diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci3.yml b/.github/workflows/ci3.yml
index b69fff7b6d32..72207dfc324d 100755
--- a/.github/workflows/ci3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci3.yml
@@ -63,6 +63,10 @@ jobs:
           contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'ci-full')
         run: echo "CI_FULL=1" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
+      - name: CI Nightly Check
+        if: contains(github.ref, '-nightly.')
+        run: echo "CI_NIGHTLY=1" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Setup
         run: |
           # Ensure we can SSH into the spot instances we request.
@@ -86,6 +90,11 @@ jobs:
           NPM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
           SLACK_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN }}
           CI: 1
+          # nightly test env vars
+          EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_HOSTS: "https://json-rpc.${{ secrets.GCP_SEPOLIA_URL }}?key=${{ secrets.GCP_SEPOLIA_API_KEY }},${{ secrets.INFURA_SEPOLIA_URL }}"
+          EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST: "https://beacon.${{ secrets.GCP_SEPOLIA_URL }}"
+          EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.GCP_SEPOLIA_API_KEY }}
+          EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST_API_KEY_HEADER: "X-goog-api-key"
         run: |
           ./ci.sh ec2
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/nightly-release-tag.yml b/.github/workflows/nightly-release-tag.yml
index e83c5a3d5de5..5b495358afd8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nightly-release-tag.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nightly-release-tag.yml
@@ -4,6 +4,10 @@ on:
     # Run the workflow every night at 2:00 AM UTC.
     - cron: "0 2 * * *"
 
+# Add permissions for the GitHub Actions bot to push tags
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
 
@@ -15,11 +19,10 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
       # Extract the current release version from the manifest.
-      # Adjust the jq filter if your manifest structure differs.
       # Then, create a nightly tag using the current version and the current UTC date.
       - name: Create Nightly Tag
         run: |
-          current_version=$(jq -r '.version' .release-please-manifest.json)
+          current_version=$(jq -r '."."' .release-please-manifest.json)
           echo "Current version: $current_version"
           # Format the tag as: <current_version>-nightly.<YYYYMMDD>
           nightly_tag="${current_version}-nightly.$(date -u +%Y%m%d)"
diff --git a/ci3/bootstrap_ec2 b/ci3/bootstrap_ec2
index 8fa1a9661f0d..78f394965496 100755
--- a/ci3/bootstrap_ec2
+++ b/ci3/bootstrap_ec2
@@ -189,6 +189,12 @@ ssh ${ssh_args:-} -F $ci3/aws/build_instance_ssh_config ubuntu@$ip "
     -e LOCAL_GROUP_ID=\$(id -g) \
     -e CI=$CI \
     -e CI_FULL=$CI_FULL \
+    -e CI_NIGHTLY=${CI_NIGHTLY:-0} \
+    -e EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_HOSTS=${EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_HOSTS:-} \
+    -e EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST=${EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST:-} \
+    -e EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST_API_KEY=${EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST_API_KEY:-} \
+    -e EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST_API_KEY_HEADER=${EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST_API_KEY_HEADER:-} \
+    -e L1_DEPLOYMENT_PRIVATE_KEY=${L1_DEPLOYMENT_PRIVATE_KEY:-} \
     -e DRY_RUN=${DRY_RUN:-0} \
     -e DOCKERHUB_PASSWORD=${DOCKERHUB_PASSWORD:-} \
     -e AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=${AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID:-} \
diff --git a/spartan/aztec-network/templates/boot-node.yaml b/spartan/aztec-network/templates/boot-node.yaml
index f3d8c05af638..e53ed0ab85d5 100644
--- a/spartan/aztec-network/templates/boot-node.yaml
+++ b/spartan/aztec-network/templates/boot-node.yaml
@@ -76,7 +76,6 @@ spec:
               source /shared/config/validator-addresses
               {{- include "aztec-network.waitForEthereum" . | nindent 14 }}
 
-
               /scripts/deploy-l1-contracts.sh "{{ .Values.aztec.l1Salt }}" "{{ .Values.ethereum.chainId }}" "$VALIDATOR_ADDRESSES"
           volumeMounts:
             - name: scripts-output
diff --git a/spartan/aztec-network/values.yaml b/spartan/aztec-network/values.yaml
index c86f6d6106f1..27b6cc2d555f 100644
--- a/spartan/aztec-network/values.yaml
+++ b/spartan/aztec-network/values.yaml
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ aztec:
   proofSubmissionWindow: 64 # in L2 slots, from the start of the epoch to be proven
   realProofs: false
 
