diff --git a/.github/workflows/asan_ubsan_build.yml b/.github/workflows/asan_ubsan_build.yml
index 8136d8cf4..96893c758 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/asan_ubsan_build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/asan_ubsan_build.yml
@@ -32,11 +32,10 @@ jobs:
       shell: bash
 
     - name: Run ecal_pn config
+      continue-on-error: true
       run: |
         just setenv LDMX_NUM_EVENTS=1500
         just setenv LDMX_RUN_NUMBER=1
-        export LDMX_NUM_EVENTS=15
-        export LDMX_RUN_NUMBER=1
         just fire  ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/.github/validation_samples/ecal_pn/config.py 2> output.log
       shell: bash
 
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
index 6be250664..a9dbc9251 100644
--- a/justfile
+++ b/justfile
@@ -59,25 +59,28 @@ install-denv:
 
 # configure how ldmx-sw will be built
 # added ADDITIONAL_WARNINGS and CLANG_TIDY to help improve code quality
-configure *CONFIG:
-    denv cmake -B build -S .  -DADDITIONAL_WARNINGS=ON  -DENABLE_CLANG_TIDY=ON  {{ CONFIG }}
+# base configure command defining how cmake is called, private so only experts call it
+[private]
+configure-base *CONFIG:
+    denv cmake -B build -S . {{ CONFIG }}
+
+# default configure of build when developing
+configure *CONFIG: (configure-base "-DADDITIONAL_WARNINGS=ON -DENABLE_CLANG_TIDY=ON" CONFIG)
 
 # configure minimal option for faster compilation
-configure-quick *CONFIG: 
-    denv cmake -B build -S . {{ CONFIG }}
+configure-quick: (configure-base)
 
-# Configure with Address Sanitizer (ASAN) and  UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer (UBSan)
-configure-asan-ubsan: (configure-quick "-DENABLE_SANITIZER_UNDEFINED_BEHAVIOR=ON -DENABLE_SANITIZER_ADDRESS=ON")
+# configure with Address Sanitizer (ASAN) and  UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer (UBSan)
+configure-asan-ubsan: (configure-base "-DENABLE_SANITIZER_UNDEFINED_BEHAVIOR=ON -DENABLE_SANITIZER_ADDRESS=ON")
 
 # This is the same as just configure but reports all (non-3rd-party) warnings as errors
-configure-force-error *CONFIG: (configure "-DWARNINGS_AS_ERRORS=ON" CONFIG)
+configure-force-error: (configure "-DWARNINGS_AS_ERRORS=ON")
 
-# This is an alternative compiler (clang) together with enabling the LTO sanitizer
-# This is very helpful but for now it optimizes away our module linking, use for testing only
+# Use alternative compiler and enable LTO (test compiling only, won't run properly)
 configure-clang-lto: (configure "-DENABLE_LTO=ON -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=clang++ -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang") 
 
-configure-gdb: (configure-quick "-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug")
-
+# Keep debug symbols so running with gdb provides more helpful detail
+configure-gdb: (configure-base "-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug")
 # compile and install ldmx-sw
 build ncpu=num_cpus():
     denv cmake --build build --target install -- -j{{ ncpu }}