diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
index 13c7fea22c..8feea71aba 100644
--- a/.github/dependabot.yml
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -18,11 +18,8 @@ updates:
     commit-message:
       prefix: "build(deps)"
     ignore:
-      - dependency-name: "org.jlab:groot" # since version numbers are not in order
-      - dependency-name: "net.objecthunter:exp4j" # pinned for dependency convergence
-      - dependency-name: "org.ejml:ejml-simple" # pinned for dependency convergence
-      - dependency-name: "org.apache.commons:commons-lang3" # pinned for dependency convergence
-      - dependency-name: "org.slf4j:slf4j-api" # pinned for dependency convergence
+      - dependency-name: "org.jlab:groot" # since clasweb version numbers are not in order
+      - dependency-name: "org.ejml:ejml-simple" # see https://github.com/JeffersonLab/coatjava/pull/636
       - dependency-name: "org.openjfx:javafx-base"
         versions: [">= 24"] # version 24 requires JAVA_VERSION 22+
       - dependency-name: "org.openjfx:javafx-graphics"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 4426bce6a1..60c0b0b85a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ env:
   RCDB_CONNECTION: 'sqlite:///${{ github.workspace }}/coatjava/etc/data/sqlite/rcdb.sqlite'
   nthreads: 1
   # Maven 3.9+ reads MAVEN_ARGS automatically, including inside build-coatjava.sh:
-  #   --no-snapshot-updates : don't re-check remote repos (j4ml) for newer SNAPSHOTs;
+  #   --no-snapshot-updates : don't re-check remote repos for newer SNAPSHOTs;
   #                           use whatever `warm_maven_cache` resolved
   #   retryHandler.count    : built-in HTTP retries for transient 403/429/5xx
   MAVEN_ARGS: --no-snapshot-updates -Daether.connector.http.retryHandler.count=5
diff --git a/CODEOWNERS b/CODEOWNERS
index ea7190a46e..c1cdf66a30 100644
--- a/CODEOWNERS
+++ b/CODEOWNERS
@@ -79,7 +79,6 @@ reconstruction/ft/ @raffaelladevita
 reconstruction/htcc/ @raffaelladevita @baltzell @zieglerv
 reconstruction/ltcc/ @raffaelladevita @baltzell @zieglerv @sly2j
 reconstruction/mc/ @baltzell @rafopar
-reconstruction/mltn/ @gavalian
 reconstruction/postproc/ @baltzell
 reconstruction/raster/ @raffaelladevita @N-Plx
 reconstruction/recoil/ @silvianic
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index fe7cf3c86c..6d316f4e53 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -21,4 +21,7 @@ clean:
 clara:
 	$(BUILD) --clara $(THREADS)
 
+test:
+	$(BUILD) --unittests $(THREADS)
+
 all: clara
diff --git a/build-coatjava.sh b/build-coatjava.sh
index 7187ffc4b8..0f990134e3 100755
--- a/build-coatjava.sh
+++ b/build-coatjava.sh
@@ -403,14 +403,8 @@ install_jars() {
 for pom in $(find reconstruction -name pom.xml); do
   install_jars $pom $prefix_dir/lib/services
 done
-for pom in $(find common-tools -name pom.xml); do
-  if [[ "$pom" =~ coat-libs ]]; then
-    install_jars $pom $prefix_dir/lib/clas 'coat-libs-*.jar'
-  # else # FIXME, consumers may be need these after https://github.com/JeffersonLab/coatjava/pull/632 ; alternatively add needed deps to `coat-libs`
-  #   install_jars $pom $prefix_dir/lib/services
-  fi
-done
-
+install_jars common-tools/djl-runtime/pom.xml $prefix_dir/lib/services
+install_jars common-tools/coat-libs/pom.xml   $prefix_dir/lib/clas 'coat-libs-*.jar'
 echo "installed coatjava to: $prefix_dir"
 
 # install clara
diff --git a/common-tools/coat-libs/pom.xml b/common-tools/coat-libs/pom.xml
index 761e3c2152..6a6d847814 100644
--- a/common-tools/coat-libs/pom.xml
+++ b/common-tools/coat-libs/pom.xml
@@ -26,16 +26,6 @@
       <artifactId>et</artifactId>
     </dependency>
 
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>j4ml</groupId>
-      <artifactId>j4ml-neuroph</artifactId>
-    </dependency>
-
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>j4ml</groupId>
-      <artifactId>j4ml-clas12</artifactId>
-    </dependency>
-
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.jlab.clas</groupId>
       <artifactId>clas-io</artifactId>
diff --git a/common-tools/djl-runtime/pom.xml b/common-tools/djl-runtime/pom.xml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..edaed6dc51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common-tools/djl-runtime/pom.xml
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/maven-v4_0_0.xsd">
+  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
+
+  <!--
+    this POM installs `ai.djl` runtime dependencies to our prefix classpath;
+    this includes its transitive dependencies, e.g. `gson` and `slf4j`
+  -->
+
+  <artifactId>djl-runtime</artifactId>
+  <packaging>pom</packaging>
+
+  <parent>
+    <groupId>org.jlab.clas</groupId>
+    <artifactId>common-tools</artifactId>
+    <version>14.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
+  </parent>
+
+  <properties>
+    <!-- Native PyTorch classifier; overridden per-OS by the profiles below -->
+    <djl.pytorch.classifier>linux-x86_64</djl.pytorch.classifier>
+  </properties>
+
+  <profiles>
+    <!-- Linux x86_64 is the default via the property above; this profile exists only to make the choice explicit/overridable -->
+    <profile>
+      <id>djl-linux-x86_64</id>
+      <activation>
+        <os>
+          <family>unix</family>
+          <name>Linux</name>
+          <arch>amd64</arch>
+        </os>
+      </activation>
+      <properties>
+        <djl.pytorch.classifier>linux-x86_64</djl.pytorch.classifier>
+      </properties>
+    </profile>
+    <profile>
+      <id>djl-osx-aarch64</id>
+      <activation>
+        <os>
+          <family>mac</family>
+          <arch>aarch64</arch>
+        </os>
+      </activation>
+      <properties>
+        <djl.pytorch.classifier>osx-aarch64</djl.pytorch.classifier>
+      </properties>
+    </profile>
+    <profile>
+      <id>djl-win-x86_64</id>
+      <activation>
+        <os>
+          <family>windows</family>
+          <arch>amd64</arch>
+        </os>
+      </activation>
+      <properties>
+        <djl.pytorch.classifier>win-x86_64</djl.pytorch.classifier>
+      </properties>
+    </profile>
+  </profiles>
+
+  <dependencies>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>ai.djl</groupId>
+      <artifactId>api</artifactId>
+    </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>ai.djl</groupId>
+      <artifactId>model-zoo</artifactId>
+    </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>ai.djl.pytorch</groupId>
+      <artifactId>pytorch-model-zoo</artifactId>
+    </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>ai.djl.pytorch</groupId>
+      <artifactId>pytorch-engine</artifactId>
+    </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>ai.djl.pytorch</groupId>
+      <artifactId>pytorch-native-cpu</artifactId>
+      <classifier>${djl.pytorch.classifier}</classifier>
+    </dependency>
+    <dependency>
+      <groupId>ai.djl.pytorch</groupId>
+      <artifactId>pytorch-jni</artifactId>
+    </dependency>
+  </dependencies>
+
+  <build>
+    <plugins>
+      <plugin>
+        <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
+        <artifactId>maven-dependency-plugin</artifactId>
+        <version>3.11.0</version>
+        <executions>
+          <execution>
+            <id>copy-djl-runtime</id>
+            <phase>package</phase>
+            <goals>
+              <goal>copy-dependencies</goal>
+            </goals>
+            <configuration>
+              <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}/lib/services</outputDirectory>
+              <includeScope>runtime</includeScope>
+            </configuration>
+          </execution>
+        </executions>
+      </plugin>
+    </plugins>
+  </build>
+
+</project>
diff --git a/common-tools/pom.xml b/common-tools/pom.xml
index fa5af73563..3b954184d1 100644
--- a/common-tools/pom.xml
+++ b/common-tools/pom.xml
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
     <module>clara-io</module>
     <module>clas-tracking</module>
     <module>clas-decay-tools</module>
+    <module>djl-runtime</module>
     <module>coat-libs</module>
   </modules>
 
diff --git a/etc/services/kpp.yaml b/etc/services/kpp.yaml
index f0a37eac5f..0be7189bb1 100644
--- a/etc/services/kpp.yaml
+++ b/etc/services/kpp.yaml
@@ -1,10 +1,17 @@
-io-services:
-  reader:
-    class: org.jlab.io.clara.Clas12Reader
-    name: Clas12Reader
-  writer:
-    class: org.jlab.io.clara.Clas12Writer
-    name: Clas12Writer
+configuration:
+  services:
+    MAGFIELDS:
+      magfieldSolenoidMap: Symm_solenoid_r601_phi1_z1201_13June2018.dat
+      magfieldTorusMap: Full_torus_r251_phi181_z251_25Jan2021.dat
+    DCCR:
+      rawBankGroup: "NODENOISE"
+    DCHTAI:
+      outputBankPrefix: "AI"
+    DCTAI:
+      outputBankPrefix: "AI"
+    EBTAI:
+      outputBankPrefix: "RECAI"
+
 services:
   - class: org.jlab.clas.reco.DecoderEngine
     name: DECO
@@ -20,18 +27,16 @@ services:
     name: FTEB
   - class: org.jlab.service.raster.RasterEngine
     name: RASTER
-# DC clustering: nominal algoritm, filled the cluster bank for ai and conventional tracking
+  - class: org.jlab.service.ai.DCDenoiseEngine
+    name: DCDN    
   - class: org.jlab.service.dc.DCHBClustering
     name: DCCR
-# This is where the AI plugin would go.  THe AI code reads the HB clusters.  
-  - class: org.jlab.service.mltn.MLTDEngine
-    name: MLTD
-# DC using clustering: regular HB tracking
+  - class: org.jlab.service.ai.DCClsComboEngine
+    name: DCCC
   - class: org.jlab.service.dc.DCHBPostClusterConv
     name: DCHB
-# DC using clustering on AI hits: NN assisted HB tracking
-  - class: org.jlab.service.dc.DCHBPostClusterAI
-    name: DCHAI
+  - class: org.jlab.service.dc.DCHBTrackingAI
+    name: DCHTAI
   - class: org.jlab.service.ftof.FTOFHBEngine
     name: FTOFHB
   - class: org.jlab.service.ec.ECEngine
@@ -72,36 +77,18 @@ services:
     name: RICH
   - class: org.jlab.service.rtpc.RTPCEngine
     name: RTPC
+  - class: org.jlab.rec.service.vtx.VTXEngine
+    name: VTX
   - class: org.jlab.calibration.service.CalibBanksEngine
     name: CALIB
-configuration:
-  services:
-    MAGFIELDS:
-      magfieldSolenoidMap: Symm_solenoid_r601_phi1_z1201_13June2018.dat
-      magfieldTorusMap: Symm_torus_r2501_phi16_z251_24Apr2018.dat
-# examples of yaml settings for magfields 
-#      magfieldSolenoidShift: "0.0"
-#      magfieldTorusXShift: "0.0"
-#      magfieldTorusYShift: "0.0"
-#      magfieldTorusZShift: "0.0"
-# examples of yaml settings for DC services 
-#    DCRC:
-#      dcGeometryVariation: rga_spring2018
-#      dcT2DFunc: "Polynomial"
-#      dcWireDistortion: "true"
-# example of how to set variation and timestamp for a service, uncomment to use
-#    EBTB:
-#      variation: default
-#      timestamp: 08/22/2018
-    DCCR:
-      dcT2DFunc: "Exponential"  
-    DCHB:
-      dcT2DFunc: "Exponential"  
-    DCHAI:
-      dcT2DFunc: "Exponential"  
-    DCTB:
-      dcT2DFunc: "Exponential"  
-    DCTAI:
-      dcT2DFunc: "Exponential"  
+
+io-services:
+  reader:
+    class: org.jlab.io.clara.Clas12Reader
+    name: Clas12Reader
+  writer:
+    class: org.jlab.io.clara.Clas12Writer
+    name: Clas12Writer
+
 mime-types:
   - binary/data-hipo
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index d1203eb2e5..b13f48e9f7 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -59,10 +59,6 @@
       <id>clasweb-clas12maven</id>
       <url>https://clasweb.jlab.org/.clas12maven</url>
     </repository>
-    <repository>
-      <id>clasweb-jhep</id>
-      <url>https://clasweb.jlab.org/.jhep/maven</url>
-    </repository>
   </repositories>
 
   <profiles>
@@ -131,13 +127,13 @@
       <dependency>
         <groupId>org.apache.commons</groupId>
         <artifactId>commons-text</artifactId>
-        <version>1.15.0</version> <!-- WARNING: if changed, check the `org.apache.commons:commons-lang3` version; see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` -->
+        <version>1.15.0</version>
       </dependency>
 
       <dependency>
         <groupId>org.jlab</groupId>
         <artifactId>groot</artifactId>
-        <version>6.0.0</version> <!-- WARNING: if changed, check the `net.objecthunter:exp4j` version; see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` -->
+        <version>6.0.0</version>
       </dependency>
 
       <dependency>
@@ -197,29 +193,7 @@
       <dependency>
         <groupId>org.jlab.jnp</groupId>
         <artifactId>jnp-hipo4</artifactId>
-        <version>4.5</version> <!-- WARNING: if changed, check the `net.objecthunter:exp4j` version; see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` -->
-      </dependency>
-
-      <dependency>
-        <groupId>j4ml</groupId>
-        <artifactId>j4ml-neuroph</artifactId>
-        <version>0.9-SNAPSHOT</version> <!-- WARNING: if changed:
-          - check the `org.slf4j:slf4j-api` version
-          - check the `org.apache.commons:commons-lang3` version
-          - see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` for more info
-        -->
-      </dependency>
-
-      <dependency>
-        <groupId>j4ml</groupId>
-        <artifactId>j4ml-data</artifactId>
-        <version>0.9-SNAPSHOT</version>
-      </dependency>
-
-      <dependency>
-        <groupId>j4ml</groupId>
-        <artifactId>j4ml-clas12</artifactId>
-        <version>0.9-SNAPSHOT</version> <!-- WARNING: if changed, check the `org.ejml:ejml-simple` version; see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` -->
+        <version>4.5</version>
       </dependency>
 
       <dependency>
@@ -259,40 +233,10 @@
         <scope>import</scope>
       </dependency>
 
-      <!--
-        resolve convergence conflict between `j4ml:j4ml-clas12` and `clas-tracking`
-        by using the version of `org.ejml:ejml-simple` used by `j4ml:j4ml-clas12:jar:0.9-SNAPSHOT`
-        - see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` for more info
-      -->
       <dependency>
         <groupId>org.ejml</groupId>
         <artifactId>ejml-simple</artifactId>
-        <version>0.40</version> <!-- WARNING: if changed, see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` -->
-      </dependency>
-
-      <!--
-        resolve convergence conflict of `org.apache.commons:commons-lang3` by choosing the latest used by
-        - j4ml:j4ml-neuroph:0.9-SNAPSHOT consumes com.github.neuroph:neuroph-core:2.98 which uses version 3.3.2
-        - org.apache.commons:commons-text:1.15.0 uses version 3.20.0
-        - see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` for more info
-      -->
-      <dependency>
-        <groupId>org.apache.commons</groupId>
-        <artifactId>commons-lang3</artifactId>
-        <version>3.20.0</version> <!-- WARNING: if changed, see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` -->
-      </dependency>
-
-      <!--
-        resolve convergence conflict of `org.slf4j:slf4j-api` inherent in dependencies consumed by
-        `j4ml:j4ml-neuroph:jar:0.9-SNAPSHOT` by choosing the latest version:
-        - com.github.neuroph:neuroph-core:2.98 uses version 1.7.5
-        - com.github.neuroph:neuroph-core:2.98 also consumes ch.qos.logback:logback-classic:1.1.2, which uses version 1.7.6
-        - see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` for more info
-      -->
-      <dependency>
-        <groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
-        <artifactId>slf4j-api</artifactId>
-        <version>1.7.6</version> <!-- WARNING: if changed, see `docs/dependency_conflicts.md` -->
+        <version>0.40</version> <!-- WARNING: if changed, see https://github.com/JeffersonLab/coatjava/pull/636 -->
       </dependency>
 
     </dependencies>
@@ -405,14 +349,6 @@
             <configuration>
               <outputFile>${project.build.directory}/dependency-tree.txt</outputFile>
               <failOnWarning>true</failOnWarning>
-              <!-- ignore certain "unused but declared" warnings -->
-              <ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependencies>
-                <ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>ai.djl:model-zoo</ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>
-                <ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>ai.djl.pytorch:pytorch-model-zoo</ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>
-                <ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>ai.djl.pytorch:pytorch-engine</ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>
-                <ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>ai.djl.pytorch:pytorch-native-cpu</ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>
-                <ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>ai.djl.pytorch:pytorch-jni</ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependency>
-              </ignoredUnusedDeclaredDependencies>
             </configuration>
           </execution>
         </executions>
diff --git a/reconstruction/alert/pom.xml b/reconstruction/alert/pom.xml
index f20fea7847..9b41383f1c 100644
--- a/reconstruction/alert/pom.xml
+++ b/reconstruction/alert/pom.xml
@@ -83,61 +83,6 @@
       <groupId>ai.djl</groupId>
       <artifactId>api</artifactId>
     </dependency>
-
-    <!-- 'ai.djl' runtime dependencies -->
-    <!-- DJL Model Zoo -->
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>ai.djl</groupId>
-      <artifactId>model-zoo</artifactId>
-      <scope>runtime</scope>
-    </dependency>
-    <!-- PyTorch Model Zoo -->
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>ai.djl.pytorch</groupId>
-      <artifactId>pytorch-model-zoo</artifactId>
-      <scope>runtime</scope>
-    </dependency>
-    <!-- PyTorch Engine -->
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>ai.djl.pytorch</groupId>
-      <artifactId>pytorch-engine</artifactId>
-      <scope>runtime</scope>
-    </dependency>
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>ai.djl.pytorch</groupId>
-      <artifactId>pytorch-native-cpu</artifactId>
-      <classifier>linux-x86_64</classifier>
-      <scope>runtime</scope>
-    </dependency>
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>ai.djl.pytorch</groupId>
-      <artifactId>pytorch-jni</artifactId>
-      <scope>runtime</scope>
-    </dependency>
   </dependencies>
 
