diff --git a/cmd/vela-worker/exec.go b/cmd/vela-worker/exec.go
index d5d7f7a3..a7a14fed 100644
--- a/cmd/vela-worker/exec.go
+++ b/cmd/vela-worker/exec.go
@@ -141,6 +141,12 @@ func (w *Worker) exec(index int, config *api.Worker) error {
 			return err
 		}
 
+		for _, wabba := range p.Stages {
+			for _, wobba := range wabba.Steps {
+				fmt.Printf("\n\n NAME: %s, STATUS: %s, STAGE STATUS: %s\n\n", wobba.Name, wobba.Ruleset.If.Status, wobba.Ruleset.If.StageStatus)
+			}
+		}
+
 		break
 	}
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 851544d1..df704663 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ services:
   # https://go-vela.github.io/docs/administration/server/
   server:
     container_name: server
-    image: target/vela-server:latest
+    image: server:local
     networks:
       - vela
     environment:
diff --git a/executor/linux/build.go b/executor/linux/build.go
index f6665ee6..f739dc01 100644
--- a/executor/linux/build.go
+++ b/executor/linux/build.go
@@ -467,7 +467,7 @@ func (c *client) ExecBuild(ctx context.Context) error {
 		// check if the step should be skipped
 		//
 		// https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/go-vela/worker/internal/step#Skip
-		skip, err := step.Skip(_step, c.build)
+		skip, err := step.Skip(_step, c.build, "")
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("unable to plan step: %w", c.err)
 		}
diff --git a/executor/linux/stage.go b/executor/linux/stage.go
index cfeff50b..f681d45e 100644
--- a/executor/linux/stage.go
+++ b/executor/linux/stage.go
@@ -119,6 +119,8 @@ func (c *client) ExecStage(ctx context.Context, s *pipeline.Stage, m *sync.Map)
 	// stop value determines when a stage's step series should stop executing
 	stop := false
 
+	stageStatus := c.build.GetStatus()
+
 	// execute the steps for the stage
 	for _, _step := range s.Steps {
 		// first check to see if we need to stop the stage before it even starts.
@@ -138,7 +140,7 @@ func (c *client) ExecStage(ctx context.Context, s *pipeline.Stage, m *sync.Map)
 		// check if the step should be skipped
 		//
 		// https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/go-vela/worker/internal/step#Skip
-		skip, err := step.Skip(_step, c.build)
+		skip, err := step.Skip(_step, c.build, stageStatus)
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("unable to plan step: %w", c.err)
 		}
@@ -214,6 +216,13 @@ func (c *client) ExecStage(ctx context.Context, s *pipeline.Stage, m *sync.Map)
 		// the continue rule is set to true.
 		if _step.ExitCode != 0 && !_step.Ruleset.Continue {
 			stop = true
+
+			// if stage is independent, set the stage status to failure
+			if s.Independent {
+				stageStatus = constants.StatusFailure
+			} else {
+				stageStatus = c.build.GetStatus()
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/executor/local/build.go b/executor/local/build.go
index 62be5b3f..df5cf576 100644
--- a/executor/local/build.go
+++ b/executor/local/build.go
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ func (c *client) ExecBuild(ctx context.Context) error {
 		// check if the step should be skipped
 		//
 		// https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/go-vela/worker/internal/step#Skip
-		skip, err := step.Skip(_step, c.build)
+		skip, err := step.Skip(_step, c.build, "")
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("unable to plan step: %w", c.err)
 		}
diff --git a/executor/local/stage.go b/executor/local/stage.go
index 611c385d..f3a11803 100644
--- a/executor/local/stage.go
+++ b/executor/local/stage.go
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func (c *client) ExecStage(ctx context.Context, s *pipeline.Stage, m *sync.Map)
 		// check if the step should be skipped
 		//
 		// https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/go-vela/worker/internal/step#Skip
-		skip, err := step.Skip(_step, c.build)
+		skip, err := step.Skip(_step, c.build, "")
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("unable to plan step: %w", c.err)
 		}
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 22ff2514..b5358bbe 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@ module github.com/go-vela/worker
 
