diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 2b427cc..9377ba0 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ build_with_idf_v4:
 
 build_and_test_qemu:
   stage: build
-  image: ${CI_DOCKER_REGISTRY}/qemu:esp-develop-20191124
+  image: ${CI_DOCKER_REGISTRY}/qemu:esp-develop-20210517-dda2caf0
   tags:
     - build
     - shiny
@@ -98,18 +98,19 @@ build_and_test_qemu:
   script:
     - cit_add_ssh_key "${GITLAB_KEY}"
     - git clone "${IDF_REPO}"
-    - $MQTT_PATH/ci/set_idf.sh release/v4.1
+    - $MQTT_PATH/ci/set_idf.sh master
     - cd $IDF_PATH && tools/idf_tools.py --non-interactive install && eval "$(tools/idf_tools.py --non-interactive export)"
     - $MQTT_PATH/ci/set_mqtt.sh $CI_COMMIT_SHA
-    # build publish stress test
-    - cd $IDF_PATH/examples/protocols/mqtt/publish_test && cat sdkconfig.qemu | $IDF_PATH/tools/ci/envsubst.py >> sdkconfig.defaults && idf.py build
-    - source /opt/pyenv/activate && pyenv global 2.7.15 && python --version
-    # setup runner params
+    # build publish-connect stress test, setup test parameters
+    - cd tools/test_apps/protocols/mqtt/publish_connect_test && cat sdkconfig.qemu | $IDF_PATH/tools/ci/envsubst.py > sdkconfig.defaults && idf.py build
+    - export TEST_PATH=`pwd` && export MQTT_PUBLISH_TEST=1
+    # setup python (TODO: cleanup, to be fixed when python2 support dropped)
+    - source /opt/pyenv/activate && pyenv global system && python3 --version
+    - python3 -m pip install -r $IDF_PATH/tools/ci/python_packages/ttfw_idf/requirements.txt
     - export PYTHONPATH="$IDF_PATH/tools:$IDF_PATH/tools/ci/python_packages"
-    - export TEST_CASE_PATH=$IDF_PATH/components/mqtt/weekend_test
-    - cd $IDF_PATH/tools/ci/python_packages/tiny_test_fw/bin
     # run test (with environment->qemu)
-    - python Runner.py $TEST_CASE_PATH -c $TEST_CASE_PATH/test_weekend_mqtt_qemu.yml -e $TEST_CASE_PATH/env.yml
+    - cd $IDF_PATH/tools/ci/python_packages/tiny_test_fw/bin
+    - python3 Runner.py $TEST_PATH -c $TEST_PATH/publish_connect_mqtt_qemu.yml -e $TEST_PATH/env.yml
 
 clang_tidy_check:
   stage: static_analysis