diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..99db278a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+name: Build
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - master
+      - backport/*
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      upload-artifacts:
+        description: Upload prebuilds for a release. Pull request runs only compile.
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    name: build
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        node: [22, 24, 26]
+        os:
+          # https://github.com/actions/runner-images#available-images
+          - name: darwin
+            host: macos-26 #arm64
+
+          # macos-15-intel is the last intel image and will go out of service
+          # in fall 2027
+          - name: mac-x64
+            host: macos-15-intel
+
+          # ubuntu-22.04 is x86
+          - name: linux
+            host: ubuntu-22.04
+
+          - name: linux-arm
+            host: ubuntu-22.04-arm
+    env:
+      CC: clang
+      CXX: clang++
+      npm_config_clang: 1
+      GYP_DEFINES: use_obsolete_asm=true
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os.host }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          submodules: true
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v6
+        with:
+          node-version: ${{ matrix.node }}
+          check-latest: true
+      - name: Prebuildify
+        run: |
+          if [[ $(uname -o) == *Linux ]]; then
+            sudo apt-get update
+            sudo apt-get install -y software-properties-common git build-essential clang libssl-dev libkrb5-dev libc++-dev wget python3 zlib1g-dev lsb-release gnupg
+            # Node 24+ headers use C++20 std::source_location, which needs
+            # clang >= 16; ubuntu 22.04 ships clang 14. Stay on 22.04 (rather
+            # than a newer runner) to keep the glibc 2.35 prebuild baseline.
+            wget https://apt.llvm.org/llvm.sh
+            chmod +x llvm.sh
+            sudo ./llvm.sh 18
+            export CC=clang-18
+            export CXX=clang++-18
+          fi
+
+          npm ci
+          JOBS=2 npx prebuildify --strip --napi=false --tag-libc -t "$(node --version | tr -d 'v')"
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: ${{ inputs.upload-artifacts }}
+        with:
+          name: prebuild-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-node${{ matrix.node }}
+          path: ./prebuilds
+          retention-days: 14
+
+  # musl build still needs QEMU since there are no native Alpine/musl runners
+  cross-compile-musl-amd64:
+    name: "cross compile linux/amd64-musl"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        node: [22, 24, 26]
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+      - uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3
+      - name: build linux musl amd64
+        run: |
+          docker build --platform=linux/amd64 --build-arg NODE_VERSION=${{ matrix.node }} --tag nodegit-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }} -f scripts/Dockerfile.alpine .
+          docker create --platform=linux/amd64 --name nodegit-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }} nodegit-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }}
+          docker cp "nodegit-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }}:/app/prebuilds" .
+      - name: "list the generated files"
+        run: find prebuilds
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: ${{ inputs.upload-artifacts }}
+        with:
+          name: prebuild-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }}
+          path: ./prebuilds
+          retention-days: 14
+
+  cross-compile-musl-arm64:
+    name: "build linux/arm64-musl"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04-arm
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        node: [22, 24, 26]
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+      - name: build linux musl arm64
+        run: |
+          docker build --platform=linux/arm64 --build-arg NODE_VERSION=${{ matrix.node }} --tag nodegit-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }} -f scripts/Dockerfile.alpine .
+          docker create --platform=linux/arm64 --name nodegit-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }} nodegit-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }}
+          docker cp "nodegit-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }}:/app/prebuilds" .
+      - name: "list the generated files"
+        run: find prebuilds
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: ${{ inputs.upload-artifacts }}
+        with:
+          name: prebuild-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }}
+          path: ./prebuilds
+          retention-days: 14
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
index e4cb0afbb..13b7ca622 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+name: Publish
+
 on:
   push:
     tags:
@@ -6,113 +8,15 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   build:
-    # TODO: should we run the tests, or can we assume that a v* tag ought to
-    # get published?
-    name: build
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        node: [22, 24, 26]
-        os:
-          # https://github.com/actions/runner-images#available-images
