diff --git a/.github/workflows/CI.yaml b/.github/workflows/CI.yaml
index 1ef61cfd7..dd072768d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/CI.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/CI.yaml
@@ -72,7 +72,6 @@ jobs:
           extra-specs: |
             python==${{ matrix.python-version }}
             openmm==${{ matrix.openmm }}
-            openmmtools==0.23.0
 
       - name: Install package
         shell: bash -l {0}
@@ -108,4 +107,4 @@ jobs:
         uses: codecov/codecov-action@v1
         with:
           file: ./coverage.xml
-          fail_ci_if_error: true
+          fail_ci_if_error: false
diff --git a/devtools/conda-envs/test_env.yaml b/devtools/conda-envs/test_env.yaml
index a482b0ccd..c6162b7ae 100644
--- a/devtools/conda-envs/test_env.yaml
+++ b/devtools/conda-envs/test_env.yaml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ dependencies:
   - openff-units >=0.1.8
   - openmm >=7.7
   - openmmforcefields >=0.9.0
-  - openmmtools # may need to sort out ambermini/ambertools/parmed dependencies
+  - openmmtools >=0.23 # may need to sort out ambermini/ambertools/parmed dependencies
   - openmoltools # may need to sort out ambermini/ambertools/parmed dependencies (we don't want ambertools)
   - parmed
   - pdbfixer
diff --git a/examples/protein-ligand-repex/cli/protein-ligand.yaml b/examples/protein-ligand-repex/cli/protein-ligand.yaml
index cf7bc7852..b053662e6 100644
--- a/examples/protein-ligand-repex/cli/protein-ligand.yaml
+++ b/examples/protein-ligand-repex/cli/protein-ligand.yaml
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ bond_expession:
 # One of ['repex', 'nonequilibrium', 'sams']
 fe_type: repex
 checkpoint_interval: 100 # number of iterations
-offline-freq: 100  # Real time FE estimate analysis -- multiple of checkpoint interval
+#offline-freq: 100  # Real time FE estimate analysis -- multiple of checkpoint interval (optional)
 
 # Number of iterations to run
 n_cycles: 5000
diff --git a/perses/app/setup_relative_calculation.py b/perses/app/setup_relative_calculation.py
index d30655831..c43ff6054 100644
--- a/perses/app/setup_relative_calculation.py
+++ b/perses/app/setup_relative_calculation.py
@@ -149,8 +149,8 @@ def getSetupOptions(filename, override_string=None):
             setup_options['flatness-criteria'] = 'minimum-visits'
             _logger.info(f"\t\t\tflatness-criteria not specified: default to minimum-visits.")
         if 'offline-freq' not in setup_options:
-            setup_options['offline-freq'] = 10
-            _logger.info(f"\t\t\toffline-freq not specified: default to 10.")
+            setup_options['offline-freq'] = setup_options["checkpoint_interval"]
+            _logger.info(f"\t\t\toffline-freq not specified: default to checkpoint interval.")
         if 'gamma0' not in setup_options:
             setup_options['gamma0'] = 1.
             _logger.info(f"\t\t\tgamma0 not specified: default to 1.0.")
@@ -162,8 +162,8 @@ def getSetupOptions(filename, override_string=None):
     elif setup_options['fe_type'] == 'repex':
         _logger.info(f"\t\tfe_type: repex")
         if 'offline-freq' not in setup_options:
-            setup_options['offline-freq'] = 10
-            _logger.info(f"\t\t\toffline-freq not specified: default to 10.")
+            setup_options['offline-freq'] = setup_options["checkpoint_interval"]
+            _logger.info(f"\t\t\toffline-freq not specified: default to checkpoint interval.")
     elif setup_options['fe_type'] == 'neq': #there are some neq attributes that are not used with the equilibrium samplers...
         _logger.info(f"\t\tfe_type: neq")
         if 'n_equilibrium_steps_per_iteration' not in setup_options: