diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yaml b/.github/workflows/tests.yaml
index b5654d7..e17291b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yaml
@@ -100,11 +100,99 @@ jobs:
           DEPLOYMENT_ID=$(astro deployment create --deployment-file e2e-setup/deployment-templates/${{ matrix.deployment }} | yq e '.deployment.metadata.deployment_id' -)
           echo "DEPLOYMENT_ID=$DEPLOYMENT_ID" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
+  default-deploy-tests:
+    name: Default Deploy Test
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: [create-test-deployments]
+    strategy:
+      max-parallel: 1
+      matrix:
+        deployment_id:
+          ["${{ needs.create-test-deployments.outputs.DEPLOYMENT_ID }}"]
+        deploy_type: [dags, image-and-dags]
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Get Astro Environment Info
+        id: get-astro-env-info
+        uses: ./.github/workflows/e2e/get_astro_env_info
+        with:
+          input_workspace_id: ${{ github.event.inputs.workspace_id }}
+          input_organization_id: ${{ github.event.inputs.org_id }}
+          input_astronomer_host: ${{ github.event.inputs.astronomer_host }}
+          input_astro_api_token: ${{ github.event.inputs.token }}
+          secret_workspace_id: ${{ secrets.WORKSPACE_ID }}
+          secret_organization_id: ${{ secrets.ORGANIZATION_ID }}
+          secret_astronomer_host: ${{ secrets.ASTRONOMER_HOST }}
+          secret_astro_api_token: ${{ secrets.ASTRO_API_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Mock git commands
+        run: |
+
+          # if deploy_type is dags, then use dags-deploy-git.sh as mock otherwise use image-deploy-git.sh as mock
+          if [[ "${{ matrix.deploy_type }}" == "dags" ]]; then
+            mv e2e-setup/mocks/default-dag-deploy-git.sh /usr/local/bin/git
+          else
+            mv e2e-setup/mocks/default-image-deploy-git.sh /usr/local/bin/git
+          fi
+          chmod +x /usr/local/bin/git
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+
+          sudo apt-get install jq
+
+          # we need to pre-install the CLI to set the context
+          curl -sSL https://install.astronomer.io | sudo bash -s
+
+      - name: Setup astro project in root folder
+        run: |
+
+          # copy the astro project to the root folder
+          cp -r e2e-setup/astro-project/ .
+
+      - name: Set CLI context
+        run: astro context switch ${{ steps.get-astro-env-info.outputs.astronomer_host }}
+
+      - name: Get Deployment Info Before Test
+        id: get-deployment-before
+        uses: ./.github/workflows/e2e/get_deployment_info
+        with:
+          deployment_id: ${{ matrix.deployment_id }}
+          organization_id: ${{ steps.get-astro-env-info.outputs.organization_id }}
+          astro_api_token: ${{ steps.get-astro-env-info.outputs.astro_api_token }}
+          astronomer_host: ${{ steps.get-astro-env-info.outputs.astronomer_host }}
+
+      - name: Run Deploy Action
+        uses: ./
+        with:
+          deployment-id: ${{ matrix.deployment_id }}
+          workspace: ${{ steps.get-astro-env-info.outputs.workspace_id }}
+
+      - name: Get Deployment Info After Test
+        id: get-deployment-after
+        uses: ./.github/workflows/e2e/get_deployment_info
+        with:
+          deployment_id: ${{ matrix.deployment_id }}
+          organization_id: ${{ steps.get-astro-env-info.outputs.organization_id }}
+          astro_api_token: ${{ steps.get-astro-env-info.outputs.astro_api_token }}
+          astronomer_host: ${{ steps.get-astro-env-info.outputs.astronomer_host }}
+
+      - name: Validate Deploy Action
+        uses: ./.github/workflows/e2e/validate_deployment
+        with:
+          is_dag_only_deploy: ${{ matrix.deploy_type == 'dags' }}
+          dag_tarball_version_before: ${{ steps.get-deployment-before.outputs.desired_dag_tarball_version }}
+          image_version_before: ${{ steps.get-deployment-before.outputs.desired_image_version }}
+          dag_tarball_version_after: ${{ steps.get-deployment-after.outputs.desired_dag_tarball_version }}
+          image_version_after: ${{ steps.get-deployment-after.outputs.desired_image_version }}
+
   # DAG Deploy test would test the DAG only deploy functionality in deploy action
   dag-deploy-test:
     name: DAG Deploy Test
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [create-test-deployments]
+    needs: [default-deploy-tests, create-test-deployments]
     strategy:
       matrix:
         deployment_id:
diff --git a/action.yaml b/action.yaml
index ca0e2bd..bcd0b0c 100644
--- a/action.yaml
+++ b/action.yaml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ branding:
 inputs:
   root-folder:
     required: false
-    default: "./"
+    default: ""
     description: "Path to the Astro project, or dbt project for dbt deploys."
   parse:
     required: false
@@ -300,7 +300,11 @@ runs:
       run: |
 
         echo ::group::Get DBT Deploy Options
-        cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+
+        if [[ ${{ inputs.root-folder }} != "" ]]; then
+          cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+        fi
+
         branch=$(echo "${GITHUB_REF#refs/heads/}")
         echo "Branch pushed to: $branch"
         git fetch origin $branch
@@ -308,13 +312,8 @@ runs:
         echo "Files changed: $files"
         DBT_DEPLOY=false
 