-  l1Salt: "42" # leave empty for random salt
+  l1Salt: "" # leave empty for random salt
   testAccounts: true
   l1DeploymentMnemonic: "test test test test test test test test test test test junk" # the mnemonic used when deploying contracts
   manaTarget: "" # use default value
diff --git a/spartan/aztec-network/values/ci-sepolia.yaml b/spartan/aztec-network/values/ci-sepolia.yaml
index d6ebd1d24fa6..ed02e14560a5 100644
--- a/spartan/aztec-network/values/ci-sepolia.yaml
+++ b/spartan/aztec-network/values/ci-sepolia.yaml
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ aztec:
   realProofs: false
   l1DeploymentMnemonic: ""
   numberOfDefaultAccounts: 0
+  l1Salt: ""
 
 network:
   setupL2Contracts: false
@@ -25,8 +26,7 @@ telemetry:
 validator:
   l1FixedPriorityFeePerGas: 3
   l1GasLimitBufferPercentage: 15
-  replicas: 3
-  validatorKeys:
+  replicas: 8
   resources:
     requests:
       cpu: "200m"
@@ -35,6 +35,12 @@ validator:
   sequencer:
     enforceTimeTable: false
 
+fullNode:
+  replicas: 1
+  resources:
+    requests:
+      memory: "2Gi"
+      cpu: "200m"
 bot:
   followChain: "PENDING"
   enabled: true
diff --git a/spartan/bootstrap.sh b/spartan/bootstrap.sh
index bf5b878805a4..b915c783ea90 100755
--- a/spartan/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/spartan/bootstrap.sh
@@ -63,6 +63,11 @@ function test_cmds {
     echo "$hash timeout -v 30m ./spartan/bootstrap.sh test-prod-deployment"
     echo "$hash timeout -v 30m ./spartan/bootstrap.sh test-cli-upgrade-with-lock"
   fi
+
+  if [ "$CI_NIGHTLY" -eq 1 ]; then
+    echo "$hash timeout -v 50m ./spartan/bootstrap.sh test-kind-4epochs-sepolia"
+    echo "$hash timeout -v 30m ./spartan/bootstrap.sh test-kind-proving"
+  fi
 }
 
 function test {
@@ -123,6 +128,16 @@ case "$cmd" in
     FRESH_INSTALL=${FRESH_INSTALL:-true} INSTALL_METRICS=false \
       ./scripts/test_kind.sh src/spartan/4epochs.test.ts ci.yaml four-epochs${NAME_POSTFIX:-}
     ;;
+  "test-kind-4epochs-sepolia")
+    OVERRIDES="bot.enabled=false" \
+    FRESH_INSTALL=${FRESH_INSTALL:-true} INSTALL_METRICS=false SEPOLIA_RUN=true \
+      ./scripts/test_kind.sh src/spartan/4epochs.test.ts ci-sepolia.yaml four-epochs${NAME_POSTFIX:-}
+    ;;
+  "test-kind-proving")
+    OVERRIDES="bot.enabled=false" \
+    FRESH_INSTALL=${FRESH_INSTALL:-true} INSTALL_METRICS=false \
+      ./scripts/test_kind.sh src/spartan/proving.test.ts ci.yaml proving${NAME_POSTFIX:-}
+    ;;
   "test-kind-transfer")
     # TODO(#12163) reenable bot once not conflicting with transfer
     OVERRIDES="blobSink.enabled=true,bot.enabled=false" \
diff --git a/spartan/scripts/deploy_kind.sh b/spartan/scripts/deploy_kind.sh
index a957ba252590..4e5ce07bbb1b 100755
--- a/spartan/scripts/deploy_kind.sh
+++ b/spartan/scripts/deploy_kind.sh
@@ -78,41 +78,31 @@ function generate_overrides {
   fi
 }
 
