diff --git a/.github/workflows/validation.yml b/.github/workflows/validation.yml
index 15ba43a..1ab8742 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validation.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validation.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ on:
 env:
   GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
   NFT_VER: "0.9.3"
-  NFT_WORKDIR: "~"
   NXF_ANSI_LOG: false
   NXF_SINGULARITY_CACHEDIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/.singularity
   NXF_SINGULARITY_LIBRARYDIR: ${{ github.workspace }}/.singularity
@@ -56,6 +55,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Clean workspace
         run: make clean
 
+      - name: Set NFT_WORKDIR dynamically
+        run: echo "NFT_WORKDIR=$HOME" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Build and validate plugin
         run: make validate
 
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 00fb345..5cff87a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Changed
 
+- Simplify and improve validation tests by using nft-utils for snapshots
 - Enhanced `softwareVersionsToYAML()` to support mixed input sources including YAML strings, file paths, topic tuples, and maps ([#24](https://github.com/nf-core/nf-core-utils/pull/24))
 - Improved Nextflow version detection in `workflowVersionToYAML()` with fallback to `NXF_VER` environment variable
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 2474dea..26efbc8 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -31,4 +31,8 @@ release:
 # Run E2E validation test
 validate:
 	@$(MAKE) install
-	cd validation && nf-test test
+	cd validation && nf-test test --verbose
+
+update-snapshots:
+	@$(MAKE) install
+	cd validation && nf-test test --verbose --update-snapshot --clean-snapshot
diff --git a/validation/config-validation/error-test.nf.test b/validation/config-validation/error-test.nf.test
index 20f0148..9a051f9 100644
--- a/validation/config-validation/error-test.nf.test
+++ b/validation/config-validation/error-test.nf.test
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 nextflow_pipeline {
 
     name "Test nf-core-utils color formatting error messages"
-    script "../config-validation/error-test.nf"
-    config "../config-validation/nextflow.config"
+    script "./error-test.nf"
+    config "./nextflow.config"
 
     test("Error output - Monochrome") {
 
@@ -15,21 +15,8 @@ nextflow_pipeline {
         then {
             assert workflow.failed
 
-            // Should contain error message without color codes
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline is starting") }
-
-            // Check stdout for the actual error message (error appears in stdout in nf-test)
-            def errorMessage = workflow.stdout.join('\n')
-            assert errorMessage.contains("trailing comma")
-            assert errorMessage.contains("ERROR")
-            assert errorMessage.contains("HINT")
-
-            // Should NOT contain ANSI color codes
-            assert !errorMessage.contains('\033[')
-
-            // Snapshot monochrome error output
             assert snapshot(
-                workflow.stdout.findAll { it.contains("ERROR") || it.contains("HINT") }
+                filterNextflowOutput(workflow.stdout + workflow.stderr, keepAnsi: true)
             ).match()
         }
     }
@@ -45,22 +32,8 @@ nextflow_pipeline {
         then {
             assert workflow.failed
 
-            // Should contain error message with color codes
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline is starting") }
-
-            // Check stdout for the actual error message (error appears in stdout in nf-test)
-            def errorMessage = workflow.stdout.join('\n')
-            assert errorMessage.contains("trailing comma")
-            assert errorMessage.contains("ERROR")
-            assert errorMessage.contains("HINT")
-
-            // Note: Color codes may not be visible in test output due to nf-test capturing
-            // The important thing is that the function accepts the parameter without errors
-            // In real usage, colors would be displayed based on terminal capabilities
-
-            // Snapshot color error output
             assert snapshot(
-                workflow.stdout.findAll { it.contains("ERROR") || it.contains("HINT") }
+                filterNextflowOutput(workflow.stdout + workflow.stderr, keepAnsi: true)
             ).match()
         }
     }
diff --git a/validation/config-validation/error-test.nf.test.snap b/validation/config-validation/error-test.nf.test.snap
index a972acf..4722de6 100644
--- a/validation/config-validation/error-test.nf.test.snap
+++ b/validation/config-validation/error-test.nf.test.snap
@@ -2,27 +2,47 @@
     "Error output - Monochrome": {
         "content": [
             [
+                "N E X T F L O W  ~  version [VERSION]",
+                "Launching `[PATH]/config-validation/./error-test.nf` [RUN_NAME] DSL2 - revision: [REVISION]",
+                "Pipeline is starting! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Color Formatting Error Test",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Testing profile with trailing comma (expected to fail)",
+                "Pipeline complete! \ud83d\udc4b",
+                "HINT: A common mistake is to provide multiple values separated by spaces e.g. `-profile test, [CONTAINER]`.",
+                " -- Check script '[PATH]/config-validation/error-test.nf' at line: 24 or see '[PATH]/tests/[NFT_HASH]/meta/nextflow.log' file for more details",
                 "ERROR ~ ERROR ~ The `-profile` option cannot end with a trailing comma, please remove it and re-run the pipeline!",
-                "HINT: A common mistake is to provide multiple values separated by spaces e.g. `-profile test, docker`."
+                "WARN: Graphviz is required to render the execution DAG in the given format -- See http://www.graphviz.org for more info."
             ]
         ],
         "meta": {
-            "nf-test": "0.9.2",
-            "nextflow": "25.04.6"
+            "nf-test": "0.9.3",
+            "nextflow": "25.10.0"
         },
-        "timestamp": "2025-09-01T18:53:13.431098377"
+        "timestamp": "2025-10-29T09:37:52.569185136"
     },
     "Error output - Color": {
         "content": [
             [
+                "N E X T F L O W  ~  version [VERSION]",
+                "Launching `[PATH]/config-validation/./error-test.nf` [RUN_NAME] DSL2 - revision: [REVISION]",
+                "Pipeline is starting! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Color Formatting Error Test",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Testing profile with trailing comma (expected to fail)",
+                "Pipeline complete! \ud83d\udc4b",
+                "HINT: A common mistake is to provide multiple values separated by spaces e.g. `-profile test, [CONTAINER]`.",
+                " -- Check script '[PATH]/config-validation/error-test.nf' at line: 24 or see '[PATH]/tests/[NFT_HASH]/meta/nextflow.log' file for more details",
                 "ERROR ~ ERROR ~ The `-profile` option cannot end with a trailing comma, please remove it and re-run the pipeline!",
-                "HINT: A common mistake is to provide multiple values separated by spaces e.g. `-profile test, docker`."
+                "WARN: Graphviz is required to render the execution DAG in the given format -- See http://www.graphviz.org for more info."
             ]
         ],
         "meta": {
-            "nf-test": "0.9.2",
-            "nextflow": "25.04.6"
+            "nf-test": "0.9.3",
+            "nextflow": "25.10.0"
         },
-        "timestamp": "2025-09-01T18:53:15.822989509"
+        "timestamp": "2025-10-29T09:37:55.704620501"
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/validation/config-validation/main.nf.test b/validation/config-validation/main.nf.test
index b22d0df..2411925 100644
--- a/validation/config-validation/main.nf.test
+++ b/validation/config-validation/main.nf.test
@@ -1,8 +1,18 @@
 nextflow_pipeline {
 
     name "Test nf-core-utils config validation functions"
-    script "../config-validation/main.nf"
-    config "../config-validation/nextflow.config"
+    script "./main.nf"
+    config "./nextflow.config"
+
+    test("Validate configuration functions") {
+
+        then {
+            assert workflow.success
+            assert snapshot(
+                filterNextflowOutput(workflow.stdout + workflow.stderr, keepAnsi: true)
+            ).match()
+        }
+    }
 
     test("monochrome_logs params enabled") {
 
@@ -14,12 +24,9 @@ nextflow_pipeline {
 
         then {
             assert workflow.success
-
-            // Should complete successfully (the detailed logs are not captured in workflow.stdout by nf-test)
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline is starting") }
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline complete") }
-
-            // Snapshot basic successful execution
+            assert snapshot(
+                filterNextflowOutput(workflow.stdout + workflow.stderr, keepAnsi: true)
+            ).match()
         }
     }
 
@@ -33,12 +40,9 @@ nextflow_pipeline {
 
         then {
             assert workflow.success
-
-            // Should complete successfully
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline is starting") }
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline complete") }
-
-            // Snapshot integration scenario success
+            assert snapshot(
+                filterNextflowOutput(workflow.stdout + workflow.stderr, keepAnsi: true)
+            ).match()
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/validation/config-validation/main.nf.test.snap b/validation/config-validation/main.nf.test.snap
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..95382f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/validation/config-validation/main.nf.test.snap
@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+{
+    "Validate configuration functions": {
+        "content": [
+            [
+                "N E X T F L O W  ~  version [VERSION]",
+                "Launching `[PATH]/config-validation/./main.nf` [RUN_NAME] DSL2 - revision: [REVISION]",
+                "Pipeline is starting! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Configuration Validation Test",
+                "==========================================",
+                "=== Testing checkConfigProvided() function ===",
+                "Configuration check result: false",
+                "\u2705 checkConfigProvided() executed successfully",
+                "=== Testing checkProfileProvided() function ===",
+                "Testing args 1: [[nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile, [CONTAINER]], [nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile, [CONTAINER]], [nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile, test,[CONTAINER]]]",
+                "\u2705 Profile check completed for case 1",
+                "Testing args 2: [[nextflow, run, main.nf], [nextflow, run, main.nf, -other-param]]",
+                "\u2705 Profile check completed for case 2",
+                "Testing args 3: [[nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile], [-profile, [CONTAINER]]]",
+                "\u2705 Profile check completed for case 3",
+                "=== Testing color formatting feature ===",
+                "Testing monochrome output (default)",
+                "\u2705 Monochrome mode test completed",
+                "Testing color-enabled output",
+                "\u2705 Color-enabled mode test completed",
+                "Testing color formatting feature with valid profiles only",
+                "\u2705 Color formatting tests completed successfully",
+                "=== Testing checkCondaChannels() function ===",
+                "Conda channels check result: true",
+                "\u2705 checkCondaChannels() executed successfully",
+                "\u2705 Conda channels are configured correctly",
+                "=== Testing integration scenario ===",
+                "Simulating fetchngs pipeline initialization sequence...",
+                "Conda channels status: OK",
+                "Configuration status: May need custom config",
+                "Profile validation: Completed for typical fetchngs usage with color setting: monochrome",
+                "\u2705 Integration scenario completed successfully",
+                "=== Testing edge cases ===",
+                "\u2705 Empty arguments handled correctly",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Configuration Validation Complete",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Configuration Validation Results",
+                "==========================================",
+                "\u2705 checkConfigProvided() - Pipeline configuration validation tested",
+                "\u2705 checkProfileProvided() - Execution profile validation tested",
+                "\u2705 Color formatting - Both monochrome and color modes tested",
+                "\u2705 Error messages - Color formatting in error conditions tested",
+                "\u2705 checkCondaChannels() - Conda channel validation tested",
+                "\u2705 Integration scenario - Typical pipeline initialization flow tested",
+                "\u2705 Edge cases - Error handling and boundary conditions tested",
+                "Configuration validation functions ready for fetchngs! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Pipeline complete! \ud83d\udc4b",
+                "WARN: Graphviz is required to render the execution DAG in the given format -- See http://www.graphviz.org for more info."
+            ]
+        ],
+        "meta": {
+            "nf-test": "0.9.3",
+            "nextflow": "25.10.0"
+        },
+        "timestamp": "2025-10-29T09:40:48.846081851"
+    },
+    "monochrome_logs params disabled": {
+        "content": [
+            [
+                "N E X T F L O W  ~  version [VERSION]",
+                "Launching `[PATH]/config-validation/./main.nf` [RUN_NAME] DSL2 - revision: [REVISION]",
+                "Pipeline is starting! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Configuration Validation Test",
+                "==========================================",
+                "=== Testing checkConfigProvided() function ===",
+                "Configuration check result: false",
+                "\u2705 checkConfigProvided() executed successfully",
+                "=== Testing checkProfileProvided() function ===",
+                "Testing args 1: [[nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile, [CONTAINER]], [nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile, [CONTAINER]], [nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile, test,[CONTAINER]]]",
+                "\u2705 Profile check completed for case 1",
+                "Testing args 2: [[nextflow, run, main.nf], [nextflow, run, main.nf, -other-param]]",
+                "\u2705 Profile check completed for case 2",
+                "Testing args 3: [[nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile], [-profile, [CONTAINER]]]",
+                "\u2705 Profile check completed for case 3",
+                "=== Testing color formatting feature ===",
+                "Testing monochrome output (default)",
+                "\u2705 Monochrome mode test completed",
+                "Testing color-enabled output",
+                "\u2705 Color-enabled mode test completed",
+                "Testing color formatting feature with valid profiles only",
+                "\u2705 Color formatting tests completed successfully",
+                "=== Testing checkCondaChannels() function ===",
+                "Conda channels check result: true",
+                "\u2705 checkCondaChannels() executed successfully",
+                "\u2705 Conda channels are configured correctly",
+                "=== Testing integration scenario ===",
+                "Simulating fetchngs pipeline initialization sequence...",
+                "Conda channels status: OK",
+                "Configuration status: May need custom config",
+                "Profile validation: Completed for typical fetchngs usage with color setting: monochrome",
+                "\u2705 Integration scenario completed successfully",
+                "=== Testing edge cases ===",
+                "\u2705 Empty arguments handled correctly",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Configuration Validation Complete",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Configuration Validation Results",
+                "==========================================",
+                "\u2705 checkConfigProvided() - Pipeline configuration validation tested",
+                "\u2705 checkProfileProvided() - Execution profile validation tested",
+                "\u2705 Color formatting - Both monochrome and color modes tested",
+                "\u2705 Error messages - Color formatting in error conditions tested",
+                "\u2705 checkCondaChannels() - Conda channel validation tested",
+                "\u2705 Integration scenario - Typical pipeline initialization flow tested",
+                "\u2705 Edge cases - Error handling and boundary conditions tested",
+                "Configuration validation functions ready for fetchngs! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Pipeline complete! \ud83d\udc4b",
+                "WARN: Graphviz is required to render the execution DAG in the given format -- See http://www.graphviz.org for more info."
+            ]
+        ],
+        "meta": {
+            "nf-test": "0.9.3",
+            "nextflow": "25.10.0"
+        },
+        "timestamp": "2025-10-29T09:40:56.018591664"
+    },
+    "monochrome_logs params enabled": {
+        "content": [
+            [
+                "N E X T F L O W  ~  version [VERSION]",
+                "Launching `[PATH]/config-validation/./main.nf` [RUN_NAME] DSL2 - revision: [REVISION]",
+                "Pipeline is starting! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Configuration Validation Test",
+                "==========================================",
+                "=== Testing checkConfigProvided() function ===",
+                "Configuration check result: false",
+                "\u2705 checkConfigProvided() executed successfully",
+                "=== Testing checkProfileProvided() function ===",
+                "Testing args 1: [[nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile, [CONTAINER]], [nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile, [CONTAINER]], [nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile, test,[CONTAINER]]]",
+                "\u2705 Profile check completed for case 1",
+                "Testing args 2: [[nextflow, run, main.nf], [nextflow, run, main.nf, -other-param]]",
+                "\u2705 Profile check completed for case 2",
+                "Testing args 3: [[nextflow, run, main.nf, -profile], [-profile, [CONTAINER]]]",
+                "\u2705 Profile check completed for case 3",
+                "=== Testing color formatting feature ===",
+                "Testing monochrome output (default)",
+                "\u2705 Monochrome mode test completed",
+                "Testing color-enabled output",
+                "\u2705 Color-enabled mode test completed",
+                "Testing color formatting feature with valid profiles only",
+                "\u2705 Color formatting tests completed successfully",
+                "=== Testing checkCondaChannels() function ===",
+                "Conda channels check result: true",
+                "\u2705 checkCondaChannels() executed successfully",
+                "\u2705 Conda channels are configured correctly",
+                "=== Testing integration scenario ===",
+                "Simulating fetchngs pipeline initialization sequence...",
+                "Conda channels status: OK",
+                "Configuration status: May need custom config",
+                "Profile validation: Completed for typical fetchngs usage with color setting: true",
+                "\u2705 Integration scenario completed successfully",
+                "=== Testing edge cases ===",
+                "\u2705 Empty arguments handled correctly",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Configuration Validation Complete",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Configuration Validation Results",
+                "==========================================",
+                "\u2705 checkConfigProvided() - Pipeline configuration validation tested",
+                "\u2705 checkProfileProvided() - Execution profile validation tested",
+                "\u2705 Color formatting - Both monochrome and color modes tested",
+                "\u2705 Error messages - Color formatting in error conditions tested",
+                "\u2705 checkCondaChannels() - Conda channel validation tested",
+                "\u2705 Integration scenario - Typical pipeline initialization flow tested",
+                "\u2705 Edge cases - Error handling and boundary conditions tested",
+                "Configuration validation functions ready for fetchngs! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Pipeline complete! \ud83d\udc4b",
+                "WARN: Graphviz is required to render the execution DAG in the given format -- See http://www.graphviz.org for more info."
+            ]
+        ],
+        "meta": {
+            "nf-test": "0.9.3",
+            "nextflow": "25.10.0"
+        },
+        "timestamp": "2025-10-29T09:40:52.50112494"
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/validation/config-validation/nextflow.config b/validation/config-validation/nextflow.config
index 7edf672..5c290f9 100644
--- a/validation/config-validation/nextflow.config
+++ b/validation/config-validation/nextflow.config
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ params {
 // Process configuration - simulate realistic setup
 process {
     // Use conda by default for testing conda channel validation
-    conda         = "${projectDir}/environment.yml"
+    conda         = "${projectDir}/mock-data/environment.yml"
 
