From 27daded90432d4d49afac43ed2343ca4bd0d4525 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:32:21 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 01/19] actions/checkout update

---
 .github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml       |  4 ++--
 .../setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml    |  3 +--
 .github/workflows/bash-scripts.yml             |  4 ++--
 .github/workflows/build-publish.yml            |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/chain-selectors-check.yml    |  3 +--
 .github/workflows/changeset.yml                |  4 ++--
 .github/workflows/changesets-preview-pr.yml    |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/ci-core.yml                  | 18 +++++++++---------
 .github/workflows/ci-protobuf.yml              |  2 +-
 .../workflows/client-compatibility-tests.yml   |  8 ++++----
 .github/workflows/codeql.yml                   |  6 +++---
 .github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml     |  4 ++--
 .../workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml |  4 ++--
 .github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml     |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml        |  4 ++--
 .../workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml  |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/delete-caches.yml            |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/dependency-check.yml         |  8 ++++----
 .github/workflows/dependency-review.yml        |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/docker-build.yml             |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/go-mod-cache.yml             |  2 +-
 .../workflows/integration-in-memory-tests.yml  |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/integration-tests.yml        | 12 ++++++------
 .github/workflows/lint-gh-workflows.yml        |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/operator-ui-ci.yml           |  2 +-
 .github/workflows/pr-conflicts.yaml            |  2 +-
 ...develop-from-smartcontractkit-chainlink.yml |  4 ++--
 27 files changed, 55 insertions(+), 57 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml b/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml
index e4a5715e3f1..31aa2b9ea4f 100644
--- a/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ runs:
   using: composite
   steps:
     - name: Checkout repo (full)
-      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      uses: actions/checkout@v6
       # Only do a full checkout on merge_groups
       if: github.event_name == 'merge_group'
       with:
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ runs:
         fetch-depth: 0
 
     - name: Checkout repo
-      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      uses: actions/checkout@v6
       if: github.event_name != 'merge_group'
       with:
         persist-credentials: false
diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml
index 21252a7af26..827cfebbe52 100644
--- a/.github/actions/setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ runs:
   using: composite
   steps:
     - name: Checkout chainlink-ccip
-      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      uses: actions/checkout@v6
       with:
         repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink-ccip
         path: chainlink-ccip
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ runs:
           echo "exists=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
         fi
 
-
     - name: Download artifact if it exists
       if: env.exists == 'true'
       shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/workflows/bash-scripts.yml b/.github/workflows/bash-scripts.yml
index c67a9080429..22db01d4a55 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bash-scripts.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bash-scripts.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ jobs:
       bash-scripts-src: ${{ steps.bash-scripts.outputs.src }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - uses: dorny/paths-filter@de90cc6fb38fc0963ad72b210f1f284cd68cea36 # v3.0.2
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ jobs:
     needs: [changes]
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Run ShellCheck
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/build-publish.yml
index d52b9f747e8..350d6737570 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-publish.yml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ jobs:
       prerelease-phase: ${{ steps.detect-prerelease-phase.outputs.prerelease-phase }}
       is-hotfix: ${{ steps.detect-hotfix.outputs.is-hotfix }}
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/chain-selectors-check.yml b/.github/workflows/chain-selectors-check.yml
index 7b8c144e14f..066b570d21e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/chain-selectors-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/chain-selectors-check.yml
@@ -11,13 +11,12 @@ on:
     branches:
       - release/*
 
-
 jobs:
   verify-version:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout Repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/changeset.yml b/.github/workflows/changeset.yml
index 900f206f48f..65564a46d82 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/changeset.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/changeset.yml
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           fetch-depth: 0
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ jobs:
         run: echo "top_level_dir=$(pwd)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
       - name: Checkout .Github repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/.github
diff --git a/.github/workflows/changesets-preview-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/changesets-preview-pr.yml
index 4a8fa1a9474..0d5dd66da65 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/changesets-preview-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/changesets-preview-pr.yml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ jobs:
       pull-requests: write
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml
index 646d7596646..62842847893 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ jobs:
 
   golangci:
     name: GolangCI Lint
-    needs: [filter, run-frequency ]
+    needs: [filter, run-frequency]
     # We don't directly merge dependabot PRs to not waste the resources.
     if: ${{ needs.filter.outputs.affected-modules != '[]' && github.event_name != 'merge_group' && github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]' }}
     permissions:
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ jobs:
           metrics: cpu,network,memory,disk
 
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ jobs:
     name: Core Tests (${{ matrix.type.cmd }}) # Be careful modifying the job name, as it is used to fetch the job URL
     # We don't directly merge dependabot PRs, so let's not waste the resources
     if: ${{ github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]' }}
-    needs: [filter, run-frequency ]
+    needs: [filter, run-frequency]
     timeout-minutes: 60
     # Use ubuntu-latest for jobs that will be skipped
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.type.should-run == 'true' && matrix.type.os || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Checkout the repo
         if: ${{ matrix.type.should-run == 'true' }}
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ jobs:
     if: ${{  needs.filter.outputs.should-run-core-tests == 'true' }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
       - name: Setup Go
         uses: ./.github/actions/setup-go
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           fetch-depth: 0 # fetches all history for all tags and branches to provide more metadata for sonar reports
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ jobs:
       run:
         shell: bash
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Setup Go
@@ -604,7 +604,7 @@ jobs:
     name: Misc
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Setup go
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-protobuf.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-protobuf.yml
index 2d3d66fc9d3..0e55c192d39 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-protobuf.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-protobuf.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/client-compatibility-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/client-compatibility-tests.yml
index 1b32e69a5ae..ec5e2cacf0f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/client-compatibility-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/client-compatibility-tests.yml
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ jobs:
       dependency_changed: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.dependency_changed }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           fetch-depth: 0
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ jobs:
     needs: [should-run, select-versions]
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           ref: ${{ needs.select-versions.outputs.chainlink_version }}
@@ -575,7 +575,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink
@@ -845,7 +845,7 @@ jobs:
           - vrfv2plus
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           ref: ${{ needs.select-versions.outputs.chainlink_version }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
index 583699c29e7..0ca8226096b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ on:
 jobs:
   analyze:
     name: Analyze (${{ matrix.language }})
-    needs: [ runner-config ]
+    needs: [runner-config]
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.runs-on || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
     permissions:
       # required for all workflows
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ jobs:
           metrics: cpu,network,memory,disk
 
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
 
       - name: Set up Go
         if: matrix.language == 'go'
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build go code manually
         if: matrix.language == 'go'
         run: |
-          echo "::group::Builing all go code (go build ./...)"
+          echo "::group::Building all go code (go build ./...)"
           go build ./...
           echo "::endgroup::"
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml b/.github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml
index 3ef9b6aea53..eb911470db7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 5
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           ref: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.sha || inputs.chainlink_version }}
 
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ jobs:
     if: needs.changes.outputs.should-run-tests == 'true'
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           ref: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.sha || inputs.chainlink_version }}
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml b/.github/workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml
index a4ec65b103d..ae896a9d3d4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ jobs:
       contents: read
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           ref: ${{ inputs.chainlink_version }}
           persist-credentials: false
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ jobs:
           metrics: cpu,network,memory,disk
 
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           ref: ${{ inputs.chainlink_version }}
           persist-credentials: false
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml b/.github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml
index 3121aa54c9a..a67601a5f23 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ jobs:
           metrics: cpu,network,memory,disk
 
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           ref: ${{ github.sha }}
           persist-credentials: false
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml b/.github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml
index ba27f356917..7ffe1901565 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ jobs:
       contents: read
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           ref: ${{ inputs.chainlink_version }}
           persist-credentials: false
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ jobs:
           metrics: cpu,network,memory,disk
 
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           ref: ${{ inputs.chainlink_version }}
           persist-credentials: false
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml b/.github/workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml
index a8701694374..1fb50e246c4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ jobs:
     if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.event_name == 'schedule' || github.event_name == 'workflow_call' || (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'run-cre-workflow-don-benchmark'))
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           ref: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.sha || inputs.chainlink_version }}
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/delete-caches.yml b/.github/workflows/delete-caches.yml
index 41d02fb2eb8..c4f7756ca55 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/delete-caches.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/delete-caches.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ jobs:
       PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
     steps:
       - name: Check out code
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dependency-check.yml b/.github/workflows/dependency-check.yml
index bdc8801db16..a25bb5d5006 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dependency-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dependency-check.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ jobs:
       changes: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.src }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
       - uses: dorny/paths-filter@de90cc6fb38fc0963ad72b210f1f284cd68cea36 # v3.0.2
         id: changes
         with:
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
     needs: [changes]
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ jobs:
         if: needs.changes.outputs.src == 'true'
         uses: ./.github/actions/setup-go
         with:
-          go-version-file: 'go.mod'
-          only-modules: 'true'
+          go-version-file: "go.mod"
+          only-modules: "true"
 
       - name: Write Go Modules list
         if: needs.changes.outputs.src == 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dependency-review.yml b/.github/workflows/dependency-review.yml
index 714f88b48ae..1552cd27465 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dependency-review.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dependency-review.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ jobs:
       contents: read
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           fetch-depth: 1
           persist-credentials: false
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-build.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-build.yml
index 73385d5ab9e..a61c7d3c1e4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-build.yml
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
           ref: ${{ inputs.git-ref || github.sha }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/go-mod-cache.yml b/.github/workflows/go-mod-cache.yml
index 22e0d6c095d..c1b7e65508f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/go-mod-cache.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/go-mod-cache.yml
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ jobs:
           metrics: cpu,network,memory,disk
 
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-in-memory-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-in-memory-tests.yml
index 11f01e639ce..39b6423fef7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-in-memory-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-in-memory-tests.yml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ jobs:
       should_use_self_hosted_runner: ${{ steps.label-runs-on-opt-out.outputs.check-label-found == 'false' }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink
diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index 6f6c8fb8010..47b89fadf9b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - run: echo "${{github.event_name}}"
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ jobs:
       ccip-changes: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.ccip_changes }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Checkout the repo
         if: matrix.image.should-build && steps.check-image-exists.outputs.exists != 'true'
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink
@@ -709,7 +709,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink
@@ -792,7 +792,7 @@ jobs:
       sha: ${{ steps.getsha.outputs.sha }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repo
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink
@@ -816,7 +816,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "short_sha=${short_sha}" | tee -a "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
       - name: Checkout solana
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           repository: smartcontractkit/chainlink-solana
diff --git a/.github/workflows/lint-gh-workflows.yml b/.github/workflows/lint-gh-workflows.yml
index ae971f6052f..b5b1e0837bc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/lint-gh-workflows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/lint-gh-workflows.yml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Check out Code
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Run actionlint
diff --git a/.github/workflows/operator-ui-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/operator-ui-ci.yml
index 9135bf4e68a..cbeda242453 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/operator-ui-ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/operator-ui-ci.yml
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ jobs:
           url: ${{ secrets.AWS_INFRA_RELENG_TOKEN_ISSUER_LAMBDA_URL }}
 
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-conflicts.yaml b/.github/workflows/pr-conflicts.yaml
index 73438a7986c..a1484c7e6db 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-conflicts.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-conflicts.yaml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ jobs:
       contents: read
 
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           fetch-depth: 1
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/sync-develop-from-smartcontractkit-chainlink.yml b/.github/workflows/sync-develop-from-smartcontractkit-chainlink.yml
index 939e67df17f..dd0e08d2657 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/sync-develop-from-smartcontractkit-chainlink.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/sync-develop-from-smartcontractkit-chainlink.yml
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@ name: Sync develop from smartcontractkit/chainlink
 on:
   schedule:
     # * is a special character in YAML so you have to quote this string
-    - cron: '*/30 * * * *'
+    - cron: "*/30 * * * *"
 
 jobs:
   sync:
     name: Sync
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
           ref: develop

From 21451a7a4988429753b7a37c26d2d51375ad7bff Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:41:11 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 02/19] use cache-scope and max mode

