diff --git a/.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-osx.yml b/.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-osx.yml
index 17c354e0..8937a317 100755
--- a/.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-osx.yml
+++ b/.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-osx.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 jobs:
 - job: osx
   pool:
-    vmImage: macOS-12
+    vmImage: macOS-13
   strategy:
     matrix:
       osx_64_mpimpichpython3.10.____cpythonscalarcomplex:
diff --git a/azure-pipelines.yml b/azure-pipelines.yml
index e5306da9..32da3d0c 100644
--- a/azure-pipelines.yml
+++ b/azure-pipelines.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,32 @@
 # update the conda-forge.yml and/or the recipe/meta.yaml.
 # -*- mode: yaml -*-
 
-jobs:
-  - template: ./.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-linux.yml
-  - template: ./.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-osx.yml
-  - template: ./.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-win.yml
\ No newline at end of file
+stages:
+- stage: Check
+  jobs:
+    - job: Skip
+      pool:
+        vmImage: 'ubuntu-22.04'
+      variables:
+        DECODE_PERCENTS: 'false'
+        RET: 'true'
+      steps:
+      - checkout: self
+        fetchDepth: '2'
+      - bash: |
+          git_log=`git log --max-count=1 --skip=1 --pretty=format:"%B" | tr "\n" " "`
+          echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=log]$git_log"
+        displayName: Obtain commit message
+      - bash: echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=RET]false"
+        condition: or(contains(variables.log, '[skip azp]'), contains(variables.log, '[azp skip]'), contains(variables.log, '[skip ci]'), contains(variables.log, '[ci skip]'))
+        displayName: Skip build?
+      - bash: echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=start_main;isOutput=true]$RET"
+        name: result
+        displayName: Export result
+- stage: Build
+  condition: and(succeeded(), eq(dependencies.Check.outputs['Skip.result.start_main'], 'true'))
+  dependsOn: Check
+  jobs:
+    - template: ./.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-linux.yml
+    - template: ./.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-osx.yml
+    - template: ./.azure-pipelines/azure-pipelines-win.yml
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/recipe/build-dolfinx.sh b/recipe/build-dolfinx.sh
index 671fb0ab..60015633 100644
--- a/recipe/build-dolfinx.sh
+++ b/recipe/build-dolfinx.sh
@@ -8,6 +8,14 @@ if [[ "$target_platform" == "linux-aarch64" || "$target_platform" == "linux-ppc6
   export CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL=1
 fi
 
+# cross-compiled linux produces wrong wheel tags
+# causing pip check to fail
+if [[ "${target_platform}" == "linux-aarch64" ]]; then
+  export _PYTHON_HOST_PLATFORM=linux_aarch64
+elif [[ "${target_platform}" == "linux-ppc64le" ]]; then
+  export _PYTHON_HOST_PLATFORM=linux_ppc64le
+fi
+
 if [[ "${CONDA_BUILD_CROSS_COMPILATION:-0}" == "1" ]]; then
   # needed for cross-compile openmpi
   export OPAL_CC="$CC"
diff --git a/recipe/meta.yaml b/recipe/meta.yaml
index 588b2b52..d1071a22 100644
--- a/recipe/meta.yaml
+++ b/recipe/meta.yaml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 {% set major_minor = version.rsplit(".", 1)[0] %}
 {% set ufl_version = "2024.2" %}
 
-{% set build = 1 %}
+{% set build = 2 %}
 
 {%- if scalar is not defined %}
 {%- set scalar = "" %}
@@ -24,6 +24,10 @@ package:
 source:
   url: https://github.com/fenics/dolfinx/archive/refs/tags/v{{ version }}{{ extra }}.tar.gz
   sha256: b266c74360c2590c5745d74768c04568c965b44739becca4cd6b5aa58cdbbbd1
+  patches:
+    # cffi is pinned down for a bug
+    # but 1.17 is needed for Windows, CPython 3.13
+    - unpin-cffi.patch  # [win or py>=313]
 
 build:
   number: {{ build }}
@@ -137,6 +141,7 @@ outputs:
         - python
         - {{ pin_subpackage("fenics-libdolfinx", exact=True) }}
         - cffi
+        - cffi <1.17  # [not (win or py>=313)]
         - mpi4py
         - numpy >=1.21
         - petsc4py  # [not win]
diff --git a/recipe/test-dolfinx.bat b/recipe/test-dolfinx.bat
index cdde761f..40f171db 100644
--- a/recipe/test-dolfinx.bat
+++ b/recipe/test-dolfinx.bat
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 setlocal EnableDelayedExpansion
 @echo on
 
-:: pip check
-:: if errorlevel 1 exit 1
+pip check
+if errorlevel 1 exit 1
 
 :: test packaging
 pytest -vs test_dolfinx.py
diff --git a/recipe/test-dolfinx.sh b/recipe/test-dolfinx.sh
index d2d09593..3f614ff5 100644
--- a/recipe/test-dolfinx.sh
+++ b/recipe/test-dolfinx.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 set -ex
 
-pip check || echo "pip check failed! if it's petsc4py objecting to numpy 1, that's ok"
+pip check
 
 TEST_DIR=$PWD
 
diff --git a/recipe/unpin-cffi.patch b/recipe/unpin-cffi.patch
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e75de274
--- /dev/null
+++ b/recipe/unpin-cffi.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+diff --git a/python/pyproject.toml b/python/pyproject.toml
+index a2a4eddcf6..85804a9cc9 100644
+--- a/python/pyproject.toml
++++ b/python/pyproject.toml
+@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ authors = [
+ ]
+ dependencies = [
+       "numpy>=1.21",
+-      "cffi<1.17",                           # See https://github.com/FEniCS/dolfinx/issues/3340
++      "cffi",
+       "mpi4py",
+       "fenics-basix>=0.10.0.dev0,<0.11.0",
+       "fenics-ffcx>=0.10.0.dev0,<0.11.0",