diff --git a/.github/workflows/stale_issues_and_pr_cleanup.yml b/.github/workflows/stale_issues_and_pr_cleanup.yml
index 20b4f31b0415..f163209decee 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/stale_issues_and_pr_cleanup.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/stale_issues_and_pr_cleanup.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ on:
         description: 'debug-only'     
         required: false
         default: false
+      max-operations-per-run:
+        description: 'max operations per run'     
+        required: false
+        default: 400
       days-before-stale:
         description: 'days-before-stale'     
         required: false
@@ -29,6 +33,7 @@ permissions:
   pull-requests: write
 env:
   DEFAULT_DEBUG_ONLY: true
+  DEFAULT_MAX_OPS: 400
   DEFAULT_DAYS_BEFORE_STALE: 180
   DEFAULT_DAYS_BEFORE_CLOSE: 14
   DEFAULT_EXEMPT_ISSUE_LABELS: 'type: feature,type: enhancement,routed-to-e2e,routed-to-ct,routed-to-tools,routed-to-cloud,prevent-stale,triaged'
@@ -37,7 +42,7 @@ jobs:
   stale:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/stale@v7
+      - uses: actions/stale@v8
         with:
           days-before-stale: ${{ github.event.inputs.days-before-stale || env.DEFAULT_DAYS_BEFORE_STALE }}
           days-before-close: ${{ github.event.inputs.days-before-close || env.DEFAULT_DAYS_BEFORE_CLOSE }}
@@ -50,5 +55,5 @@ jobs:
           exempt-issue-labels: ${{ github.event.inputs.exempt-issue-labels || env.DEFAULT_EXEMPT_ISSUE_LABELS }}
           exempt-pr-labels: ${{ github.event.inputs.exempt-pr-labels || env.DEFAULT_EXEMPT_PR_LABELS }}
           exempt-all-milestones: true
-          operations-per-run: 400 #keeping this a bit higher because it processes newest tickets to oldest
+          operations-per-run: ${{ github.event.inputs.max-operations-per-run || env.DEFAULT_MAX_OPS }} #keeping this a bit higher because it processes newest tickets to oldest
           debug-only: ${{ github.event.inputs.debug-only || env.DEFAULT_DEBUG_ONLY }}