---
 .github/workflows/integration-tests.yml | 5 ++++-
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index 47b89fadf9b..a99a6ebe4dd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -220,6 +220,7 @@ jobs:
             runner: ${{ needs.labels.outputs.builder-runner-label-core || 'ubuntu22.04-8cores-32GB' }}
             dockerfile: core/chainlink.Dockerfile
             tag-suffix: ""
+            cache-scope: core
             # todo: optimize this conditional
             should-build: >-
               ${{
@@ -233,6 +234,7 @@ jobs:
             runner: ${{ needs.labels.outputs.builder-runner-label-plugins || 'ubuntu22.04-8cores-32GB' }}
             dockerfile: plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
             tag-suffix: -plugins
+            cache-scope: plugins
             # todo: optimize this conditional
             should-build: >-
               ${{
@@ -281,7 +283,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build Chainlink Image
         if: matrix.image.should-build && steps.check-image-exists.outputs.exists != 'true'
-        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@ctf-build-image/v1
+        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@fe827601f1dda1a2e56be1df5cb257717fc2c047 # DEBUG: Using test version
         with:
           image-tag: ${{ inputs.evm-ref || env.CHAINLINK_REF }}${{ matrix.image.tag-suffix }}
           dockerfile: ${{ matrix.image.dockerfile }}
@@ -296,6 +298,7 @@ jobs:
             github.com/smartcontractkit/chainlink-evm=${{ inputs.evm-ref }}
           gati-role-arn: ${{ secrets.AWS_OIDC_CHAINLINK_READ_ONLY_TOKEN_ISSUER_ROLE_ARN }}
           gati-lambda-url: ${{ secrets.AWS_INFRA_RELENG_TOKEN_ISSUER_LAMBDA_URL }}
+          cache-scope: ${{ matrix.image.cache-scope }}
 
   run-core-cre-e2e-tests-setup:
     name: Run Core CRE E2E Tests Setup

From e09d120a2efebd29536cd6ccdfb41dcf47015aa2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2026 16:51:19 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 03/19] Check results

---
 .github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml                | 2 +-
 .github/actions/setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml | 2 +-
 .github/workflows/ci-core.yml                           | 4 ++--
 .github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml              | 2 +-
 .github/workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml      | 2 +-
 .github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml              | 4 ++--
 .github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml                 | 2 +-
 .github/workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml       | 4 ++--
 .github/workflows/devenv-compat.yml                     | 2 +-
 .github/workflows/system-tests-nightly.yml              | 2 +-
 10 files changed, 13 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml b/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml
index 31aa2b9ea4f..cdd516d4059 100644
--- a/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ runs:
     - name: Store Golangci-lint report artifact
       if: always()
       id: upload-artifact
-      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
       with:
         # Use a unique suffix for each lint report artifact to avoid duplication errors
         name: golangci-lint-report-${{ steps.suffix.outputs.suffix }}
diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml
index 827cfebbe52..5b9a88740bc 100644
--- a/.github/actions/setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/setup-solana/build-contracts/action.yml
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ runs:
     - name: Upload artifact (if newly built)
       if: env.exists == 'false'
       continue-on-error: true # don't fail if the upload fails, it might conflict with another job
-      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
       with:
         name: ${{ env.ARTIFACT_NAME }}
         path: chainlink-ccip/chains/solana/contracts/target/deploy/*.so
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml
index 62842847893..e22615a6edf 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Store logs artifacts
         if: ${{ always() && matrix.type.should-run == 'true' }}
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: ${{ matrix.type.cmd }}_logs
           path: |
@@ -426,7 +426,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Store test report artifacts
         if: ${{ always() }}
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: go_core_scripts_tests_logs
           path: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml b/.github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml
index eb911470db7..68c44eb3b36 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-local-env-tests.yaml
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Upload all artifacts as single package
         if: failure()
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4.6.2
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: local-cre-docker-logs
           path: ./core/scripts/cre/environment/logs/
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml b/.github/workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml
index ae896a9d3d4..17728a8b167 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-regression-system-tests.yaml
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Upload all artifacts as single package
         if: failure()
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4.6.2
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: test-logs-${{ matrix.tests.test_name }}-${{ matrix.tests.topology }}
           path: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml b/.github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml
index a67601a5f23..16f24dbc6e0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-soak-memory-leak.yml
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Upload alloc.pprof
         if: always()
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: alloc.pprof
           path: alloc.pprof
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Upload Docker logs
         if: failure()
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: soak-docker-logs
           path: system-tests/tests/soak/cre/logs
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml b/.github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml
index 7ffe1901565..38c9f11e3c0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-system-tests.yaml
@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Upload all artifacts as single package
         if: failure()
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4.6.2
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: test-logs-${{ matrix.tests.test_name }}-${{ matrix.tests.topology }}
           path: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml b/.github/workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml
index 1fb50e246c4..b03be3df83c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cre-workflow-don-benchmark.yaml
@@ -173,7 +173,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
       - name: Upload node logs
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         timeout-minutes: 2
         continue-on-error: true
         with:
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ jobs:
           retention-days: 5
 
       - name: Upload performance reports
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         timeout-minutes: 2
         continue-on-error: true
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/devenv-compat.yml b/.github/workflows/devenv-compat.yml
index d938653eb46..c2e8b56dff9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/devenv-compat.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/devenv-compat.yml
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Upload Logs
         if: always()
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: container-logs-smoke
           path: ${{ env.LOGS_DIR }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/system-tests-nightly.yml b/.github/workflows/system-tests-nightly.yml
index 39b5f63dc9e..13eff02ed6c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/system-tests-nightly.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/system-tests-nightly.yml
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Upload Logs
         if: always() && steps.gate.outputs.should_run == 'true'
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: container-logs-${{ matrix.logs_archive_name }}
           path: devenv/tests/${{ matrix.tests_dir }}/logs

From 1b7cc1b82a201a7319bad2cab601066ebef229ee Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:25:34 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 04/19] Actually use proper cache creation

---
 .github/workflows/integration-tests.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index a99a6ebe4dd..497bdcb5ee4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build Chainlink Image
         if: matrix.image.should-build && steps.check-image-exists.outputs.exists != 'true'
-        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@fe827601f1dda1a2e56be1df5cb257717fc2c047 # DEBUG: Using test version
+        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@4180e789ed614707e353674386286deebbfa9792 # DEBUG: Using test version
         with:
           image-tag: ${{ inputs.evm-ref || env.CHAINLINK_REF }}${{ matrix.image.tag-suffix }}
           dockerfile: ${{ matrix.image.dockerfile }}

From 068926bb0eadac65c9c33bc07eca6b755299c0d9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:36:15 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 05/19] Check for cache


From 1d5cb161ee45839d2ae8357a18ca4c17684fe604 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:09:04 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 06/19] Remove extra go mod download

---
 core/chainlink.Dockerfile    | 28 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile | 28 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 56 insertions(+)

diff --git a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
index 37412ca9077..c1bb1a09baa 100644
--- a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -13,6 +13,34 @@ COPY tools/bin/ldflags ./tools/bin/
 ADD go.mod go.sum ./
 RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
     go mod download
+
+# Apply dependency overrides if specified (comma-separated: dep1=sha1,dep2=sha2)
+ARG GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS
+RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
+    --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
+    set -eo pipefail && \
+    if [ -n "$GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS" ]; then \
+        export GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token && \
+        if [ -f /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN ] && [ -s /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN ]; then \
+            TOKEN=$(cat /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN) && \
+            git config --file "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL" \
+              url."https://oauth2:${TOKEN}@github.com/".insteadOf "https://github.com/"; \
+        fi && \
+        IFS=',' && \
+        for entry in $GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS; do \
+            dep="${entry%%=*}" && \
+            sha="${entry#*=}" && \
+            [ -z "$dep" ] && continue; \
+            [ -z "$sha" ] && continue; \
+            echo "Overriding: github.com/smartcontractkit/${dep}@${sha}" && \
+            go get "github.com/smartcontractkit/${dep}@${sha}"; \
+        done && \
+        unset IFS && \
+        go mod tidy && \
+        go mod download && \
+        rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"; \
+    fi
+
 COPY . .
 
 # Install Delve for debugging with cache mounts
diff --git a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
index 9b6420ed7b5..17a0493ace4 100644
--- a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -15,6 +15,34 @@ COPY tools/bin/ldflags ./tools/bin/
 ADD go.mod go.sum ./
 RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
     go mod download
+
+# Apply dependency overrides if specified (comma-separated: dep1=sha1,dep2=sha2)
+ARG GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS
+RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
+    --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
+    set -eo pipefail && \
+    if [ -n "$GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS" ]; then \
+        export GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token && \
+        if [ -f /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN ] && [ -s /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN ]; then \
+            TOKEN=$(cat /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN) && \
+            git config --file "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL" \
+              url."https://oauth2:${TOKEN}@github.com/".insteadOf "https://github.com/"; \
+        fi && \
+        IFS=',' && \
+        for entry in $GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS; do \
+            dep="${entry%%=*}" && \
+            sha="${entry#*=}" && \
+            [ -z "$dep" ] && continue; \
+            [ -z "$sha" ] && continue; \
+            echo "Overriding: github.com/smartcontractkit/${dep}@${sha}" && \
+            go get "github.com/smartcontractkit/${dep}@${sha}"; \
+        done && \
+        unset IFS && \
+        go mod tidy && \
+        go mod download && \
+        rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"; \
+    fi
+
 COPY . .
 
 # Install Delve for debugging with cache mounts

From dee1180d52b262c39e78a90e6174baab5edfad3b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:10:47 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 07/19] ACTUALLY remove extra docker download

---
 .github/workflows/integration-tests.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index 497bdcb5ee4..173f2610d38 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build Chainlink Image
         if: matrix.image.should-build && steps.check-image-exists.outputs.exists != 'true'
-        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@4180e789ed614707e353674386286deebbfa9792 # DEBUG: Using test version
+        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@f0275754cf0d07a831a0d8d8f5b09fba033051c9 # DEBUG: Using test version
         with:
           image-tag: ${{ inputs.evm-ref || env.CHAINLINK_REF }}${{ matrix.image.tag-suffix }}
           dockerfile: ${{ matrix.image.dockerfile }}

From 1b40bbb07fd31840e15abb76a0192775e50d68b9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:16:08 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 08/19] Fix pipefall

---
 core/chainlink.Dockerfile    | 2 +-
 plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile | 2 +-
 2 files changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
index c1bb1a09baa..0cb65e80c82 100644
--- a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
 ARG GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
     --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    set -eo pipefail && \
+    set -e && \
     if [ -n "$GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS" ]; then \
         export GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token && \
         if [ -f /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN ] && [ -s /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN ]; then \
diff --git a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
index 17a0493ace4..c5ac4697f22 100644
--- a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
 ARG GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
     --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    set -eo pipefail && \
+    set -e && \
     if [ -n "$GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS" ]; then \
         export GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token && \
         if [ -f /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN ] && [ -s /run/secrets/GIT_AUTH_TOKEN ]; then \

From 617bfcf26f0f959d610f1939784f2f90b30f8cd4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:42:36 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 09/19] Cache go modules as part of docker layers

---
 core/chainlink.Dockerfile    | 16 +++++-----------
 plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile | 16 +++++-----------
 2 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 22 deletions(-)

diff --git a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
index 0cb65e80c82..30e67811234 100644
--- a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -11,13 +11,11 @@ COPY GNUmakefile package.json ./
 COPY tools/bin/ldflags ./tools/bin/
 
 ADD go.mod go.sum ./
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    go mod download
+RUN go mod download
 
 # Apply dependency overrides if specified (comma-separated: dep1=sha1,dep2=sha2)
 ARG GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
     set -e && \
     if [ -n "$GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS" ]; then \
         export GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token && \
@@ -43,9 +41,8 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
 
 COPY . .
 
