-on-macos.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/flow-pull-request-checks-on-macos.yaml
@@ -48,12 +48,22 @@ jobs:
         node-version: [20.x]
 
     steps:
+      - name: Harden Runner
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@91182cccc01eb5e619899d80e4e971d6181294a7 # v2.10.1
+        with:
+          egress-policy: audit
+
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
+
+      - name: Setup tmate session
+        uses: mxschmitt/action-tmate@v3
+
       - name: Update Homebrew
         run: |
-          echo "::group::Updating Homebrew"
           brew update --preinstall
-          echo "::endgroup::"
         shell: bash
+
       - name: Install Lima
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
@@ -70,6 +80,7 @@ jobs:
           curl -fsSL "https://github.com/lima-vm/lima/releases/download/${LIMA_VERSION}/lima-${LIMA_VERSION:1}-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m).tar.gz" | tar Cxzvm /usr/local
           echo "::endgroup::"
         shell: bash
+
       - name: Install Colima
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
@@ -89,6 +100,7 @@ jobs:
           install colima-$(uname)-$(uname -m) /usr/local/bin/colima
           echo "::endgroup::"
         shell: bash
+
       - name: Workaround for Python conflicts in GHA Runners
         env:
           HOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE: "1"
@@ -99,6 +111,7 @@ jobs:
           brew uninstall --ignore-dependencies python@3 || true
           brew install --overwrite --force python@3
         shell: bash
+
       - name: Install QEMU, Docker client, and Docker Compose
         env:
           HOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE: "1"
@@ -112,6 +125,7 @@ jobs:
           brew install qemu.rb 2>&1 | tee install.log
           echo "::endgroup::"
         shell: bash
+
       - name: Configure Docker Compose plugin
         run: |
           mkdir -p ~/.docker/cli-plugins
@@ -123,11 +137,43 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           CPU_COUNT=$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
           MEMORY=$(sysctl hw.memsize | awk '{print $2/1024/1024/1024}')
-          COLIMA_ARGS="--cpu 3 --memory 11 --arch x86_64 --network-address"
+          COLIMA_ARGS="--cpu 3 --memory 10 --arch x86_64 --network-address"
           echo "::group::Starting Colima with args: $COLIMA_ARGS"
           colima start $COLIMA_ARGS
           echo "::endgroup::"
         shell: bash
 
+      - name: Install deps
+        run: |
+          npm ci
+          cd test/smoke
+          npm ci
+
+      - name: Create temp folders
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p /Users/runner/work/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/network-logs/node/logs
+          mkdir -p /Users/runner/work/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/network-logs/node/stats
+          mkdir -p /Users/runner/work/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/network-logs/node/accountBalances/balance0.0.3
+          mkdir -p /Users/runner/work/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/network-logs/node/recordStreams/record0.0.3/sidecar
+          chmod -R 777 /Users/runner/work/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/
+
+      - name: Pull docker images
+        run: |
+          docker compose pull
+
+#      - name: Run the local node
+#        uses: step-security/retry@2ab886c0de89f68f146c9b43f53e61abc59c46dc # v3.0.1
+#        with:
+#          max_attempts: 3
+#          timeout_minutes: 30
+#          command: npm run restart -- --workdir /Users/runner/work/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node/hedera-local-node
+#
+#      - name: Run smoke test
+#        uses: step-security/retry@2ab886c0de89f68f146c9b43f53e61abc59c46dc # v3.0.1
+#        with:
+#          max_attempts: 5
+#          timeout_minutes: 3
+#          command: npm run test:smoke
+
       - name: Setup tmate session
-        uses: mxschmitt/action-tmate@v3
\ No newline at end of file
+        uses: mxschmitt/action-tmate@v3
diff --git a/src/services/ConnectionService.ts b/src/services/ConnectionService.ts
index fac7ea64..d3c88c64 100644
--- a/src/services/ConnectionService.ts
+++ b/src/services/ConnectionService.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ export class ConnectionService implements IService{
         const { host } = this.cliService.getCurrentArgv();
         let isReady = false;
         // this means that we wait around 100 seconds, normal consensus node startup takes around 60 seconds
-        let retries = 100;
+        let retries = parseInt(process.env.FIRING_UP_RETRY_ATTEMPTS ?? '20');
         while (!isReady) {
           net
             .createConnection(port, host)
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ export class ConnectionService implements IService{
             });
 
             retries--;
-          await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 100));
+          await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 500));
           if (retries < 0) {
             throw Errors.CONNECTION_ERROR(port);
           }