diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index b9376e80ed63ada4df41c24e7e938fc130023d0d..06d3f7e7fee984cc20e0888f2d406d8a4aa0b0f4 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -20,8 +20,6 @@
 
 checkupdates_runner:
   image: debian:bookworm-slim
-  variables:
-    GIT_DEPTH: "1"
   parallel: 10
   tags:
     - fdroid
@@ -40,61 +38,36 @@ checkupdates_runner:
     - printf 'Ciphers -chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com,*-cbc\nMACs -*etm*,*-sha1*\n'
         > /etc/ssh/ssh_config.d/0-terrapin-workaround.conf
 
-    - mkdir -p ~/.ssh
-    - chmod 700 ~/.ssh
+    - mkdir -pm 700 ~/.ssh
     - cp "${GITLAB_KNOWN_HOSTS}" ~/.ssh/known_hosts
     - chmod 644 ~/.ssh/known_hosts
     - eval $(ssh-agent -s)
     - echo "${CHECKUPDATES_SSH_DEPLOY_KEY}" | tr -d '\r' | base64 --decode | ssh-add -
-
-    - export job_branch="${CI_JOB_NAME//[^a-zA-Z0-9]/_}-$CI_JOB_ID"
-
-    - TARGET_PROJECT_PATH=fdroid/checkupdates-bot-fdroiddata
-    - git clone --depth $GIT_DEPTH https://gitlab.com/${TARGET_PROJECT_PATH}.git fdroiddata
-    - cd fdroiddata
-    - git pull --rebase --strategy-option=ours https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata.git master || true
-    - git remote set-url --push origin git@gitlab.com:${TARGET_PROJECT_PATH}.git
-    # reset repo to origin state before adding new commits
-    - git rebase --abort || true
-    - rm -fr ".git/rebase-apply"
-    # https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-runner/-/issues/29187
-    - rm -f ".git/logs/HEAD.lock"
-    - git checkout master || true
-    - git reset --hard || true
   script:
-    # Get app IDs in this batch
+    - git clone --depth 1 git@gitlab.com:fdroid/checkupdates-bot-fdroiddata.git fdroiddata
+    - cd fdroiddata
+    - git remote add -ft master upstream https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata.git
     - |
-      metadata_files=(metadata/*.yml)
-      metadata_files_count=${#metadata_files[@]}
-      batch_size=$((metadata_files_count / CI_NODE_TOTAL + 1))
-      metadata_files_batch=("${metadata_files[@]:$(((CI_NODE_INDEX - 1) * batch_size)):$batch_size}")
-
-      declare -a CHECKUPDATES_APPIDS
-      for file in "${metadata_files_batch[@]}"; do
-        filename="${file##*/}"
-        filename_without_extension="${filename%.*}"
-        CHECKUPDATES_APPIDS=("${CHECKUPDATES_APPIDS[@]}" "$filename_without_extension")
-      done
-
-      export CHECKUPDATES_APPIDS
-
-    - echo "$job_branch"
-    - echo "$metadata_files_count"
+      appids=($(grep -PL '^UpdateCheckMode: (None|Static)' metadata/*yml | grep -oP '(?<=metadata/).*(?=.yml)'))
+    - appids_count=${#appids[@]}
+    - batch_size=$((appids_count / CI_NODE_TOTAL + 1))
+    - CHECKUPDATES_APPIDS=("${appids[@]:$(((CI_NODE_INDEX - 1) * batch_size)):$batch_size}")
+    - echo "$appids_count"
     - echo "$batch_size"
-    - echo "${metadata_files_batch[@]}"
-    - echo "${#metadata_files_batch[@]}"
     - echo "${CHECKUPDATES_APPIDS[@]}"
     - echo "${#CHECKUPDATES_APPIDS[@]}"
 
-    - fdroid checkupdates --allow-dirty --auto --commit "${CHECKUPDATES_APPIDS[@]}" 2>&1 | tee /tmp/out || true
-    # when two jobs try to push at the same time they occasionally fail, so try it again
-    - while ! git push --force origin HEAD:$job_branch
-        -o merge_request.create
-        -o merge_request.title="$CI_JOB_NAME $CI_JOB_ID"
-        -o merge_request.description="$CI_JOB_URL"
-        -o merge_request.remove_source_branch
-        ; do
-          git pull --rebase --strategy-option=ours origin master;
+    - |
+      for appid in "${CHECKUPDATES_APPIDS[@]}"; do
+          git checkout -b "$appid-$CI_JOB_ID" upstream/master
+          fdroid checkupdates --allow-dirty --auto --commit "$appid" 2>&1 | tee -a /tmp/out || true
+          if ! git diff --quiet upstream/master.. ; then
+              git push -u origin
+                -o merge_request.create
+                -o merge_request.title="checkupdates $appid $CI_JOB_ID"
+                -o merge_request.description="$CI_JOB_URL"
+                -o merge_request.remove_source_branch
+          fi
       done
     - echo "============== Summary ====================="
     - 'grep -v "INFO: Processing" /tmp/out || true'