+helm_set_args=(
+  --set images.aztec.image="aztecprotocol/aztec:$aztec_docker_tag"
+)
+
 # Some configuration values are set in the eth-devnet/config/config.yaml file
 # and are used to generate the genesis.json file.
 # We need to read these values and pass them into the eth devnet create.sh script
 # so that it can generate the genesis.json and config.yaml file with the correct values.
 if [ "$sepolia_deployment" = "true" ]; then
   echo "Generating sepolia accounts..."
-  set +x
+  # Split EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_HOSTS by comma and take first host
+  # set +x
+  export ETHEREUM_HOST=$(echo "$EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_HOSTS" | cut -d',' -f1)
   ./prepare_sepolia_accounts.sh "$values_file" 1 "$mnemonic_file"
-  L1_ACCOUNTS_MNEMONIC=$(cat "$mnemonic_file")
-  set -x
-else
-  echo "Generating devnet config..."
-  ./generate_devnet_config.sh "$values_file"
-fi
+  echo "mnemonic: $mnemonic_file"
+  L1_ACCOUNTS_MNEMONIC="$(cat "$mnemonic_file")"
 
-# Install the Helm chart
-echo "Cleaning up any existing Helm releases..."
-helm uninstall "$helm_instance" -n "$namespace" 2>/dev/null || true
-kubectl delete clusterrole "$helm_instance"-aztec-network-node 2>/dev/null || true
-kubectl delete clusterrolebinding "$helm_instance"-aztec-network-node 2>/dev/null || true
+  # Escape the EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_HOSTS value for Helm
+  ESCAPED_HOSTS=$(echo "$EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_HOSTS" | sed 's/,/\\,/g' | sed 's/=/\\=/g')
 
-helm_set_args=(
-  --set images.aztec.image="aztecprotocol/aztec:$aztec_docker_tag"
-)
-
-# If this is a sepolia run, we need to write some values
-if [ "$sepolia_deployment" = "true" ]; then
-  set +x
-  # Escape commas in the EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_HOSTS value
-  ESCAPED_HOSTS=$(echo "$EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_HOSTS" | sed 's/,/\\,/g')
   helm_set_args+=(
-    --set "ethereum.execution.externalHosts=$ESCAPED_HOSTS"
-    --set "ethereum.beacon.externalHost=$EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST"
-    --set "aztec.l1DeploymentMnemonic=$L1_ACCOUNTS_MNEMONIC"
-    --set "ethereum.deployL1ContractsPrivateKey=$L1_DEPLOYMENT_PRIVATE_KEY"
+    --set ethereum.execution.externalHosts="$ESCAPED_HOSTS"
+    --set ethereum.beacon.externalHost="$EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST"
+    --set aztec.l1DeploymentMnemonic="$L1_ACCOUNTS_MNEMONIC"
+    --set ethereum.deployL1ContractsPrivateKey="$L1_DEPLOYMENT_PRIVATE_KEY"
   )
 
   if [ -n "${EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST_API_KEY:-}" ]; then
@@ -122,9 +112,18 @@ if [ "$sepolia_deployment" = "true" ]; then
   if [ -n "${EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST_API_KEY_HEADER:-}" ]; then
     helm_set_args+=(--set "ethereum.beacon.apiKeyHeader=$EXTERNAL_ETHEREUM_CONSENSUS_HOST_API_KEY_HEADER")
   fi
-  set -x
+  # set -x
+else
+  echo "Generating devnet config..."
+  ./generate_devnet_config.sh "$values_file"
 fi
 
+# Install the Helm chart
+echo "Cleaning up any existing Helm releases..."
+helm uninstall "$helm_instance" -n "$namespace" 2>/dev/null || true
+kubectl delete clusterrole "$helm_instance"-aztec-network-node 2>/dev/null || true
+kubectl delete clusterrolebinding "$helm_instance"-aztec-network-node 2>/dev/null || true
+
 helm upgrade --install "$helm_instance" ../aztec-network \
   --namespace "$namespace" \
   --create-namespace \
diff --git a/yarn-project/ethereum/src/l1_tx_utils.ts b/yarn-project/ethereum/src/l1_tx_utils.ts
index 283dd98f5aea..8ba706185e44 100644
--- a/yarn-project/ethereum/src/l1_tx_utils.ts
+++ b/yarn-project/ethereum/src/l1_tx_utils.ts
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ export const l1TxUtilsConfigMappings: ConfigMappingsType<L1TxUtilsConfig> = {
   maxGwei: {
     description: 'Maximum gas price in gwei',
     env: 'L1_GAS_PRICE_MAX',
-    ...bigintConfigHelper(100n),
+    ...bigintConfigHelper(500n),
   },
   maxBlobGwei: {
     description: 'Maximum blob fee per gas in gwei',