diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 430826646..654c87040 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ restore-workspace: &restore-workspace
 restore-cache: &restore-cache
   restore_cache:
     keys:
-      - cargo-v1-{{ checksum "rust-toolchain" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.toml" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.lock" }}-{{ arch }}
+      - cargo-v2-{{ checksum "rust-toolchain" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.toml" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.lock" }}-{{ arch }}
       - repo-source-{{ .Branch }}-{{ .Revision }}
 
 commands:
@@ -23,20 +23,9 @@ commands:
     steps:
       - *restore-workspace
       - *restore-cache
-      - setup_remote_docker:
-          docker_layer_caching: true
-      # TODO: move into image
-      - run:
-          name: Install Docker client
-          command: |
-            set -x
-            VER="18.09.2"
-            curl -L -o /tmp/docker-$VER.tgz https://download.docker.com/linux/static/stable/x86_64/docker-$VER.tgz
-            tar -xz -C /tmp -f /tmp/docker-$VER.tgz
-            mv /tmp/docker/* /usr/bin
       - run:
           name: Test (<< parameters.target >>)
-          command: TARGET=<< parameters.target >> ci/run.sh
+          command: TARGET=<< parameters.target >> ci_scripts/run-rust-test.sh
           no_output_timeout: 15m
 
 jobs:
@@ -52,7 +41,7 @@ jobs:
           command: cargo generate-lockfile
       - restore_cache:
           keys:
-            - cargo-v1-{{ checksum "rust-toolchain" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.toml" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.lock" }}-{{ arch }}
+            - cargo-v2-{{ checksum "rust-toolchain" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.toml" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.lock" }}-{{ arch }}
       - run: rustup install $(cat rust-toolchain)
       - run: rustup default $(cat rust-toolchain)
       - run: rustup component add --toolchain $(cat rust-toolchain) rustfmt
@@ -61,13 +50,14 @@ jobs:
       - run: cargo fetch
       - run: rustc +stable --version
       - run: rustc +$(cat rust-toolchain) --version
-      - run: rm -rf .git
+      # make sure this git repo doesn't grow too big
+      - run: git gc
       - persist_to_workspace:
           root: /mnt
           paths:
             - crate
       - save_cache:
-          key: cargo-v1-{{ checksum "rust-toolchain" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.toml" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.lock" }}-{{ arch }}
+          key: cargo-v2-{{ checksum "rust-toolchain" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.toml" }}-{{ checksum "Cargo.lock" }}-{{ arch }}
           paths:
             - "~/.cargo"
             - "~/.rustup"
@@ -102,7 +92,7 @@ jobs:
       - run: cargo fetch
       - run:
           name: Test
-          command: TARGET=x86_64-apple-darwin ci/run.sh
+          command: TARGET=x86_64-apple-darwin ci_scripts/run-rust-test.sh
 
   test_x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu:
     executor: default
@@ -124,18 +114,18 @@ jobs:
 
 
   build_test_docs_wheel:
-    machine: True
-    steps:
-      - checkout
-      # - run: docker pull deltachat/doxygen
-      - run: docker pull deltachat/coredeps
-      - run:
-          name: build docs, run tests and build wheels
-          command: ci_scripts/ci_run.sh
-          environment:
+    docker:
+      - image: deltachat/coredeps
+        environment:
             TESTS: 1
             DOCS: 1
-
+    working_directory: /mnt/crate
+    steps:
+      - *restore-workspace
+      - *restore-cache
+      - run:
+          name: build docs, run tests and build wheels
+          command: ci_scripts/run-python.sh
       - run:
            name: copying docs and wheels to workspace
            command: |
@@ -143,7 +133,6 @@ jobs:
              # cp -av docs workspace/c-docs
              cp -av python/.docker-tox/wheelhouse workspace/
              cp -av python/doc/_build/ workspace/py-docs
-
       - persist_to_workspace:
           root: workspace
           paths:
@@ -176,15 +165,16 @@ workflows:
 