-        root_folder="${{ inputs.root-folder }}"
-        if [[ $root_folder == "./" ]]; then
-          root_folder=""
-        fi
-
         for file in $files; do
-          if [[ $file =~ ^"$root_folder".* ]]; then
+          if [[ $file =~ ^"${{ inputs.root-folder }}".* ]]; then
             echo $file is part of configured root folder, so would be triggering a dbt deploy
             DBT_DEPLOY=true
           fi
@@ -344,10 +343,13 @@ runs:
 
         # infer based on files changed to deploy only dags or image and dags
         echo ::group::Get Deploy Type
-        cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+
+        if [[ ${{ inputs.root-folder }} != "" ]]; then
+          cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+        fi
+
         branch=$(echo "${GITHUB_REF#refs/heads/}")
         echo "Branch pushed to: $branch"
-        pwd
         git fetch origin $branch
         files=$(git diff --name-only ${{ github.event.before }} ${{ github.event.after }})
         echo "files changed: $files"
@@ -359,17 +361,12 @@ runs:
 
         SKIP_IMAGE_OR_DAGS_DEPLOY=true
 
-        root_folder="${{ inputs.root-folder }}"
-        if [[ $root_folder == "./" ]]; then
-          root_folder=""
-        fi
-
         # This for loop checks for following cases:
         # 1. If no file is part of the input root folder, then it skips deploy
         # 2. If any file is not part of the dags folder, then it triggers a full image build
         # 3. If all files are part of the dags folder and input root folder, then it triggers a DAG-only deploy
         for file in $files; do
-          if [[ $file =~ ^"$root_folder".* ]]; then
+          if [[ $file =~ ^"${{ inputs.root-folder }}".* ]]; then
             echo $file is part of the input root folder
             SKIP_IMAGE_OR_DAGS_DEPLOY=false
             if [[ $file != *"dags/"* ]]; then
@@ -454,7 +451,11 @@ runs:
 
         echo ::group::DAG Deploy to Astro
         # Deploy only dags
-        cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+
+        if [[ ${{ inputs.root-folder }} != "" ]]; then
+          cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+        fi
+
         astro deploy ${{steps.deployment-preview.outputs.FINAL_DEPLOYMENT_ID}} --dags ${{steps.deploy-options.outputs.OPTIONS}}
         echo ::endgroup::
       shell: bash
@@ -464,7 +465,11 @@ runs:
       run: |
         echo ::group::Image and DAG Deploy to Astro
         # Deploy image and DAGs
-        cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+
+        if [[ ${{ inputs.root-folder }} != "" ]]; then
+          cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+        fi
+
         astro deploy ${{steps.deployment-preview.outputs.FINAL_DEPLOYMENT_ID}} ${{steps.deploy-options.outputs.OPTIONS}}
         echo ::endgroup::
       shell: bash
@@ -473,7 +478,11 @@ runs:
       run: |
 
         echo ::group::DBT Deploy to Astro
-        cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+
+        if [[ ${{ inputs.root-folder }} != "" ]]; then
+          cd ${{ inputs.root-folder }}
+        fi
+
         astro dbt deploy ${{steps.deployment-preview.outputs.FINAL_DEPLOYMENT_ID}} ${{steps.dbt-deploy-options.outputs.DBT_OPTIONS}}
         echo ::endgroup::
       shell: bash
diff --git a/e2e-setup/mocks/default-dag-deploy-git.sh b/e2e-setup/mocks/default-dag-deploy-git.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c54749
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-setup/mocks/default-dag-deploy-git.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# hack to mock git commands as part of action.yaml so that we could simulate dags only deploy scenario without making any additional commits
+
+# Check if the script was invoked with "git diff"
+if [[ "$1" == "diff" ]]; then
+  echo "dags/exampledag.py"
+elif [[ "$1" == "fetch" ]]; then
+  echo "Handling git fetch, doing nothing"
+else
+  echo "Error: git mock script isn't configured to handle $1" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/e2e-setup/mocks/default-image-deploy-git.sh b/e2e-setup/mocks/default-image-deploy-git.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..873387e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-setup/mocks/default-image-deploy-git.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# hack to mock git commands as part of action.yaml so that we could simulate image deploy scenario without making any additional commits
+
+# Check if the script was invoked with "git diff"
+if [[ "$1" == "diff" ]]; then
+  echo "Dockerfile"
+elif [[ "$1" == "fetch" ]]; then
+  echo "Handling git fetch, doing nothing"
+else
+  echo "Error: git mock script isn't configured to handle $1" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi