remove submodule; update install
diff --git a/.github/workflows/auto_update_submodule.yml b/.github/workflows/auto_update_submodule.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 7219ddf..0000000
--- a/.github/workflows/auto_update_submodule.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-    
-name: 'Auto-update Submodules'
-
-on:
-  workflow_dispatch:
-  schedule:
-    - cron: "0 0 * * *"
-
-jobs:
-  sync:
-    name: 'Auto-update Submodules'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-
-    # Use the Bash shell regardless whether the GitHub Actions runner is ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, or windows-latest
-    defaults:
-      run:
-        shell: bash
-
-    steps:
-    # Checkout the repository to the GitHub Actions runner
-    - name: Checkout
-      uses: actions/checkout@v2
-      with:
-        submodules: true
-    
-    # Git config
-    - name: Git Configurations
-      run: |
-        git config --global user.name 'Git bot'
-        git config --global user.email 'bot@noreply.github.com'
-        
-    # Update references
-    - name: Git Sumbodule Update
-      run: |
-        git submodule update --init --recursive
-        git submodule update --remote --recursive
-
-    - name: Commit update
-      run: |
-        git remote set-url origin https://x-access-token:${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}@github.com/${{ github.repository }}
-        git commit -am "Auto updated submodule references" && git push || echo "No changes to commit"
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
deleted file mode 100644
index 7997eab..0000000
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-[submodule "caravel-lite"]
-	path = caravel
-	url = https://github.com/efabless/caravel_openframe-lite
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e50aede..abca3fa 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -24,11 +24,11 @@
 ifeq ($(CARAVEL_LITE),1) 
 	CARAVEL_NAME := caravel-lite
 	CARAVEL_REPO := https://github.com/efabless/caravel_openframe-lite 
-	CARAVEL_BRANCH := main
+	CARAVEL_TAG := 'rc-8'
 else
 	CARAVEL_NAME := caravel
 	CARAVEL_REPO := https://github.com/efabless/caravel_openframe 
-	CARAVEL_BRANCH := master
+	CARAVEL_TAG := 'rc-8'
 endif
 
 # Install caravel as submodule, (1): submodule, (0): clone
@@ -78,12 +78,12 @@
 	$(eval CARAVEL_PATH := $(shell realpath --relative-to=$(shell pwd) $(CARAVEL_ROOT)))
 	@if [ ! -d $(CARAVEL_ROOT) ]; then git submodule add --name $(CARAVEL_NAME) $(CARAVEL_REPO) $(CARAVEL_PATH); fi
 	@git submodule update --init
-	@cd $(CARAVEL_ROOT); git checkout $(CARAVEL_BRANCH)
+	@cd $(CARAVEL_ROOT); git checkout $(CARAVEL_TAG)
 	$(MAKE) simlink
 else
 	@echo "Installing $(CARAVEL_NAME).."
 	@git clone $(CARAVEL_REPO) $(CARAVEL_ROOT)
-	@cd $(CARAVEL_ROOT); git checkout $(CARAVEL_BRANCH)
+	@cd $(CARAVEL_ROOT); git checkout $(CARAVEL_TAG)
 endif
 
 # Create symbolic links to caravel's main files
@@ -105,11 +105,11 @@
 ifeq ($(SUBMODULE),1)
 	@git submodule update --init --recursive
 	cd $(CARAVEL_ROOT) && \
-	git checkout $(CARAVEL_BRANCH) && \
+	git checkout $(CARAVEL_TAG) && \
 	git pull
 else
 	cd $(CARAVEL_ROOT)/ && \
-		git checkout $(CARAVEL_BRANCH) && \
+		git checkout $(CARAVEL_TAG) && \
 		git pull
 endif