-# Install Delve for debugging with cache mounts
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
+# Install Delve for debugging
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
     go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@v1.24.2
 
 # Flag to control installation of private plugins (default: true).
@@ -61,7 +58,6 @@ ARG CL_IS_PROD_BUILD=true
 ENV CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=/tmp/loopinstall-output \
     GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
     --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
     set -e && \
     trap 'rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"' EXIT && \
@@ -76,15 +72,13 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
     fi
 
 # Copy any shared libraries.
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    mkdir -p /tmp/lib && \
+RUN mkdir -p /tmp/lib && \
     ./plugins/scripts/copy_loopinstall_libs.sh \
     "$CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR" \
     /tmp/lib
 
 # Build chainlink.
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
     if [ "$CL_IS_PROD_BUILD" = "false" ]; then \
           GOBIN=/gobins make install-chainlink-dev; \
       else \
diff --git a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
index c5ac4697f22..ca022b67c3a 100644
--- a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -13,13 +13,11 @@ COPY GNUmakefile package.json ./
 COPY tools/bin/ldflags ./tools/bin/
 
 ADD go.mod go.sum ./
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    go mod download
+RUN go mod download
 
 # Apply dependency overrides if specified (comma-separated: dep1=sha1,dep2=sha2)
 ARG GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
     set -e && \
     if [ -n "$GO_OVERRIDE_DEPS" ]; then \
         export GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token && \
@@ -45,9 +43,8 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
 
 COPY . .
 
-# Install Delve for debugging with cache mounts
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
+# Install Delve for debugging
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
     go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@v1.24.2
 
 # Flag to control installation of private plugins (default: false).
@@ -65,7 +62,6 @@ ARG VERSION_TAG
 ENV CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=/tmp/loopinstall-output \
     GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
     --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
     set -e && \
     trap 'rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"' EXIT && \
@@ -80,15 +76,13 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
     fi
 
 # Copy any shared libraries.
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    mkdir -p /tmp/lib && \
+RUN mkdir -p /tmp/lib && \
     ./plugins/scripts/copy_loopinstall_libs.sh \
     "$CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR" \
     /tmp/lib
 
 # Build chainlink.
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/go/pkg/mod \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
     if [ "$CL_IS_PROD_BUILD" = "false" ]; then \
           GOBIN=/gobins make install-chainlink-dev; \
       else \

From f37f5a4181290c085a3ebe2a3df9a9b24facfad3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:53:15 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 10/19] Check results


From d86a7ea4a8a9014bc796e0c925d7b167857a1a2d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:13:50 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 11/19] Optimize Dockerfile

---
 .dockerignore                           |  5 +++
 .github/workflows/integration-tests.yml |  2 +-
 core/chainlink.Dockerfile               | 43 ++++++++++++-----------
 plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile            | 46 +++++++++++++------------
 4 files changed, 53 insertions(+), 43 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
index 3d3091c6a58..c150affa90f 100644
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -11,6 +11,11 @@ tmp/
 contracts/node_modules
 examples/
 
+.changeset/
+.github/
+docs/
+fuzz/
+
 devenv/
 deployment/
 integration/
diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index 173f2610d38..52da6bcf546 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build Chainlink Image
         if: matrix.image.should-build && steps.check-image-exists.outputs.exists != 'true'
-        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@f0275754cf0d07a831a0d8d8f5b09fba033051c9 # DEBUG: Using test version
+        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@f0275754cf0d07a831a0d8d8f5b09fba033051c9 # TODO: Update to release tag after .github changes are merged
         with:
           image-tag: ${{ inputs.evm-ref || env.CHAINLINK_REF }}${{ matrix.image.tag-suffix }}
           dockerfile: ${{ matrix.image.dockerfile }}
diff --git a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
index 30e67811234..6de250cb8ed 100644
--- a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 ##
 # Build image: Chainlink binary with plugins.
 ##
-FROM golang:1.25.7-bookworm AS buildgo
+
+# Stage: Dependencies - module downloads and source
+FROM golang:1.25.7-bookworm AS deps
 RUN go version
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y jq && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
@@ -41,24 +43,19 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
 
 COPY . .
 
-# Install Delve for debugging
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
-    go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@v1.24.2
+# Stage: Delve debugger (runs in parallel with plugins and chainlink)
+FROM deps AS build-delve
+RUN go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@v1.24.2
 
-# Flag to control installation of private plugins (default: true).
+# Stage: Plugins (runs in parallel with delve and chainlink)
+FROM deps AS build-plugins
 ARG CL_INSTALL_PRIVATE_PLUGINS=true
-# Flag to control installation of testing plugins (default: false).
 ARG CL_INSTALL_TESTING_PLUGINS=false
-# Env vars needed for chainlink build
-ARG COMMIT_SHA
-ARG VERSION_TAG
-# Flag to control whether this is a prod build (default: true)
-ARG CL_IS_PROD_BUILD=true
 
 ENV CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=/tmp/loopinstall-output \
     GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
+    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build,id=go-build-plugins \
     set -e && \
     trap 'rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"' EXIT && \
     ./plugins/scripts/setup_git_auth.sh && \
@@ -71,14 +68,19 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
         GOBIN=/gobins CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR} make install-plugins-testing; \
     fi
 
-# Copy any shared libraries.
 RUN mkdir -p /tmp/lib && \
     ./plugins/scripts/copy_loopinstall_libs.sh \
     "$CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR" \
     /tmp/lib
 
-# Build chainlink.
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
+# Stage: Chainlink binary (runs in parallel with delve and plugins)
+FROM deps AS build-chainlink
+ARG COMMIT_SHA
+ARG VERSION_TAG
+ARG CL_IS_PROD_BUILD=true
+
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build,id=go-build-chainlink \
+    mkdir -p /gobins && \
     if [ "$CL_IS_PROD_BUILD" = "false" ]; then \
           GOBIN=/gobins make install-chainlink-dev; \
       else \
@@ -120,12 +122,13 @@ COPY ./cci[p]/confi[g] /ccip-config
 ARG CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS
 ENV CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS=${CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS}
 
