diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index ba50256890a435eec6e8fb08c4e2626b90f950f1..92b668c01740c3069d0fd8be54f8464609ad46f0 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 stages:
+  - check-status
   - trigger
   - downstream modules
 
@@ -10,7 +11,36 @@ variables:
 workflow:
   rules:
     - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule"
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "pipeline"
     - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "merge_request_event"
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "master"
+
+# for commits happening on master, we check if there was a successful
+# pipeline on a related merge request already. If yes, we simply return
+# to propagate that pipeline status on master. Otherwise, we trigger a new run.
+check-pipeline-status:
+  image: $IMAGE_REGISTRY_URL/full:dune-2.7-gcc-ubuntu-20.04
+  stage: check-status
+  rules:
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule"
+      when: never
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "pipeline"
+      when: never
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == "master"
+      when: always
+  script:
+    - |
+      if ! python3 .gitlab-ci/getpipelineinfo.py --access-token $CI_JOB_TOKEN \
+                                                 --look-for HEAD \
+                                                 --print-format pipeline-id; then
+          echo "No successful pipeline found. Triggering new pipeline..."
+          curl --request POST --form "token=$CI_JOB_TOKEN" \
+                              --form ref=$CI_COMMIT_BRANCH \
+                              --form "variables[CI_TEST_AGAINST_LAST_SUCCESSFUL]=true" \
+                              "https://git.iws.uni-stuttgart.de/api/v4/projects/31/trigger/pipeline"
+      else
+          echo "Found successful pipeline for the current state of the branch. Not testing again."
+      fi
 
 ###################################################################################
 # Stage 1: trigger the Dumux test pipelines                                       #
@@ -28,10 +58,14 @@ workflow:
     strategy: depend
   variables:
     TRIGGER_SOURCE: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE
+    COMMIT_BRANCH: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
     MR_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME: $CI_MERGE_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME
+    TEST_AGAINST_LAST_SUCCESSFUL: $CI_TEST_AGAINST_LAST_SUCCESSFUL
   rules:
   - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule"
     when: always
+  - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "pipeline"
+    when: always
   - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "merge_request_event"
     when: manual
 
@@ -39,7 +73,7 @@ workflow:
 .non-mr-trigger:
   extends: .base-trigger
   rules:
-    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE != "merge_request_event"
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule"
 
 #############################################
 # pipelines to be created in merge requests #
@@ -77,6 +111,10 @@ full-dune-master-clang:
 
 # trigger lecture test
 trigger lecture:
+  rules:
+  - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule"
+  - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "pipeline"
+  - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "merge_request_event"
   stage: downstream modules
   trigger:
     project: dumux-repositories/dumux-lecture
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci/default.yml b/.gitlab-ci/default.yml
index 706c7a310d42f1081a96e7ccfd71882cb9a3911e..9d3183db81e3984fcf434a929f68fb3077a99024 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci/default.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci/default.yml
@@ -10,22 +10,56 @@ workflow:
   rules:
     - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE=="parent_pipeline"
 
-# variables that may be overwritten by the trigger
+# variables that should be overwritten by the trigger
 variables:
   TRIGGER_SOURCE: "undefined"
+  COMMIT_BRANCH: "undefined"
   MR_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME: "undefined"
 
