diff --git a/api_testsuite.go b/api_testsuite.go
index 28e6b93..5be3eb7 100644
--- a/api_testsuite.go
+++ b/api_testsuite.go
@@ -250,16 +250,18 @@ func (ats *Suite) parseAndRunTest(
 	v any, testFilePath string, r *report.ReportElement, rootLoader template.Loader,
 	allowParallelExec bool,
 ) bool {
-	// Parse PathSpec (if any) and determine number of parallel runs
 	parallelRuns := 1
-	if vStr, ok := v.(string); ok {
-		pathSpec, err := util.ParsePathSpec(vStr)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.Error(fmt.Errorf("test string is not a valid path spec: %w", err))
-			return false
-		}
 
-		parallelRuns = pathSpec.ParallelRuns
+	// Get the Manifest with @ logic
+	referencedPathSpec, testRaw, err := template.LoadManifestDataAsRawJson(v, filepath.Dir(testFilePath))
+	if err != nil {
+		r.SaveToReportLog(err.Error())
+		logrus.Error(fmt.Errorf("can not LoadManifestDataAsRawJson (%s): %s", testFilePath, err))
+		return false
+	}
+	if referencedPathSpec != nil {
+		testFilePath = filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(testFilePath), referencedPathSpec.Path)
+		parallelRuns = referencedPathSpec.ParallelRuns
 	}
 
 	// If parallel runs are requested, check that they're actually allowed
@@ -268,17 +270,6 @@ func (ats *Suite) parseAndRunTest(
 		return false
 	}
 
-	// Get the Manifest with @ logic
-	referencedFilePath, testRaw, err := template.LoadManifestDataAsRawJson(v, filepath.Dir(testFilePath))
-	if referencedFilePath != "" {
-		testFilePath = filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(testFilePath), referencedFilePath)
-	}
-	if err != nil {
-		r.SaveToReportLog(err.Error())
-		logrus.Error(fmt.Errorf("can not LoadManifestDataAsRawJson (%s): %s", testFilePath, err))
-		return false
-	}
-
 	// Execute test cases
 	var successCount atomic.Uint32
 	var waitGroup sync.WaitGroup
diff --git a/pkg/lib/template/util.go b/pkg/lib/template/util.go
index 8eb7956..f899d47 100644
--- a/pkg/lib/template/util.go
+++ b/pkg/lib/template/util.go
@@ -7,22 +7,22 @@ import (
 	"github.com/programmfabrik/apitest/pkg/lib/util"
 )
 
-func LoadManifestDataAsObject(data any, manifestDir string, loader Loader) (filepath string, res any, err error) {
+func LoadManifestDataAsObject(data any, manifestDir string, loader Loader) (pathSpec *util.PathSpec, res any, err error) {
 	switch typedData := data.(type) {
 	case string:
-		pathSpec, err := util.ParsePathSpec(typedData)
+		pathSpec, err = util.ParsePathSpec(typedData)
 		if err != nil {
-			return "", res, fmt.Errorf("error parsing pathSpec: %w", err)
+			return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("error parsing pathSpec: %w", err)
 		}
 		requestTmpl, err := pathSpec.LoadContents(manifestDir)
 		if err != nil {
-			return "", res, fmt.Errorf("error loading fileFromPathSpec: %s", err)
+			return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("error loading fileFromPathSpec: %s", err)
 		}
 
 		// We have json, and load it thereby into our apitest structure
 		requestBytes, err := loader.Render(requestTmpl, manifestDir, nil)
 		if err != nil {
-			return "", res, fmt.Errorf("error rendering request: %s", err)
+			return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("error rendering request: %s", err)
 		}
 
 		var jsonObject util.JsonObject
@@ -31,45 +31,45 @@ func LoadManifestDataAsObject(data any, manifestDir string, loader Loader) (file
 		if err = util.Unmarshal(requestBytes, &jsonObject); err != nil {
 			if err = util.Unmarshal(requestBytes, &jsonArray); err == nil {
 
-				return filepath, jsonArray, nil
+				return pathSpec, jsonArray, nil
 			}
-			return "", res, fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling: %s", err)
+			return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling: %s", err)
 		}
-		return pathSpec.Path, jsonObject, nil
+		return pathSpec, jsonObject, nil
 	case util.JsonObject:
-		return "", typedData, nil
+		return nil, typedData, nil
 	case util.JsonArray:
-		return "", typedData, nil
+		return nil, typedData, nil
 	default:
-		return "", res, fmt.Errorf("specification needs to be string[@...] or jsonObject but is: %s", data)
+		return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("specification needs to be string[@...] or jsonObject but is: %s", data)
 	}
 }
 
-func LoadManifestDataAsRawJson(data any, manifestDir string) (filepath string, res json.RawMessage, err error) {
+func LoadManifestDataAsRawJson(data any, manifestDir string) (pathSpec *util.PathSpec, res json.RawMessage, err error) {
 	switch typedData := data.(type) {
 	case []byte:
 		err = res.UnmarshalJSON(typedData)
 		return
 	case string:
-		pathSpec, err := util.ParsePathSpec(typedData)
+		pathSpec, err = util.ParsePathSpec(typedData)
 		if err != nil {
-			return "", res, fmt.Errorf("error parsing pathSpec: %w", err)
+			return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("error parsing pathSpec: %w", err)
 		}
 		res, err := pathSpec.LoadContents(manifestDir)
 		if err != nil {
-			return "", res, fmt.Errorf("error loading fileFromPathSpec: %s", err)
+			return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("error loading fileFromPathSpec: %s", err)
 		}
-		return pathSpec.Path, res, nil
+		return pathSpec, res, nil
 	case util.JsonObject, util.JsonArray:
 		jsonMar, err := json.Marshal(typedData)
 		if err != nil {
-			return "", res, fmt.Errorf("error marshaling: %s", err)
+			return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("error marshaling: %s", err)
 		}
 		if err = util.Unmarshal(jsonMar, &res); err != nil {
-			return "", res, fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling: %s", err)
+			return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling: %s", err)
 		}
-		return "", res, nil
+		return nil, res, nil
 	default:
-		return "", res, fmt.Errorf("specification needs to be string[@...] or jsonObject but is: %s", data)
+		return nil, res, fmt.Errorf("specification needs to be string[@...] or jsonObject but is: %s", data)
 	}
 }