-# Copy the binaries from the build stage (plugins + chainlink).
-COPY --from=buildgo /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
-# Copy shared libraries from the build stage.
-COPY --from=buildgo /tmp/lib /usr/lib/
+# Copy the binaries from the parallel build stages.
+COPY --from=build-plugins /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
+COPY --from=build-chainlink /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
+# Copy shared libraries from the plugins build stage.
+COPY --from=build-plugins /tmp/lib /usr/lib/
 # Copy dlv (Delve debugger) from the build stage.
-COPY --from=buildgo /go/bin/dlv /usr/local/bin/
+COPY --from=build-delve /go/bin/dlv /usr/local/bin/
 
 
 WORKDIR /home/${CHAINLINK_USER}
diff --git a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
index ca022b67c3a..0e0fc094599 100644
--- a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -3,7 +3,9 @@
 # XXX: Experimental -- not to be used to build images for production use.
 # See: ../core/chainlink.Dockerfile for the production Dockerfile.
 ##
-FROM golang:1.25.7-bookworm AS buildgo
+
+# Stage: Dependencies - module downloads and source
+FROM golang:1.25.7-bookworm AS deps
 RUN go version
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y jq && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
@@ -43,26 +45,19 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
 
 COPY . .
 
-# Install Delve for debugging
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
-    go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@v1.24.2
+# Stage: Delve debugger (runs in parallel with plugins and chainlink)
+FROM deps AS build-delve
+RUN go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@v1.24.2
 
-# Flag to control installation of private plugins (default: false).
+# Stage: Plugins (runs in parallel with delve and chainlink)
+FROM deps AS build-plugins
 ARG CL_INSTALL_PRIVATE_PLUGINS=false
-# Flag to control installation of testing plugins (default: false).
 ARG CL_INSTALL_TESTING_PLUGINS=false
-# Flag to control whether this is a prod build (default: true)
-ARG CL_IS_PROD_BUILD=true
-# Flags for Go Delve debugger
-ARG GO_GCFLAGS
-# Env vars needed for chainlink build
-ARG COMMIT_SHA
-ARG VERSION_TAG
 
 ENV CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=/tmp/loopinstall-output \
     GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
+    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build,id=go-build-plugins \
     set -e && \
     trap 'rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"' EXIT && \
     ./plugins/scripts/setup_git_auth.sh && \
@@ -75,14 +70,20 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
         GOBIN=/gobins CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR} make install-plugins-testing; \
     fi
 
-# Copy any shared libraries.
 RUN mkdir -p /tmp/lib && \
     ./plugins/scripts/copy_loopinstall_libs.sh \
     "$CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR" \
     /tmp/lib
 
-# Build chainlink.
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build \
+# Stage: Chainlink binary (runs in parallel with delve and plugins)
+FROM deps AS build-chainlink
+ARG CL_IS_PROD_BUILD=true
+ARG GO_GCFLAGS
+ARG COMMIT_SHA
+ARG VERSION_TAG
+
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build,id=go-build-chainlink \
+    mkdir -p /gobins && \
     if [ "$CL_IS_PROD_BUILD" = "false" ]; then \
           GOBIN=/gobins make install-chainlink-dev; \
       else \
@@ -108,7 +109,7 @@ RUN if [ ${CHAINLINK_USER} != root ]; then useradd --uid 14933 --create-home ${C
 USER ${CHAINLINK_USER}
 
 # Copy Delve debugger from build stage.
-COPY --from=buildgo /go/bin/dlv /usr/local/bin/dlv
+COPY --from=build-delve /go/bin/dlv /usr/local/bin/dlv
 
 # Expose image metadata to the running node.
 ARG CL_AUTO_DOCKER_TAG=unset
@@ -127,10 +128,11 @@ COPY ./cci[p]/confi[g] /ccip-config
 ARG CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS
 ENV CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS=${CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS}
 
-# Copy the binaries from the build stage (plugins + chainlink).
-COPY --from=buildgo /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
-# Copy shared libraries from the build stage.
-COPY --from=buildgo /tmp/lib /usr/lib/
+# Copy the binaries from the parallel build stages.
+COPY --from=build-plugins /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
+COPY --from=build-chainlink /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
+# Copy shared libraries from the plugins build stage.
+COPY --from=build-plugins /tmp/lib /usr/lib/
 
 WORKDIR /home/${CHAINLINK_USER}
 

From 22f9154a1b6840bacdfdcea94176cb7eba38779e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:25:44 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 12/19] Test Optimize Dockerfile


From 980ce186e2932528b890ae2683d1243129a1fd83 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:47:39 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 13/19] zstd and no free disk space

---
 .github/workflows/integration-tests.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index 52da6bcf546..5537f7711f1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -283,7 +283,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build Chainlink Image
         if: matrix.image.should-build && steps.check-image-exists.outputs.exists != 'true'
-        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@f0275754cf0d07a831a0d8d8f5b09fba033051c9 # TODO: Update to release tag after .github changes are merged
+        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@ab75dfeec614d828544435a2f64e52a7e60188ff # TODO: Update to release tag after .github changes are merged
         with:
           image-tag: ${{ inputs.evm-ref || env.CHAINLINK_REF }}${{ matrix.image.tag-suffix }}
           dockerfile: ${{ matrix.image.dockerfile }}

From 2a779132edb56c77516ce2039c81db29a406ce8d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 11:54:11 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 14/19] Test zstd and no free disk space


From 5c12664c448118314f7806faa292fcc96caa4582 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:07:55 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 15/19] Test with cheaper runner

---
 .github/workflows/integration-tests.yml | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index 5537f7711f1..d03c8dc87f0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -180,8 +180,8 @@ jobs:
           GH_BUILDER_RUNNER: ubuntu22.04-8cores-32GB
           GH_SOLANA_RUNNER: ubuntu22.04-8cores-32GB
           # include unique label (core/plugins/solana) to ensure jobs are not competing for the same runner
-          SH_BUILDER_RUNNER_CORE: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-core/cpu=32+36/memory=64+72/family=c6i+c7i+c5.*/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
-          SH_BUILDER_RUNNER_PLUGINS: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-plugins/cpu=32+36/memory=64+72/family=c6i+c7i+c5.*/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
+          SH_BUILDER_RUNNER_CORE: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-core/cpu=16+24/memory=32+40/family=c6i+c7i+c5.*/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
+          SH_BUILDER_RUNNER_PLUGINS: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-plugins/cpu=16+24/memory=32+40/family=c6i+c7i+c5.*/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
           SH_SOLANA_RUNNER: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-solana/cpu=48/ram=96/family=c6i/spot=false/image=ubuntu24-full-x64/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
         run: |
           if [[ "${OPT_OUT}" == "true" ]]; then

