diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d7472d46..502d5ea2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 # Created by https://www.gitignore.io/api/c,c++,node,java,python,intellij,netbeans
 # Edit at https://www.gitignore.io/?templates=c,c++,node,java,python,intellij,netbeans
 
+# Mac droppings
+.DS_Store
+
 ### C ###
 # Prerequisites
 *.d
@@ -47,7 +50,8 @@
 *.pdb
 
 # Kernel Module Compile Results
-*.mod*
+# commented out below line to allow modeling files to be committed
+# *.mod*
 *.cmd
 .tmp_versions/
 modules.order
@@ -271,6 +275,8 @@ public/
 .dynamodb/
 
 ### Python ###
+.venv
+
 # Byte-compiled / optimized / DLL files
 __pycache__/
 *.py[cod]
diff --git a/ci/get_excluded_tests.sh b/ci/get_excluded_tests.sh
index f88cd1f1..4e97d6d5 100755
--- a/ci/get_excluded_tests.sh
+++ b/ci/get_excluded_tests.sh
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ if [[ $mode = "unused" || $mode = "all" ]]; then
     unused_test_rule_file=${working_dir}/unused_test_rule
 
     # -- Begin of Query Rules Heredoc --
-    cat > "${unused_test_rule_file}" << EndOfMessage
+    cat >"${unused_test_rule_file}" <<EndOfMessage
     let missing_deps = filter('//snowflake/ml[:/].*', kind('py_library rule', deps(tests/...) except deps(snowflake/ml:wheel))) in
         kind('source file', labels(srcs, kind('py_test rule', rdeps(//tests/..., \$missing_deps, 1))))
 EndOfMessage
@@ -85,9 +85,9 @@ if [[ $mode = "unaffected" || $mode = "all" ]]; then
     unaffected_test_rule_file=${working_dir}/unaffected_test_rule
 
     # -- Begin of Query Rules Heredoc --
-    cat > "${unaffected_test_rule_file}" << EndOfMessage
+    cat >"${unaffected_test_rule_file}" <<EndOfMessage
     let unaffected_targets = //tests/... - rdeps(//tests/..., set($(<"${affected_targets_file}"))) in
-        kind('source file', labels(srcs, kind('py_test rule', \$unaffected_targets)))
+        kind('source file', labels(srcs, set($(<ci/skip_merge_gate_targets)) + kind('py_test rule', \$unaffected_targets)))
 EndOfMessage
     # -- End of Query Rules Heredoc --
 
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ esac
 
 excluded_test_source_rule_file=${working_dir}/excluded_test_source_rule
 
-printf "kind('source file', set(%s) + set($(<ci/skip_merge_gate_targets))" "$(<"${targets_to_exclude_file}"))" > "${excluded_test_source_rule_file}"
+printf "kind('source file', set(%s))" "$(<"${targets_to_exclude_file}")" >"${excluded_test_source_rule_file}"
 
 ${bazel} query --query_file="${excluded_test_source_rule_file}" \
     --output location |
diff --git a/ci/skip_merge_gate_targets b/ci/skip_merge_gate_targets
index e24e756c..de6afd17 100644
--- a/ci/skip_merge_gate_targets
+++ b/ci/skip_merge_gate_targets
@@ -1,3 +1,2 @@
 //tests/integ/snowflake/ml/model:deployment_to_snowservice_integ_test
 //tests/integ/snowflake/ml/registry:model_registry_integ_test_snowservice
-//tests/perf:test_perf