diff --git a/.github/workflows/quarto.yml b/.github/workflows/quarto.yml
index e495c42..7cfd538 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/quarto.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/quarto.yml
@@ -1,29 +1,19 @@
-name: quarto website
+name: quarto-website
 
 # Controls when the workflow will run
 on:
   # Triggers the workflow on push or pull request events but only for the specified branches
   push:
-    branches: [ "main", "dev" ]
-  # pull_request:
-  #   branches: [ "main", "dev" ]
-
-  # # Allows you to run this workflow manually from the Actions tab
-  # workflow_dispatch:
-
-# Debugging log info
-# https://docs.github.com/en/actions/monitoring-and-troubleshooting-workflows/troubleshooting-workflows/enabling-debug-logging
-
-# temporarily use conditional statement to skip PR while troubleshooting
-# env: A map of variables that are available to the steps of all jobs in the workflow. 
-    # The env context contains variables that have been set in a workflow, job, or step.
-# env:
-#   RUN_PR_STEP: "${{ false }}"
-
-# The vars context contains custom configuration variables set at the organization, repository, and environment levels. 
-# repository or environment variables can be set on Github or the GH Actions extension in VSCode
-# https://github.com/jennylsmith/jennylsmith.github.io/settings/variables/actions
-# if statements can only access thse expression contexts: github, inputs, vars, needs
+    branches: 
+      - dev*
+      - feat/*
+  pull_request: 
+    branches: 
+      - main_pr_test
+    types:
+      - closed
+  # Allows you to run this workflow manually from the Actions tab or gh CLI
+  workflow_dispatch:
 
 # Allow only one concurrent deployment, skipping runs queued between the run in-progress and latest queued.
 # However, do NOT cancel in-progress runs as we want to allow these production deployments to complete.
@@ -33,78 +23,200 @@ concurrency:
 
 # Sets permissions of the GITHUB_TOKEN to allow deployment to GitHub Pages
 permissions:
-  contents: read
+  contents: write
   pages: write
   id-token: write
   pull-requests: write
   
+env:
+  QUARTO_VERSION: 1.5.57
+  OUTPUT_DIR: docs
+  CACHE_PATH: '**/docs/*.*'
+  CACHE_KEY: ${{ github.ref_name }}-key
+  BASE: dev_pr_test
+  MAIN: main_pr_test
+
+# IDEA: want any push from a feat branch to open PR into dev. that will get merged into dev (2 steps build --> pr):
+# then once PR is merged into dev, want 3 steps build --> pr --> deploy. 
+# but can I / do I want to make the PR automatically merge?
+
 # A workflow run is made up of one or more jobs that can run sequentially or in parallel
 jobs:
-  # This workflow contains a single job called "build"
+  # a job called "build"
   build:
     # The type of runner that the job will run on
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    env:
-      QUARTO_VERSION: 1.5.57
+
     # Steps represent a sequence of tasks that will be executed as part of the job
     steps:
-      # install quarto
-      - name: install quarto CLI
-        run: |
-          wget -O ${{ runner.temp }}/quarto.deb https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/releases/download/v${QUARTO_VERSION}/quarto-${QUARTO_VERSION}-linux-amd64.deb \
-          && sudo dpkg -i ${{ runner.temp }}/quarto.deb
       
       # checks-out your repository under $GITHUB_WORKSPACE, so your job can access it
       - name: checkout  
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      
+    
       # setup gh pages
       - name: setup pages
         id: pages
         uses: actions/configure-pages@v5
+
+      # check if the artifacts exist already
+      - name: restore-artifacts
+        if: ${{ github.event_name != 'pull_request' }}
+        id: artifacts
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+        with: 
+          path: ${{ env.OUTPUT_DIR }}
+          key: ${{ env.CACHE_KEY }}
+
+      # install quarto
+      - name: install quarto CLI
+        if: steps.artifacts.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        run: |
+          wget -O ${{ runner.temp }}/quarto.deb --quiet https://github.com/quarto-dev/quarto-cli/releases/download/v${QUARTO_VERSION}/quarto-${QUARTO_VERSION}-linux-amd64.deb \
+          && sudo dpkg -i ${{ runner.temp }}/quarto.deb
       
       # render the website 
       - name: render website
+        if: steps.artifacts.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
         run: quarto render
         
-      # upload the rendered website (artifact)
-      - name: upload artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v3
+      # cache rendered website artifacts
+      - name: Cache Artifacts
+        if: steps.artifacts.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        id: create-cache
+        uses: actions/cache/save@v4
         with:
-          path: ./docs
+          path: ${{ env.OUTPUT_DIR }}
+          key: ${{ env.CACHE_KEY }}
 