From b2f08d2ae17a2482b52ee4ddbacdeac1d3e7bd83 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 12:34:55 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 16/19] Revert smaller runner as it was 1m increase

---
 .github/workflows/integration-tests.yml | 4 ++--
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index d03c8dc87f0..5537f7711f1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -180,8 +180,8 @@ jobs:
           GH_BUILDER_RUNNER: ubuntu22.04-8cores-32GB
           GH_SOLANA_RUNNER: ubuntu22.04-8cores-32GB
           # include unique label (core/plugins/solana) to ensure jobs are not competing for the same runner
-          SH_BUILDER_RUNNER_CORE: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-core/cpu=16+24/memory=32+40/family=c6i+c7i+c5.*/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
-          SH_BUILDER_RUNNER_PLUGINS: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-plugins/cpu=16+24/memory=32+40/family=c6i+c7i+c5.*/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
+          SH_BUILDER_RUNNER_CORE: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-core/cpu=32+36/memory=64+72/family=c6i+c7i+c5.*/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
+          SH_BUILDER_RUNNER_PLUGINS: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-plugins/cpu=32+36/memory=64+72/family=c6i+c7i+c5.*/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
           SH_SOLANA_RUNNER: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}-solana/cpu=48/ram=96/family=c6i/spot=false/image=ubuntu24-full-x64/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
         run: |
           if [[ "${OPT_OUT}" == "true" ]]; then

From 8b78d80ed71c55415fc6b568c1466fb12ca57668 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:11:05 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 17/19] Plugins cache

---
 core/chainlink.Dockerfile    | 49 +++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------
 plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile | 49 +++++++++++++++++++++++++-----------
 2 files changed, 68 insertions(+), 30 deletions(-)

diff --git a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
index 6de250cb8ed..ff5f444fc5c 100644
--- a/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/core/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@
 # Build image: Chainlink binary with plugins.
 ##
 
-# Stage: Dependencies - module downloads and source
-FROM golang:1.25.7-bookworm AS deps
+# Stage: deps-base — module downloads, no source tree.
+# Stages that don't need the full source (remote plugins, delve) branch from
+# here so that source-only changes never invalidate their layer cache.
+FROM golang:1.25.7-bookworm AS deps-base
 RUN go version
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y jq && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
@@ -41,26 +43,37 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
         rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"; \
     fi
 
+# Stage: deps — full source tree for stages that compile chainlink code.
+FROM deps-base AS deps
 COPY . .
 
-# Stage: Delve debugger (runs in parallel with plugins and chainlink)
-FROM deps AS build-delve
+# Stage: Delve debugger (no source needed, branches from deps-base)
+FROM deps-base AS build-delve
 RUN go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@v1.24.2
 
-# Stage: Plugins (runs in parallel with delve and chainlink)
-FROM deps AS build-plugins
+# Stage: Remote plugins — only manifest YAMLs, no source tree.
+# Cached as long as go.mod/go.sum and plugin manifests are unchanged,
+# so typical source-only PRs skip the entire ~160s remote plugin build.
+# Uses `go tool loopinstall` via the Makefile (resolved from the `tool`
+# directive in go.mod). If this fails without the full source tree, fall back
+# to installing loopinstall standalone:
+#   RUN go install github.com/smartcontractkit/chainlink-common/pkg/loop/cmd/loopinstall@v0.11.1
+# and invoke `loopinstall` directly instead of `make install-plugins-*`.
+FROM deps-base AS build-remote-plugins
 ARG CL_INSTALL_PRIVATE_PLUGINS=true
 ARG CL_INSTALL_TESTING_PLUGINS=false
 
+COPY plugins/plugins.public.yaml plugins/plugins.private.yaml plugins/plugins.testing.yaml ./plugins/
+COPY plugins/scripts/ ./plugins/scripts/
+
 ENV CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=/tmp/loopinstall-output \
     GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build,id=go-build-plugins \
     set -e && \
     trap 'rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"' EXIT && \
     ./plugins/scripts/setup_git_auth.sh && \
-    mkdir -p /gobins && mkdir -p "${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR}" && \
-    GOBIN=/gobins CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR} make install-plugins-local install-plugins-public && \
+    mkdir -p /gobins "${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR}" && \
+    GOBIN=/gobins CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR} make install-plugins-public && \
     if [ "${CL_INSTALL_PRIVATE_PLUGINS}" = "true" ]; then \
         GOBIN=/gobins CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR} make install-plugins-private; \
     fi && \
@@ -73,7 +86,13 @@ RUN mkdir -p /tmp/lib && \
     "$CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR" \
     /tmp/lib
 
-# Stage: Chainlink binary (runs in parallel with delve and plugins)
+# Stage: Local plugins (needs source tree for ./plugins/cmd/...)
+FROM deps AS build-local-plugins
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build,id=go-build-local-plugins \
+    mkdir -p /gobins && \
+    GOBIN=/gobins make install-plugins-local
+
+# Stage: Chainlink binary (needs source tree)
 FROM deps AS build-chainlink
 ARG COMMIT_SHA
 ARG VERSION_TAG
@@ -122,12 +141,12 @@ COPY ./cci[p]/confi[g] /ccip-config
 ARG CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS
 ENV CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS=${CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS}
 
-# Copy the binaries from the parallel build stages.
-COPY --from=build-plugins /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
+# Copy binaries from the parallel build stages.
+COPY --from=build-remote-plugins /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
+COPY --from=build-local-plugins /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
 COPY --from=build-chainlink /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
-# Copy shared libraries from the plugins build stage.
-COPY --from=build-plugins /tmp/lib /usr/lib/
-# Copy dlv (Delve debugger) from the build stage.
+# Copy shared libraries from the remote plugins build stage.
+COPY --from=build-remote-plugins /tmp/lib /usr/lib/
 COPY --from=build-delve /go/bin/dlv /usr/local/bin/
 
 
diff --git a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
index 0e0fc094599..505e9d3abb4 100644
--- a/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
+++ b/plugins/chainlink.Dockerfile
@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@
 # See: ../core/chainlink.Dockerfile for the production Dockerfile.
 ##
 