 select tests:
   stage: configure
   script:
+    - dunecontrol --opts=$DUNE_OPTS_FILE --current all
     - |
-      dunecontrol --opts=$DUNE_OPTS_FILE --current all
+      getLastSuccesful() {
+          python3 .gitlab-ci/getpipelineinfo.py \
+                      --access-token $CI_JOB_TOKEN \
+                      --look-for latest \
+                      --print-format commit-sha
+      }
+
       if [[ "$TRIGGER_SOURCE" == "merge_request_event" ]]; then
           echo "Detecting changes w.r.t to target branch '$MR_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME'"
-          python3 bin/testing/getchangedfiles.py -o changedfiles.txt -t origin/$MR_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME
-          python3 bin/testing/findtests.py -o affectedtests.json --file-list changedfiles.txt --build-dir build-cmake
+          python3 bin/testing/getchangedfiles.py --outfile changedfiles.txt \
+                                                 --target.tree origin/$MR_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME
+          python3 bin/testing/findtests.py --outfile affectedtests.json \
+                                           --file-list changedfiles.txt \
+                                           --build-dir build-cmake
+
+      elif [[ "$TRIGGER_SOURCE" == "schedule" ]]; then
+          echo "Starting scheduled pipeline"
+          echo "Skipping test selection, build/test stages will consider all tests!"
+          touch affectedtests.json
+
+      elif [ -n $TEST_AGAINST_LAST_SUCCESSFUL ]; then
+          echo "Determining sha of the last successful pipeline to test against"
+
+          if ! getLastSuccesful; then
+              echo "Could not find a successful pipeline, will build/run all tests"
+              touch affectedtests.json
+          else
+              COMMIT_SHA=$(getLastSuccesful)
+              echo "Comparing against sha $COMMIT_SHA"
+              python3 bin/testing/getchangedfiles.py --outfile changedfiles.txt \
+                                                     --source-tree HEAD \
+                                                     --target-tree $COMMIT_SHA
+              python3 bin/testing/findtests.py --outfile affectedtests.json \
+                                               --file-list changedfiles.txt \
+                                               --build-dir build-cmake
+          fi
+
       else
-          echo "Received '$TRIGGER_SOURCE' as pipeline trigger event"
+          echo "Unknown pipeline trigger event"
           echo "Skipping test selection, build/test stages will consider all tests!"
           touch affectedtests.json
       fi
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci/getpipelineinfo.py b/.gitlab-ci/getpipelineinfo.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..ec59a086334d4f9d39915d295465c51b17f4e521
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitlab-ci/getpipelineinfo.py
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+import json
+import sys
+import os
+from argparse import ArgumentParser
+
+try:
+    path = os.path.split(os.path.abspath(__file__))[0]
+    sys.path.append(os.path.join(path, '../bin/util'))
+    from common import runCommand
+except Exception:
+    sys.exit('Could not import common module')
+
+
+def performApiQuery(command, err='API query unsuccessful'):
+    return runCommand(command, suppressTraceBack=True, errorMessage=err)
+
+
+def getPipeLinesApiURL(apiURL):
+    return apiURL.rstrip('/') + '/pipelines/'
+
+
+def getPipelines(apiURL, token, filter=''):
+    queryURL = getPipeLinesApiURL(apiURL) + filter
+    queryCmd = 'curl --header "token={}" "{}"'.format(token, queryURL)
+    pl = performApiQuery(queryCmd, 'Could not retrieve pipelines')
+    return json.loads(pl)
+
+
+def getPipelineInfo(apiURL, token, pipeLineId, infoString):
+    queryURL = getPipeLinesApiURL(apiURL) + str(pipeLineId) + '/' + infoString
+    queryCmd = 'curl --header "token={}" "{}"'.format(token, queryURL)
+    pl = performApiQuery(queryCmd, 'Could not retrieve pipeline info')
+    return json.loads(pl)
+
+
+def getPipeLineJobs(apiURL, token, pipeLineId):
+    return getPipelineInfo(apiURL, token, pipeLineId, 'jobs')
+
+
+def findPipeline(pipeLines, predicate):
+    for pipeLine in pipeLines:
+        if predicate(pipeLine):
+            return pipeLine
+    return None
+
+
+parser = ArgumentParser(
+    description='Find and print information on a previously run pipeline'
+)
+
+parser.add_argument('-p', '--print-format',
+                    required=True, choices=['pipeline-id', 'commit-sha'],
+                    help='Switch between reporting the pipeline-id/commit-sha')
+parser.add_argument('-l', '--look-for',
+                    required=True, choices=['latest', 'HEAD'],
+                    help='Define how to search for pipelines')
+parser.add_argument('-t', '--access-token',
+                    required=True,
+                    help='The token to post read requests to the GitLab API')
+parser.add_argument('-u', '--project-api-url',
+                    required=False,
+                    default='https://git.iws.uni-stuttgart.de/api/v4/projects/31/',
+                    help='The token to post read requests to the GitLab API')
+parser.add_argument('-f', '--filter',
+                    required=False, default='?status=success',
+                    help='Pipeline query filter (default: "?status=success"')
+parser.add_argument('-e', '--exclude-jobs',
+                    required=False, nargs='*',
+                    default=['check-pipeline-status'],
+                    help='Exclude pipelines that contain the given jobs')
+args = vars(parser.parse_args())
+
+apiURL = args['project_api_url']
+token = args['access_token']
+pipeLines = getPipelines(apiURL, token, args['filter'])
+
+currentBranch = runCommand('git branch --show-current').strip('\n')
+currentCommitInfo = runCommand('git show HEAD').split('\n')
+headIsMergeCommit = 'Merge:' in currentCommitInfo[1]
+
+headSHA = runCommand('git rev-list HEAD --max-count=1').strip('\n')
+if headIsMergeCommit:
+    preSHA = runCommand('git rev-list HEAD --max-count=2').split('\n')[1]
+    mrSHA = currentCommitInfo[1].split()[2]
+
+
+def checkBranch(pipeLine):
+    return pipeLine['ref'] == currentBranch
+
+
+def checkCommit(pipeLine):
+    sha = pipeLine['sha']
+    if headIsMergeCommit:
+        return sha == headSHA or sha == preSHA or mrSHA in sha
+    return sha == headSHA
+
+
+def skip(pipeLine):
+    jobs = getPipeLineJobs(apiURL, token, pipeLine['id'])
+    jobNames = [j['name'] for j in jobs]
+    return any(j in jobNames for j in args['exclude_jobs'])
+
+
+if args['look_for'] == 'HEAD':
+    pipeLine = findPipeline(
+        pipeLines, lambda p: checkCommit(p) and not skip(p)
+    )
+elif args['look_for'] == 'latest':
+    pipeLine = findPipeline(
+        pipeLines, lambda p: checkBranch(p) and not skip(p)
+    )
+
+if pipeLine is not None:
+    if args['print_format'] == 'pipeline-id':
+        print(pipeLine['id'])
+    elif args['print_format'] == 'commit-sha':
+        print(pipeLine['sha'])
+else:
+    sys.exit('Could not find a succesful pipeline')
diff --git a/bin/util/common.py b/bin/util/common.py
index 5dbba0dba23e1921b8979bc621ad845464acd5ac..70296eba3b87a21baecbb1f0e56fab3af711301d 100644
--- a/bin/util/common.py
+++ b/bin/util/common.py
@@ -2,24 +2,38 @@ import os
 import sys
 import functools
 import subprocess
+import traceback
+
+
+def getCommandErrorHints(command):
+    if "git " in command:
+        return "It seems that a git command failed. Please check:\n" \
+               "    -- is the module registered as git repository?\n" \
+               "    -- is upstream defined for the branch?"
+    return None
+
 
