diff --git a/tests/test_versions_yml.py b/tests/test_versions_yml.py
index 5d0bb39e..60a083c4 100644
--- a/tests/test_versions_yml.py
+++ b/tests/test_versions_yml.py
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ def _get_workflow_names():
         # test_config = yaml.safe_load(f.read_text())
         test_config = yaml.load(f.read_text(), Loader=yaml.BaseLoader)
         for workflow in test_config:
-            # https://github.com/nf-core/modules/pull/1242 - added to cover tests 
+            # https://github.com/nf-core/modules/pull/1242 - added to cover tests
             # that expect an error and therefore will not generate a versions.yml
-            if 'exit_code' not in workflow: 
+            if 'exit_code' not in workflow:
                 yield workflow["name"]
 
 
@@ -56,5 +56,5 @@ def test_ensure_valid_version_yml(workflow_dir):
     assert len(software_versions), "There must be at least one version emitted."
     for tool, version in software_versions.items():
         assert re.match(
-            r"^\d+.*", str(version)
+            r"(^\d+.*|^[a-z0-9]{40}$)", str(version)
         ), f"Version number for {tool} must start with a number. "