diff --git a/pkg/checkpoint/models/checkpointed_request.go b/pkg/checkpoint/models/checkpointed_request.go
index 87d4675..3f6192d 100644
--- a/pkg/checkpoint/models/checkpointed_request.go
+++ b/pkg/checkpoint/models/checkpointed_request.go
@@ -50,6 +50,29 @@ type CheckpointedRequest struct {
 	ParentJob               ParentJobReference              `json:"parent_job"`
 }
 
+type CheckpointedRequestCqlModel struct {
+	Algorithm               string
+	Id                      string
+	LifecycleStage          string
+	PayloadUri              string
+	ResultUri               string
+	AlgorithmFailureCode    string
+	AlgorithmFailureCause   string
+	AlgorithmFailureDetails string
+	ReceivedByHost          string
+	ReceivedAt              time.Time
+	SentAt                  time.Time
+	AppliedConfiguration    string
+	ConfigurationOverrides  string
+	MonitoringMetadata      string
+	ContentHash             string
+	LastModified            time.Time
+	Tag                     string
+	ApiVersion              string
+	JobUid                  string
+	ParentJob               string
+}
+
 var CheckpointedRequestTable = table.New(table.Metadata{
 	Name: "checkpoints",
 	Columns: []string{
@@ -80,6 +103,35 @@ var CheckpointedRequestTable = table.New(table.Metadata{
 	SortKey: []string{},
 })
 
+func (cr *CheckpointedRequest) ToCqlModel() *CheckpointedRequestCqlModel {
+	serializedConfig, _ := json.Marshal(cr.AppliedConfiguration)
+	serializedOverrides, _ := json.Marshal(cr.ConfigurationOverrides)
+	serializedMetadata, _ := json.Marshal(cr.MonitoringMetadata)
+
+	return &CheckpointedRequestCqlModel{
+		Algorithm:               cr.Algorithm,
+		Id:                      cr.Id,
+		LifecycleStage:          cr.LifecycleStage,
+		PayloadUri:              cr.PayloadUri,
+		ResultUri:               cr.ResultUri,
+		AlgorithmFailureCode:    cr.AlgorithmFailureCode,
+		AlgorithmFailureCause:   cr.AlgorithmFailureCause,
+		AlgorithmFailureDetails: cr.AlgorithmFailureDetails,
+		ReceivedByHost:          cr.ReceivedByHost,
+		ReceivedAt:              cr.ReceivedAt,
+		SentAt:                  cr.SentAt,
+		AppliedConfiguration:    string(serializedConfig),
+		ConfigurationOverrides:  string(serializedOverrides),
+		MonitoringMetadata:      string(serializedMetadata),
+		ContentHash:             cr.ContentHash,
+		LastModified:            cr.LastModified,
+		Tag:                     cr.Tag,
+		ApiVersion:              cr.ApiVersion,
+		JobUid:                  cr.JobUid,
+		ParentJob:               "", // TODO: fixme
+	}
+}
+
 func FromAlgorithmRequest(requestId string, algorithmName string, request *AlgorithmRequest, config *v1.MachineLearningAlgorithmSpec) (*CheckpointedRequest, []byte, error) {
 	hostname, _ := os.Hostname()
 	serializedPayload, err := json.Marshal(request.AlgorithmParameters)
diff --git a/pkg/checkpoint/payload/s3_payload_store.go b/pkg/checkpoint/payload/s3_payload_store.go
index d5038c0..33e19e1 100644
--- a/pkg/checkpoint/payload/s3_payload_store.go
+++ b/pkg/checkpoint/payload/s3_payload_store.go
@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@ func NewS3PayloadStore(ctx context.Context, logger klog.Logger) *S3PayloadStore
 
 func parsePath(blobPath string) *S3Path {
 	r, _ := regexp.Compile(s3UrlRegex)
-	matches := r.FindAllString(blobPath, -1)
-	return NewS3Path(matches[0], matches[1])
+	matches := r.FindStringSubmatch(blobPath)
+	return NewS3Path(matches[1], matches[2])
 }
 
 func (store *S3PayloadStore) SaveTextAsBlob(ctx context.Context, text string, blobPath string) error {
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ func (store *S3PayloadStore) SaveTextAsBlob(ctx context.Context, text string, bl
 		store.logger.V(0).Error(err, "Error when persisting payload into S3")
 		return err
 	}
-	store.logger.V(4).Info("Successfully persisted algorithm payload", "payloadPath", blobPath, "checksum", *result.ChecksumSHA1)
+	store.logger.V(4).Info("Successfully persisted algorithm payload", "payloadPath", blobPath, "etag", *result.ETag)
 
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/checkpoint/request/buffer.go b/pkg/checkpoint/request/buffer.go
index 5b7c187..4b99d4a 100644
--- a/pkg/checkpoint/request/buffer.go
+++ b/pkg/checkpoint/request/buffer.go
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/SneaksAndData/nexus-core/pkg/telemetry"
 	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types"
 	"k8s.io/klog/v2"
-	"path"
 	"time"
 )
 
@@ -99,7 +98,7 @@ func (buffer *DefaultBuffer) Start(submitter pipeline.StageActor[*BufferOutput,
 		submitter,
 	)
 
-	buffer.actor.Start(buffer.ctx)
+	go buffer.actor.Start(buffer.ctx)
 }
 
 func (buffer *DefaultBuffer) Add(requestId string, algorithmName string, request *models.AlgorithmRequest, config *v1.MachineLearningAlgorithmSpec) error {
@@ -116,7 +115,7 @@ func (buffer *DefaultBuffer) bufferRequest(input *BufferInput) (*BufferOutput, e
 	telemetry.Increment(buffer.metrics, "incoming_requests", input.tags())
 	buffer.logger.V(4).Info("Persisting payload", "request", input.Checkpoint.Id, "algorithm", input.Checkpoint.Algorithm)
 
-	payloadPath := path.Join(
+	payloadPath := fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s/%s",
 		buffer.bufferConfig.PayloadStoragePath,
 		fmt.Sprintf("algorithm=%s", input.Checkpoint.Algorithm),
 		input.Checkpoint.Id)
diff --git a/pkg/checkpoint/request/checkpoint_store.go b/pkg/checkpoint/request/checkpoint_store.go
index fc5a92a..83f99a5 100644
--- a/pkg/checkpoint/request/checkpoint_store.go
+++ b/pkg/checkpoint/request/checkpoint_store.go
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ func (cqls *CqlStore) UpsertCheckpoint(checkpoint *models.CheckpointedRequest) e
 
 	cloned.LastModified = time.Now()
 
-	var query = cqls.cqlSession.Query(models.CheckpointedRequestTable.Insert()).BindStruct(*checkpoint)
+	var query = cqls.cqlSession.Query(models.CheckpointedRequestTable.Insert()).BindStruct(*cloned)
 	if err := query.ExecRelease(); err != nil {
 		cqls.logger.V(1).Error(err, "Error when inserting a checkpoint", "algorithm", checkpoint.Algorithm, "id", checkpoint.Id)
 		return err
diff --git a/pkg/util/generics.go b/pkg/util/generics.go
index 76ff0fd..96a8f1d 100644
--- a/pkg/util/generics.go
+++ b/pkg/util/generics.go
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ func DeepClone[T any](obj T) (*T, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 	cloned := new(T)
-	if err = json.Unmarshal(serialized, *cloned); err != nil {
+	if err = json.Unmarshal(serialized, cloned); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}