     // Resource limits
     memory        = '1 GB'
diff --git a/validation/nf-test.config b/validation/nf-test.config
index 89222d2..678ab5c 100644
--- a/validation/nf-test.config
+++ b/validation/nf-test.config
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 config {
     // Test directory configuration
     testsDir "."
-    workDir ".nf-test"
+    workDir System.getenv("NFT_WORKDIR") ?: ".nf-test"
     configFile "nextflow.config"
 
     // Test execution settings
@@ -9,11 +9,10 @@ config {
     autoSort false
 
     // Global Nextflow options for validation tests
-    options "-plugins nf-core-utils@0.3.0 --validate_params false"
+    options "-plugins nf-core-utils@0.3.1 --validate_params false"
 
     // Include plugins
     plugins {
-        load "nft-utils@0.0.3"
+        load "nft-utils@0.0.7"
     }
-
 }
diff --git a/validation/notification-system/main.nf b/validation/notification-system/main.nf
index 7221ceb..904e8a3 100644
--- a/validation/notification-system/main.nf
+++ b/validation/notification-system/main.nf
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ include { imNotification    } from 'plugin/nf-core-utils'
 
 workflow {
 
-    log.info("Pipeline is starting! 🚀")
     log.info("==========================================")
     log.info("Notification System Validation Test")
     log.info("==========================================")
@@ -33,7 +32,6 @@ workflow {
     log.info("Notification functions imported successfully")
     log.info("Pipeline execution complete - notification functions will be tested in completion handlers")
 
-    log.info("Pipeline complete! 👋")
     workflow.onComplete {
         log.info(
             """
diff --git a/validation/notification-system/main.nf.test b/validation/notification-system/main.nf.test
index d8f9681..f88a846 100644
--- a/validation/notification-system/main.nf.test
+++ b/validation/notification-system/main.nf.test
@@ -1,25 +1,14 @@
 nextflow_pipeline {
 
     name "Test nf-core-utils notification system"
-    script "../notification-system/main.nf"
+    script "./main.nf"
 
     test("Notification system") {
 
-
         then {
             assert workflow.success
-            assert workflow.exitStatus == 0
-
-            // Verify basic pipeline execution markers
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline is starting") }
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline complete") }
-
-            // Snapshot notification system outputs - testing successful execution
-            // The detailed function testing happens in onComplete handler which may not be fully captured in stdout
             assert snapshot(
-                // workflow.stdout, // No workflow.stdout before we can sanitize this with nft-utils
-                workflow.exitStatus,
-                workflow.success
+                filterNextflowOutput(workflow.stdout + workflow.stderr, keepAnsi: true)
             ).match()
         }
     }
diff --git a/validation/notification-system/main.nf.test.snap b/validation/notification-system/main.nf.test.snap
index ff99d61..635bd82 100644
--- a/validation/notification-system/main.nf.test.snap
+++ b/validation/notification-system/main.nf.test.snap
@@ -1,13 +1,35 @@
 {
     "Notification system": {
         "content": [
-            0,
-            true
+            [
+                "N E X T F L O W  ~  version [VERSION]",
+                "Launching `[PATH]/notification-system/./main.nf` [RUN_NAME] DSL2 - revision: [REVISION]",
+                "Pipeline is starting! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Notification System Validation Test",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Testing notification functions import and availability...",
+                "\u2705 completionEmail function available: true",
+                "\u2705 completionSummary function available: true",
+                "\u2705 imNotification function available: true",
+                "Notification functions imported successfully",
+                "Pipeline execution complete - notification functions will be tested in completion handlers",
+                "===========================================",
+                "Testing notification functions in completion handler",
+                "===========================================",
+                "=== Testing completionSummary() function ===",
+                "\u2705 completionSummary(colored) completed successfully",
+                "\u2705 completionSummary(monochrome) completed successfully",
+                "=== Testing completionEmail() function ===",
+                " -- Check script '[PATH]/notification-system/main.nf' at line: 84 or see '[PATH]/tests/[NFT_HASH]/meta/nextflow.log' file for more details",
+                "Pipeline complete! \ud83d\udc4b",
+                "ERROR ~ Failed to invoke `workflow.onComplete` event handler"
+            ]
         ],
         "meta": {
-            "nf-test": "0.9.2",
-            "nextflow": "25.04.6"
+            "nf-test": "0.9.3",
+            "nextflow": "25.10.0"
         },
-        "timestamp": "2025-09-01T18:53:43.06379336"
+        "timestamp": "2025-10-29T10:49:36.874294981"
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/validation/pipeline-utilities/main.nf.test b/validation/pipeline-utilities/main.nf.test
index eb7b86d..63264a9 100644
--- a/validation/pipeline-utilities/main.nf.test
+++ b/validation/pipeline-utilities/main.nf.test
@@ -1,24 +1,15 @@
 nextflow_pipeline {
 