-# Stage: Dependencies - module downloads and source
-FROM golang:1.25.7-bookworm AS deps
+# Stage: deps-base — module downloads, no source tree.
+# Stages that don't need the full source (remote plugins, delve) branch from
+# here so that source-only changes never invalidate their layer cache.
+FROM golang:1.25.7-bookworm AS deps-base
 RUN go version
 RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y jq && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
@@ -43,26 +45,37 @@ RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
         rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"; \
     fi
 
+# Stage: deps — full source tree for stages that compile chainlink code.
+FROM deps-base AS deps
 COPY . .
 
-# Stage: Delve debugger (runs in parallel with plugins and chainlink)
-FROM deps AS build-delve
+# Stage: Delve debugger (no source needed, branches from deps-base)
+FROM deps-base AS build-delve
 RUN go install github.com/go-delve/delve/cmd/dlv@v1.24.2
 
-# Stage: Plugins (runs in parallel with delve and chainlink)
-FROM deps AS build-plugins
+# Stage: Remote plugins — only manifest YAMLs, no source tree.
+# Cached as long as go.mod/go.sum and plugin manifests are unchanged,
+# so typical source-only PRs skip the entire ~160s remote plugin build.
+# Uses `go tool loopinstall` via the Makefile (resolved from the `tool`
+# directive in go.mod). If this fails without the full source tree, fall back
+# to installing loopinstall standalone:
+#   RUN go install github.com/smartcontractkit/chainlink-common/pkg/loop/cmd/loopinstall@v0.11.1
+# and invoke `loopinstall` directly instead of `make install-plugins-*`.
+FROM deps-base AS build-remote-plugins
 ARG CL_INSTALL_PRIVATE_PLUGINS=false
 ARG CL_INSTALL_TESTING_PLUGINS=false
 
+COPY plugins/plugins.public.yaml plugins/plugins.private.yaml plugins/plugins.testing.yaml ./plugins/
+COPY plugins/scripts/ ./plugins/scripts/
+
 ENV CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=/tmp/loopinstall-output \
     GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL=/tmp/gitconfig-github-token
 RUN --mount=type=secret,id=GIT_AUTH_TOKEN \
-    --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build,id=go-build-plugins \
     set -e && \
     trap 'rm -f "$GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL"' EXIT && \
     ./plugins/scripts/setup_git_auth.sh && \
-    mkdir -p /gobins && mkdir -p "${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR}" && \
-    GOBIN=/gobins CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR} make install-plugins-local install-plugins-public && \
+    mkdir -p /gobins "${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR}" && \
+    GOBIN=/gobins CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR} make install-plugins-public && \
     if [ "${CL_INSTALL_PRIVATE_PLUGINS}" = "true" ]; then \
         GOBIN=/gobins CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR=${CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR} make install-plugins-private; \
     fi && \
@@ -75,7 +88,13 @@ RUN mkdir -p /tmp/lib && \
     "$CL_LOOPINSTALL_OUTPUT_DIR" \
     /tmp/lib
 
-# Stage: Chainlink binary (runs in parallel with delve and plugins)
+# Stage: Local plugins (needs source tree for ./plugins/cmd/...)
+FROM deps AS build-local-plugins
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/go-build,id=go-build-local-plugins \
+    mkdir -p /gobins && \
+    GOBIN=/gobins make install-plugins-local
+
+# Stage: Chainlink binary (needs source tree)
 FROM deps AS build-chainlink
 ARG CL_IS_PROD_BUILD=true
 ARG GO_GCFLAGS
@@ -108,7 +127,6 @@ RUN curl https://www.postgresql.org/media/keys/ACCC4CF8.asc | apt-key add - \
 RUN if [ ${CHAINLINK_USER} != root ]; then useradd --uid 14933 --create-home ${CHAINLINK_USER}; fi
 USER ${CHAINLINK_USER}
 
-# Copy Delve debugger from build stage.
 COPY --from=build-delve /go/bin/dlv /usr/local/bin/dlv
 
 # Expose image metadata to the running node.
@@ -128,11 +146,12 @@ COPY ./cci[p]/confi[g] /ccip-config
 ARG CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS
 ENV CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS=${CL_CHAIN_DEFAULTS}
 
-# Copy the binaries from the parallel build stages.
-COPY --from=build-plugins /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
+# Copy binaries from the parallel build stages.
+COPY --from=build-remote-plugins /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
+COPY --from=build-local-plugins /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
 COPY --from=build-chainlink /gobins/ /usr/local/bin/
-# Copy shared libraries from the plugins build stage.
-COPY --from=build-plugins /tmp/lib /usr/lib/
+# Copy shared libraries from the remote plugins build stage.
+COPY --from=build-remote-plugins /tmp/lib /usr/lib/
 
 WORKDIR /home/${CHAINLINK_USER}
 

From e7d42e348299c3dd7c3006762a361a0c9d804720 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:20:35 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 18/19] Test plugins cache


From 29b658bd3ad4d28897fff4166dd77e9da9dea786 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Adam Hamrick <adam.hamrick@smartcontract.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:31:05 -0400
Subject: [PATCH 19/19] Verify new image

---
 .github/workflows/integration-tests.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index 6f6c8fb8010..a6c51ef34cc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build Chainlink Image
         if: matrix.image.should-build && steps.check-image-exists.outputs.exists != 'true'
-        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@ctf-build-image/v1
+        uses: smartcontractkit/.github/actions/ctf-build-image@4477e6576e19e561ab667106307978781685108b # DEBUG: Checking image build
         with:
           image-tag: ${{ inputs.evm-ref || env.CHAINLINK_REF }}${{ matrix.image.tag-suffix }}
           dockerfile: ${{ matrix.image.dockerfile }}