diff --git a/.github/actions/string-case/action.yml b/.github/actions/string-case/action.yml
index 4b4c2ada..cadcb74b 100644
--- a/.github/actions/string-case/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/string-case/action.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ outputs:
 runs:
   using: 'composite'
   steps:
-    - name: Retrieve releases
+    - name: Set outputs
       id: 'set'
       env:
         INPUT_STRING: '${{ inputs.string }}'
diff --git a/.github/sh/library/variables.inc.sh b/.github/sh/library/variables.inc.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..01a5373c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/sh/library/variables.inc.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env sh
+
+# For setting single line variables in the environment or output
+set_sl_var() { local f='%s=%s\n' ; printf -- "${f}" "$@" ; } ;
+
+# Used together to set multiple line variables in the environment or output
+mk_delim() { local f='%s_EOF_%d_' ; printf -- "${f}" "$1" "${RANDOM}" ; } ;
+open_ml_var() { local f=''\%'s<<'\%'s\n' ; printf -- "${f}" "$2" "$1" ; } ;
+close_ml_var() { local f='%s\n' ; printf -- "${f}" "$1" ; } ;
+        
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index 199f2d82..15a0bf45 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ jobs:
           cat >| .ffmpeg.releases.json <<'EOF'
           ${{ needs.info.outputs.ffmpeg-releases }}
           EOF
-          mk_delim() { printf -- '"%s_EOF_%d_"' "$1" "${RANDOM}" ; } ;
+          mk_delim() { local f='%s_EOF_%d_' ; printf -- "${f}" "$1" "${RANDOM}" ; } ;
           open_ml_var() { local f=''\%'s<<'\%'s\n' ; printf -- "${f}" "$2" "$1" ; } ;
           close_ml_var() { local f='%s\n' ; printf -- "${f}" "$1" ; } ;
           {
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ jobs:
             close_ml_var "${delim}" "${var}" ;
             unset -v delim jq_arg var ;
           } >> "${GITHUB_ENV}"
+          cat -v "${GITHUB_ENV}"
+          rm -v -f .ffmpeg.releases.json
       - name: Set up QEMU
         uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3
       - name: Set up Docker Buildx
diff --git a/tubesync/sync/fields.py b/tubesync/sync/fields.py
index 2910b7cc..2f479b68 100644
--- a/tubesync/sync/fields.py
+++ b/tubesync/sync/fields.py
@@ -145,6 +145,9 @@ class CommaSepChoiceField(models.CharField):
             # The data was lost; we can regenerate it.
             args_dict = {key: self.__dict__[key] for key in CommaSepChoice._fields}
             args_dict['selected_choices'] = list(value)
+            # setting a string manually should not result in characters
+            if isinstance(value, str) and len(value) > 0:
+                args_dict['selected_choices'] = value.split(self.separator)
             data = CommaSepChoice(**args_dict)
         value = data.selected_choices
         s_value = super().get_prep_value(value)