diff --git a/.github/workflows/spread-manual.yaml b/.github/workflows/spread-manual.yaml
index 6c50c5bfb0..2b8e7c7db7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spread-manual.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spread-manual.yaml
@@ -225,3 +225,26 @@ jobs:
       - name: Spread test
         run: |
           spread google:ubuntu-20.04-64:tests/spread/snaps/bases google:ubuntu-20.04-64:tests/spread/snaps/snapd
+
+  squid-proxy:
+    needs: [predicate, snap-build]
+    if: needs.predicate.outputs.should_run == 'true'
+    runs-on: [spread-installed]
+    steps:
+      - name: Clean up job workspace
+        run: |
+          rm -rf "${{ github.workspace }}"
+          mkdir "${{ github.workspace }}"
+      - name: Checkout Snapcraft
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          submodules: true
+      - name: Download snap artifact
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v6
+        with:
+          name: snap
+          path: tests
+      - name: Spread test
+        run: |
+          spread google:ubuntu-24.04-64:tests/spread/core24/squid-proxy google:ubuntu-22.04-64:tests/spread/core22/squid-proxy
diff --git a/spread.yaml b/spread.yaml
index 393758141e..44f1764681 100644
--- a/spread.yaml
+++ b/spread.yaml
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ prepare: |
   else
     tests.pkgs remove lxd
   fi
-  snap install lxd --channel=latest/stable
+  snap install lxd --channel=5.21/stable
 
   # Hold snap refreshes for 24h.
   snap set system refresh.hold="$(date --date=tomorrow +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%:z)"
diff --git a/tests/spread/core22/architectures/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core22/architectures/task.yaml
index 7f9fe41bf2..8c7c0e745a 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core22/architectures/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core22/architectures/task.yaml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ prepare: |
 
 restore: |
   cd "./snaps/$SNAP"
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ execute: |
   # if the arguments variable file exists, then call snapcraft with the arguments
   elif [[ -e "arguments.txt" ]]; then
     # shellcheck disable=SC2046
-    eval snapcraft pack --destructive-mode $(cat "arguments.txt") 
+    eval snapcraft pack --destructive-mode $(cat "arguments.txt")
   # otherwise, just call `snapcraft pack`
   else
     snapcraft pack --destructive-mode
diff --git a/tests/spread/core22/components-environment/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core22/components-environment/task.yaml
index b26d15b78c..58af711f03 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core22/components-environment/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core22/components-environment/task.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 summary: Test scriptlets variables on core22 with components
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
 execute: |
diff --git a/tests/spread/core22/environment/paths/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core22/environment/paths/task.yaml
index 91f4e31bf3..6d788055f6 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core22/environment/paths/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core22/environment/paths/task.yaml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ prepare: |
 
 restore: |
   cd "../snaps/$SNAP"
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
diff --git a/tests/spread/core22/manifest/manifest-info-cmdline/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core22/manifest/manifest-info-cmdline/task.yaml
index 543fd82d82..90565f011d 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core22/manifest/manifest-info-cmdline/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core22/manifest/manifest-info-cmdline/task.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@ prepare: |
   snap install review-tools
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  # The regular clean can potentially fail depending on if/when the test itself failed, but
+  # they should always both be attempted
+  snapcraft clean || true
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
   rm -f ~/manifest_0.1_*.snap
 
diff --git a/tests/spread/core22/manifest/manifest-info-envvars/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core22/manifest/manifest-info-envvars/task.yaml
index 4b78fc28fb..648281b76f 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core22/manifest/manifest-info-envvars/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core22/manifest/manifest-info-envvars/task.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,10 @@ prepare: |
   snap install review-tools
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  # The regular clean can potentially fail depending on if/when the test itself failed, but
+  # they should always both be attempted
+  snapcraft clean || true
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
   rm -f ~/manifest_0.1_*.snap
 
diff --git a/tests/spread/core22/package-repositories/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core22/package-repositories/task.yaml
index 917404b5e6..e8e1b3a179 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core22/package-repositories/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core22/package-repositories/task.yaml
@@ -11,7 +11,9 @@ environment:
 restore: |
   cd "$SNAP"
   rm -f ./*.snap
-  snapcraft clean
+  # The regular clean can potentially fail depending on if/when the test itself failed, but
+  # they should always both be attempted
+  snapcraft clean || true
   snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   snap remove "${SNAP}"
 
