diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 2c683d12704ff120db82cfd9fc2177fed81685f4..ca1f35fd39dc5f73c11a0cdaf1e79b2583b1187e 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -40,6 +40,9 @@ test_exist_app:
     - docker:dind
   stage: unit_tests
   script:
+    # set environment variables
+    - *env
+    # start Docker container
     - docker volume create ahikar-existdb_Data-testing
     - mkdir -p docker/exist/logs
     - ant -f exist-app/build.xml dependencies xar
@@ -48,12 +51,14 @@ test_exist_app:
     - cd docker || exit
     - PORT=$(docker-compose ps | grep -E -o "0\.0\.0\.0:[0-9]{5}\->8080" | grep -E -o "0\.0\.0\.0:[0-9]{5}")
     - sleep 10
+    # execute the tests
     - header=$(curl --head -s http://localhost:8080/exist/restxq/trigger-tests)
     - status=$(echo $header | head -n 1 | cut -d" " -f 2)
     - echo "Current HTTP status is $status."
     - if [[ "$status" != "200" ]]; then exit 1; fi
     - curl http://localhost:8080/exist/restxq/trigger-tests
     - sleep 40
+    # evaluate the tests
     - failures=$(./get-unit-test-failures-and-errors.sh)
     - echo -e "\033[1;33mThere is/are currently $failures failures or errors.\033[0m"
     - if [[ "$failures" -gt 0 || ! -f "exist-app/test/ahikar-test-results.xml" ]]; then exit 1; else exit 0; fi