     name "Test nf-core-utils pipeline utilities"
-    script "../pipeline-utilities/main.nf"
-    config "../pipeline-utilities/nextflow.config"
+    script "./main.nf"
+    config "./nextflow.config"
 
     test("Pipeline utilities") {
 
         then {
             assert workflow.success
-            assert workflow.exitStatus == 0
-
-            // Verify basic pipeline execution markers (stdout is a list)
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline is starting") }
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline complete") }
-
-            // Snapshot core pipeline utilities outputs
             assert snapshot(
-                // workflow.stdout, // No workflow.stdout before we can sanitize this with nft-utils
-                workflow.exitStatus,
-                workflow.success
+                filterNextflowOutput(workflow.stdout + workflow.stderr, keepAnsi: true)
             ).match()
         }
     }
diff --git a/validation/pipeline-utilities/main.nf.test.snap b/validation/pipeline-utilities/main.nf.test.snap
index 2411d8d..2a2795e 100644
--- a/validation/pipeline-utilities/main.nf.test.snap
+++ b/validation/pipeline-utilities/main.nf.test.snap
@@ -1,13 +1,47 @@
 {
     "Pipeline utilities": {
         "content": [
-            0,
-            true
+            [
+                "N E X T F L O W  ~  version [VERSION]",
+                "Launching `[PATH]/pipeline-utilities/./main.nf` [RUN_NAME] DSL2 - revision: [REVISION]",
+                "Pipeline is starting! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Pipeline Utilities Validation Test",
+                "==========================================",
+                "=== Testing getWorkflowVersion() function ===",
+                "Default workflow version: v1.12.0",
+                "Explicit version (2.1.0): v2.1.0",
+                "Version with commit (2.1.0, abc123): v2.1.0-gabc123d",
+                "Version with v prefix (v3.0.0): v3.0.0",
+                "Null version with commit: v1.12.0-gxyz789a",
+                "=== Testing dumpParametersToJSON() function ===",
+                "Dumping parameters to JSON in: [PATH]/tests/[NFT_HASH]/work/validation_output",
+                "\u2705 Parameters dumped successfully",
+                "=== Testing edge cases ===",
+                "\u2705 Null output directory handled correctly",
+                "=== Validating outputs ===",
+                "=== Validating version strings ===",
+                "\u2705 All version string validations passed",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Pipeline Utilities Validation Complete",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Pipeline Utilities Validation Results",
+                "==========================================",
+                "\u2705 getWorkflowVersion() function tested successfully",
+                "\u2705 dumpParametersToJSON() function tested successfully",
+                "\u2705 Edge cases handled properly",
+                "\u2705 Output validation completed",
+                "Functions ready for use in fetchngs pipeline! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Pipeline complete! \ud83d\udc4b",
+                "WARN: Graphviz is required to render the execution DAG in the given format -- See http://www.graphviz.org for more info.",
+                "WARN: JSON file not found at: [PATH]/tests/[NFT_HASH]/work/validation_output/params.json"
+            ]
         ],
         "meta": {
             "nf-test": "0.9.2",
             "nextflow": "25.04.6"
         },
-        "timestamp": "2025-09-01T18:53:47.192116437"
+        "timestamp": "2025-09-08T18:18:56.487587663"
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/validation/topic-channel-citations/main.nf.test b/validation/topic-channel-citations/main.nf.test
index 3942845..1e0567a 100644
--- a/validation/topic-channel-citations/main.nf.test
+++ b/validation/topic-channel-citations/main.nf.test
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 nextflow_pipeline {
 
     name "Test nf-core-utils topic channel citations functions"
-    script "../topic-channel-citations/main.nf"
-    config "../topic-channel-citations/nextflow.config"
+    script "./main.nf"
+    config "./nextflow.config"
 