diff --git a/tests/spread/core22/squid-proxy/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core22/squid-proxy/task.yaml
index 8c71b0767f..dc026b6366 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core22/squid-proxy/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core22/squid-proxy/task.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 summary: Verify that squid proxy can be passed as an http proxy to snapcraft.
+manual: true
 
 environment:
   SNAP_DIR: snaps/squid-proxy-test
diff --git a/tests/spread/core24-suites/environment/paths/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core24-suites/environment/paths/task.yaml
index 7bfcd63ba1..ec78b71571 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core24-suites/environment/paths/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core24-suites/environment/paths/task.yaml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ systems:
 
 restore: |
   cd "../snaps/$SNAP"
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
 execute: |
diff --git a/tests/spread/core24-suites/manifest/manifest-creation/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core24-suites/manifest/manifest-creation/task.yaml
index b452c6d31f..21beb5629b 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core24-suites/manifest/manifest-creation/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core24-suites/manifest/manifest-creation/task.yaml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ prepare: |
   snap install yq
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
   rm -f ~/manifest_0.1_*.snap
   rm -f ~/manifest.yaml
diff --git a/tests/spread/core24-suites/manifest/manifest-info-envvars/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core24-suites/manifest/manifest-info-envvars/task.yaml
index 7f328b4420..1004d459b0 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core24-suites/manifest/manifest-info-envvars/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core24-suites/manifest/manifest-info-envvars/task.yaml
@@ -7,7 +7,10 @@ prepare: |
   snap install review-tools
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  # The regular clean can potentially fail depending on if/when the test itself failed, but
+  # they should always both be attempted
+  snapcraft clean || true
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
   rm -f ~/manifest_0.1_*.snap
 
diff --git a/tests/spread/core24/appstream-desktop/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core24/appstream-desktop/task.yaml
index b8a98eff75..2320f054a1 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core24/appstream-desktop/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core24/appstream-desktop/task.yaml
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ systems:
 
 restore: |
   cd "${SNAP}"
-  snapcraft clean
+  # The regular clean can potentially fail depending on if/when the test itself failed, but
+  # they should always both be attempted
+  snapcraft clean || true
   snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
diff --git a/tests/spread/core24/craftctl/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core24/craftctl/task.yaml
index 06ffee979f..c5d27247f1 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core24/craftctl/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core24/craftctl/task.yaml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ restore: |
   cd "$SNAP"
   rm -f ./*.snap
   rm -Rf work
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
   . "$TOOLS_DIR/snapcraft-yaml.sh"
diff --git a/tests/spread/core24/linters-file/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core24/linters-file/task.yaml
index b1a7b11155..e82f6c586e 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core24/linters-file/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core24/linters-file/task.yaml
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ environment:
 restore: |
   cd "${SNAP}"
   rm -f ./*.snap ./*.assert ./linter_output.txt
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
 
 execute: |
   cd "${SNAP}"
diff --git a/tests/spread/core24/package-repositories/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core24/package-repositories/task.yaml
index 3c6247df39..49e7488cab 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core24/package-repositories/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core24/package-repositories/task.yaml
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ restore: |
 
   cd "$SNAP"
   rm -f ./*.snap
-  snapcraft clean
+  # The regular clean can potentially fail depending on if/when the test itself failed, but
+  # they should always both be attempted
+  snapcraft clean || true
   snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   snap remove "${SNAP}"
 
diff --git a/tests/spread/core24/platforms/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core24/platforms/task.yaml
index a8a237553d..bbecfa032f 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core24/platforms/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core24/platforms/task.yaml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ prepare: |
 
 restore: |
   cd "./snaps/$SNAP"
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
diff --git a/tests/spread/core24/squid-proxy/task.yaml b/tests/spread/core24/squid-proxy/task.yaml
index 5346edb310..d80d7365a1 100644
--- a/tests/spread/core24/squid-proxy/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/core24/squid-proxy/task.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 summary: Verify that squid proxy can be passed as an http proxy to snapcraft.
+manual: true
 
 environment:
   SNAP_DIR: snaps/squid-proxy-test
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/appstream-desktop/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/appstream-desktop/task.yaml
index 28838dc59e..eaa4702f1a 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/appstream-desktop/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/appstream-desktop/task.yaml
@@ -16,7 +16,10 @@ prepare: |
 
 restore: |
   cd "$SNAP_DIR"
-  snapcraft clean
+  # The regular clean can potentially fail depending on if/when the test itself failed, but
+  # they should always both be attempted
+  snapcraft clean || true
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
 execute: |
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/grammar/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/grammar/task.yaml
index aa57bbab60..aaa2b65f22 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/grammar/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/grammar/task.yaml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ prepare: |
   set_base "./snap/snapcraft.yaml"
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-and-project-hooks/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-and-project-hooks/task.yaml
index 479ae746fc..bdc61a3f7d 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-and-project-hooks/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-and-project-hooks/task.yaml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ prepare: |
   set_base "./snap/snapcraft.yaml"
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-hooks/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-hooks/task.yaml
index 9198c657a0..5379f7ef22 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-hooks/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-hooks/task.yaml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ prepare: |
   set_base "./snap/snapcraft.yaml"
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-then-project-hooks/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-then-project-hooks/task.yaml
index b82ea73364..cf8639eb56 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-then-project-hooks/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/hooks/generated-then-project-hooks/task.yaml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ prepare: |
   set_base "./snap/snapcraft.yaml"
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/hooks/project-hooks-updated/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/hooks/project-hooks-updated/task.yaml
index 53b063baa6..1924a1da0d 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/hooks/project-hooks-updated/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/hooks/project-hooks-updated/task.yaml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ prepare: |
   set_base "./snap/snapcraft.yaml"
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/hooks/project-hooks/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/hooks/project-hooks/task.yaml
index 73a23b48c3..7c301255b7 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/hooks/project-hooks/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/hooks/project-hooks/task.yaml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ prepare: |
   set_base "./snap/snapcraft.yaml"
 
 restore: |
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/pack/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/pack/task.yaml
index 25fb267f7a..b8b7ea5b3d 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/pack/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/pack/task.yaml
@@ -26,8 +26,14 @@ prepare: |
   echo "compression: ${COMPRESSION}" >> snap/snapcraft.yaml
 
 restore: |
-  rm -rf test-snap
+  pushd test-snap
+  # The regular clean can potentially fail depending on if/when the test itself failed, but
+  # they should always both be attempted
+  snapcraft clean --use-lxd || true
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -rf ./*.snap
+  popd
+  rm -rf test-snap
 
 execute: |
   cd test-snap
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/package-repositories/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/package-repositories/task.yaml
index 697fe1d2c6..3cc8fc3208 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/package-repositories/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/package-repositories/task.yaml
@@ -14,12 +14,7 @@ prepare: |
 
 restore: |
   cd "$SNAP"
-  if [ "$SPREAD_SYSTEM" = "ubuntu-20.04-64" ]; then
-      snapcraft clean --use-lxd
-  else
-      snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
-  fi
-
+  snapcraft clean --use-lxd
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
@@ -30,7 +25,7 @@ execute: |
   cd "$SNAP"
 
   # Build what we have.
-    snapcraft pack --use-lxd
+  snapcraft pack --use-lxd
 
   # And verify the snap runs as expected.
   snap install "${SNAP}"_1.0_*.snap --dangerous
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/stage-packages/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/stage-packages/task.yaml
index b2c65fc463..793757aea6 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/stage-packages/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/stage-packages/task.yaml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ prepare: |
 
 restore: |
   cd "./snaps/$SNAP"
-  snapcraft clean
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
   rm -f ./*.snap
 
   #shellcheck source=tests/spread/tools/snapcraft-yaml.sh
diff --git a/tests/spread/general/version-git/task.yaml b/tests/spread/general/version-git/task.yaml
index 9edcd7d1cf..09d6e0a9b5 100644
--- a/tests/spread/general/version-git/task.yaml
+++ b/tests/spread/general/version-git/task.yaml
@@ -19,8 +19,14 @@ prepare: |
   echo >> snap/snapcraft.yaml
 
 restore: |
-  rm -rf test-snap
+  pushd test-snap
   rm -rf ./*.snap
+  # The regular clean can potentially fail depending on if/when the test itself failed, but
+  # they should always both be attempted
+  snapcraft clean || true
+  snapcraft clean --destructive-mode
+  popd
+  rm -rf test-snap
 
 execute: |
   # Unset SNAPCRAFT_BUILD_ENVIRONMENT=host.