-  <build>
-    <plugins>
-      <!-- install 'ai.djl' runtime dependencies -->
-      <plugin>
-        <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
-        <artifactId>maven-dependency-plugin</artifactId>
-        <version>3.11.0</version>
-        <executions>
-          <execution>
-            <id>copy-dependencies</id>
-            <phase>package</phase>
-            <goals>
-              <goal>copy-dependencies</goal>
-            </goals>
-            <configuration>
-              <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}/lib/services</outputDirectory>
-              <includeGroupIds>ai.djl,com.google.code.gson</includeGroupIds>
-            </configuration>
-          </execution>
-        </executions>
-      </plugin>
-    </plugins>
-  </build>
-
 </project>
diff --git a/reconstruction/mltn/pom.xml b/reconstruction/mltn/pom.xml
deleted file mode 100644
index 5b8bb62881..0000000000
--- a/reconstruction/mltn/pom.xml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,52 +0,0 @@
-<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
-  <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
-
-  <groupId>org.jlab.clas12.detector</groupId>
-  <artifactId>clas12detector-mltn</artifactId>
-  <version>14.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
-  <packaging>jar</packaging>
-
-  <parent>
-    <groupId>org.jlab.clas12</groupId>
-    <artifactId>reconstruction</artifactId>
-    <version>14.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
-  </parent>
-
-  <dependencies>
-
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>org.jlab.jnp</groupId>
-      <artifactId>jnp-hipo4</artifactId>
-    </dependency>
-
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>j4ml</groupId>
-      <artifactId>j4ml-neuroph</artifactId>
-    </dependency>
-
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>j4ml</groupId>
-      <artifactId>j4ml-data</artifactId>
-    </dependency>
-
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>j4ml</groupId>
-      <artifactId>j4ml-clas12</artifactId>
-    </dependency>
-
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>org.jlab.clas</groupId>
-      <artifactId>clas-io</artifactId>
-      <version>14.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
-    </dependency>
-
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>org.jlab.clas</groupId>
-      <artifactId>clas-reco</artifactId>
-      <version>14.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
-    </dependency>
-
-  </dependencies>
-
-</project>
diff --git a/reconstruction/mltn/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/mltn/MLTDEngine.java b/reconstruction/mltn/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/mltn/MLTDEngine.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 6dce3c09cd..0000000000
--- a/reconstruction/mltn/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/mltn/MLTDEngine.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,119 +0,0 @@
-package org.jlab.service.mltn;
-
-import j4ml.clas12.ejml.ArchiveProvider;
-import j4ml.clas12.ejml.EJMLTrackNeuralNetwork;
-import j4ml.clas12.network.Clas12TrackFinder;
-import j4ml.clas12.tracking.ClusterCombinations;
-import java.util.HashMap;
-import java.util.Map;
-import java.util.Optional;
-import org.jlab.clas.reco.ReconstructionEngine;
-import org.jlab.io.base.DataBank;
-import org.jlab.io.base.DataEvent;
-import org.jlab.io.hipo.HipoDataBank;
-import org.jlab.utils.CLASResources;
-
-/**
- *
- * @author gavalian
- */
-public class MLTDEngine extends ReconstructionEngine {
-    
-    EJMLTrackNeuralNetwork       network = null;
-    private String         networkFlavor = "default";
-    private Integer        userRunNumber = -1;
-    private String       inputBankPrefix = "";
-    private String      outputBankPrefix = "ai";
-    private String             inputBank = null;
-    private String            outputBank = null;
-
-    public MLTDEngine(){
-        super("MLTD","gavalian","1.0");
-    }
-    
-    @Override
-    public boolean init() {
-        inputBankPrefix  = Optional.ofNullable(this.getEngineConfigString("inputBankPrefix")).orElse("");
-        outputBankPrefix = Optional.ofNullable(this.getEngineConfigString("outputBankPrefix")).orElse("ai");
-        inputBank  = "HitBasedTrkg::"+inputBankPrefix+"Clusters";
-        outputBank = outputBankPrefix+"::tracks";
-        networkFlavor = Optional.ofNullable(this.getEngineConfigString("flavor")).orElse("default");
-        userRunNumber = Integer.valueOf(Optional.ofNullable(this.getEngineConfigString("run")).orElse("-1"));
-        return true;
-    }
-
-    public boolean load(int run) {
-        String path = CLASResources.getResourcePath("etc/data/nnet/ejml/ejmlclas12.network"); 
-        if(this.getEngineConfigString("network")!=null) 
-            path = this.getEngineConfigString("network");
-        System.out.println("[neural-network] info : Loading neural network from " + path);
-        network = new EJMLTrackNeuralNetwork();        
-        Map<String,String>  files = new HashMap<>();
-        files.put("classifier", "trackClassifier.network");
-        files.put("fixer", "trackFixer.network");        
-        
-        ArchiveProvider provider = new ArchiveProvider(path.trim());
-        
-        //----- This will find in the archive the last run number closest
-        //----- to provided run number that contains trained network.
-        //----- it works similar to CCDB, but not exatly, for provided 
-        //----- run number it looks for run that has smaller number,
-        //----- however it the provided run # it lower than anything 
-        //----- existing in the arhive, it will return the closest run 
-        //----- number entry.
-        int adjustedRun = provider.findEntry(run);
-        
-        String directory = String.format("network/%d/%s", adjustedRun, networkFlavor);
-        network.initZip(path.trim(),directory, files);
-        
-        //trackFinder = Clas12TrackFinder.createEJML("CLAS12DIR","etc/ejml/ejmlclas12.network");
-        //classifier.setEnvDirectory("CLAS12DIR");
-        //classifier.setEnvPath("etc/nnet/neuroph");
-        //classifier.load("trackClassifier.nnet", "trackFixer.nnet");
-        System.out.println("[neural-network] info : Loading neural network files done...");
-        System.out.println("[neural-network] info : Only network is initialized...");
-        //throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Not supported yet."); //To change body of generated methods, choose Tools | Templates.
-        return true;
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public void detectorChanged(int runNumber) {
-        if (userRunNumber < 0) {
-            load(runNumber);
-        }
-        else if (network == null) {
-            load(userRunNumber);
-        }
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public boolean processDataEventUser(DataEvent de) {
-        if(de.hasBank(inputBank)==true){