     test("Save citations outputs") {
 
@@ -15,16 +15,9 @@ nextflow_pipeline {
 
         then {
             assert workflow.success
-            assert workflow.exitStatus == 0
-
-            def stable_path = getAllFilesFromDir(params.outdir)
-
-            // Snapshot the basic workflow execution
             assert snapshot(
-                // workflow.stdout, // No workflow.stdout before we can sanitize this with nft-utils
-                workflow.exitStatus,
-                workflow.success,
-                stable_path
+                filterNextflowOutput(workflow.stdout + workflow.stderr, keepAnsi: true),
+                getAllFilesFromDir(params.outdir)
             ).match()
         }
     }
diff --git a/validation/topic-channel-citations/main.nf.test.snap b/validation/topic-channel-citations/main.nf.test.snap
index 53321f8..ef8ab13 100644
--- a/validation/topic-channel-citations/main.nf.test.snap
+++ b/validation/topic-channel-citations/main.nf.test.snap
@@ -1,8 +1,57 @@
 {
     "Save citations outputs": {
         "content": [
-            0,
-            true,
+            [
+                "N E X T F L O W  ~  version [VERSION]",
+                "Launching `[PATH]/topic-channel-citations/./main.nf` [RUN_NAME] DSL2 - revision: [REVISION]",
+                "Pipeline is starting! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "nf-core-utils Plugin Topic Channel Citation E2E Test",
+                "==========================================",
+                "This test demonstrates automatic citation collection using:",
+                "1. Runtime citation extraction via getCitation()",
+                "2. Topic channel emission from processes",
+                "3. Automatic aggregation and formatting",
+                "4. Zero-maintenance citation management",
+                "=== Collected 7 citation emissions ===",
+                "Citation: [VIEW, samtools, [description:Tools for dealing with SAM, BAM and CRAM files, homepage:http://www.htslib.org/, documentation:http://www.htslib.org/doc/samtools.html, tool_dev_url:https://github.com/samtools/samtools, doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btp352, licence:MIT]]",
+                "Citation: [FASTQC, fastqc, [description:A quality control tool for high throughput sequence data., homepage:https://www.bioinformatics.babraham.ac.uk/projects/fastqc/, documentation:https://www.bioinformatics.babraham.ac.uk/projects/fastqc/Help/, tool_dev_url:https://www.bioinformatics.babraham.ac.uk/projects/fastqc/, doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btw354, licence:GPL v3]]",
+                "Citation: [MULTIQC, multiqc, [description:MultiQC searches a given directory for analysis logs and compiles a HTML report., homepage:https://multiqc.info/, documentation:https://multiqc.info/docs/, tool_dev_url:https://github.com/ewels/MultiQC, doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btw354, licence:GPL v3]]",
+                "==========================================",
+                "AUTOMATIC CITATION RESULTS",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Citation Text:",
+                "Tools used in the workflow included: samtools (DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btp352), fastqc (DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btw354), multiqc (DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btw354).",
+                "Bibliography:",
+                "<li>samtools. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btp352. <a href='http://www.htslib.org/'>http://www.htslib.org/</a></li> <li>fastqc. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btw354. <a href='https://www.bioinformatics.babraham.ac.uk/projects/fastqc/'>https://www.bioinformatics.babraham.ac.uk/projects/fastqc/</a></li> <li>multiqc. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btw354. <a href='https://multiqc.info/'>https://multiqc.info/</a></li>",
+                "==========================================",
+                "\u2705 Auto-generated citations written to: [PATH]/tests/[NFT_HASH]/output/",
+                "\u2705 Citation text: [PATH]/tests/[NFT_HASH]/output/auto_citations.txt",
+                "\u2705 Bibliography: [PATH]/tests/[NFT_HASH]/output/auto_bibliography.html",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Topic Channel Citation Management Test Complete!",
+                "==========================================",
+                "\u2705 Processes automatically emitted citations to topic channel",
+                "\u2705 Citations collected and processed without manual configuration",
+                "\u2705 Final citation text and bibliography generated automatically",
+                "\u2705 Zero maintenance required - citations reflect actual tool usage",
+                "Key Benefits Demonstrated:",
+                "\u2022 No manual citation configuration needed",
+                "\u2022 Only executed tools appear in citations",
+                "\u2022 Automatic formatting and aggregation",
+                "\u2022 Clean separation of concerns",
+                "\u2022 Runtime accuracy",
+                "The future of nf-core citation management! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Pipeline complete! \ud83d\udc4b",
+                "[NXF_HASH] Submitted process > FASTQC (sample1)",
+                "[NXF_HASH] Submitted process > FASTQC (sample2)",
+                "[NXF_HASH] Submitted process > FASTQC (sample3)",
+                "[NXF_HASH] Submitted process > MULTIQC",
+                "[NXF_HASH] Submitted process > SAMTOOLS_VIEW (sample1)",
+                "[NXF_HASH] Submitted process > SAMTOOLS_VIEW (sample2)",
+                "[NXF_HASH] Submitted process > SAMTOOLS_VIEW (sample3)"
+            ],
             [
                 "auto_bibliography.html:md5,f36cf075e91a7ea08b184370db54b239",
                 "auto_citations.txt:md5,b6f87ba7390abff3a0bc0da48443ab7b"
@@ -12,6 +61,6 @@
             "nf-test": "0.9.2",
             "nextflow": "25.04.6"
         },
-        "timestamp": "2025-09-01T18:56:56.823698538"
+        "timestamp": "2025-09-08T18:19:02.521834523"
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf b/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf
index 9486bdd..5a12097 100644
--- a/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf
+++ b/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ workflow {
     ch_processed_versions = ch_version_files
         .unique()
         .map { version_file ->
-            log.info("Processing version file: ${version_file}")
+            log.info("Processing version file: ${version_file.fileName}")
             processVersionsFromFile([version_file.toString()])
         }
         .unique()
diff --git a/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf.test b/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf.test
index ebef439..e521731 100644
--- a/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf.test
+++ b/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf.test
@@ -1,25 +1,16 @@
 nextflow_pipeline {
 
