diff --git a/.github/workflows/nightly-uds-core.yaml b/.github/workflows/nightly-uds-core.yaml
index 57de7c1b..e626d477 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nightly-uds-core.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nightly-uds-core.yaml
@@ -37,18 +37,10 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           chmod +x build/uds
 
-      - name: install-k3d
+      - name: Install-k3d
         run: "curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/k3d-io/k3d/main/install.sh | bash"
         shell: bash
 
-      - name: Deploy UDS Core bundle
-        # renovate: datasource=github-tags depName=defenseunicorns/uds-core versioning=semver
-        run: build/uds deploy k3d-core-istio-dev:0.16.1 --confirm
-        shell: bash
-
-      - name: Validate UDS Core deployment
-        run: |
-          build/uds zarf tools wait-for gateway admin-gateway -n istio-admin-gateway --timeout 10s
-          build/uds zarf tools wait-for gateway passthrough-gateway -n istio-passthrough-gateway --timeout 10s
-          build/uds zarf tools wait-for gateway tenant-gateway -n istio-tenant-gateway --timeout 10s
+      - name: Run UDS Core smoke test
+        run: build/uds run test:ci-uds-core-smoke-test
         shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
index 3e1e6738..2cf61a11 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -79,6 +79,10 @@ jobs:
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN
 
+      - name: Run UDS Core smoke test
+        run: build/uds run test:ci-uds-core-smoke-test
+        shell: bash
+
       - name: Save logs
         if: always()
         uses: ./.github/actions/save-logs
diff --git a/src/pkg/sources/common.go b/src/pkg/sources/common.go
index 7f47b252..d302af2a 100644
--- a/src/pkg/sources/common.go
+++ b/src/pkg/sources/common.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 package sources
 
 import (
+	"github.com/defenseunicorns/zarf/src/pkg/packager/filters"
 	zarfTypes "github.com/defenseunicorns/zarf/src/types"
 )
 
@@ -33,3 +34,13 @@ func setAsYOLO(pkg *zarfTypes.ZarfPackage) {
 		pkg.Components[idx].Repos = []string{}
 	}
 }
+
+// handleFilter filters components and checks if a package is a partial package by checking its number of components
+func handleFilter(pkg zarfTypes.ZarfPackage, filter filters.ComponentFilterStrategy) ([]zarfTypes.ZarfComponent, bool, error) {
+	numComponents := len(pkg.Components)
+	filteredComps, err := filter.Apply(pkg)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, false, err
+	}
+	return filteredComps, numComponents > len(filteredComps), nil
+}
diff --git a/src/pkg/sources/remote.go b/src/pkg/sources/remote.go
index 825bc616..7dc30537 100644
--- a/src/pkg/sources/remote.go
+++ b/src/pkg/sources/remote.go
@@ -57,15 +57,15 @@ func (r *RemoteBundle) LoadPackage(dst *layout.PackagePaths, filter filters.Comp
 		return zarfTypes.ZarfPackage{}, nil, nil
 	}
 
-	pkg.Components, err = filter.Apply(pkg)
+	// filter pkg components and determine if its a partial pkg
+	filteredComps, isPartialPkg, err := handleFilter(pkg, filter)
 	if err != nil {
-		return pkg, nil, err
+		return zarfTypes.ZarfPackage{}, nil, err
 	}
+	pkg.Components = filteredComps
 
 	dst.SetFromLayers(layers)
 
-	isPartialPkg := r.PkgOpts.OptionalComponents != ""
-
 	err = sources.ValidatePackageIntegrity(dst, pkg.Metadata.AggregateChecksum, isPartialPkg)
 	if err != nil {
 		return zarfTypes.ZarfPackage{}, nil, err
diff --git a/src/pkg/sources/tarball.go b/src/pkg/sources/tarball.go
index 0917aa5a..051c3256 100644
--- a/src/pkg/sources/tarball.go
+++ b/src/pkg/sources/tarball.go
@@ -61,15 +61,15 @@ func (t *TarballBundle) LoadPackage(dst *layout.PackagePaths, filter filters.Com
 		return zarfTypes.ZarfPackage{}, nil, nil
 	}
 
-	pkg.Components, err = filter.Apply(pkg)
+	// filter pkg components and determine if its a partial pkg
+	filteredComps, isPartialPkg, err := handleFilter(pkg, filter)
 	if err != nil {
-		return pkg, nil, err
+		return zarfTypes.ZarfPackage{}, nil, err
 	}
+	pkg.Components = filteredComps
 
 	dst.SetFromPaths(files)
 
-	isPartialPkg := t.PkgOpts.OptionalComponents != ""
-
 	if err := sources.ValidatePackageIntegrity(dst, pkg.Metadata.AggregateChecksum, isPartialPkg); err != nil {
 		return zarfTypes.ZarfPackage{}, nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/src/test/bundles/14-optional-components/uds-bundle.yaml b/src/test/bundles/14-optional-components/uds-bundle.yaml
index e9486981..d41549af 100644
--- a/src/test/bundles/14-optional-components/uds-bundle.yaml
+++ b/src/test/bundles/14-optional-components/uds-bundle.yaml
@@ -5,14 +5,21 @@ metadata:
   version: 0.0.1
 
 packages:
+  - name: init
+    repository: ghcr.io/defenseunicorns/packages/init
+    # renovate: datasource=github-tags depName=defenseunicorns/zarf
+    ref: v0.34.0
+
+  # deploys prometheus as a required component and upload-image as an optional component (with noOptionalComponents key)
   - name: prometheus
     repository: localhost:888/prometheus
     ref: 0.0.1
     optionalComponents:
       - upload-image
 
-  - name: podinfo-and-nginx
-    path: ../../packages/podinfo-and-nginx
+  # deploys podinfo as an optional component and apache as a required component
+  - name: podinfo-nginx-apache
+    path: ../../packages/podinfo-nginx
     ref: 0.0.1
     optionalComponents:
       - podinfo
diff --git a/src/test/e2e/optional_bundle_test.go b/src/test/e2e/optional_bundle_test.go
index 4f53ceb1..13a52f2f 100644
--- a/src/test/e2e/optional_bundle_test.go
+++ b/src/test/e2e/optional_bundle_test.go
@@ -17,12 +17,11 @@ import (
 )
 
 func TestBundleOptionalComponents(t *testing.T) {
-	deployZarfInit(t)
 	e2e.SetupDockerRegistry(t, 888)
 	defer e2e.TeardownRegistry(t, 888)
 
 	// create 2 Zarf pkgs to be bundled
-	zarfPkgPath := "src/test/packages/podinfo-and-nginx"
+	zarfPkgPath := "src/test/packages/podinfo-nginx"
 	e2e.CreateZarfPkg(t, zarfPkgPath, false)
 
 	zarfPkgPath = "src/test/packages/prometheus"
@@ -90,8 +89,8 @@ func introspectOptionalComponentsBundle(t *testing.T) {
 	err = json.Unmarshal(rootManifesBytes, &bundleRootManifest)
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
-	// grab the first pkg (note that it came from a remote source)
-	pkgManifestBytes, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(blobsDir, bundleRootManifest.Layers[0].Digest.Encoded()))
+	// grab the second pkg (note that it came from a remote source)
+	pkgManifestBytes, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(blobsDir, bundleRootManifest.Layers[1].Digest.Encoded()))
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	remotePkgManifest := ocispec.Manifest{}
 	err = json.Unmarshal(pkgManifestBytes, &remotePkgManifest)
@@ -112,8 +111,8 @@ func introspectOptionalComponentsBundle(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	require.True(t, verifyComponentNotIncluded)
 
-	// grab the second pkg (note that it came from a local source)
-	pkgManifestBytes, err = os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(blobsDir, bundleRootManifest.Layers[1].Digest.Encoded()))
+	// grab the third pkg (note that it came from a local source)
+	pkgManifestBytes, err = os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(blobsDir, bundleRootManifest.Layers[2].Digest.Encoded()))
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 	localPkgManifest := ocispec.Manifest{}
 	err = json.Unmarshal(pkgManifestBytes, &localPkgManifest)
diff --git a/src/test/packages/podinfo-and-nginx/zarf.yaml b/src/test/packages/podinfo-nginx/zarf.yaml
similarity index 92%
rename from src/test/packages/podinfo-and-nginx/zarf.yaml
rename to src/test/packages/podinfo-nginx/zarf.yaml
index 09c8c62e..eb0dd34a 100644
--- a/src/test/packages/podinfo-and-nginx/zarf.yaml
+++ b/src/test/packages/podinfo-nginx/zarf.yaml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 kind: ZarfPackageConfig
 metadata:
-  name: podinfo-and-nginx
+  name: podinfo-nginx-apache
   description: used to test bundles with optional components
   version: 0.0.1
 
diff --git a/tasks/tests.yaml b/tasks/tests.yaml
index 606c967b..647c7411 100644
--- a/tasks/tests.yaml
+++ b/tasks/tests.yaml
@@ -36,3 +36,12 @@ tasks:
     description: removes bundles and zarf packages that have been created from previous test runs
     actions:
       - cmd: find src/test -type f -name '*.tar.zst' -delete
+
+  - name: ci-uds-core-smoke-test
+    description: deploy UDS Core and runs a couple of validations
+    actions:
+      - cmd: build/uds deploy k3d-core-istio-dev:0.16.1 --confirm
+      - cmd: |
+          build/uds zarf tools wait-for gateway admin-gateway -n istio-admin-gateway --timeout 10s
+          build/uds zarf tools wait-for gateway admin-gateway -n istio-admin-gateway --timeout 10s
+          build/uds zarf tools wait-for gateway admin-gateway -n istio-admin-gateway --timeout 10s