 go 1.23.2
 
+replace (
+	github.com/go-vela/sdk-go => ../sdk-go
+	github.com/go-vela/server => ../server
+)
+
 require (
 	github.com/Masterminds/semver/v3 v3.3.0
 	github.com/distribution/reference v0.6.0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 2571aa1b..6e9d5184 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -109,10 +109,6 @@ github.com/go-playground/validator/v10 v10.22.1 h1:40JcKH+bBNGFczGuoBYgX4I6m/i27
 github.com/go-playground/validator/v10 v10.22.1/go.mod h1:dbuPbCMFw/DrkbEynArYaCwl3amGuJotoKCe95atGMM=
 github.com/go-task/slim-sprig/v3 v3.0.0 h1:sUs3vkvUymDpBKi3qH1YSqBQk9+9D/8M2mN1vB6EwHI=
 github.com/go-task/slim-sprig/v3 v3.0.0/go.mod h1:W848ghGpv3Qj3dhTPRyJypKRiqCdHZiAzKg9hl15HA8=
-github.com/go-vela/sdk-go v0.25.2-0.20241022142543-b9de2ce2abea h1:tdUe3vW8HCMutfmttFt3UE0hH8qHSz4PgQYs4Q2eBX0=
-github.com/go-vela/sdk-go v0.25.2-0.20241022142543-b9de2ce2abea/go.mod h1:4Q8UW6fLzke4SVU1dJBViZMOSfMiIKMGZ42lPrzk5WA=
-github.com/go-vela/server v0.25.1-0.20241022141112-a2b0d9146d65 h1:BepNezNRDLfookgMn81U9WB0/aMBxkqot9w8nLPWNhU=
-github.com/go-vela/server v0.25.1-0.20241022141112-a2b0d9146d65/go.mod h1:hdVkyyxnRtk+Vjs7nCnKEkwWmd9yVQUV5Akpt7BY6wg=
 github.com/goccy/go-json v0.10.3 h1:KZ5WoDbxAIgm2HNbYckL0se1fHD6rz5j4ywS6ebzDqA=
 github.com/goccy/go-json v0.10.3/go.mod h1:oq7eo15ShAhp70Anwd5lgX2pLfOS3QCiwU/PULtXL6M=
 github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2 h1:Ov1cvc58UF3b5XjBnZv7+opcTcQFZebYjWzi34vdm4Q=
diff --git a/internal/step/skip.go b/internal/step/skip.go
index ca08740b..f6039973 100644
--- a/internal/step/skip.go
+++ b/internal/step/skip.go
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import (
 // Skip creates the ruledata from the build and repository
 // information and returns true if the data does not match
 // the ruleset for the given container.
-func Skip(c *pipeline.Container, b *api.Build) (bool, error) {
+func Skip(c *pipeline.Container, b *api.Build, stageStatus string) (bool, error) {
 	// check if the container provided is empty
 	if c == nil {
 		return true, nil
@@ -29,11 +29,12 @@ func Skip(c *pipeline.Container, b *api.Build) (bool, error) {
 
 	// create ruledata from build and repository information
 	ruledata := &pipeline.RuleData{
-		Branch:   b.GetBranch(),
-		Event:    event,
-		Repo:     b.GetRepo().GetFullName(),
-		Status:   b.GetStatus(),
-		Parallel: c.Ruleset.If.Parallel,
+		Branch:      b.GetBranch(),
+		Event:       event,
+		Repo:        b.GetRepo().GetFullName(),
+		Status:      b.GetStatus(),
+		StageStatus: stageStatus,
+		Parallel:    c.Ruleset.If.Parallel,
 	}
 
 	// check if the build event is tag
diff --git a/internal/step/skip_test.go b/internal/step/skip_test.go
index f422c057..c03dbc3c 100644
--- a/internal/step/skip_test.go
+++ b/internal/step/skip_test.go
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ func TestStep_Skip(t *testing.T) {
 	// run test
 	for _, test := range tests {
 		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			got, err := Skip(test.container, test.build)
+			got, err := Skip(test.container, test.build, "")
 			if err != nil {
 				t.Errorf("Skip returned error: %s", err)
 			}