diff --git a/.github/workflows/pre-build.yml b/.github/workflows/pre-build.yml
index 3f1e297b3cb..43aa73f5dd4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pre-build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pre-build.yml
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with: { fetch-depth: 1 }
 
+      # For normal PR jobs, just checkout the base_ref the PR is against
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.base_ref }}
+        if: ${{ !(github.event_name == 'push' && github.repository != 'com-lihaoyi/mill') }}
+
       - run: |
           git fetch https://github.com/com-lihaoyi/mill main
           MERGE_BASE=$(git merge-base FETCH_HEAD HEAD)
@@ -45,8 +51,12 @@ jobs:
       - run: cat .mill-jvm-version
 
       - run: ./mill -i --debug -k selective.prepare ${{ inputs.prepareargs }}
-        if: ${{ (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && !contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'run-all-tests')) || github.repository != 'com-lihaoyi/mill' }}
 
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4.5.0
+        with:
+          path: out/mill-selective-execution.json
+          name: ${{ inputs.os }}-selective-execution-artifact
+          include-hidden-files: true
 
       - run: cat out/mill-build/methodCodeHashSignatures.dest/current/4-methodCodeHashes.json | jq '.["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
       - run: cat out/mill-build/methodCodeHashSignatures.dest/current/7-transitiveCallGraphHashes.json  | jq '.["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
@@ -55,6 +65,14 @@ jobs:
 
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          path: out/mill-selective-execution
+          name: ${{ inputs.os }}-selective-execution-artifact
+
+      - run: mv out/mill-selective-execution/mill-selective-execution.json out/mill-selective-execution.json
+        shell: bash
+
       - run: ./mill -i --debug -k ${{ inputs.compileargs }}
 
       - run: cat out/mill-build/methodCodeHashSignatures.dest/current/4-methodCodeHashes.json | jq '.["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/run-tests.yml
index 2f9588b28fb..51260a427b8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/run-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/run-tests.yml
@@ -77,38 +77,66 @@ jobs:
   # in the list should be the one that's most worth looking into
   build-linux:
     if: (github.event.action == 'ready_for_review') || (github.event.pull_request.draft == false)
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/pre-build.yml
-    with:
-      os: ubuntu-latest
-      shell: bash
-
-  linux:
-    needs: build-linux
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: coursier/cache-action@v6
+      # For normal PR jobs, just checkout the base_ref the PR is against
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with: { fetch-depth: 1 }
 
-      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+      # For normal PR jobs, just checkout the base_ref the PR is against
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          path: .
-          name: ubuntu-latest-artifact
+          ref: ${{ github.base_ref }}
+        if: ${{ !(github.event_name == 'push' && github.repository != 'com-lihaoyi/mill') }}
+
+      - run: |
+          git fetch https://github.com/com-lihaoyi/mill main
+          MERGE_BASE=$(git merge-base FETCH_HEAD HEAD)
+          # pretty-print the path between the FETCH_HEAD (main), HEAD, and the merge-base
+          git log --graph --pretty=format:"%h %d %ar %s %n" --ancestry-path $MERGE_BASE^1..HEAD --ancestry-path $MERGE_BASE^1..FETCH_HEAD
+
+          git checkout $MERGE_BASE
+        shell: bash
+        if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.repository != 'com-lihaoyi/mill' }}
+
+      - run: echo temurin:17 > .mill-jvm-version
 
-      - uses: ./.github/actions/post-build-setup
+      - run: chmod -R 777 . # normalize permissions before and after upload/download-artifact
+
+      - run: mkdir out && touch out/mill-selective-execution.json
+
+      - run: cat .mill-jvm-version
+
+      - run: ./mill -i --debug -k selective.prepare
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4.5.0
         with:
-          java-version: 17
-          os: ubuntu-latest
+          path: out/mill-selective-execution.json
+          name: ubuntu-latest-selective-execution-artifact
+          include-hidden-files: true
 
       - run: cat out/mill-build/methodCodeHashSignatures.dest/current/4-methodCodeHashes.json | jq '.["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
       - run: cat out/mill-build/methodCodeHashSignatures.dest/current/7-transitiveCallGraphHashes.json  | jq '.["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
       - run: cat out/mill-build/methodCodeHashSignatures.json  | jq '.["value"]["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
       - run: cat out/mill-selective-execution.json  | jq '.["methodCodeHashSignatures"]["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
 
-      - run: ./mill -i --debug -k selective.resolve 'example.javalib.basic[1-simple].native.server.test'
-      - run: ./mill -i --debug -k selective.resolveTree 'example.javalib.basic[1-simple].native.server.test'
-      - run: ./mill -i --debug -k selective.resolveChanged 'example.javalib.basic[1-simple].native.server.test'
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          path: out/mill-selective-execution
+          name: ubuntu-latest-selective-execution-artifact
+
+      - run: mv out/mill-selective-execution/mill-selective-execution.json out/mill-selective-execution.json
+        shell: bash
+
+      - run: ./mill -i --debug -k __.compile
 
       - run: cat out/mill-build/methodCodeHashSignatures.dest/current/4-methodCodeHashes.json | jq '.["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
       - run: cat out/mill-build/methodCodeHashSignatures.dest/current/7-transitiveCallGraphHashes.json  | jq '.["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
       - run: cat out/mill-build/methodCodeHashSignatures.json  | jq '.["value"]["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
       - run: cat out/mill-selective-execution.json  | jq '.["methodCodeHashSignatures"]["build_.dist.package_$native$.$anonfun$executableRaw$8(os.Path,scala.collection.immutable.Seq,java.io.OutputStream)void"]'
 
+      - run: ./mill -i --debug -k selective.resolve 'example.javalib.basic[1-simple].native.server.test'
+      - run: ./mill -i --debug -k selective.resolveTree 'example.javalib.basic[1-simple].native.server.test'
+      - run: ./mill -i --debug -k selective.resolveChanged 'example.javalib.basic[1-simple].native.server.test'