diff --git a/includes/default-variables.yml b/includes/default-variables.yml
index 3209ec593056d6aad80e9194180ae0658dd085ad..2774c578ba79b4182014d9a7071649b110dae633 100644
--- a/includes/default-variables.yml
+++ b/includes/default-variables.yml
@@ -12,3 +12,6 @@ variables:
   BASOP_REFERENCE_BRANCH: "ivas-float-update"
   SCALE_FACTOR: "3.162"
   BASOP_CI_BRANCH_PC_REPO: "basop-ci-branch"
+  PYTEST_ADDOPTS: ""
+  # overwrite this via .gitlab/variables.yml in the respective other repo to disable "(model from file)" testcases
+  DISABLE_HRTF: "false"
diff --git a/main-basop.yml b/main-basop.yml
index 207ad3efccb7edd544044f2d16c16fcc90318727..838d0322e52326cb32a6391a6b126e4e0b60aca0 100644
--- a/main-basop.yml
+++ b/main-basop.yml
@@ -374,6 +374,9 @@ workflow:
   before_script:
     - !reference [ .test-job-linux, before_script ]
     - rm -rf tests/dut tests/ref
+    - if [ "$DISABLE_HRTF" = "true" ]; then
+    -   export PYTEST_ADDOPTS="${PYTEST_ADDOPTS} -k 'not model'"
+    - fi
   variables:
     USE_LTV: 0
 
@@ -1310,6 +1313,10 @@ ivas-pytest-on-merge-request:
     ### If ref_using_target is not set, checkout the source branch to use scripts and input from there
     - if [ $ref_using_target == 0 ]; then git checkout $source_branch_commit_sha; fi
 
+    - if [ "$DISABLE_HRTF" = "true" ]; then
+    -   export PYTEST_ADDOPTS="${PYTEST_ADDOPTS} -k 'not model'"
+    - fi
+
     ### prepare pytest
     # create references
     - python3 -m pytest $TESTS_DIR_CODEC_BE_ON_MR -v --update_ref 1