diff --git a/catalogbuilder/tests/create_catalog_test.py b/catalogbuilder/tests/create_catalog_test.py
index 63c8973..75aaae1 100644
--- a/catalogbuilder/tests/create_catalog_test.py
+++ b/catalogbuilder/tests/create_catalog_test.py
@@ -1,19 +1,26 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 
-@pytest.mark.skip(reason="this can only work with a conda installed catalogbuilder now")
-#TODO test after conda pkg is published and make changes as needed 
 from catalogbuilder.scripts import gen_intake_gfdl
 #from . import gen_intake_gfdl
 import sys
-
-#the following 2 lines are to generate sample data, remove it as needed in your runscript
+#the following line is to generate sample data, remove it as needed in your runscript
 import make_sample_data
-make_sample_data.make_sample_data()
 
-input_path = "archive/am5/am5/am5f3b1r0/c96L65_am5f3b1r0_pdclim1850F/gfdl.ncrc5-deploy-prod-openmp/pp"
-output_path = "test"
-try:
-  gen_intake_gfdl.create_catalog(input_path,output_path)
-except:
-  sys.exit("Exception occured calling gen_intake_gfdl.create_catalog")
+@pytest.mark.skip
+def create_catalog(sample=True):
+  if(sample == True): #create sample data 
+      make_sample_data.make_sample_data()
+  with TemporaryDirectory() as tmp:
+        chdir(Path(tmp))
+        input_path = "archive/am5/am5/am5f3b1r0/c96L65_am5f3b1r0_pdclim1850F/gfdl.ncrc5-deploy-prod-openmp/pp"
+        output_path = "test"
+        try:
+           json, csv = gen_intake_gfdl.create_catalog(input_path,output_path)
+        except:
+           sys.exit("Exception occured calling gen_intake_gfdl.create_catalog")
+        create_data_catalog(path)
+        json, csv = Path(f"{output}.json").resolve(), Path(f"{output}.csv").resolve()
+
+ try:
+       assert not None in [csv,json]