diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-container.yml b/.github/workflows/build-container.yml
index 8810df3c..f40d9f8f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-container.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-container.yml
@@ -538,7 +538,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        test: ["sanity", "no_huge", "ns_lb_change", "no_subsystems", "state_transitions", "state_transitions_both_gws", "state_transitions_loop", "state_transitions_rand_loop", "late_registration", "late_registration_loop", "4gws", "4gws_loop", "4gws_create_delete", "4gws_create_delete_loop", "namespaces", "namespaces_loop", "mtls", "notify", "ceph_status", "blocklist", "main_exit"]
+        test: ["sanity", "no_huge", "ns_lb_change", "no_subsystems", "auto_load_balance", "state_transitions", "state_transitions_both_gws", "state_transitions_loop", "state_transitions_rand_loop", "late_registration", "late_registration_loop", "4gws", "4gws_loop", "4gws_create_delete", "4gws_create_delete_loop", "namespaces", "namespaces_loop", "mtls", "notify", "ceph_status", "blocklist", "main_exit"]
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
       HUGEPAGES: 1024  # 4 spdk instances
diff --git a/ceph-nvmeof.conf b/ceph-nvmeof.conf
index 9b63dc52..ea3c9c08 100644
--- a/ceph-nvmeof.conf
+++ b/ceph-nvmeof.conf
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ state_update_notify = True
 state_update_timeout_in_msec = 2000
 state_update_interval_sec = 5
 enable_spdk_discovery_controller = False
-rebalance_period_sec = 0
+rebalance_period_sec = 7
 max_gws_in_grp = 16
 max_ns_to_change_lb_grp = 8
 #omap_file_lock_duration = 20
diff --git a/tests/ha/4gws_create_delete.sh b/tests/ha/4gws_create_delete.sh
index 527d3593..2133f3cd 100755
--- a/tests/ha/4gws_create_delete.sh
+++ b/tests/ha/4gws_create_delete.sh
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ validate_all_active() {
 NUM_SUBSYSTEMS=2
 NUM_GATEWAYS=4
 FAILING_GATEWAYS=2
-NUM_OPTIMIZED=2
+NUM_OPTIMIZED=1
 #
 # Step 1 validate all gateways are optimized for one of ANA group
 # and all groups are unique
@@ -156,10 +156,11 @@ for i in $(seq 0 $(expr $FAILING_GATEWAYS - 1)); do
   echo  📫 nvme-gw delete gateway: \'$gw_name\' pool: \'$POOL\', group: \'\' \(empty string\)
   docker compose exec -T ceph ceph nvme-gw delete $gw_name $POOL ''
 done
-
+sleep 100 # wait for scale down rebalance complete
 docker ps
 
-# expect remaining gws to have two optimized groups each
+# expect remaining gws to have 1 optimized groups each because
+# due to scale down rebalance 2 deleted gws and 2 ANA groups were removed from the monitor's database
 for i in $(seq 4); do
   found=0
   for j in $(seq 0 $(expr $FAILING_GATEWAYS - 1)); do