diff --git a/activitysim/cli/create.py b/activitysim/cli/create.py
index 7211471d7..b810cdcd2 100644
--- a/activitysim/cli/create.py
+++ b/activitysim/cli/create.py
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ def download_asset(
     url: str,
     target_path: str,
     sha256: str = None,
-    link: bool = True,
+    link: bool | str | Path = True,
     base_path: str | None = None,
     unpack: str | None = None,
 ):
diff --git a/activitysim/core/workflow/runner.py b/activitysim/core/workflow/runner.py
index 8ba37a314..8eba53cbe 100644
--- a/activitysim/core/workflow/runner.py
+++ b/activitysim/core/workflow/runner.py
@@ -3,16 +3,14 @@
 import logging
 import multiprocessing
 import time
-import warnings
+from collections.abc import Callable, Iterable
 from datetime import timedelta
-from typing import Callable, Iterable
 
 from activitysim.core import tracing
 from activitysim.core.exceptions import DuplicateWorkflowNameError
 from activitysim.core.workflow.accessor import FromState, StateAccessor
 from activitysim.core.workflow.checkpoint import (
     CHECKPOINT_NAME,
-    CHECKPOINT_TABLE_NAME,
     FINAL_CHECKPOINT_NAME,
     LAST_CHECKPOINT,
 )
@@ -130,7 +128,6 @@ def __call__(self, models, resume_after=None, memory_sidecar_process=None):
             _resume_after = resume_after
 
         if _resume_after:
-
             if (
                 _resume_after != self._obj.checkpoint.last_checkpoint_name()
                 or self._obj.uncheckpointed_table_names()
@@ -372,9 +369,42 @@ def by_name(self, model_name, **kwargs):
                     f"##### skipping {self.step_name} checkpoint for {model_name}"
                 )
 
-    def all(self, resume_after=LAST_CHECKPOINT, memory_sidecar_process=None):
+    def all(
+        self,
+        resume_after=LAST_CHECKPOINT,
+        memory_sidecar_process=None,
+        config_logger=True,
+        filter_warnings=True,
+    ):
+        t0 = time.time()
         try:
-            t0 = tracing.print_elapsed_time()
+            if "preload_injectables" not in self._obj:
+                # register abm steps and other abm-specific injectables
+                from activitysim import abm  # noqa: F401
+
+            if config_logger:
+                self._obj.logging.config_logger()
+
+            if (
+                memory_sidecar_process is None
+                and self._obj.settings.memory_profile
+                and not self._obj.settings.multiprocess
+            ):
+                from activitysim.core.memory_sidecar import MemorySidecar
+
+                # Memory sidecar is only useful for single process runs
+                # multiprocess runs log memory usage without blocking in the controlling process.
+                mem_prof_log = self._obj.get_log_file_path("memory_profile.csv")
+                memory_sidecar_process = MemorySidecar(mem_prof_log)
+                local_memory_sidecar_process = memory_sidecar_process
+            else:
+                local_memory_sidecar_process = None
+
+            from activitysim.core import config
+
+            if filter_warnings:
+                config.filter_warnings(self._obj)
+                logging.captureWarnings(capture=True)
 
             if self._obj.settings.multiprocess:
                 logger.info("run multiprocess simulation")
@@ -395,11 +425,16 @@ def all(self, resume_after=LAST_CHECKPOINT, memory_sidecar_process=None):
                     memory_sidecar_process=memory_sidecar_process,
                 )
 
+            if local_memory_sidecar_process:
+                local_memory_sidecar_process.stop()
+
         except Exception:
             # log time until error and the error traceback
             tracing.print_elapsed_time("all models until this error", t0)
             logger.exception("activitysim run encountered an unrecoverable error")
             raise
+        else:
+            tracing.print_elapsed_time("all models completed", t0)
 
     def _log_elapsed_time(self, msg, t0=None, level=25):
         t1 = time.time()
diff --git a/activitysim/examples/external.py b/activitysim/examples/external.py
index 447cbe0ce..d592d403c 100644
--- a/activitysim/examples/external.py
+++ b/activitysim/examples/external.py
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ def download_external_example(
         cache_dir = cache_dir.joinpath(name)
     cache_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
 
-    working_dir = Path(working_dir)
+    working_dir = Path(working_dir).absolute()
     working_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     common_prefix = "."
 
@@ -309,6 +309,8 @@ def download_external_example(
             raise ValueError(
                 f"unknown archive file type {''.join(target_path.suffixes)}"
             )
+    else:
+        working_subdir = working_dir.joinpath(name)
 
     # download assets if any:
     if assets: