diff --git a/.buildkite/pipeline.yml b/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
index bfbc6b4fb0..01358dc045 100644
--- a/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
+++ b/.buildkite/pipeline.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 agents:
   queue: new-central
-  slurm_time: 24:00:00
+  slurm_time: 4:00:00
   modules: climacommon/2024_03_18
 
 env:
@@ -344,8 +344,6 @@ steps:
           slurm_ntasks: 2
           slurm_mem: 16GB
 
-      - label: "batch script"
-        command: "sbatch test/mpi_tests/local_checks.sh"
 
       # short high-res performance test
       - label: "Unthreaded AMIP FINE" # also reported by longruns with a flame graph
@@ -431,9 +429,13 @@ steps:
           slurm_mem: 20GB
           slurm_gpus: 1
 
-
-
-      - wait
+  - group: "Bash scripts"
+    steps:
+      - label: "Submit and Monitor sbatch Job on Caltech HPC"
+        # check that (1) the script can be succesfully submitted, (2) it runs successfully
+        command: "test/mpi_tests/test_sbatch_script.sh"
+        agents:
+          slurm_ntasks: 1
 
   - wait
 
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 2b10544978..c225ec897f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ experiments/AMIP/output/*
 *.so
 
 # internal tests
-testdel.jl
+slurm-*.out
 
 # ignore vscode artifacts
 *.vscode
diff --git a/config/model_configs/coarse_single_ft64_hourly_checkpoints_restart.yml b/config/model_configs/coarse_single_ft64_hourly_checkpoints_restart.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a99b64cea8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/model_configs/coarse_single_ft64_hourly_checkpoints_restart.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+anim: false
+apply_limiter: false
+dt: "400secs"
+dt_cpl: 400
+dt_save_restart: "10days"
+dt_save_to_sol: "1days"
+energy_check: false
+h_elem: 6
+hourly_checkpoint: true
+hourly_checkpoint_dt: 1
+job_id: "coarse_single_ft64_hourly_checkpoints_restart"
+mode_name: "amip"
+moist: "equil"
+mono_surface: false
+precip_model: "0M"
+rad: "gray"
+run_name: "coarse_single_ft64_hourly_checkpoints_restart"
+t_end: "800secs"
+vert_diff: "true"
diff --git a/experiments/AMIP/cli_options.jl b/experiments/AMIP/cli_options.jl
index 6e69b5f1ef..9bab51e062 100644
--- a/experiments/AMIP/cli_options.jl
+++ b/experiments/AMIP/cli_options.jl
@@ -38,6 +38,10 @@ function argparse_settings()
         help = "Boolean flag indicating whether to checkpoint at intervals of 1 hour or multiple hours"
         arg_type = Bool
         default = false
+        "--hourly_checkpoint_dt"
+        help = "Time interval for hourly checkpointing in hours (20 days by default)"
+        arg_type = Int
+        default = 480
         "--coupler_output_dir"
         help = "Directory to save output files. Note that TempestRemap fails if interactive and paths are too long."
         arg_type = String
diff --git a/experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl b/experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl
index fa47c2636c..fc0b75bf48 100644
--- a/experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl
+++ b/experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ saveat = Float64(time_to_seconds(config_dict["dt_save_to_sol"]))
 date0 = date = DateTime(config_dict["start_date"], dateformat"yyyymmdd")
 mono_surface = config_dict["mono_surface"]
 hourly_checkpoint = config_dict["hourly_checkpoint"]
+hourly_checkpoint_dt = config_dict["hourly_checkpoint_dt"]
 restart_dir = config_dict["restart_dir"]
 restart_t = Int(config_dict["restart_t"])
 evolving_ocean = config_dict["evolving_ocean"]
@@ -526,8 +527,13 @@ The currently implemented callbacks are:
   being approximated from wind speed). It is updated at the same frequency as the atmospheric radiation.
   NB: Eventually, we will call all of radiation from the coupler, in addition to the albedo calculation.
 =#
-checkpoint_cb =
-    HourlyCallback(dt = FT(480), func = checkpoint_sims, ref_date = [dates.date[1]], active = hourly_checkpoint) # 20 days
+
+checkpoint_cb = HourlyCallback(
+    dt = hourly_checkpoint_dt,
+    func = checkpoint_sims,
+    ref_date = [dates.date[1]],
+    active = hourly_checkpoint,
+) # 20 days
 update_firstdayofmonth!_cb =
     MonthlyCallback(dt = FT(1), func = update_firstdayofmonth!, ref_date = [dates.date1[1]], active = true)
 dt_water_albedo = parse(FT, filter(x -> !occursin(x, "hours"), dt_rad))
diff --git a/test/mpi_tests/local_checks.sh b/test/mpi_tests/local_checks.sh
index 08213273fa..cb4f49c4f7 100644
--- a/test/mpi_tests/local_checks.sh
+++ b/test/mpi_tests/local_checks.sh
@@ -1,29 +1,25 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-#SBATCH --time=24:00:00
-#SBATCH --nodes=1
-#SBATCH --job-name=mpi_restart_test
-#SBATCH --reservation=clima
-#SBATCH --mem=32GB
 #SBATCH --ntasks=2
+#SBATCH --job-name=mpi_amip
+#SBATCH --time=24:00:00
+#SBATCH --mem-per-cpu=16G
+#SBATCH --partition=expansion
 
-# TODO: this needs to be updated (+ implement better tests that are caught on Buildkite) #667
-
+export MODULEPATH="/groups/esm/modules:$MODULEPATH"
 module purge
-module load julia/1.10.1
-export JULIA_MPI_BINARY=system
-export JULIA_NUM_THREADS=${SLURM_CPUS_PER_TASK:=1}
-export CLIMACORE_DISTRIBUTED="MPI"
-export JULIA_HDF5_PATH=""
+module load climacommon/2024_03_18
 
-export RUN_NAME=amip_restart_mpi_test
+export CC_PATH=$(pwd)/ # adjust this to the path of your ClimaCoupler.jl directory
+export RUN_NAME=coarse_single_ft64_hourly_checkpoints_restart
+export CONFIG_FILE=${CC_PATH}config/model_configs/${RUN_NAME}.yml
 export RESTART_DIR=experiments/AMIP/output/amip/${RUN_NAME}_artifacts/
-export RESTART_T=200
 
-julia -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.add("MPIPreferences"); using MPIPreferences; use_system_binary()'
-julia --project -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.instantiate()'
-julia --project -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.build("MPI")'
-julia --project -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.build("HDF5")'
-julia --project -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.API.precompile()'
+export OPENBLAS_NUM_THREADS=1
+export JULIA_NVTX_CALLBACKS=gc
+export OMPI_MCA_opal_warn_on_missing_libcuda=0
+export JULIA_MAX_NUM_PRECOMPILE_FILES=100
+export JULIA_CPU_TARGET='broadwell;skylake;icelake;cascadelake;epyc'
+export SLURM_KILL_BAD_EXIT=1
 
 julia --project=experiments/AMIP/ -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.instantiate(;verbose=true)'
 julia --project=experiments/AMIP/ -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.precompile()'
@@ -34,10 +30,29 @@ julia --project=artifacts -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.precompile()'
 julia --project=artifacts -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.status()'
 julia --project=artifacts artifacts/download_artifacts.jl
 
-# run spin up
-# - specify `--hourly_checkpoint true` to save monthly checkpoints of all model prognostic states
-mpiexec julia --color=yes --project=experiments/AMIP/ experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl --run_name $RUN_NAME --coupled true   --start_date 19790101 --hourly_checkpoint true  --anim true --surface_setup PrescribedSurface --dt_cpl 200 --energy_check false --mode_name amip --mono_surface false --vert_diff true --moist equil --rad clearsky --precip_model 0M --z_elem 35 --dz_bottom 50 --h_elem 12 --rayleigh_sponge true --alpha_rayleigh_uh 0 --dt 200secs --t_end 0.1days --job_id $RUN_NAME --dt_save_to_sol 1000days --dt_save_state_to_disk 10days --apply_limiter false --FLOAT_TYPE Float64
+srun -K julia --project=experiments/AMIP/ experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl --config_file $CONFIG_FILE
+
+# restart from simulation time of 400 seconds
+export RESTART_T=400
+
+# setup the new config file with ammened checkpointing frequency
+export RESTART_CONFIG_FILE=${CONFIG_FILE::-4}_tmp.yml
+cp $CONFIG_FILE $RESTART_CONFIG_FILE
+sed -i 's/t_end: \"800secs\"/t_end: \"3600secs\"/g' $RESTART_CONFIG_FILE
+
+# rerun the model
+srun -K julia --project=experiments/AMIP/ experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl --config_file $RESTART_CONFIG_FILE --restart_dir $RESTART_DIR --restart_t $RESTART_T
+
+# throw an error if no restart checkpoint files are found
+if [ $(ls -1 $RESTART_DIR/checkpoint | wc -l) -lt 5 ]; then
+  echo "Error: RESTART_DIR does not contain enough files"
+  exit 1
+else
+  echo "Successful: RESTART_DIR contains $(ls -1 $RESTART_DIR/checkpoint | wc -l) files"
+  exit 0
+fi
 
-# init using a restart
-# - specify the directory of the `checkpoint/` folder (i.e.,  `--restart_dir`) and time (in secs; `--restart_t`) of the restart file
-mpiexec julia --color=yes --project=experiments/AMIP/ experiments/AMIP/coupler_driver.jl --run_name $RUN_NAME --coupled true --restart_dir $RESTART_DIR --restart_t $RESTART_T --start_date 19790102 --anim true --surface_setup PrescribedSurface --dt_cpl 200 --energy_check false --mode_name amip --mono_surface false --vert_diff true --moist equil --rad clearsky --precip_model 0M --z_elem 35 --dz_bottom 50 --h_elem 12 --rayleigh_sponge true --alpha_rayleigh_uh 0 --dt 200secs --t_end 0.1days --job_id $RUN_NAME --dt_save_to_sol 1000days --dt_save_state_to_disk 10days --apply_limiter false --FLOAT_TYPE Float64
+# Trouble shooting?
+# - ensure you're using the latest module file of climacommon and set MODULEPATH to the correct location
+# - ensure you're using the latest version of ClimaCoupler.jl
+# - did you cd to your version of ClimaCoupler.jl?
diff --git a/test/mpi_tests/test_sbatch_script.sh b/test/mpi_tests/test_sbatch_script.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..83f1a9ac78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/mpi_tests/test_sbatch_script.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# This script submits a job to the Slurm scheduler and waits for it to finish. It
+# reports the job status every 30 seconds until the job completes. If the job
+# fails or is terminated, the script prints an error message and exits with a
+# non-zero status code. This is used by Buildkite to determine whether the job
+# truly succeeded or failed.
+
+# Submit the sbatch script and capture its job ID
+JOB_ID=$(sbatch  test/mpi_tests/local_checks.sh | awk '{print $4}')
+echo "Submitted job with ID: $JOB_ID, output log: slurm-$JOB_ID.out"
+START_TIME=$(date +%s)
+# Loop until the job finishes
+while true; do
+    # Check the status of the job
+    STATUS=$(scontrol show job $JOB_ID | grep -oP 'JobState=\K\S+')
+    sleep 30
+    ELAPSED_TIME=$(( $(date +%s) - $START_TIME ))
+    # If the job status is 'PD' (pending) or 'R' (running), wait and continue checking
+    if [ "$STATUS" == "" ] || [ "$STATUS" == "PENDING" ] || [ "$STATUS" == "RUNNING" ]; then
+        echo "Job is still running... Elapsed time: $ELAPSED_TIME seconds."
+    # If the job status is 'CF' (completed successfully), print success message and exit
+    elif [ "$STATUS" == "COMPLETED" ]; then
+        echo "Job completed successfully."
+        exit 0
+    # If the job status is anything else, print error message and exit
+    else
+        echo "Error: Job failed or terminated. See slurm-$JOB_ID.out for more information."
+        cat "slurm-$JOB_ID.out"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+done