diff --git a/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/accpy.sh b/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/accpy.sh
index 60b50758..b288afac 100644
--- a/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/accpy.sh
+++ b/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/accpy.sh
@@ -1,27 +1,10 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-# Create a middle layer for installing ipykernel, putting it apart from the user environment
-uv venv $SWAN_ENV --seed 2>&1
-source $SWAN_ENV/bin/activate
-uv pip install "ipykernel==${IPYKERNEL_VERSION}"
-SWAN_PACKAGES_PATH=$(python3 -c 'import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_paths()["purelib"])')
-deactivate
-
 # If using NXCALS, we need to also install the Spark packages and their dependencies in the SWAN environment
 if [ -n "${USE_NXCALS}" ]; then
     SPARKCONNECTOR="sparkconnector==$(python -c 'import sparkconnector; print(sparkconnector.__version__)')"
     SPARKMONITOR="sparkmonitor==$(python -c 'import sparkmonitor; print(sparkmonitor.__version__)')"
     SPARKCONNECTOR_DEPENDENCIES="swanportallocator requests" # TODO: Remove swanportallocator and requests installation when the SparkConnector package gets properly updated
-    
-    # Activate the SWAN environment for installing the Spark packages
-    source $SWAN_ENV/bin/activate
-    uv pip install ${SPARKMONITOR} ${SPARKCONNECTOR_DEPENDENCIES} 2>&1
-
-    # -------------- HACK SECTION --------------
-    # Install SPARKCONNECTOR_DEPENDENCIES separately, install SparkConnector without its dependencies and change the configuration file
-    # TODO: Remove this when the SparkConnector package gets properly updated
-    uv pip install ${SPARKCONNECTOR} --no-deps 2>&1
-    wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/swan-cern/jupyter-extensions/refs/heads/swan-on-tn/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/configuration.py -O ${SWAN_PACKAGES_PATH}/sparkconnector/configuration.py 2>&1
 fi
 
 # Set up Acc-Py and create the environment
@@ -41,15 +24,28 @@ if [ "${RESOLVED_REQ}" = true ]; then
     # Use the same pip configuration as the Acc-Py default pip
     ACCPY_PIP_CONF="-i $(pip config get global.index-url) --allow-insecure-host $(pip config get global.trusted-host)"
     uv pip install ${ACCPY_PIP_CONF} -r "${REQ_PATH}" 2>&1
+    uv pip install ${ACCPY_PIP_CONF} ${IPYKERNEL} 2>&1
 else
     pip install -r "${REQ_PATH}" 2>&1
+    pip install ${IPYKERNEL} 2>&1
 fi
 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
-# Inject middle layer packages into the user environment by adding a .pth file to
-# the environment site-packages that contains the path to the middle layer site-packages
-USER_PACKAGES_PATH=$(python3 -c 'import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_paths()["purelib"])')
-echo ${SWAN_PACKAGES_PATH} > ${USER_PACKAGES_PATH}/$(basename $SWAN_ENV).pth
+if [ -n "${USE_NXCALS}" ]; then
+    # For NXCALS, install the Spark packages and their dependencies, using the according tool for its resolution
+    if [ "${RESOLVED_REQ}" = true ]; then
+        uv pip install ${ACCPY_PIP_CONF} ${SPARKMONITOR} ${SPARKCONNECTOR_DEPENDENCIES} 2>&1
+        uv pip install ${ACCPY_PIP_CONF} ${SPARKCONNECTOR} --no-deps 2>&1
+    else
+        pip install ${SPARKMONITOR} ${SPARKCONNECTOR_DEPENDENCIES} 2>&1
+        pip install ${SPARKCONNECTOR} --no-deps 2>&1
+    fi
 
+    # -------------- HACK SECTION --------------
+    # Install SPARKCONNECTOR_DEPENDENCIES separately, install SparkConnector without its dependencies and change the configuration file
+    # TODO: Remove this when the SparkConnector package gets properly updated
+    USER_PACKAGES_PATH=$(python3 -c 'import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_paths()["purelib"])')
+    wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/swan-cern/jupyter-extensions/refs/heads/swan-on-tn/SparkConnector/sparkconnector/configuration.py -O ${USER_PACKAGES_PATH}/sparkconnector/configuration.py 2>&1
+fi
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/mamba.sh b/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/mamba.sh
index d764765a..ca1d42af 100644
--- a/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/mamba.sh
+++ b/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/mamba.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
 # Create the environment, install packages and the same ipykernel that the Jupyter server uses
-mamba create -p ${ENV_PATH} --file ${REQ_PATH} "ipykernel==${IPYKERNEL_VERSION}" -y
+mamba create -p ${ENV_PATH} --file ${REQ_PATH} ${IPYKERNEL} -y
 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
diff --git a/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/venv.sh b/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/venv.sh
index 74eefdbc..ade0aaa7 100755
--- a/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/venv.sh
+++ b/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/builders/venv.sh
@@ -1,12 +1,5 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-# Create a middle layer for installing ipykernel, putting it apart from the user environment
-uv venv $SWAN_ENV --seed 2>&1
-source $SWAN_ENV/bin/activate
-uv pip install "ipykernel==${IPYKERNEL_VERSION}"
-SWAN_PACKAGES_PATH=$(python3 -c 'import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_paths()["purelib"])')
-deactivate
-
 if [ "${RESOLVED_REQ}" = true ]; then
     uv venv ${ENV_PATH} --seed 2>&1
 else
@@ -24,14 +17,11 @@ eval "${ACTIVATE_ENV_CMD}"
 _log "Installing packages from ${REQ_PATH}..."
 if [ "${RESOLVED_REQ}" = true ]; then
     uv pip install -r "${REQ_PATH}" 2>&1
+    uv pip install ${IPYKERNEL} 2>&1
 else
     pip install -r "${REQ_PATH}" 2>&1
+    pip install ${IPYKERNEL} 2>&1
 fi
 if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
-
-# Inject middle layer packages into the user environment by adding a .pth file to
-# the environment site-packages that contains the path to the middle layer site-packages
-USER_PACKAGES_PATH=$(python3 -c 'import sysconfig; print(sysconfig.get_paths()["purelib"])')
-echo ${SWAN_PACKAGES_PATH} > ${USER_PACKAGES_PATH}/$(basename $SWAN_ENV).pth
diff --git a/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/makenv.sh b/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/makenv.sh
index 52a43958..38484a7f 100755
--- a/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/makenv.sh
+++ b/SwanCustomEnvironments/swancustomenvironments/scripts/makenv.sh
@@ -157,8 +157,7 @@ fi
 # Create and set up the environment
 
 ENV_PATH="/home/$USER/${ENV_NAME}"
-SWAN_ENV="/home/$USER/swan"
-IPYKERNEL_VERSION=$(python -c "import ipykernel; print(ipykernel.__version__)")
+IPYKERNEL="ipykernel==$(python -c 'import ipykernel; print(ipykernel.__version__)')"
 
 if [ -f "${TMP_REPO_PATH}/requirements.txt" ]; then
     # Fully resolved requirements (requirements.txt) take precedence