diff --git a/.github/workflows/actions.yml b/.github/workflows/actions.yml
index 49daa0d6..7f38ebc1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/actions.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/actions.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
       message: ${{ steps.commit_message.outputs.message }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        uses: actions/checkout@e2f20e631ae6d7dd3b768f56a5d2af784dd54791
         # Gets the correct commit message for pull request
         with:
           ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
@@ -29,11 +29,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           set -xe
           COMMIT_MSG=$(git log --no-merges -1 --oneline)
-          RUN="0"
-          if [[ "$COMMIT_MSG" == *"[wheel build]"* ]]; then
-              RUN="1" 
-          fi
-          echo "message=$RUN" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "message=$COMMIT_MSG" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo github.ref ${{ github.ref }}
 
   trexio_ubuntu:
@@ -102,7 +98,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: publish Python API distribution as an artifact
         if: >-
-          contains(needs.get_commit_message.outputs.message, '1') ||
+          contains(needs.get_commit_message.outputs.message, '[wheel build]') ||
           github.event_name == 'release'
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@82c141cc518b40d92cc801eee768e7aafc9c2fa2
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-wheels.yml b/.github/workflows/build-wheels.yml
index a76b866d..8e391373 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-wheels.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-wheels.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ jobs:
       message: ${{ steps.commit_message.outputs.message }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11
         # Gets the correct commit message for pull request
         with:
           ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
@@ -30,19 +30,14 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           set -xe
           COMMIT_MSG=$(git log --no-merges -1 --oneline)
-          RUN="0"
-          if [[ "$COMMIT_MSG" == *"[wheel build]"* ]]; then
-              RUN="1" 
-          fi
-          echo "message=$RUN" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "message=$COMMIT_MSG" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo github.ref ${{ github.ref }}
 
-
   build_linux_wheels:
     name: Build Linux wheels for different versions of CPython on manylinux_x86_64
     needs: get_commit_message
     if: >-
-      contains(needs.get_commit_message.outputs.message, '1') ||
+      contains(needs.get_commit_message.outputs.message, '[wheel build]') ||
       (github.repository == 'TREX-CoE/trexio' && startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v'))
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     strategy:
@@ -51,10 +46,10 @@ jobs:
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the branch
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11
 
       - name: Set up Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        uses: actions/setup-python@39cd14951b08e74b54015e9e001cdefcf80e669f
         with:
           python-version: '3.10'
 
@@ -70,7 +65,7 @@ jobs:
       # Conventional download-artifact action does not work for artifact produced in a different workflow,
       # which is the case here (TREXIO CI produced the Python API distribution tarball)
       - name: Download the Python API distribution tarball
-        uses: dawidd6/action-download-artifact@v2
+        uses: dawidd6/action-download-artifact@v3
         with:
           # Specify the name of the workflow file which uploaded the tarball
           workflow: actions.yml
@@ -94,7 +89,7 @@ jobs:
         working-directory: python
 
       - name: Upload produced wheels as artifacts
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v2
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@834a144ee995460fba8ed112a2fc961b36a5ec5a
         with:
           name: pytrexio-manylinux-${{ matrix.manylinux_tag }}
           path: ./python/wheelhouse/*.whl
@@ -107,10 +102,10 @@ jobs:
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the branch
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11
 
       - name: Set up Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        uses: actions/setup-python@39cd14951b08e74b54015e9e001cdefcf80e669f
         with:
           python-version: '3.10'
 
@@ -118,12 +113,12 @@ jobs:
         run: python -m pip install -U setuptools twine
 
       - name: Download the build artifacts (wheels) of this workflow
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v2
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
         with:
           path: dist
 
       - name: Download the Python API distribution tarball
-        uses: dawidd6/action-download-artifact@v2
+        uses: dawidd6/action-download-artifact@v3
         with:
           workflow: actions.yml
           workflow_conclusion: success