diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 1da9c73a5a..3497e7d25c 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -12,4 +12,4 @@ test manifest:
   artifacts:
     reports:
       junit:
-        - "junit.xml"
+        - "junit.xml"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/gitlab/build_manifest.py b/gitlab/build_manifest.py
index 0b678a77e5..25ffafe58a 100755
--- a/gitlab/build_manifest.py
+++ b/gitlab/build_manifest.py
@@ -40,29 +40,36 @@ def preserve_ci_vars(func):
     """Preserve the original CI Variable values"""
     def wrapper():
         try:
-            token = os.environ["CI_JOB_TOKEN"]
             url = os.environ["CI_PROJECT_URL"]
             user = os.environ["GITLAB_USER_LOGIN"]
         except KeyError:
-            token = "invalid"
             url = "invalid"
             user = ""
 
+        private = os.getenv("READ_PROJECTS_TOKEN", default=None)
+        if not private:
+            os.environ["READ_PROJECTS_TOKEN"] = "FOO"
+
         func()
 
-        os.environ["CI_JOB_TOKEN"] = token
         os.environ["CI_PROJECT_URL"] = url
         os.environ["GITLAB_USER_LOGIN"] = user
 
+        if private:
+            os.environ["READ_PROJECTS_TOKEN"] = private
+        # if it was set after
+        elif os.getenv("READ_PROJECTS_TOKEN", default=None):
+            del os.environ["READ_PROJECTS_TOKEN"]
+
     return wrapper
 
 
-def request_raw(path: str, token: str, project_url: str) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
-    gitlab_header: Dict[str, str] = {'JOB_TOKEN': token }
+def request_raw(path: str, headers: Dict[str, str], project_url: str) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
     base_url: str = get_hostname(project_url)
     url: str = f"https://{base_url}/api/v4/{path}"
     print(f"GET {url}")
-    resp = requests.get(url, headers=gitlab_header)
+    print(f"Headers: {headers}")
+    resp = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
 
     print(f"Request returned: {resp.status_code}")
     if not resp.ok:
@@ -72,11 +79,24 @@ def request_raw(path: str, token: str, project_url: str) -> List[Dict[str, str]]
 
 
 def request(path: str) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
-    # mock: "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
-    token: str = os.environ["CI_JOB_TOKEN"]
+    # Check if there is a custom token set
+    # API calls to Group namespaces need to be authenticated
+    # regardless if the group/projects are public or not.
+    # CI_JOB_TOKEN has an actuall value only for private jobs
+    # and that's also an Gitlab EE feature.
+    # Which means no matter what we need to give the runner
+    # an actuall token if we want to query even the public
+    # gitlab.fd.o/gstreamer group
+    try:
+        headers: Dict[str, str] = {'Private-Token': os.environ["READ_PROJECTS_TOKEN"] }
+    except KeyError:
+        print("Custom token was not set, group api querries will fail")
+        # JOB_TOKEN is the default placeholder of CI_JOB_TOKEN
+        headers: Dict[str, str] = {'JOB_TOKEN': "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" }
+
     # mock: "https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/gstreamer/gstreamer"
     project_url: str = os.environ['CI_PROJECT_URL']
-    return request_raw(path, token, project_url)
+    return request_raw(path, headers, project_url)
 
 
 def request_wrap(path: str) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
@@ -102,8 +122,8 @@ def get_project_branch(project_id: int, name: str) -> Dict[str, str]:
 @preserve_ci_vars
 def test_get_project_branch():
     id = 1353
-    os.environ["CI_JOB_TOKEN"] = "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
     os.environ["CI_PROJECT_URL"] = "https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/gstreamer/gst-plugins-good"
+    del os.environ["READ_PROJECTS_TOKEN"]
 
     twelve = get_project_branch(id, '1.12')
     assert twelve is not None
@@ -129,8 +149,8 @@ def search_user_namespace(user: str, project: str) -> Dict[str, str]:
 
 @preserve_ci_vars
 def test_search_user_namespace():
-    os.environ["CI_JOB_TOKEN"] = "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
     os.environ["CI_PROJECT_URL"] = "https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/alatiera/gst-plugins-good"
+    del os.environ["READ_PROJECTS_TOKEN"]
     user = "alatiera"
 
     gst = search_user_namespace("alatiera", "gstreamer")
@@ -232,9 +252,9 @@ def find_repository_sha(module: str, branchname: str) -> Tuple[str, str]:
 
 @preserve_ci_vars
 def test_find_repository_sha():
-    os.environ["CI_JOB_TOKEN"] = "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
     os.environ["CI_PROJECT_URL"] = "https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/gstreamer/gst-plugins-good"
     os.environ["GITLAB_USER_LOGIN"] = "alatiera"
+    del os.environ["READ_PROJECTS_TOKEN"]
 
     # This should find the repository in the user namespace
     remote, git_ref = find_repository_sha("gst-plugins-good", "1.2")