diff --git a/.github/workflows/unittest.yml b/.github/workflows/unittest.yml
index 53d927b..75f0cd0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unittest.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unittest.yml
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
     steps:
     - name: Checkout code
-      uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
     - name: Setup Python
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
       with:
         python-version: ${{ matrix.python }}
     - name: install tox
diff --git a/lib/vsc/utils/nagios.py b/lib/vsc/utils/nagios.py
index 4f3e685..cd3dc1e 100644
--- a/lib/vsc/utils/nagios.py
+++ b/lib/vsc/utils/nagios.py
@@ -523,7 +523,8 @@ def _eval(self, **kwargs):
                 if "warning" in v and NagiosRange(v['warning']).alert(v['value']):
                     warn = True
                     msg.append(k)
-
+        if self.message:
+            msg.append(self.message)
         return warn, crit, ', '.join(msg)
 
     def _eval_and_exit(self, **kwargs):
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 8b058ad..51c38d6 100755
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@
 ]
 
 PACKAGE = {
-    'version': '2.2.7',
+    'version': '2.2.8',
     'author': [ag, sdw],
     'maintainer': [ag, sdw],
     'excluded_pkgs_rpm': ['vsc', 'vsc.utils'],  # vsc is default, vsc.utils is provided by vsc-base
diff --git a/test/nagios_simple.py b/test/nagios_simple.py
index c44658b..c973d75 100644
--- a/test/nagios_simple.py
+++ b/test/nagios_simple.py
@@ -109,13 +109,13 @@ def test_simple_single_instance(self):
         self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'OK hello | value1=5;5;10;', NAGIOS_EXIT_OK)
         # goutside warning range, perfdata with warning in message
         kwargs['value1'] = 7
-        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'WARNING value1 | value1=7;5;10;', NAGIOS_EXIT_WARNING)
+        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'WARNING value1, hello | value1=7;5;10;', NAGIOS_EXIT_WARNING)
         # outside critical range?
         kwargs['value1'] = 10
-        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'WARNING value1 | value1=10;5;10;', NAGIOS_EXIT_WARNING)
+        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'WARNING value1, hello | value1=10;5;10;', NAGIOS_EXIT_WARNING)
         # greater
         kwargs['value1'] = 15
-        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'CRITICAL value1 | value1=15;5;10;', NAGIOS_EXIT_CRITICAL)
+        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'CRITICAL value1, hello | value1=15;5;10;', NAGIOS_EXIT_CRITICAL)
 
         # mixed
         kwargsmore = {
@@ -129,17 +129,17 @@ def test_simple_single_instance(self):
         kwargs.update(kwargsmore)
 
         # critical value in message
-        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'CRITICAL value1 | value0=3;5;10; value1=15;5;10; value2=7;5;10;',
+        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'CRITICAL value1, hello | value0=3;5;10; value1=15;5;10; value2=7;5;10;',
                                          NAGIOS_EXIT_CRITICAL)
 
         # all warning values in message
         kwargs['value1'] = 7
         self._basic_test_single_instance(
-            kwargs, 'WARNING value1, value2 | value0=3;5;10; value1=7;5;10; value2=7;5;10;', NAGIOS_EXIT_WARNING)
+            kwargs, 'WARNING value1, value2, hello | value0=3;5;10; value1=7;5;10; value2=7;5;10;', NAGIOS_EXIT_WARNING)
 
         # warning in message
         kwargs['value1'] = 5
-        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'WARNING value2 | value0=3;5;10; value1=5;5;10; value2=7;5;10;',
+        self._basic_test_single_instance(kwargs, 'WARNING value2, hello | value0=3;5;10; value1=5;5;10; value2=7;5;10;',
                                          NAGIOS_EXIT_WARNING)
 
         # no warning/critical; so regular message