diff --git a/komodo/cli.py b/komodo/cli.py
index 42598531..86611181 100755
--- a/komodo/cli.py
+++ b/komodo/cli.py
@@ -347,7 +347,7 @@ def _main(args: KomodoNamespace) -> None:
         args: KomodoNamespace instance with configuration
     """
     data = Data(extra_data_dirs=args.extra_data_dirs)
-
+    git_hashes = None
     if args.download or (not args.build and not args.install):
         git_hashes = download_packages(
             args.pkgs.content,
diff --git a/komodo/release_transpiler.py b/komodo/release_transpiler.py
index 0e4bc7f9..738dbdcc 100755
--- a/komodo/release_transpiler.py
+++ b/komodo/release_transpiler.py
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ def _pick_package_versions_for_release(
     """
     release_dict = {}
     for pkg_name, versions in packages.items():
+        version = None
         try:
             _check_version_exists_for_coordinates(versions, rhel_ver, py_ver)
         except KeyError as err:
diff --git a/komodo/symlink/suggester/cli.py b/komodo/symlink/suggester/cli.py
index bad95eca..c33a797a 100755
--- a/komodo/symlink/suggester/cli.py
+++ b/komodo/symlink/suggester/cli.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ def _parse_args():
         formatter_class=argparse.ArgumentDefaultsHelpFormatter,
     )
     parser.add_argument("release", help="e.g. 2019.12.rc0-py38")
-    parser.add_argument("mode", help="stable,testing,unstable")
+    parser.add_argument("mode", help="stable,testing")
     parser.add_argument("joburl", help="link to the job that triggered this")
     parser.add_argument("jobname", help="name of the job")
     parser.add_argument(
diff --git a/komodo/symlink/suggester/configuration.py b/komodo/symlink/suggester/configuration.py
index 66adee00..eb3b4c5f 100644
--- a/komodo/symlink/suggester/configuration.py
+++ b/komodo/symlink/suggester/configuration.py
@@ -23,11 +23,7 @@ def update(self, release, mode):
         link_exists = link in self.links
         linked_release = self._get_concrete_release(link) if link_exists else None
 
-        if mode == "unstable":
-            if not linked_release or release.monthly_diff(linked_release) >= 0:
-                self.links[link] = repr(release)
-
-        elif mode == "testing":
+        if mode == "testing":
             stable_link = f"stable-{release.py_ver()}"
             stable = (
                 self._get_concrete_release(stable_link)
diff --git a/tests/data/links.json b/tests/data/links.json
index 67d08cec..b27ef963 100644
--- a/tests/data/links.json
+++ b/tests/data/links.json
@@ -2,14 +2,11 @@
   "root_folder" : "test_dir",
   "root_links" : [
     "bleeding",
-    "unstable",
     "stable"
   ],
   "links": {
-    "2012.01": "2012.01.12",
-    "unstable": "2012.01.rc1",
-    "testing": "2012.01",
-    "stable" : "testing",
+    "testing": "2012.01.rc1",
+    "stable" : "2012.01.12",
     "bleeding": "testing"
   }
 }
diff --git a/tests/data/links_full.json b/tests/data/links_full.json
index 1b648a1f..c22ab5bf 100644
--- a/tests/data/links_full.json
+++ b/tests/data/links_full.json
@@ -3,8 +3,6 @@
   "root_links" : [
     "bleeding-py2",
     "bleeding",
-    "unstable-py2",
-    "unstable",
     "testing-py2",
     "testing",
     "stable-py2",
@@ -16,13 +14,7 @@
     "bleeding-py3"  : "bleeding-py36",
     "bleeding-py2"  : "bleeding-py27",
     "bleeding"      : "bleeding-py3",
-    
-    "unstable-py36" : "2020.01.a0-py36",
-    "unstable-py3"  : "unstable-py36",
-    "unstable-py27" : "2020.01.a0-py27",
-    "unstable-py2"  : "unstable-py27",
-    "unstable"      : "unstable-py3",
-    
+
     "testing-py36"  : "2020.01.a0-py36",
     "testing-py3"   : "testing-py36",  
     "testing-py27"  : "2020.01.a0-py27",
diff --git a/tests/test_link_io_structure.py b/tests/test_link_io_structure.py
index 78cc477d..4db5893a 100644
--- a/tests/test_link_io_structure.py
+++ b/tests/test_link_io_structure.py
@@ -27,17 +27,15 @@ def test_read_folder_structure(tmpdir):
 
         os.symlink("2012.01.12", "2012.01")
         os.symlink("2012.01", "stable")
-        os.symlink("2012.01", "testing")
-        os.symlink("2012.01.rc2", "unstable")
+        os.symlink("2012.01.rc2", "testing")
 
         expected_result = {
             "root_folder": tmpdir,
-            "root_links": ["stable", "unstable", "testing"],
+            "root_links": ["stable", "testing"],
             "links": {
                 "2012.01": "2012.01.12",
                 "stable": "2012.01",
-                "testing": "2012.01",
-                "unstable": "2012.01.rc2",
+                "testing": "2012.01.rc2",
             },
         }
 
@@ -53,8 +51,7 @@ def test_create_symlinks(tmpdir):
         "links": {
             "2012.01": "2012.01.12",
             "stable": "2012.01",
-            "testing": "2012.01",
-            "unstable": "2012.01.rc2",
+            "testing": "2012.01.rc2",
         },
     }
 
@@ -67,7 +64,7 @@ def test_create_symlinks(tmpdir):
         assert os.path.islink("stable")
         assert os.readlink("stable") == "2012.01"
         assert os.path.realpath("stable") == os.path.realpath("2012.01.12")
-        assert os.path.realpath("unstable") == os.path.realpath("2012.01.rc2")
+        assert os.path.realpath("testing") == os.path.realpath("2012.01.rc2")
 
 
 def test_create_symlink_stdout(tmpdir, capsys):
@@ -170,12 +167,11 @@ def test_link_integrity(tmpdir):
 
         test_dict = {
             "root_folder": tmpdir,
-            "root_links": ["stable", "unstable", "testing"],
+            "root_links": ["stable", "testing"],
             "links": {
                 "2012.01": "2012.01.12",
                 "stable": "2012.01",
-                "testing": "2012.01",
-                "unstable": "2012.01.rc2",
+                "testing": "2012.01.rc2",
             },
         }
 
@@ -186,10 +182,10 @@ def test_link_integrity(tmpdir):
         errors = verify_integrity(test_dict)
         assert errors == ["bleeding_py3 does not exist"]
 
-        test_dict["links"]["2012.01.rc2"] = "unstable"
+        test_dict["links"]["2012.01.rc2"] = "testing"
         errors = verify_integrity(test_dict)
         assert "2012.01.rc2 is part of a cyclic symlink" in errors
-        assert "unstable is part of a cyclic symlink" in errors
+        assert "testing is part of a cyclic symlink" in errors
 
 
 def test_root_folder_error(tmpdir):
@@ -198,12 +194,11 @@ def test_root_folder_error(tmpdir):
 
         test_dict = {
             "root_folder": os.path.join(str(tmpdir), "non_existing"),
-            "root_links": ["stable", "unstable", "testing"],
+            "root_links": ["stable", "testing"],
             "links": {
                 "2012.01": "2012.01.12",
                 "stable": "2012.01",
-                "testing": "2012.01",
-                "unstable": "2012.01.rc2",
+                "testing": "2012.01.rc2",
             },
         }
 
@@ -223,12 +218,11 @@ def test_link_error(tmpdir):
 
         test_dict = {
             "root_folder": tmpdir,
-            "root_links": ["stable", "unstable", "testing"],
+            "root_links": ["stable", "testing"],
             "links": {
                 "2012.01": "2012.01.12",
                 "stable": "2012.01",
-                "testing": "2012.01",
-                "unstable": "2012.01.rc2",
+                "testing": "2012.01.rc2",
             },
         }
         with pytest.raises(ValueError) as value_error:
@@ -242,11 +236,11 @@ def test_root_link_error(tmpdir):
 
         test_dict = {
             "root_folder": tmpdir,
-            "root_links": ["stable", "unstable", "testing"],
+            "root_links": ["stable", "testing"],
             "links": {
                 "2012.01": "2012.01.12",
                 "stable": "2012.01",
-                "unstable": "2012.01.rc2",
+                "testing": "2012.01.rc2",
             },
         }
         with pytest.raises(ValueError) as value_error:
diff --git a/tests/test_sanity_check.py b/tests/test_sanity_check.py
index 712a015a..2baf1904 100644
--- a/tests/test_sanity_check.py
+++ b/tests/test_sanity_check.py
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@ def test_assert_root_nodes_error_message_incorrectly_added_roots():
         "links": {
             "stable": "2012.01",
             "testing": "2012.03",
-            "unstable": "testing",
+            "deprecated": "testing",
         },
-        "root_links": ["unstable", "stable", "testing"],
+        "root_links": ["deprecated", "stable", "testing"],
     }
 
     with pytest.raises(
diff --git a/tests/test_suggester.py b/tests/test_suggester.py
index 36798288..d3c51ed6 100644
--- a/tests/test_suggester.py
+++ b/tests/test_suggester.py
@@ -60,16 +60,16 @@ def test_py_ver(release_id, expected):
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     ("conf", "link", "concrete"),
     [
-        # unstable happy path
+        # testing happy path
         (
             {
                 "links": {
-                    "unstable-py27": "1349.01-py27",
+                    "testing-py27": "1349.01-py27",
                     "1349.01-py27": "1349.02-py27",
                     "1349.02-py27": "1349.01.a0-py27",
                 },
             },
-            "unstable-py27",
+            "testing-py27",
             "1349.01.a0-py27",
         ),
     ],
@@ -82,33 +82,18 @@ def test_get_concrete_release(conf, link, concrete):
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     ("json_in", "release_id", "mode", "changed", "json_out"),
     [
-        # unstable happy path
+        # testing happy path
         (
             """{"links": {
-"unstable-py27": "1994.12.00.rc0-py27",
-"testing-py27" : "1994.11.a0-py27",
+"testing-py27": "1994.12.00.rc0-py27",
 "1994.12-py27" : "1994.12.00.rc0-py27"}}""",
             "1994.12.00.rc1-py27",
-            "unstable",
+            "testing",
             "changed",
             """{
     "links": {
         "1994.12-py27": "1994.12.00.rc0-py27",
-        "testing-py27": "1994.11.a0-py27",
-        "unstable-py27": "1994.12.00.rc1-py27"
-    }
-}
-""",
-        ),
-        # unstable should not be demoted
-        (
-            """{"links": {"unstable-py27": "1998.12.00-py27"}}""",
-            "1997.01.00.rc1-py27",
-            "unstable",
-            "unchanged",
-            """{
-    "links": {
-        "unstable-py27": "1998.12.00-py27"
+        "testing-py27": "1994.12.00.rc1-py27"
     }
 }
 """,