   # pull request
-  pull_request:
-    if: ${{ vars.RUN_PR_STEP == true }}
+  # https://github.com/peter-evans/create-pull-request/blob/main/docs/concepts-guidelines.md#triggering-further-workflow-runs
+  create_pull_request:
+    if: ${{ github.event_name != 'pull_request' }}
     needs: build
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    environment:
+      name: dev
+
     steps:
+      - name: select-base-branch
+        run: |
+          if [[ "${{ github.ref_name }}" == "${{ env.BASE }}" ]]
+          then
+            echo "BASE=${{ env.MAIN }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          fi
+
       - name: checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: create pull request
-        id: cpr
-        uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@v7
         with:
-          commit-message: "merge dev into main"
-          branch: dev
-          base: pr_actions_test
-          assignees: jennylsmith
-          reviewers: jennylsmith
+          token: ${{ secrets.GH_PAT }}
+          ref: ${{ env.BASE }}
         
+      - name: gh-cli-pr
+        run: | 
+          echo ${{ secrets.GH_PAT }} | gh auth login --with-token && \
+          gh pr create -B $BASE -H ${{ github.ref_name }} --title "PR for RUN_ID ${{ github.run_id }}" --body "PR for ${{ github.sha }}" --draft && \
+          gh auth logout
+
   # deploy job
   deploy:
-    # Add a dependency to the job
-    needs: build
-    # add and if statement later? ${{ github.event.repository.default_branch }}
+    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.pull_request.merged == true
+
+    # # Add a dependency to the job
+    # needs: create_pull_request
+
     # Deploy to the github-pages environment
+    # Settings and variables here: https://github.com/jennylsmith/jennylsmith.github.io/settings/environments
+    # environment:
+    #   name: github-pages
+    #   url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
     environment:
-      name: github-pages
-      url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
+      name: dev
 
     # Specify runner
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    # deploy to gh pages
-    steps:
-      - name: deploy to GitHub pages
-        id: deployment
-        uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4
+    
+    steps: 
+      - name: define-cache-key
+        run: |
+          if [[ "${{ github.ref_name }}" == "main" ]]
+          then
+            echo "CACHE_KEY=${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref }}-key" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          fi
+  
+      - name: restore-artifacts
+        id: artifacts
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+        with: 
+          path: ${{ env.OUTPUT_DIR }}
+          key: ${{ env.CACHE_KEY }}
+
+      - name: check-vars
+        run: |
+          echo event: ${{ github.event_name }} merged: ${{ github.event.pull_request.merged }}
+          env | grep -Ei "actions|GITHUB_ENV"
+          ls -alh 
+          ls -alh ${{ env.OUTPUT_DIR }}
+      
+      # upload the rendered website (artifact)
+      # - name: upload artifact
+      #   id: artifact
+      #   uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v3
+      #   with:
+      #     path: ${{ env.OUTPUT_DIR }}
+      # deploy to gh pages
+      # - name: deploy to GitHub pages
+      #   id: deployment
+      #   uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4
+
+
+
+#### NOTES
+
+# Debugging log info
+# https://docs.github.com/en/actions/monitoring-and-troubleshooting-workflows/troubleshooting-workflows/enabling-debug-logging
+
+# temporarily use conditional statement to skip PR while troubleshooting
+# env: A map of variables that are available to the steps of all jobs in the workflow. 
+    # The env context contains variables that have been set in a workflow, job, or step.
+# env:
+#   RUN_PR_STEP: "${{ false }}"
+
+# The vars context contains custom configuration variables set at the organization, repository, and environment levels. 
+# repository or environment variables can be set on Github or the GH Actions extension in VSCode
+# https://github.com/jennylsmith/jennylsmith.github.io/settings/variables/actions
+# if statements can only access thse expression contexts: github, inputs, vars, needs
+
+## OUTPUTS and gh CLI 
+
+# FIELDS=$(gh pr view 8 --json closed,state | sed -E 's/{|}//g' | tr -d '"')
+# echo $FIELDS | while IFS=':|,' read CLOSED CL_STATUS STATE MERGED
+# do;
+# CLOSED_STATUS=$(test "$CL_STATUS" = "true" | echo $?)
+# MERGED_STATUS=$(test "$MERGED" = "MERGED" | echo $?)
+# done; 
+
+
+# gh pr view --repo nf-core/demultiplex 315 --json closed,state | sed -E 's/{|}//g'
+
+# # .github/workflows/reusable-workflow.yml
+# name: Reusable Workflow
+# on:
+#   workflow_call:
+#     outputs:
+#       example_output:
+#         description: "An example output"
+
+# jobs:
+#   build:
+#     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+#     steps:
+#       - name: Set output
+#         id: set_output
+#         run: echo "::set-output name=example_output::Hello, World!"
+
+#     outputs:
+#       example_output: ${{ steps.set_output.outputs.example_output }}
+
+
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8f23ef5..db20441 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ using the following command in a terminal:
 quarto preview --render all --no-watch-inputs --no-browse
 ```
 
-For new features or fixes, create an issue on github in a new branch.
+For new features or fixes, create an issue on github and create a new branch with the changes.
 
 Then open a pull request using `gh` commandline utility to merge changes into the `dev` branch, like the example below for issue #4.