-            DataBank bank = de.getBank(inputBank);           
-            HipoDataBank hipoBank = (HipoDataBank) bank;
-            Clas12TrackFinder trackFinder = new Clas12TrackFinder();
-            trackFinder.setTrackingNetwork(network);
-            trackFinder.process(hipoBank.getBank());            
-            writeBank(de,trackFinder.getResults());            
-        }
-        return true;
-    }
-    
-    public void writeBank(DataEvent event, ClusterCombinations combi){
-        DataBank bank = event.createBank(outputBank, combi.getSize());
-        for(int i = 0; i < combi.getSize(); i++){
-            bank.setByte("id", i, (byte) (i+1));
-            bank.setByte("sector", i, (byte) 1);
-            bank.setByte("charge", i, (byte) combi.setRow(i).getStatus());
-            bank.setFloat("prob", i, (float) combi.setRow(i).getProbability());
-            int[] ids = combi.getLabels(i);
-            for(int c = 0; c < 6; c++){
-                int order = c+1;
-                bank.setShort("c"+order, i, (short) ids[c]);
-            }
-        }
-        event.removeBank(outputBank);
-        event.appendBank(bank);
-    }
-
-}
diff --git a/reconstruction/mltn/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/mltn/MLTNEngine.java b/reconstruction/mltn/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/mltn/MLTNEngine.java
deleted file mode 100644
index 0d2c3ce339..0000000000
--- a/reconstruction/mltn/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/mltn/MLTNEngine.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,96 +0,0 @@
-package org.jlab.service.mltn;
-
-import j4ml.clas12.Clas12TrackAnalyzer;
-import j4ml.clas12.Clas12TrackClassifier;
-import j4ml.clas12.track.ClusterCombinations;
-import org.jlab.clas.reco.ReconstructionEngine;
-import org.jlab.io.base.DataBank;
-import org.jlab.io.base.DataEvent;
-import org.jlab.io.hipo.HipoDataBank;
-
-/**
- *
- * @author gavalian
- @Deprecated 
- */
-public class MLTNEngine extends ReconstructionEngine {
-    
-    Clas12TrackClassifier classifier = new Clas12TrackClassifier();
-    
-    public MLTNEngine(){
-        super("MLTN","gavalian","1.0");
-    }
-       
-    @Override
-    public boolean init() {
-        classifier.setEnvDirectory("CLAS12DIR");
-        classifier.setEnvPath("etc/data/nnet/neuroph");
-        classifier.load("trackClassifier.nnet", "trackFixer.nnet");
-        System.out.println("Loading neural network files done...");
-        return true;
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public void detectorChanged(int runNumber) {}
-
-    @Override
-    public boolean processDataEventUser(DataEvent de) {
-        if(de.hasBank("HitBasedTrkg::Clusters")==true){
-            DataBank bank = de.getBank("HitBasedTrkg::Clusters");
-            
-            
-           HipoDataBank hipoBank = (HipoDataBank) bank;
-            //classifier.processBank(hipoBank.getBank());
-            
-            Clas12TrackAnalyzer analyzer = new Clas12TrackAnalyzer();
-            for(int sector = 1; sector <=6; sector++){
-                analyzer.readBank(hipoBank.getBank(), sector);
-                classifier.evaluate(analyzer.getCombinations());
-                //analyzer.getCombinations().analyze();
-                //System.out.println(analyzer.getCombinations());
-                classifier.evaluate5(analyzer.getCombinationsPartial());
-                analyzer.analyze();
-            }
-            
-            writeBank(de,analyzer.getTracks());             
-            
-        }
-        return true;
-    }
-    
-    public void writeBank(DataEvent event, ClusterCombinations combi){
-        //ClusterCombinations combi = cl.getTracks();
-        //System.out.println(">>> writing ai bank with entries = " + combi.getSize());
-        DataBank bank = event.createBank("ai::tracks", combi.getSize());
-        for(int i = 0; i < combi.getSize(); i++){
-            bank.setByte("id", i, (byte) (i+1));
-            bank.setByte("sector", i, (byte) 1);
-            bank.setByte("charge", i, (byte) combi.setRow(i).getStatus());
-            bank.setFloat("prob", i, (float) combi.setRow(i).getProbability());
-            int[] ids = combi.getLabels(i);
-            for(int c = 0; c < 6; c++){
-                int order = c+1;
-                bank.setShort("c"+order, i, (short) ids[c]);
-            }
-        }
-        //System.out.println("appending bank");
-        event.appendBank(bank);
-    }
-
-    /*public void writeBank(DataEvent event, Clas12TrackClassifier cl){
-        ClusterCombinations combi = cl.getTracks();
-        //System.out.println(">>> writing ai bank with entries = " + combi.getSize());
-        DataBank bank = event.createBank("ai::tracks", combi.getSize());
-        for(int i = 0; i < combi.getSize(); i++){
-            bank.setByte("id", i, (byte) (i+1));
-            bank.setByte("sector", i, (byte) 1);
-            int[] ids = combi.getLabels(i);
-            for(int c = 0; c < 6; c++){
-                int order = c+1;
-                bank.setShort("c"+order, i, (short) ids[c]);
-            }
-        }
-        //System.out.println("appending bank");
-        event.appendBank(bank);
-    }*/
-}
diff --git a/reconstruction/pom.xml b/reconstruction/pom.xml
index dd90f1e511..f00723cd62 100644
--- a/reconstruction/pom.xml
+++ b/reconstruction/pom.xml
@@ -29,7 +29,6 @@
     <module>band</module>
     <module>mc</module>
     <module>rtpc</module>
-    <module>mltn</module>
     <module>swaps</module>
     <module>raster</module>
     <module>vtx</module>
diff --git a/reconstruction/uber/pom.xml b/reconstruction/uber/pom.xml
index 6fe9a043f8..7c540c551d 100644
--- a/reconstruction/uber/pom.xml
+++ b/reconstruction/uber/pom.xml
@@ -104,11 +104,6 @@
       <artifactId>clas12detector-eb</artifactId>
       <version>14.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
     </dependency>
-    <dependency>
-      <groupId>org.jlab.clas12.detector</groupId>
-      <artifactId>clas12detector-mltn</artifactId>
-      <version>14.2.3-SNAPSHOT</version>
-    </dependency>
     <dependency>
       <groupId>org.jlab.clas12.detector</groupId>
       <artifactId>clas12detector-fmt</artifactId>
diff --git a/reconstruction/uber/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/uber/Uber.java b/reconstruction/uber/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/uber/Uber.java
index 7258743b09..6a10ad68cf 100644
--- a/reconstruction/uber/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/uber/Uber.java
+++ b/reconstruction/uber/src/main/java/org/jlab/service/uber/Uber.java
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@
 import org.jlab.service.ftof.FTOFTBEngine;
 import org.jlab.service.htcc.HTCCReconstructionService;
 import org.jlab.service.ltcc.LTCCEngine;
-import org.jlab.service.mltn.MLTDEngine;
 import org.jlab.service.rtpc.RTPCEngine;
 import org.jlab.calibration.service.CalibBanksEngine;
 import org.jlab.service.ai.DCClsComboEngine;
@@ -85,21 +84,6 @@ public HitBasedCV() {
         }
     }
 
-    public static class HitBasedAIClassic extends UberEngine {
-        public HitBasedAIClassic() {
-            super("HB","uber","1.0");
-            add(new DCHBClustering(),
-                new MLTDEngine(),
-                new DCHBPostClusterAI("HB"),
-                new BANDEngine(),
-                new HTCCReconstructionService(),
-                new LTCCEngine(),
-                new FTOFHBEngine(),
-                new ECEngine(),
-                new EBHBEngine());
-        }
-    }
-
     public static class HitBasedAI extends UberEngine {
         public HitBasedAI() {
             super("HB","uber","1.0");
@@ -116,23 +100,6 @@ public HitBasedAI() {
         }
     }
 
-    public static class HitBasedAIClassicCV extends UberEngine {
-        public HitBasedAIClassicCV() {
-            super("HB","uber","1.0");
-            add(new DCHBClustering(),
-                new MLTDEngine(),
-                new DCHBPostClusterConv(),
-                new DCHBPostClusterAI("AI"),
-                new BANDEngine(),
-                new HTCCReconstructionService(),
-                new LTCCEngine(),
-                new FTOFHBEngine(),
-                new ECEngine(),
-                new EBHBEngine(),
-                new EBHBAIEngine());
-        }
-    }
-
     public static class HitBasedAICV extends UberEngine {
         public HitBasedAICV() {
             super("HB","uber","1.0");
diff --git a/validation/advanced-tests/run-advanced-tests.sh b/validation/advanced-tests/run-advanced-tests.sh
index c96599669a..c375c64f06 100755
--- a/validation/advanced-tests/run-advanced-tests.sh
+++ b/validation/advanced-tests/run-advanced-tests.sh
@@ -11,12 +11,8 @@ COAT=$CLARA_HOME/plugins/clas12/
 source $COAT/libexec/env.sh
 classPath="${COATJAVA_CLASSPATH}:../lib/*:src/"
 
-# download test files
-#wget --no-check-certificate http://clasweb.jlab.org/clas12offline/distribution/coatjava/validation_files/twoTrackEvents_809_raw.evio.tar.gz
-#[ $? -ne 0 ] && echo "wget validation files failure" && exit 2
-#tar -zxvf twoTrackEvents_809_raw.evio.tar.gz
-
 # run decoder
+rm -f twoTrackEvents_809.hipo
 $COAT/bin/decoder -t -0.5 -s 0.0 -i ./data/twoTrackEvents_809_raw.evio -o ./twoTrackEvents_809.hipo -c 2
 [ $? -ne 0 ] && echo "decoder failure" && exit 3
 
@@ -24,6 +20,7 @@ $COAT/bin/decoder -t -0.5 -s 0.0 -i ./data/twoTrackEvents_809_raw.evio -o ./twoT
 $COAT/bin/hipo-utils -stats ./twoTrackEvents_809.hipo
 
 # run clara
+rm -f rec_twoTrackEvents_809.hipo
 $COAT/bin/run-clara -y $COAT/etc/services/kpp.yaml ./twoTrackEvents_809.hipo
 [ $? -ne 0 ] && echo "reconstruction with clara failure" && exit 4