diff --git a/features/src/cccl-dev/install.sh b/features/src/cccl-dev/install.sh
index e9d65afb..3f05fda4 100644
--- a/features/src/cccl-dev/install.sh
+++ b/features/src/cccl-dev/install.sh
@@ -31,16 +31,24 @@ fi
 
 check_packages ${PKG[@]} ${PKG_TO_REMOVE[@]};
 
+CC=gcc CXX=g++ python -m pip install --upgrade pip
 CC=gcc CXX=g++ python -m pip install wheel setuptools;
 CC=gcc CXX=g++ python -m pip install psutil $LIT_VERSION_TO_INSTALL;
+CC=gcc CXX=g++ python -m pip install clang-format==17.*;
 
 export LIT_VERSION="$(lit --version | grep -o -e '[0-9].*')";
 
+# there must be a cleaner way, but it works
+export CLANG_FORMAT_PATH="$(pip show clang-format | grep "^Location: " | awk '{print $2}')/clang-format";
+
 # export envvars in bashrc files
 append_to_etc_bashrc "$(cat .bashrc | envsubst '$LIT_VERSION')";
+append_to_etc_bashrc "$(cat .bashrc | envsubst '$CLANG_FORMAT_PATH')";
 append_to_all_bashrcs "$(cat .bashrc | envsubst '$LIT_VERSION')";
+append_to_all_bashrcs "$(cat .bashrc | envsubst '$CLANG_FORMAT_PATH')";
 # export envvars in /etc/profile.d
 add_etc_profile_d_script cccl-dev "$(cat .bashrc | envsubst '$LIT_VERSION')";
+add_etc_profile_d_script cccl-dev "$(cat .bashrc | envsubst '$CLANG_FORMAT_PATH')";
 
 # Clean up
 # rm -rf /tmp/*;
diff --git a/matrix.yml b/matrix.yml
index b4956291..bdbc0485 100644
--- a/matrix.yml
+++ b/matrix.yml
@@ -36,7 +36,6 @@ x-mambaforge: &conda { name: "mambaforge" }
 
 x-python: &python { name: "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/python:1", version: "os-provided", installTools: "false", hide: true }
 x-cccl_dev: &cccl_dev { name: "cccl-dev", hide: true }
-x-cccl-clang-format: &cccl_clang_format {name: "llvm", version: "17", packages: "clang-format", hide: true}
 
 # CCCL only needs a subset of the full CTK:
 x-cccl-cuda-opts: &cccl_cuda_opts {
@@ -53,38 +52,38 @@ include:
 
 - os: "ubuntu:18.04"
   images:
-  - {features: [*gcc_6, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*gcc_7, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*gcc_8, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*gcc_9, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_9, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*oneapi_2022, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *onapi_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_6, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_7, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_8, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_9, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_9, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*oneapi_2022, {<<: *cuda_prev_min, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *onapi_env}
 
 - os: "ubuntu:20.04"
   images:
-  - {features: [*gcc_7, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*gcc_8, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*gcc_9, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*gcc_10, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_9, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_10, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_11, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_12, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_13, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_14, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*oneapi_2022, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *onapi_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_7, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_8, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_9, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_10, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_9, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_10, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_11, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_12, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_13, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_14, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*oneapi_2022, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *onapi_env}
 
 - os: "ubuntu:22.04"
   images:
-  - {features: [*nvhpc_prev, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *nvhpc_env}
-  - {features: [*nvhpc_curr, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *nvhpc_env}
-  - {features: [*gcc_11, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*gcc_12, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*gcc_13, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_15, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_prev, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*llvm_curr, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
-  - {features: [*oneapi_2022, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_clang_format, *cccl_dev], env: *onapi_env}
+  - {features: [*nvhpc_prev, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *nvhpc_env}
+  - {features: [*nvhpc_curr, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *nvhpc_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_11, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_12, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*gcc_13, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *gcc_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_15, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_prev, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*llvm_curr, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *llvm_env}
+  - {features: [*oneapi_2022, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *python, *cccl_dev], env: *onapi_env}
   # llvm-cuda-nvhpc (needed by stdexec devcontainers)
   - {features: [*llvm_curr, {<<: *cuda_curr_max, <<: *cccl_cuda_opts}, *nvhpc_curr, *python]}