diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.d/stages.yml b/.gitlab-ci.d/stages.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f50826018d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.d/stages.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# Currently we have two build stages after our containers are built:
+#  - build (for traditional build and test or first stage build)
+#  - test (for test stages, using build artefacts from a build stage)
+stages:
+  - containers
+  - containers-layer2
+  - build
+  - test
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 369963a949..2be8097f19 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -1,13 +1,5 @@
-# Currently we have two build stages after our containers are built:
-#  - build (for traditional build and test or first stage build)
-#  - test (for test stages, using build artefacts from a build stage)
-stages:
-  - containers
-  - containers-layer2
-  - build
-  - test
-
 include:
+  - local: '/.gitlab-ci.d/stages.yml'
   - local: '/.gitlab-ci.d/edk2.yml'
   - local: '/.gitlab-ci.d/opensbi.yml'
   - local: '/.gitlab-ci.d/containers.yml'