diff --git a/.github/workflows/python-dependency-variation.yml b/.github/workflows/python-dependency-variation.yml
index ccf3f9057d..bdeebf53dc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/python-dependency-variation.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/python-dependency-variation.yml
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         include:
+
           - name: ensemble1
             os: ubuntu-24.04
             python_version: 3.9
@@ -32,6 +33,20 @@ jobs:
             scanpy:  1.9.8
             scipy:   1.13.1
 
+          - name: ensemble2
+            os: ubuntu-24.04
+            python_version: 3.9
+            cc: gcc-13
+            cxx: g++-13
+
+            anndata:  0.10.9
+            numba:    0.60.0
+            numpy:    1.25.0
+            pandas:   1.5.3
+            pyarrow:  12.0.1
+            scanpy:   1.10.3
+            scipy:    1.13.1
+
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
 
     steps:
@@ -78,10 +93,10 @@ jobs:
         # install from source.
         #
         # From PyPI:
-        run: pip install tiledbsoma==1.15.7
+        # run: pip install tiledbsoma==1.15.7
         #
         # From source:
-        # run: pip -v install -e apis/python[all] -C "--build-option=--no-tiledb-deprecated"
+        run: pip -v install -e apis/python[all] -C "--build-option=--no-tiledb-deprecated"
         #
         env:
           CC: ${{ matrix.cc }}
@@ -104,6 +119,14 @@ jobs:
       - name: Show package versions
         run: python scripts/show-versions.py
 
+      - name: Obtain test data
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          cd test
+          rm -rf soco
+          tar zxf soco.tgz
+          cd ..
+
       - name: Run pytests for Python
         shell: bash
-        run: python -m pytest apis/python/tests -v --durations=20 --maxfail=50
+        run: python -m pytest apis/python/tests/*.py -v --durations=20 --maxfail=50
diff --git a/.github/workflows/r-python-interop-testing.yml b/.github/workflows/r-python-interop-testing.yml
index 2687f8af7b..7d3bbc4526 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/r-python-interop-testing.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/r-python-interop-testing.yml
@@ -1,17 +1,17 @@
 name: TileDB-SOMA R-Python interop testing
 
 on:
-  pull_request:
-    # TODO: leave this enabled for pre-merge signal for now. At some point we may want to go back to
-    # only having this signal post-merge.
-    #paths:
-    #  - "apis/python/**"
-    #  - "apis/r/**"
-    #  - "apis/system/**"
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - main
-      - "release-*"
+#  pull_request:
+#    # TODO: leave this enabled for pre-merge signal for now. At some point we may want to go back to
+#    # only having this signal post-merge.
+#    #paths:
+#    #  - "apis/python/**"
+#    #  - "apis/r/**"
+#    #  - "apis/system/**"
+#  push:
+#    branches:
+#      - main
+#      - "release-*"
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 jobs: