diff --git a/.github/actions/security-container-scan/action.yml b/.github/actions/security-container-scan/action.yml
index ce00d4a..cbd7e62 100644
--- a/.github/actions/security-container-scan/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/security-container-scan/action.yml
@@ -70,10 +70,11 @@ runs:
     - name: Precheck local image exists
       id: precheck
       shell: bash
+      env:
+        INPUT_IMAGE: ${{ inputs.image }}
       run: |
         set +e
-        IMAGE="${{ inputs.image }}"
-        docker image inspect "${IMAGE}" >/dev/null 2>&1
+        docker image inspect "${INPUT_IMAGE}" >/dev/null 2>&1
         rc=$?
         if [ $rc -eq 0 ]; then
           echo "image_exists=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
@@ -96,13 +97,14 @@ runs:
       id: grype
       if: ${{ steps.precheck.outputs.image_exists == 'true' }}
       shell: bash
+      env:
+        IMAGE: ${{ inputs.image }}
+        REPORT_JSON: ${{ inputs.report-json }}
+        REPORT_SARIF: ${{ inputs.report-sarif }}
+        FAIL_ON: ${{ inputs.fail-on }}
+        GRYPE_IMAGE: ${{ inputs.grype-image }}
       run: |
         set +e
-        IMAGE="${{ inputs.image }}"
-        REPORT_JSON="${{ inputs.report-json }}"
-        REPORT_SARIF="${{ inputs.report-sarif }}"
-        FAIL_ON="${{ inputs.fail-on }}"
-        GRYPE_IMAGE="${{ inputs.grype-image }}"
 
         echo "Pulling Grype scanner image..."
         docker pull "${GRYPE_IMAGE}" >/dev/null 2>&1
@@ -147,36 +149,45 @@ runs:
     - name: Write scan summary
       if: ${{ inputs.write-summary == 'true' }}
       shell: bash
+      env:
+        INPUT_IMAGE: ${{ inputs.image }}
+        INPUT_ARTIFACT_NAME: ${{ inputs.artifact-name }}
+        INPUT_REPORT_JSON: ${{ inputs.report-json }}
       run: |
         set -euo pipefail
         echo "### 🔍 Container Scan (SBOM + Grype)" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
         echo "" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
-        echo "- Image: \`${{ inputs.image }}\`" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
-        echo "- Reports artifact: \`${{ inputs.artifact-name }}\` (sarif + json)" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+        echo "- Image: \`${INPUT_IMAGE}\`" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+        echo "- Reports artifact: \`${INPUT_ARTIFACT_NAME}\` (sarif + json)" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
 
-        if [ -f "${{ inputs.report-json }}" ]; then
-        python3 "$GITHUB_ACTION_PATH/grype_summary.py" --json "${{ inputs.report-json }}" --max-top 10 >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY" || true
+        if [ -f "${INPUT_REPORT_JSON}" ]; then
+        python3 "$GITHUB_ACTION_PATH/grype_summary.py" --json "${INPUT_REPORT_JSON}" --max-top 10 >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY" || true
         fi
 
     - name: Finalize status/outputs
       id: final
       if: always()
       shell: bash
+      env:
+        IMAGE_EXISTS: ${{ steps.precheck.outputs.image_exists }}
+        SBOM_OUTCOME: ${{ steps.sbom.outcome }}
+        GRYPE_STATUS: ${{ steps.grype.outputs.status }}
+        GRYPE_EXIT: ${{ steps.grype.outputs.exit_code }}
+        INPUT_GENERATE_SBOM: ${{ inputs.generate-sbom }}
+        INPUT_FAIL_ON: ${{ inputs.fail-on }}
+        INPUT_REPORT_JSON: ${{ inputs.report-json }}
+        INPUT_REPORT_SARIF: ${{ inputs.report-sarif }}
+        INPUT_FAIL_BUILD: ${{ inputs.fail-build }}
       run: |
         set -euo pipefail
 
-        IMAGE_EXISTS="${{ steps.precheck.outputs.image_exists }}"
-        SBOM_OUTCOME="${{ steps.sbom.outcome }}"
-        GRYPE_STATUS="${{ steps.grype.outputs.status }}"
-        GRYPE_EXIT="${{ steps.grype.outputs.exit_code }}"
-
         status="ok"
         detail="ok"
 
         if [ "${IMAGE_EXISTS}" != "true" ]; then
           status="image_not_found"
           detail="local docker image not found"
-        elif [ "${{ inputs.generate-sbom }}" = "true" ] && [ "${SBOM_OUTCOME}" != "success" ]; then
+        elif [ "${INPUT_GENERATE_SBOM}" = "true" ] && [ "${SBOM_OUTCOME}" != "success" ]; then
           status="sbom_failed"
           detail="sbom-action failed"
         elif [ -z "${GRYPE_STATUS}" ]; then
@@ -184,10 +195,10 @@ runs:
           detail="grype step did not produce status"
         elif [ "${GRYPE_STATUS}" = "ok" ]; then
           status="ok"
-          detail="no vulnerabilities at/above fail-on=${{ inputs.fail-on }}"
+          detail="no vulnerabilities at/above fail-on=${INPUT_FAIL_ON}"
         elif [ "${GRYPE_STATUS}" = "high_or_error" ]; then
           status="high_or_error"
-          detail="grype exit_code=${GRYPE_EXIT} (fail-on=${{ inputs.fail-on }})"
+          detail="grype exit_code=${GRYPE_EXIT} (fail-on=${INPUT_FAIL_ON})"
         else
           status="${GRYPE_STATUS}"
           detail="grype exit_code=${GRYPE_EXIT}"
@@ -195,10 +206,10 @@ runs:
 
         echo "status=${status}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
         echo "detail=${detail}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-        echo "report_json=${{ inputs.report-json }}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-        echo "report_sarif=${{ inputs.report-sarif }}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        echo "report_json=${INPUT_REPORT_JSON}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        echo "report_sarif=${INPUT_REPORT_SARIF}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
-        if [ "${{ inputs.fail-build }}" = "true" ] && [ "${status}" != "ok" ]; then
+        if [ "${INPUT_FAIL_BUILD}" = "true" ] && [ "${status}" != "ok" ]; then
           echo "Failing build due to status=${status}: ${detail}" 1>&2
           exit 1
         fi
diff --git a/.github/actions/slack-notify/action.yml b/.github/actions/slack-notify/action.yml
index b64c2e6..2a2f90f 100644
--- a/.github/actions/slack-notify/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/slack-notify/action.yml
@@ -56,28 +56,23 @@ runs:
     - name: Prepare Slack Payload
       id: prepare-payload
       shell: bash
+      env:
+        INPUT_CHANNEL_ID: ${{ inputs.channel-id }}
+        INPUT_PAYLOAD: ${{ inputs.payload }}
+        INPUT_MESSAGE: ${{ inputs.message }}
       run: |
-        CHANNEL_ID="${{ inputs.channel-id }}"
-
         # If custom payload is provided, merge channel into it
-        if [ -n '${{ inputs.payload }}' ]; then
+        if [ -n "${INPUT_PAYLOAD}" ]; then
           # Parse the JSON and add/update channel field
-          PAYLOAD=$(cat <<'PAYLOAD_EOF' | jq -c ". + {channel: \"$CHANNEL_ID\"}"
-        ${{ inputs.payload }}
-        PAYLOAD_EOF
-        )
+          PAYLOAD=$(echo "${INPUT_PAYLOAD}" | jq -c ". + {channel: \"${INPUT_CHANNEL_ID}\"}")
           echo "payload<<EOF" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "$PAYLOAD" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "EOF" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-        elif [ -n '${{ inputs.message }}' ]; then
+        elif [ -n "${INPUT_MESSAGE}" ]; then
           # Simple message mode - construct basic payload
-          MESSAGE=$(cat <<'MESSAGE_EOF'
-        ${{ inputs.message }}
-        MESSAGE_EOF
-        )
           PAYLOAD=$(jq -n \
-            --arg channel "$CHANNEL_ID" \
-            --arg text "$MESSAGE" \
+            --arg channel "${INPUT_CHANNEL_ID}" \
+            --arg text "${INPUT_MESSAGE}" \
             '{channel: $channel, text: $text}')
           echo "payload<<EOF" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "$PAYLOAD" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
@@ -100,23 +95,28 @@ runs:
     - name: Display Notification Info
       if: steps.slack.outcome == 'success'
       shell: bash
+      env:
+        SLACK_TS: ${{ steps.slack.outputs.ts }}
+        SLACK_THREAD_TS: ${{ steps.slack.outputs.thread_ts }}
+        INPUT_CHANNEL_ID: ${{ inputs.channel-id }}
+        INPUT_ERRORS: ${{ inputs.errors }}
       run: |
-        if [ -n "${{ steps.slack.outputs.ts }}" ]; then
+        if [ -n "${SLACK_TS}" ]; then
           echo "✅ Slack notification sent successfully!"
-          echo "📬 Channel ID: ${{ inputs.channel-id }}"
-          echo "⏰ Timestamp: ${{ steps.slack.outputs.ts }}"
-          if [ -n "${{ steps.slack.outputs.thread_ts }}" ]; then
-            echo "🧵 Thread Timestamp: ${{ steps.slack.outputs.thread_ts }}"
+          echo "📬 Channel ID: ${INPUT_CHANNEL_ID}"
+          echo "⏰ Timestamp: ${SLACK_TS}"
+          if [ -n "${SLACK_THREAD_TS}" ]; then
+            echo "🧵 Thread Timestamp: ${SLACK_THREAD_TS}"
           fi
         else
           echo "⚠️ Slack API call completed but returned no timestamp!"
           echo "This usually means the bot doesn't have permission to post to the channel."
           echo ""
           echo "Common solutions:"
-          echo "  1. Invite the bot to channel ${{ inputs.channel-id }}: /invite @YourBotName"
+          echo "  1. Invite the bot to channel ${INPUT_CHANNEL_ID}: /invite @YourBotName"
           echo "  2. Add 'chat:write.public' scope to your bot (for public channels)"
-          echo "  3. Verify the channel ID is correct: ${{ inputs.channel-id }}"
-          if [ "${{ inputs.errors }}" == "true" ]; then
+          echo "  3. Verify the channel ID is correct: ${INPUT_CHANNEL_ID}"
+          if [ "${INPUT_ERRORS}" == "true" ]; then
             exit 1
           fi
         fi
@@ -124,8 +124,10 @@ runs:
     - name: Display Error Info
       if: steps.slack.outcome == 'failure'
       shell: bash
+      env:
+        INPUT_ERRORS: ${{ inputs.errors }}
       run: |
         echo "❌ Slack notification failed!"
-        if [ "${{ inputs.errors }}" == "false" ]; then
+        if [ "${INPUT_ERRORS}" == "false" ]; then
           echo "⚠️ Continuing workflow despite failure (errors: false)"
         fi
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-cds-containers.yml b/.github/workflows/build-cds-containers.yml
index aefabd4..2e8c3f0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-cds-containers.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-cds-containers.yml
@@ -16,14 +16,12 @@ env:
   IMAGE_NAMESPACE: nvidia
   IMAGE_PREFIX: dsx-cds-  # Prefix to identify CDS container images
 
-permissions:
-  contents: read
-  packages: write  # Required to push to GHCR
-
 jobs:
   # Job 1: Read version from VERSION.md
   get-version:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
     outputs:
       version: ${{ steps.extract-version.outputs.version }}
 
@@ -41,6 +39,9 @@ jobs:
   # Job 2: Build and push all container images
   build-and-push-images:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      packages: write  # Required to push to GHCR
     needs: get-version
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
@@ -122,6 +123,9 @@ jobs:
   # Job 3: Test using the built go-dev image
   test-go-dev-image:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      packages: read
     needs: [get-version, build-and-push-images]
     # Only run tests when images are pushed (main only)
     if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
@@ -161,6 +165,9 @@ jobs:
   # Job 4: Test using tools container
   test-tools-image:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      packages: read
     needs: [get-version, build-and-push-images]
     # Only run tests when images are pushed (main only)
     if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
@@ -196,6 +203,8 @@ jobs:
   # Job 5: Summary
   summary:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
     needs: [get-version, build-and-push-images, test-go-dev-image, test-tools-image]
     if: always()
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/promote-image.yml b/.github/workflows/promote-image.yml
index ef8784e..09e303e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/promote-image.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/promote-image.yml
@@ -62,18 +62,24 @@ jobs:
       - name: Prepare refs
         id: refs
         shell: bash
+        env:
+          INPUT_DIGEST: ${{ inputs.digest }}
+          INPUT_SOURCE: ${{ inputs.source }}
+          INPUT_SOURCE_TAG: ${{ inputs.source_tag }}
+          INPUT_DESTINATION: ${{ inputs.destination }}
+          INPUT_DESTINATION_TAG: ${{ inputs.destination_tag }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
 
           # Assemble source reference
-          if [[ -n "${{ inputs.digest }}" ]]; then
-            source_ref="${{ inputs.source }}@${{ inputs.digest }}"
+          if [[ -n "${INPUT_DIGEST}" ]]; then
+            source_ref="${INPUT_SOURCE}@${INPUT_DIGEST}"
           else
-            source_ref="${{ inputs.source }}:${{ inputs.source_tag }}"
+            source_ref="${INPUT_SOURCE}:${INPUT_SOURCE_TAG}"
           fi
 
           # Assemble destination reference
-          destination_ref="${{ inputs.destination }}:${{ inputs.destination_tag }}"
+          destination_ref="${INPUT_DESTINATION}:${INPUT_DESTINATION_TAG}"
 
           echo "source_ref=${source_ref}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           echo "destination_ref=${destination_ref}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"