diff --git a/apps/mast/README.md b/apps/mast/README.md
index 6cd48d32d..60a9b4146 100644
--- a/apps/mast/README.md
+++ b/apps/mast/README.md
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ A simple setup script to automatically configure your environment for running Fo
 
 ## Quick Start
 
+⚠️ Important Note: the setup script will clone the forge repository under "/data/users/$USER".
+
 ### 1. Run the Setup Script
 
 The `env_setup.sh` script will automatically:
diff --git a/apps/mast/env_setup.sh b/apps/mast/env_setup.sh
index 4318e05f0..8d14371ac 100755
--- a/apps/mast/env_setup.sh
+++ b/apps/mast/env_setup.sh
@@ -96,38 +96,6 @@ mount_workspace() {
     return 0
 }
 
-# Function to safely deactivate conda
-safe_conda_deactivate() {
-    if command -v conda >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-        if conda info --envs >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            conda deactivate 2>/dev/null || log_warn "Could not deactivate conda (might not be in an environment)"
-        else
-            log_warn "Conda not properly initialized, skipping deactivate"
-        fi
-    else
-        log_warn "Conda command not found, skipping deactivate"
-    fi
-}
-
-# Function to safely activate conda environment
-safe_conda_activate() {
-    local env_name="$1"
-
-    if command -v conda >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-        if conda info --envs >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            conda activate "$env_name"
-        else
-            log_warn "Conda not properly initialized"
-            log_info "Attempting to use xl_conda.sh activation instead..."
-            source "$CONDA_SCRIPT_PATH" activate "$env_name"
-        fi
-    else
-        log_warn "Conda command not found"
-        log_info "Attempting to use xl_conda.sh activation instead..."
-        source "$CONDA_SCRIPT_PATH" activate "$env_name"
-    fi
-}
-
 # Check if required environment variables are set
 if [ -z "$USER" ]; then
     log_error "USER environment variable is not set"