diff --git a/Framework/Core/src/TopologyPolicy.cxx b/Framework/Core/src/TopologyPolicy.cxx
index 5458d9d65da4a..a36f478909d6b 100644
--- a/Framework/Core/src/TopologyPolicy.cxx
+++ b/Framework/Core/src/TopologyPolicy.cxx
@@ -87,10 +87,6 @@ bool sporadicDataDeps(DataProcessorSpec const& a, DataProcessorSpec const& b)
   if (isAWithSporadicInput && isBWithSporadicInput) {
     return false;
   }
-  // If a has sporadic inputs
-  if (isAWithSporadicInput && isBWithSporadicInput) {
-    return false;
-  }
 
   // We have a with sporadic inputs. We sort it later, unless there was already some actual
   // dependency between A and B.
@@ -200,6 +196,7 @@ bool expendableDataDeps(DataProcessorSpec const& a, DataProcessorSpec const& b)
     if (sporadic) {
       O2_SIGNPOST_END(topology, sid, "expendableDataDeps", "%s is expendable. No inverse dependency from %s to %s. However the former has an occasioanl input => true.",
                       a.name.c_str(), b.name.c_str(), a.name.c_str());
+      return true;
     }
     O2_SIGNPOST_END(topology, sid, "expendableDataDeps", "%s is expendable. No inverse dependency from %s to %s => false.",
                     a.name.c_str(), b.name.c_str(), a.name.c_str());
diff --git a/Framework/Core/src/runDataProcessing.cxx b/Framework/Core/src/runDataProcessing.cxx
index f1111da79edd5..d691041a366cf 100644
--- a/Framework/Core/src/runDataProcessing.cxx
+++ b/Framework/Core/src/runDataProcessing.cxx
@@ -2835,6 +2835,20 @@ std::unique_ptr<o2::framework::ServiceRegistry> createRegistry()
   return std::make_unique<o2::framework::ServiceRegistry>();
 }
 
+void describeDataProcessorSpec(std::ostream& stream, DataProcessorSpec const& spec)
+{
+  stream << spec.name;
+  if (!spec.labels.empty()) {
+    stream << "(";
+    bool first = false;
+    for (auto& label : spec.labels) {
+      stream << (first ? "" : ",") << label.value;
+      first = true;
+    }
+    stream << ")";
+  }
+}
+
 // This is a toy executor for the workflow spec
 // What it needs to do is:
 //
@@ -3059,18 +3073,22 @@ int doMain(int argc, char** argv, o2::framework::WorkflowSpec const& workflow,
           edges.emplace_back(i, j);
           if (both) {
             std::ostringstream str;
+            describeDataProcessorSpec(str, physicalWorkflow[i]);
+            str << " has circular dependency with ";
+            describeDataProcessorSpec(str, physicalWorkflow[j]);
+            str << ":\n";
             for (auto x : {i, j}) {
               str << physicalWorkflow[x].name << ":\n";
               str << "inputs:\n";
               for (auto& input : physicalWorkflow[x].inputs) {
-                str << "- " << input << "\n";
+                str << "- " << input << " " << (int)input.lifetime << "\n";
               }
               str << "outputs:\n";
               for (auto& output : physicalWorkflow[x].outputs) {
-                str << "- " << output << "\n";
+                str << "- " << output << " " << (int)output.lifetime << "\n";
               }
             }
-            throw std::runtime_error(physicalWorkflow[i].name + " has circular dependency with " + physicalWorkflow[j].name + ":\n" + str.str());
+            throw std::runtime_error(str.str());
           }
         }
       }