diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-tap.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-tap.yml
index 2075d26e6..29783ef38 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy-tap.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-tap.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ name: Deploy Homebrew Tap
 
 on:
   push:
-    branches: [ main, master, homebrew-formula ]
     paths:
       - 'packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb'
       - 'packaging/homebrew/README.md'
@@ -20,6 +19,7 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       contents: write
       pull-requests: write
+
     steps:
       - name: Checkout MFC repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ jobs:
             VERSION="$(echo "${URL}" | sed -E 's/.*v([0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)\.tar\.gz/\1/')"
           fi
           SHASUM="$(curl -sL "${URL}" | shasum -a 256 | awk '{print $1}')"
-          echo "version=${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          echo "url=${URL}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          echo "sha256=${SHASUM}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "version=${VERSION}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "url=${URL}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "sha256=${SHASUM}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
       - name: Update formula (for tag events)
         if: github.ref_type == 'tag'
@@ -98,5 +98,4 @@ jobs:
           fi
           git -c user.name="github-actions[bot]" -c user.email="github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com" \
             commit -m "mfc: v${{ steps.meta.outputs.version }}"
-          git push origin HEAD:main
-
+          git push origin HEAD:main
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/homebrew.yml b/.github/workflows/homebrew.yml
index 8a8d0e979..557fcf4d8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/homebrew.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/homebrew.yml
@@ -1,264 +1,65 @@
-name: Homebrew Formula Test
+name: Homebrew
 
 on:
   push:
     branches:
       - master
-      - homebrew-formula
-    paths:
-      - 'packaging/homebrew/**'
-      - '.github/workflows/homebrew.yml'
   pull_request:
     branches:
       - master
-    paths:
-      - 'packaging/homebrew/**'
-      - '.github/workflows/homebrew.yml'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 jobs:
-  # Fast smoke tests that run before expensive operations
-  smoke-test:
-    name: Quick Formula Validation
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest  # Use Linux for speed (Homebrew works on Linux too)
-    
+  homebrew-mfc:
+    name: Test Homebrew package (macOS)
+    runs-on: macos-latest
+
     steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
+      - name: Checkout repo
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      
+
       - name: Set up Homebrew
         uses: Homebrew/actions/setup-homebrew@master
-      
-      - name: Validate formula syntax with brew style
-        run: |
-          echo "Checking formula syntax..."
-          brew style packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb
-      
-      - name: Run brew audit (without installation)
-        run: |
-          echo "Configuring git for brew tap-new..."
-          git config --global user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
-          git config --global user.name "github-actions[bot]"
-          
-          echo "Creating temporary local tap..."
-          brew tap-new mflowcode/test
-          cp packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb $(brew --repository)/Library/Taps/mflowcode/homebrew-test/Formula/mfc.rb
-          
-          echo "Running brew audit (online checks)..."
-          brew audit --online --skip-style mflowcode/test/mfc || true
-          
-          echo "Cleaning up tap..."
-          brew untap mflowcode/test
-      
-      - name: Validate Ruby syntax
-        run: |
-          echo "Checking Ruby syntax..."
-          ruby -c packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb
-      
-      - name: Check for common formula issues
-        run: |
-          echo "Checking for common issues..."
-          
-          # Check that required fields are present
-          grep -q 'desc "' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb || (echo "❌ Missing desc"; exit 1)
-          grep -q 'homepage "' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb || (echo "❌ Missing homepage"; exit 1)
-          grep -q 'url "' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb || (echo "❌ Missing url"; exit 1)
-          grep -q 'sha256 "' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb || (echo "❌ Missing sha256"; exit 1)
-          grep -q 'license "' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb || (echo "❌ Missing license"; exit 1)
-          
-          # Check that install method exists
-          grep -q 'def install' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb || (echo "❌ Missing install method"; exit 1)
-          
-          # Check that test block exists
-          grep -q 'test do' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb || (echo "❌ Missing test block"; exit 1)
-          
-          echo "✅ All required formula components present"
-      
-      - name: Verify URL is reachable
-        run: |
-          echo "Checking that source URL is reachable..."
-          URL=$(grep -E 'url "https://[^"]+' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb | head -1 | sed 's/.*url "\([^"]*\)".*/\1/')
-          
-          if [ -z "$URL" ]; then
-            echo "❌ Could not extract URL from formula"
-            exit 1
-          fi
-          
-          echo "URL: $URL"
-          HTTP_CODE=$(curl -sI -w "%{http_code}" -o /dev/null "$URL")
-          
-          if [ "$HTTP_CODE" = "200" ] || [ "$HTTP_CODE" = "302" ]; then
-            echo "✅ URL is reachable (HTTP $HTTP_CODE)"
-          else
-            echo "⚠️  URL returned HTTP $HTTP_CODE (may indicate an issue)"
-            # Don't fail here - could be a temporary issue
-          fi
-      
-      - name: Verify SHA256 checksum
-        run: |
-          echo "Verifying SHA256 checksum matches URL..."
-          URL=$(grep -E 'url "https://[^"]+' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb | head -1 | sed 's/.*url "\([^"]*\)".*/\1/')
-          EXPECTED_SHA=$(grep 'sha256 "' packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb | head -1 | sed 's/.*sha256 "\([^"]*\)".*/\1/')
-          
-          if [ -z "$URL" ] || [ -z "$EXPECTED_SHA" ]; then
-            echo "❌ Could not extract URL or SHA256 from formula"
-            exit 1
-          fi
-          
-          echo "Downloading tarball to compute checksum..."
-          ACTUAL_SHA=$(curl -sL "$URL" | shasum -a 256 | awk '{print $1}')
-          
-          echo "Expected SHA256: $EXPECTED_SHA"
-          echo "Actual SHA256:   $ACTUAL_SHA"
-          
-          if [ "$EXPECTED_SHA" = "$ACTUAL_SHA" ]; then
-            echo "✅ SHA256 checksum matches!"
-          else
-            echo "❌ SHA256 mismatch!"
-            exit 1
-          fi
 