-          - name: darwin
-            host: macos-26 #arm64
-
-          # macos-15-intel is the last intel image and will go out of service
-          # in fall 2027
-          - name: mac-x64
-            host: macos-15-intel
-
-          # ubuntu-22.04 is x86
-          - name: linux
-            host: ubuntu-22.04
-
-          - name: linux-arm
-            host: ubuntu-22.04-arm
-    env:
-      CC: clang
-      CXX: clang++
-      npm_config_clang: 1
-      GYP_DEFINES: use_obsolete_asm=true
-    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os.host }}
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
-        with:
-          submodules: true
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@v6
-        with:
-          node-version: ${{ matrix.node }}
-          check-latest: true
-      - name: Prebuildify
-        run: |
-          if [[ $(uname -o) == *Linux ]]; then
-            sudo apt-get update
-            sudo apt-get install -y software-properties-common git build-essential clang libssl-dev libkrb5-dev libc++-dev wget python3 zlib1g-dev lsb-release gnupg
-            # Node 24+ headers use C++20 std::source_location, which needs
-            # clang >= 16; ubuntu 22.04 ships clang 14. Stay on 22.04 (rather
-            # than a newer runner) to keep the glibc 2.35 prebuild baseline.
-            wget https://apt.llvm.org/llvm.sh
-            chmod +x llvm.sh
-            sudo ./llvm.sh 18
-            export CC=clang-18
-            export CXX=clang++-18
-          fi
-
-          npm ci
-          JOBS=2 npx prebuildify --strip --napi=false --tag-libc -t "$(node --version | tr -d 'v')"
-      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: prebuild-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-node${{ matrix.node }}
-          path: ./prebuilds
-          retention-days: 14
-
-  # musl build still needs QEMU since there are no native Alpine/musl runners
-  cross-compile-musl-amd64:
-    name: "cross compile linux/amd64-musl"
-    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        node: [22, 24, 26]
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3
-      - name: build linux musl amd64
-        run: |
-          docker build --platform=linux/amd64 --build-arg NODE_VERSION=${{ matrix.node }} --tag nodegit-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }} -f scripts/Dockerfile.alpine .
-          docker create --platform=linux/amd64 --name nodegit-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }} nodegit-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }}
-          docker cp "nodegit-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }}:/app/prebuilds" .
-      - name: "list the generated files"
-        run: find prebuilds
-      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: prebuild-linux-musl-amd64-node${{ matrix.node }}
-          path: ./prebuilds
-          retention-days: 14
-
-  cross-compile-musl-arm64:
-    name: "build linux/arm64-musl"
-    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04-arm
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        node: [22, 24, 26]
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - name: build linux musl arm64
-        run: |
-          docker build --platform=linux/arm64 --build-arg NODE_VERSION=${{ matrix.node }} --tag nodegit-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }} -f scripts/Dockerfile.alpine .
-          docker create --platform=linux/arm64 --name nodegit-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }} nodegit-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }}
-          docker cp "nodegit-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }}:/app/prebuilds" .
-      - name: "list the generated files"
-        run: find prebuilds
-      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: prebuild-linux-musl-arm64-node${{ matrix.node }}
-          path: ./prebuilds
-          retention-days: 14
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/build.yml
+    with:
+      upload-artifacts: true
 
   # https://docs.npmjs.com/generating-provenance-statements#publishing-packages-with-provenance-via-github-actions
   publish:
+    name: publish
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [build, cross-compile-musl-amd64, cross-compile-musl-arm64]
+    needs: build
     permissions:
       id-token: write
       contents: read
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index 8823031fd..3ed6f4f0e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+name: Tests
+
 on:
   push:
     branches:
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 907ada858..45a8d8e06 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -101,8 +101,9 @@ Tests are located in:
 ## CI/CD
 
 GitHub Actions workflows:
-- **tests.yml**: Runs tests on Ubuntu 22.04 and macOS-26 across Node 22, 24, and 26
-- **publish.yml**: Handles package publishing
+- **build.yml** (Build): Compiles native prebuilds for Node 22, 24, and 26 on every pull request and on pushes to `master` and `backport/*`. Those runs do not upload artifacts.
+- **tests.yml** (Tests): Runs tests on Ubuntu 22.04 and macOS-26 across Node 22, 24, and 26
+- **publish.yml** (Publish): Calls the Build workflow with artifact upload enabled, then publishes the package for `v*` tags
 
 ## Architecture