diff --git a/config/common.txt b/config/common.txt
index f601f9f..970e881 100644
--- a/config/common.txt
+++ b/config/common.txt
@@ -4,9 +4,6 @@
 # These are low-level tools needed to build local packages
 # and parse pip dependencies with pipgrip.
 #
-conda-build
-conda-verify
-compilers
 setuptools
 pip
 wheel
diff --git a/deploy/install_nersc_tag.sh b/deploy/install_nersc_tag.sh
index 3284b14..124664a 100755
--- a/deploy/install_nersc_tag.sh
+++ b/deploy/install_nersc_tag.sh
@@ -39,13 +39,13 @@ fi
 # always created.
 
 # Update the persistent git checkout and find the most recent tag
-pushd "${git_dir}" >/dev/null 2>&1
+pushd "${git_dir}" 2>&1 >/dev/null
 git checkout main
 git fetch --tags
 git rebase origin/main
 git remote prune origin
 latest=$(git describe --tags $(git rev-list --tags --max-count=1))
-popd >/dev/null 2>&1
+popd 2>&1 >/dev/null
 
 # See if we already have this tag installed
 found=no
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ today=$(date +%Y%m%d)
 log_file="${log_dir}/check_tags_${host}_${now}"
 
 # Create the log file
-echo "Starting at ${now}" > "${log_file}" 2>&1
+echo "Starting at ${now}" 2>&1 > "${log_file}"
 
 # Get the module file version that will be installed
 mod_ver="${today}_${latest}"
@@ -83,9 +83,9 @@ send_log=no
 annoy="${git_dir}/.already_annoyed"
 remain=$(get_common_free_gb)
 if (( remain < typical )); then
-    echo "Only ${remain} GB are available in /global/common/software/sobs" >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
-    echo "Installing latest tag requires approximately ${typical} GB" >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
-    echo "SKIPPING until disk space is cleared." >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
+    echo "Only ${remain} GB are available in /global/common/software/sobs" 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
+    echo "Installing latest tag requires approximately ${typical} GB" 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
+    echo "SKIPPING until disk space is cleared." 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
     if [ ! -e "${annoy}" ]; then
         send_log=yes
         touch "${annoy}"
@@ -93,16 +93,16 @@ if (( remain < typical )); then
 else
     send_log=yes
     rm -f "${git_dir}/.already_annoyed"
-    echo "Latest tag '${latest}' not found, installing..." >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
-    echo "Note: ${remain} GB are available in /global/common/software/sobs" >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
-    echo "Installing latest tag requires approximately ${typical} GB" >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
+    echo "Latest tag '${latest}' not found, installing..." 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
+    echo "Note: ${remain} GB are available in /global/common/software/sobs" 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
+    echo "Installing latest tag requires approximately ${typical} GB" 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
     install_log=$(eval "${git_dir}/deploy/install_${host}.sh" "${latest}")
     if [ -f "${install_log}" ]; then
         # There were no errors, and the log file was returned
-        cat "${install_log}" >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
+        cat "${install_log}" 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
     else
         # The script must have printed out some errors
-        echo "${install_log}" >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
+        echo "${install_log}" 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
     fi
 fi
 
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ if [ -e "${mod_latest}" ]; then
     rm -f "${mod_dir}/stable.lua" \
     && ln -s "${mod_latest}" "${mod_dir}/stable.lua"
 else
-    echo "ERROR:  module file ${mod_latest} was not created- leaving stable symlink" >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
+    echo "ERROR:  module file ${mod_latest} was not created- leaving stable symlink" 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
 fi
 
 echo "Finished installing tag '${latest}' on host ${NERSC_HOST} at $(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)" >> "${log_file}"
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ if [ "${send_log}" = "yes" ]; then
     slack_web_hook=${SLACKBOT_SOCONDA}
 