-  # Full installation test (only runs if smoke tests pass)
-  test-formula:
-    name: Full Installation Test
-    needs: smoke-test  # Only run after smoke tests pass
-    runs-on: macos-latest
-    
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      
-      - name: Set up Homebrew
-        run: |
-          echo "Homebrew version:"
-          brew --version
-          echo "Updating Homebrew..."
-          brew update
-      
-      - name: Install formula dependencies
-        run: |
-          echo "Installing MFC dependencies..."
-          brew install cmake gcc python@3.12 boost fftw hdf5 open-mpi openblas
-      
-      - name: Install MFC from formula
-        run: |
-          echo "Creating temporary local tap..."
-          brew tap-new mflowcode/test
-          
-          echo "Copying formula to tap..."
-          cp packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb $(brew --repository)/Library/Taps/mflowcode/homebrew-test/Formula/mfc.rb
-          
-          echo "Installing MFC from local tap..."
-          # Note: brew may exit with code 1 due to dylib fixup warnings on some Python packages (non-fatal)
-          # We verify installation using brew commands rather than parsing log output
-          set +e  # Don't fail immediately on error
-          brew install --build-from-source --verbose mflowcode/test/mfc 2>&1 | tee /tmp/brew-install.log
-          brew_exit_code=$?
-          set -e
-          
-          # Verify installation using brew list (more robust than log parsing)
-          if brew list mflowcode/test/mfc &>/dev/null; then
-            echo "✅ MFC installed successfully (ignoring dylib relocation warnings)"
-            # Optionally verify with brew info
-            brew info mflowcode/test/mfc
-            exit 0
-          else
-            echo "❌ MFC installation failed"
-            exit $brew_exit_code
-          fi
-      
-      - name: Display error logs on failure
-        if: failure()
+      - name: Install MFC via Homebrew
         run: |
-          echo "=== Displaying last 200 lines of brew install log ==="
-          if [ -f /tmp/brew-install.log ]; then
-            tail -200 /tmp/brew-install.log
-          fi
-          
-          echo -e "\n=== Displaying Homebrew log files ==="
-          if [ -d ~/Library/Logs/Homebrew/mfc/ ]; then
-            for logfile in ~/Library/Logs/Homebrew/mfc/*; do
-              if [ -f "$logfile" ]; then
-                echo -e "\n\n====== $logfile ======"
-                cat "$logfile"
-              fi
-            done
-          fi
-          
-          echo -e "\n=== Searching for Cantera config.log ==="
-          cantera_config_log=$(find /private/tmp -name "config.log" -path "*/mfc--cantera*" 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-          if [ -n "$cantera_config_log" ] && [ -f "$cantera_config_log" ]; then
-            echo -e "\n\n====== Cantera config.log ======"
-            echo "Found at: $cantera_config_log"
-            cat "$cantera_config_log"
-            # Copy to a known location for artifact upload
-            mkdir -p /tmp/cantera-logs
-            cp "$cantera_config_log" /tmp/cantera-logs/config.log
-          else
-            echo "Cantera config.log not found"
-            echo "Searching in all /private/tmp directories:"
-            find /private/tmp -name "config.log" 2>/dev/null || echo "No config.log files found"
-          fi
-      
-      - name: Upload Homebrew logs on failure
-        if: failure()
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: homebrew-logs
-          path: |
-            /tmp/brew-install.log
-            /tmp/cantera-logs/
-            ~/Library/Logs/Homebrew/mfc/
-          if-no-files-found: ignore
-      
-      - name: Test MFC installation
-        run: |
-          echo "=== Testing MFC Installation ==="
-          
-          echo "1. Checking binaries exist and are executable..."
-          test -f $(brew --prefix)/bin/mfc && test -x $(brew --prefix)/bin/mfc