     name "Test nf-core-utils version utilities migration"
-    script "../version-topic-channels/main.nf"
-    config "../version-topic-channels/nextflow.config"
+    script "./main.nf"
+    config "./nextflow.config"
 
     test("Version utilities") {
 
 
         then {
             assert workflow.success
-            assert workflow.exitStatus == 0
-
-            // Verify basic pipeline execution markers (stdout is a list)
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline is starting") }
-            assert workflow.stdout.any { it.contains("Pipeline complete") }
-
-            // Snapshot core version testing outputs
             assert snapshot(
-                // workflow.stdout, // No workflow.stdout before we can sanitize this with nft-utils
-                workflow.exitStatus,
-                workflow.success
+                filterNextflowOutput(workflow.stdout + workflow.stderr, keepAnsi: true),
             ).match()
         }
     }
diff --git a/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf.test.snap b/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf.test.snap
index 4a8eb5d..bac5170 100644
--- a/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf.test.snap
+++ b/validation/version-topic-channels/main.nf.test.snap
@@ -1,13 +1,57 @@
 {
     "Version utilities": {
         "content": [
-            0,
-            true
+            [
+                "N E X T F L O W  ~  version [VERSION]",
+                "Launching `[PATH]/version-topic-channels/./main.nf` [RUN_NAME] DSL2 - revision: [REVISION]",
+                "Pipeline is starting! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "=== Testing getWorkflowVersion() plugin function ===",
+                "Generated workflow version: v1.0.0",
+                "=== Creating mock version files ===",
+                "=== Testing migrated version processing pipeline ===",
+                "=== Testing additional version utilities ===",
+                "Adding workflow version: v1.0.0",
+                "Processing version file: versions_1117691557.yml",
+                "Processing version file: versions_1202187732.yml",
+                "Processing version file: versions_145567121.yml",
+                "=== Final versions file created ===",
+                "Location: [PATH]/tests/[NFT_HASH]/work/pipeline_info/nf_core_utils_software_mqc_versions.yml",
+                "Content preview:",
+                "FASTQC:",
+                "  fastqc: 0.11.9",
+                "MULTIQC:",
+                "  multiqc: 1.12",
+                "SAMTOOLS:",
+                "  samtools: 1.17",
+                "Workflow:",
+                "    nf-core-utils-validation: v1.0.0",
+                "    Nextflow: 25.10.0",
+                "\u2705 All validation checks passed!",
+                "\u2705 Plugin functions working correctly",
+                "\u2705 Channel logic preserved in pipeline",
+                "\u2705 Migration pattern validated successfully",
+                "==========================================",
+                "nf-core-utils Plugin E2E Validation Complete",
+                "==========================================",
+                "\u2705 Plugin loaded successfully",
+                "\u2705 Version utility functions tested",
+                "\u2705 Channel logic preserved in pipeline",
+                "\u2705 Migration pattern validated",
+                "This test demonstrates:",
+                "1. Successful replacement of local utility functions with plugin imports",
+                "2. Channel orchestration remaining visible and controllable in pipeline",
+                "3. Identical functionality to original fetchngs implementation",
+                "4. Proper separation of concerns (utilities vs. workflow logic)",
+                "Ready for production migration! \ud83d\ude80",
+                "==========================================",
+                "Pipeline complete! \ud83d\udc4b",
+                "WARN: Graphviz is required to render the execution DAG in the given format -- See http://www.graphviz.org for more info."
+            ]
         ],
         "meta": {
             "nf-test": "0.9.2",
             "nextflow": "25.04.6"
         },
-        "timestamp": "2025-09-01T19:00:15.175128484"
+        "timestamp": "2025-09-08T18:19:07.661622018"
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file