     if [ "x${slack_web_hook}" = "x" ]; then
-        echo "Environment variable SLACKBOT_SOCONDA not set- skipping notifications" >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
+        echo "Environment variable SLACKBOT_SOCONDA not set- skipping notifications" 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
     else
         # Create the JSON payload.
         slackjson="${log_file}_slack.json"
@@ -132,6 +132,6 @@ if [ "${send_log}" = "yes" ]; then
         echo -e "{\"text\":\"soconda install tag (log at \`${log_file}\`):\n\`\`\`$(head -n ${headtail} ${log_file} | sed -e "s|'|\\\'|g")\`\`\`\n(Snip)\n\`\`\`$(tail -n ${headtail} ${log_file} | sed -e "s|'|\\\'|g")\`\`\`\"}" > "${slackjson}"
         # Post it.
         slackerror=$(curl -X POST -H 'Content-type: application/json' --data "$(cat ${slackjson})" ${slack_web_hook})
-        echo "Slack API post  ${slackerror}" >> "${log_file}" 2>&1
+        echo "Slack API post  ${slackerror}" 2>&1 >> "${log_file}"
     fi
 fi
diff --git a/deploy/install_perlmutter.sh b/deploy/install_perlmutter.sh
index 397430c..206690b 100755
--- a/deploy/install_perlmutter.sh
+++ b/deploy/install_perlmutter.sh
@@ -49,12 +49,13 @@ if [ -d "${clone_dir}" ]; then
     rm -rf "${clone_dir}"
 fi
 
-git clone --depth=1 --single-branch --branch=${version} https://github.com/simonsobs/soconda.git "${clone_dir}" >> "${logfile}" 2>&1
+git clone --depth=1 --single-branch --branch=${version} https://github.com/simonsobs/soconda.git "${clone_dir}" 2>&1 >> "${logfile}"
 
 # Activate the base environment and keep it up to date.
 source "${base_dir}/etc/profile.d/conda.sh"
-conda activate base >> "${logfile}" 2>&1
-conda update --yes --all -n base >> "${logfile}" 2>&1
+conda activate base 2>&1 >> "${logfile}"
+conda update --yes -n base conda conda-build 2>&1 >> "${logfile}"
+conda update --yes --all -n base 2>&1 >> "${logfile}"
 
 # Build things from the temp directory
 
@@ -68,14 +69,14 @@ eval "${clone_dir}/soconda.sh" \
     -c "perlmutter" \
     -e "${env_name}" \
     -v "${env_version}" \
-    -m "${module_dir}" >> "${logfile}" 2>&1
+    -m "${module_dir}" 2>&1 >> "${logfile}"
 
 popd 2>&1 >/dev/null
 popd 2>&1 >/dev/null
 
 # Update permissions
-chmod -R g-w,g+rX "${env_name}_${env_version}" >> "${logfile}" 2>&1
-chmod -R g-w,g+rX "${module_dir}/soconda" >> "${logfile}" 2>&1
+chmod -R g-w,g+rX "${env_name}_${env_version}" 2>&1 >> "${logfile}"
+chmod -R g-w,g+rX "${module_dir}/soconda" 2>&1 >> "${logfile}"
 
 # Return name of log file
 echo "${logfile}"
diff --git a/soconda.sh b/soconda.sh
index 017642d..8e9a224 100755
--- a/soconda.sh
+++ b/soconda.sh
@@ -230,11 +230,6 @@ fi
 # conda command is availabe in both micromamba and miniforge installation.
 # If you run $(which conda) command it should return $CONDA_PREFIX/bin/conda
 # in both cases.
-mkdir -p "${CONDA_PREFIX}/conda-bld"
-conda index "${CONDA_PREFIX}/conda-bld"
-conda config \
-    --file "${CONDA_PREFIX}/.condarc" \
-    --add channels "file://${CONDA_PREFIX}/conda-bld"
 
 while IFS='' read -r line || [[ -n "${line}" ]]; do
     # Is this line commented?
@@ -258,7 +253,7 @@ conda build purge
 rm -rf "${conda_tmp}" &> /dev/null
 
 # Remove /tmp/pixell-* test files create by pixell/setup.py
-find /tmp -maxdepth 1 -type f -name 'pixell-*' -exec rm {} \;
+find "/tmp" -maxdepth 1 -type f -name 'pixell-*' -exec rm {} \;
 
 
 # Install pip packages.  We install one package at a time
diff --git a/tools/bootstrap_base.sh b/tools/bootstrap_base.sh
index b63f011..ff5f5a4 100755
--- a/tools/bootstrap_base.sh
+++ b/tools/bootstrap_base.sh
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ bash "${inst}" -b -f -p "${base}"
 source "${base}/etc/profile.d/conda.sh"
 conda activate base
 conda update -n base --yes conda
-conda install -n base --yes conda-libmamba-solver
+conda install -n base --yes conda-libmamba-solver conda-build
 conda deactivate
 
 # Create base config file