-          test -f $(brew --prefix)/bin/pre_process && test -x $(brew --prefix)/bin/pre_process
-          test -f $(brew --prefix)/bin/simulation && test -x $(brew --prefix)/bin/simulation
-          test -f $(brew --prefix)/bin/post_process && test -x $(brew --prefix)/bin/post_process
-          echo "  ✓ All binaries exist and are executable"
-          
-          echo "2. Verifying installation structure..."
-          test -f $(brew --prefix mfc)/libexec/mfc.sh
-          test -d $(brew --prefix mfc)/toolchain
-          echo "  ✓ Installation structure verified"
-          
-          echo "3. Checking Python venv..."
-          test -d $(brew --prefix mfc)/libexec/venv
-          test -f $(brew --prefix mfc)/libexec/venv/bin/python
-          test -f $(brew --prefix mfc)/libexec/venv/bin/pip
-          echo "  ✓ Python venv exists"
-          
-          echo "4. Checking examples..."
-          test -d $(brew --prefix mfc)/examples
-          test -f $(brew --prefix mfc)/examples/1D_sodshocktube/case.py
-          echo "  ✓ Examples installed"
-          
-          echo "5. Testing mfc wrapper..."
-          mfc --help
-          echo "  ✓ mfc --help succeeded"
-          
-          echo "=== All tests passed! ==="
-      
+          set -euo pipefail
+          # Prefer bottle; fall back to source build if needed
+          brew install mflowcode/mfc/mfc || brew install --build-from-source mflowcode/mfc/mfc
+
       - name: Run MFC test case
         run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
           echo "Running a simple test case (1D Sod shock tube)..."
           TESTDIR=$(mktemp -d)
-          cp $(brew --prefix mfc)/examples/1D_sodshocktube/case.py "$TESTDIR/"
-          
+          cp "$(brew --prefix mfc)/examples/1D_sodshocktube/case.py" "$TESTDIR/"
+
           echo "Running with $(sysctl -n hw.ncpu) processors..."
-          # Use absolute path and shorthand syntax (mfc auto-detects and prepends 'run')
-          mfc "$TESTDIR/case.py" -j $(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
-          
-          echo "Test case completed successfully!"
-      
-      - name: Uninstall and cleanup
-        if: always()
+          mfc "$TESTDIR/case.py" -j "$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)"
+
+          test -d "$TESTDIR/silo_hdf5"
+          echo "✅ Test case completed successfully and produced output"
+
+      - name: Basic installation verification
         run: |
-          echo "Cleaning up..."
-          brew uninstall mfc || true
-          brew cleanup
+          set -euo pipefail
+          echo "1. Checking binaries..."
+          test -x "$(brew --prefix mfc)/bin/pre_process"
+          test -x "$(brew --prefix mfc)/bin/simulation"
+          test -x "$(brew --prefix mfc)/bin/post_process"
+          test -x "$(brew --prefix mfc)/bin/mfc"
+
+          echo "2. Checking toolchain..."
+          test -d "$(brew --prefix mfc)/toolchain"
+
+          echo "3. Checking Python venv..."
+          test -d "$(brew --prefix mfc)/libexec/venv"
+          test -x "$(brew --prefix mfc)/libexec/venv/bin/python"
+
+          echo "4. Checking examples..."
+          test -d "$(brew --prefix mfc)/examples"
+
+          echo "5. Testing mfc command..."
+          mfc --help
+
+          echo "✅ All verification checks passed"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb b/packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb
index 6d28f3fc8..4340f2fb3 100644
--- a/packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb
+++ b/packaging/homebrew/mfc.rb
@@ -298,9 +298,8 @@ def caveats
     cp prefix/"examples/1D_sodshocktube/case.py", testpath_case/"case.py"
 
     # Run the case from the test directory (this will execute pre_process and simulation)
-    # Limit to 1 processor and reduce runtime for testing
     cd testpath_case do
-      system bin/"mfc", "run", "case.py", "-j", "1"
+      system bin/"mfc", "case.py", "-n", "1"
     end
 
     # Verify output files were created in the test directory