diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 276b393141..32784a1e85 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -2,6 +2,13 @@ language: bash
 os: linux
 dist: trusty
 
+git:
+  depth: 1
+  submodules: false
+
+before_install:
+  - git submodule update --init  # no recursive update
+
 cache:
   directories:
     - $HOME/astyle
@@ -78,7 +85,6 @@ jobs:
       stage: deploy
       script: $TRAVIS_BUILD_DIR/tests/common.sh
       env: BUILD_TYPE=package
-      if: env(CI_GITHUB_API_KEY) IS present
       deploy:
       # Create Github release, upload artifacts
       - provider: releases
diff --git a/package/build_boards_manager_package.sh b/package/build_boards_manager_package.sh
index be0ce0366b..aca8b64e1e 100755
--- a/package/build_boards_manager_package.sh
+++ b/package/build_boards_manager_package.sh
@@ -48,15 +48,6 @@ srcdir=$PWD
 rm -rf package/versions/$ver
 mkdir -p $outdir
 
-# Get submodules
-modules=libraries/SoftwareSerial
-for mod in $modules; do
-    echo "refreshing submodule: $mod"
-    git submodule update --init -- $mod
-    (cd $mod && git reset --hard)
-done
-echo "done with submodules"
-
 # Some files should be excluded from the package
 cat << EOF > exclude.txt
 .git
@@ -132,13 +123,32 @@ fi
 cat $srcdir/package/package_esp8266com_index.template.json | \
     jq "$jq_arg" > package_esp8266com_index.json
 
-# Use Github API token, if available
+# Use Github API token, when available
 curl_gh_token_arg=()
-if [ ! -z "$CI_GITHUB_API_KEY" ]; then
+if [ -z "$CI_GITHUB_API_KEY" ]; then
+    echo "curl: API key not present"
+else
+    echo "curl: API key is present"
     curl_gh_token_arg=(-H "Authorization: token $CI_GITHUB_API_KEY")
 fi
+
 # Get previous release name
-curl --silent "${curl_gh_token_arg[@]}" https://api.github.com/repos/esp8266/Arduino/releases > releases.json
+curl --silent -D curl-headers.txt "${curl_gh_token_arg[@]}" https://api.github.com/repos/esp8266/Arduino/releases > releases.json
+
+echo "======== >>> curl dumped header >>>"
+cat curl-headers.txt
+echo "======== <<< curl dumped header <<<"
+if ! grep "HTTP.*200 OK" curl-headers.txt > /dev/null; then
+    if [ -z "$CI_GITHUB_API_KEY" ]; then
+        # github api is rate-limiting
+        echo "---- Bad moon phase, in a PR, exit successfully"
+        exit 0
+    else
+        echo "---- Please debug curl request, exit with error"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+fi
+
 # Previous final release (prerelase == false)
 prev_release=$(jq -r '. | map(select(.draft == false and .prerelease == false)) | sort_by(.created_at | - fromdateiso8601) | .[0].tag_name' releases.json)
 # Previous release (possibly a pre-release)