diff --git a/pkgs/argonix/pin.json b/pkgs/argonix/pin.json
index c25f81a441f4026e9743dcef6807ddf6b2ad3afa..e8210cbc75f239b9ac7a821449295418d4558d04 100644
--- a/pkgs/argonix/pin.json
+++ b/pkgs/argonix/pin.json
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
   "fetch": {
     "args": {
       "fetchSubmodules": false,
-      "rev": "d25ab860203ed9cefea147b4314a48a81e53ecf4",
-      "sha256": "0icd2plv1n6dqh58rg1wvclh5xikr8ba1dm5ck8dfbfp3xdppsdb",
+      "rev": "3ce333e2ae14f11e47d537c21f8e02afe89e7d97",
+      "sha256": "0dwzi1pdbj3hzqwilwfh8ygg9xb767232p8bcf53ysicih5lm53a",
       "url": "https://xgitlab.cels.anl.gov/argo/argonix.git"
     },
     "fn": "fetchgit"
diff --git a/pkgs/argotk/pin.json b/pkgs/argotk/pin.json
index a1cc977a7dff2b61695e28f65f22419af0de10ed..f6e5385bac4af2f804d4a7cf57b225b3217295dd 100644
--- a/pkgs/argotk/pin.json
+++ b/pkgs/argotk/pin.json
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
   "fetch": {
     "args": {
       "fetchSubmodules": false,
-      "rev": "42e018b0928bd3e162e8a2399fe008ade0974295",
-      "sha256": "00ai13grjjmxgxs0r8i92dvlvlp6qdxwd8a0v8kmlnn4q3cjm4dp",
+      "rev": "021f3476bc3e39a8cc9891023a4884e42726373f",
+      "sha256": "06zb8hrrnwk85bxm6mp1iaxdsrqqbbra2ic7nglw7l71zzf1x4h9",
       "url": "https://xgitlab.cels.anl.gov/argo/argotk.git"
     },
     "fn": "fetchgit"
diff --git a/pkgs/default.nix b/pkgs/default.nix
index 6841afb568c37ac12fe26f3edc28723a694eda8e..a33b3c141cb184461b54e27c4698779c2aa4187f 100644
--- a/pkgs/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/default.nix
@@ -111,6 +111,8 @@ let
       installPhase = "mkdir $$out";
       unpackPhase = "true";
 
+      __noChroot = true;
+
       buildInputs =  [
         # argotk runs mpiexec:
         pkgs.mpich2
@@ -128,7 +130,15 @@ let
         # sample application for testing progress reports:
         (stream.override {libnrm = libnrm; iterationCount = "20";})
       ];
-      shellHook ="source ${argotk}/share/argotk.sh"; # bash completion
+      shellHook =''
+        echo ""
+        echo "ENTERING ENVIRONMENT: Sources of impurity for this build are: /tmp/ /etc/argo/ /var/run/ /var/lock/".
+        echo "ENTERING ENVIRONMENT: Moreover, sandboxing is disabled, in particular because of:"
+        echo "ENTERING ENVIRONMENT: /tmp/nrm-* sockets, /etc/argo, /var/run/, /var/lock/ which all need read access. "
+        echo "ENTERING ENVIRONMENT: until these components are patched to allow for alternative paths, no sandbox use is possible."
+        source ${argotk}/share/argotk.sh
+        echo ""
+      ''; # bash completion
       ARGOTK_SHARE = "${argotk}/share"; # for argotk to find its versioned data
       #SUDO = builtins.toPath sudoPath;
     };
@@ -140,6 +150,8 @@ let
       OPENMC_PWD = "${argotk}/share/openmc";
     });
 
+    debug = doArgotk "TestListen";
+
     doArgotk = command: test.overrideAttrs (old:{
       buildPhase = "argotk "+command;
       installPhase = ''