 # execute a command and retrieve the output
-def runCommand(command):
+def runCommand(command, suppressTraceBack=False, errorMessage=''):
     try:
-        return subprocess.run(command, shell=True, check=True,
-                                       text=True, capture_output=True).stdout
-    except Exception as e:
-        print()
-        print("An error occurred during subprocess run:")
-        print("-- command: {}".format(command))
-        print("-- folder: {}".format(os.getcwd()))
-        print("-- error: {}".format(sys.exc_info()[1]))
-        if "git " in command:
-            print()
-            print("It seems that a git command failed. Please check:\n" \
-                  "    -- is the module registered as git repository?\n" \
-                  "    -- is upstream defined for the branch?\n")
-        raise
+        return subprocess.run(command,
+                              shell=True, check=True,
+                              text=True, capture_output=True).stdout
+    except Exception:
+        eType, eValue, eTraceback = sys.exc_info()
+        if suppressTraceBack:
+            traceback.print_exception(eType, eType(errorMessage), None)
+        elif errorMessage:
+            traceback.print_exception(eType, eType(errorMessage), eTraceback)
+        else:
+            print("An error occurred during subprocess run:")
+            print("-- command: {}".format(command))
+            print("-- folder: {}".format(os.getcwd()))
+            traceback.print_exception(eType, eValue, eTraceback)
+            hints = getCommandErrorHints(command)
+            if hints is not None:
+                print(hints)
+
 
 # decorator to call function from within the given path
 def callFromPath(path):