diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index d68f641686237e0d93b7906641d756f0438562b6..4cf50a9b8ac3b4a0d2b17afcd9e6c66dd8c08791 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -177,7 +177,8 @@ script:
 
 # TEST:
   - if test "$VALGRIND" == yes ; then OPT=valgrind ; else OPT="" ; fi
-  - if test "$PLUMED_CXX" || test -n "$PLUMED_MACPORTS" ; then make -C regtest $OPT ; fi
+# --no-print-directory make it more silent
+  - if test "$PLUMED_CXX" || test -n "$PLUMED_MACPORTS" ; then make --no-print-directory -C regtest $OPT ; fi
 
 # test with gcc6
   - if test "$PLUMED_DOCKER" = yes ; then docker run -v "$PWD/regtest":/home/plumed/regtest -it plumed /bin/bash -c "make -C regtest" ; fi
diff --git a/.travis/pushdoc b/.travis/pushdoc
index 712107e7b4012ca3f8f9983004a06f7844d21d3e..03a59b3310d15bdd025f516fd3c20b3fa98422e6 100755
--- a/.travis/pushdoc
+++ b/.travis/pushdoc
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ set -x
 esac
 
 git add --all .
-git commit -m "Update to ${GIT_OWNER}/${GIT_REPO}@$hash"
+# >/dev/null to avoid excessive noise on travis log
+git commit -m "Update to ${GIT_OWNER}/${GIT_REPO}@$hash" >/dev/null
 # -q and 2> is not to show the GIT_TOKEN on Travis log
 git push -q -f doc gh-pages 2> /dev/null 
diff --git a/release.sh b/release.sh
index 1d7293cd4ff8a6058b8c3479a4c9d56074a8c803..94d1178a012cae2a5a69973cdcab4d9d7e035737 100755
--- a/release.sh
+++ b/release.sh
@@ -114,8 +114,7 @@ if ! test "$VALIDATED" ; then
   update_changelog CHANGES/v$shortversion.md $version $shortversion "coming soon"
   echo 
   msg="Travis tests for v$version
-
-[makedoc]"
+"
   echo "Now I will add an empty commit and push the result to origin"
   echo "I will use the following commands:"
   echo "***"
@@ -126,7 +125,7 @@ if ! test "$VALIDATED" ; then
   confirm || exit
   git add CHANGES/v$shortversion.md
   git commit --allow-empty -m "$msg"
-  git push origin v$shortversion
+  git push -f origin v$shortversion:test-v$shortversion
   echo
   echo "Now you should go at this link:"
   echo "  http://travis-ci.org/plumed/plumed2/builds"
@@ -147,8 +146,7 @@ else
   cat VERSION
   echo "***"
   msg="Release v$version
-
-[makedoc]"
+"
   echo "Now I will add it, prepare a release commit, add a tag named v$version"
   echo "push it to origin and create a tgz file"
   echo "I will use the following commands:"