   test:
     jobs:
-      - build_test_docs_wheel
+      - cargo_fetch
+      - build_test_docs_wheel:
+          requires:
+            - cargo_fetch
       - upload_docs_wheels:
           requires:
             - build_test_docs_wheel
-      - cargo_fetch
       - rustfmt:
           requires:
             - cargo_fetch
-
       - clippy:
           requires:
             - cargo_fetch
diff --git a/ci_scripts/ci_run.sh b/ci_scripts/ci_run.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index a8c38e5f6..000000000
--- a/ci_scripts/ci_run.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-# perform CI jobs on PRs and after merges to master.
-# triggered from .circleci/config.yml
-
-set -e -x
-
-export BRANCH=${CIRCLE_BRANCH:-test7}
-    
-# run doxygen on c-source (needed by later doc-generation steps).
-# XXX modifies the host filesystem docs/xml and docs/html directories
-# XXX which you can then only remove with sudo as they belong to root
-
-# XXX we don't do doxygen doc generation with Rust anymore, needs to be
-# substituted with rust-docs 
-#if [ -n "$DOCS" ] ; then 
-#    docker run --rm -it -v $PWD:/mnt -w /mnt/docs deltachat/doxygen doxygen
-#fi
-
-# run everything else inside docker (TESTS, DOCS, WHEELS) 
-docker run -e DCC_PY_LIVECONFIG -e BRANCH -e TESTS -e DOCS \
-           --rm -it -v $(pwd):/mnt -w /mnt \
-           deltachat/coredeps ci_scripts/run_all.sh
-
diff --git a/ci_scripts/run_all.sh b/ci_scripts/run-python.sh
similarity index 63%
rename from ci_scripts/run_all.sh
rename to ci_scripts/run-python.sh
index a55fb5129..f7fe602b4 100755
--- a/ci_scripts/run_all.sh
+++ b/ci_scripts/run-python.sh
@@ -36,20 +36,21 @@ if [ -n "$TESTS" ]; then
     rm -rf src/deltachat/__pycache__
     export PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1
 
-    # run tox
-    # XXX we don't run liveconfig tests because they hang sometimes
-    # see https://github.com/deltachat/deltachat-core-rust/issues/331
-    # unset DCC_PY_LIVECONFIG
+    # run tox. The circle-ci project env-var-setting DCC_PY_LIVECONFIG 
+    # allows running of "liveconfig" tests but for speed reasons
+    # we run them only for the highest python version we support
 
-    tox --workdir "$TOXWORKDIR" -e lint,py35,py36,py37,auditwheels -- -k "not qr"
-    tox --workdir "$TOXWORKDIR" -e py35,py36,py37 -- -k "qr"
+    tox --workdir "$TOXWORKDIR" -e py37 
+    unset DCC_PY_LIVECONFIG
+    tox --workdir "$TOXWORKDIR" -p4 -e lint,py35,py36,doc
+    tox --workdir "$TOXWORKDIR" -e auditwheels
     popd
 fi
 
 
-if [ -n "$DOCS" ]; then
-    echo -----------------------
-    echo generating python docs
-    echo -----------------------
-    (cd python && tox --workdir "$TOXWORKDIR" -e doc)
-fi
+# if [ -n "$DOCS" ]; then
+#     echo -----------------------
+#     echo generating python docs
+#     echo -----------------------
+#     (cd python && tox --workdir "$TOXWORKDIR" -e doc)
+# fi
diff --git a/ci/run.sh b/ci_scripts/run-rust-test.sh
similarity index 92%
rename from ci/run.sh
rename to ci_scripts/run-rust-test.sh
index e61a4abbc..1b922f1b4 100755
--- a/ci/run.sh
+++ b/ci_scripts/run-rust-test.sh
@@ -39,8 +39,4 @@ fi
 
 # Run all the test configurations:
 $CARGO_CMD $CARGO_SUBCMD $OPT
-$CARGO_CMD $CARGO_SUBCMD $OPT_RELEASE
 $CARGO_CMD $CARGO_SUBCMD $OPT_RELEASE_IGNORED
-
-# Build the ffi lib
-$CARGO_CMD $CARGO_SUBCMD $OPT_FFI_RELEASE
diff --git a/python/tests/test_increation.py b/python/tests/test_increation.py
index b43d5552c..97f906453 100644
--- a/python/tests/test_increation.py
+++ b/python/tests/test_increation.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ from deltachat import const
 from conftest import wait_configuration_progress, wait_msgs_changed
 
 
-class TestInCreation:
+class TestOnlineInCreation:
     def test_forward_increation(self, acfactory, data, lp):
         ac1 = acfactory.get_online_configuring_account()
         ac2 = acfactory.get_online_configuring_account()
diff --git a/python/tox.ini b/python/tox.ini
index 51392338d..a61e033ef 100644
--- a/python/tox.ini
+++ b/python/tox.ini
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ deps =
     pytest-rerunfailures
     pytest-timeout
     pytest-xdist
-    auditwheel
     pdbpp
     requests
 
 [testenv:auditwheels]
 skipsdist = True
+deps = auditwheel
 commands = 
     python tests/auditwheels.py {toxworkdir}/wheelhouse
 
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ commands =
 [testenv:doc]
 basepython = python3.5
 deps =
-    sphinx==2.0.1
+    sphinx==2.2.0
     breathe
 
 changedir = doc