From 5a936f02c6a34cf51c201cd027de039373e02ee7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 09:49:43 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 01/16] Add DB as a service to the top level of the workflow.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml | 15 +++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 15 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 4ce4e65b0ba12..2ea447e844a9c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -134,6 +134,21 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       contents: read
 
+    services:
+      mysql:
+        image: ${{ inputs.db-type }}:${{ inputs.db-version }}
+        env:
+          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
+          MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
+        ports:
+          - 3306:3306
+        options: >-
+          --health-cmd="${{ inputs.db-type == 'mariadb' && contains(fromJSON('["5.5", "10.0", "10.1", "10.2", "10.3"]'), inputs.db-version) && 'mysqladmin ping -h localhost' || inputs.db-type == 'mariadb' && 'mariadb-admin ping -h localhost' || 'mysqladmin ping -h localhost' }}"
+          --health-interval=5s
+          --health-timeout=5s
+          --health-retries=10
+          --health-start-period=60s
+
     steps:
       - name: Configure environment variables
         run: |

From 5871cdc4b09704189c5a75f0f61b7fc440034122 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 09:55:04 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 02/16] Add memcached service when required, otherwise a noop
 container.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml | 4 ++++
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 2ea447e844a9c..ebbf08656e18c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -148,6 +148,10 @@ jobs:
           --health-timeout=5s
           --health-retries=10
           --health-start-period=60s
+      memcached:
+        image: ${{ inputs.memcached && 'memcached' || 'alpine' }}
+        ports:
+          - 11211:11211
 
     steps:
       - name: Configure environment variables

From 12d858af13d054af0802feb33bc69c2d5ce54fed Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:00:38 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 03/16] Install required extensions with PHP.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index ebbf08656e18c..664a05971e607 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: shivammathur/setup-php@f3e473d116dcccaddc5834248c87452386958240 # 2.37.2
         with:
           php-version: '${{ inputs.php }}'
+          extensions: "gd, opcache, mysqli, zip, exif, intl, mbstring, xml, xsl, imagick, xdebug${{ inputs.memcached && ', memcached' || '' }}"
           coverage: none
 
       # Since Composer dependencies are installed using `composer update` and no lock file is in version control,

From 5dde189ab920d3baebd8aec14445ae6e140a7302 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:05:20 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 04/16] Install PCOV on GHA container.

---
 .../workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml   | 19 +++++++++----------
 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 664a05971e607..5e8da5d993445 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -275,16 +275,15 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install PCOV coverage driver
         if: ${{ inputs.coverage-report }}
         run: |
-          docker compose exec -T -u 0 php sh -c '
-            pecl install --force pcov-1.0.12 &&
-            docker-php-ext-enable pcov &&
-            {
-              echo "pcov.enabled=1"
-              echo "pcov.directory=/var/www/src"
-              echo "pcov.initial.files=10000"
-            } >> /usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-pcov.ini &&
-            php -m | grep -i pcov
-          '
+          pecl install --force pcov-1.0.12
+          PHP_INI_SCAN_DIR=$(php -r 'echo PHP_CONFIG_FILE_SCAN_DIR;')
+          {
+            echo "extension=pcov"
+            echo "pcov.enabled=1"
+            echo "pcov.directory=${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/src"
+            echo "pcov.initial.files=10000"
+          } > "$PHP_INI_SCAN_DIR/pcov.ini"
+          php -m | grep -i pcov
 
       - name: Run external HTTP tests
         if: ${{ ! inputs.multisite && ! inputs.phpunit-test-groups && ! inputs.coverage-report }}

From a6b7468baaff464a23d01c6a67ab69ed6eb83d8d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:11:19 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 05/16] Configure tests on GHA container.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml | 12 ++++++++++--
 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 5e8da5d993445..6083122ee953d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -258,8 +258,16 @@ jobs:
         env:
           LOCAL_DB_CMD: ${{ env.LOCAL_DB_TYPE == 'mariadb' && contains( fromJSON('["5.5", "10.0", "10.1", "10.2", "10.3"]'), env.LOCAL_DB_VERSION ) && 'mysql' || env.LOCAL_DB_TYPE }}
 
-      - name: Install WordPress
-        run: npm run env:install
+      - name: Set up test configuration
+        run: |
+          sed \
+            -e 's/youremptytestdbnamehere/wordpress_develop_tests/' \
+            -e 's/yourusernamehere/root/' \
+            -e 's/yourpasswordhere/password/' \
+            -e 's/localhost/127.0.0.1/' \
+            -e "s/'WP_TESTS_DOMAIN', 'example.org'/'WP_TESTS_DOMAIN', '${LOCAL_WP_TESTS_DOMAIN}'/" \
+            wp-tests-config-sample.php > wp-tests-config.php
+          echo "define( 'FS_METHOD', 'direct' );" >> wp-tests-config.php
 
       # Installs PCOV as the code coverage driver for the PHPUnit run below.
       #

From 9a354de889d04bf50ec0cb153c65d45ac890c322 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:13:43 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 06/16] Run PHPUnit outside of docker containers.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml | 11 +++++------
 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 6083122ee953d..7e23c15a1787d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -296,13 +296,12 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run external HTTP tests
         if: ${{ ! inputs.multisite && ! inputs.phpunit-test-groups && ! inputs.coverage-report }}
         continue-on-error: ${{ inputs.allow-errors }}
-        run: node ./tools/local-env/scripts/docker.js run php ./vendor/bin/phpunit --verbose -c "${PHPUNIT_CONFIG}" --group external-http
+        run: ./vendor/bin/phpunit --verbose -c "${PHPUNIT_CONFIG}" --group external-http
 
       - name: Run PHPUnit tests${{ inputs.phpunit-test-groups && format( ' ({0} groups)', inputs.phpunit-test-groups ) || '' }}${{ inputs.coverage-report && ' with coverage report' || '' }}
         continue-on-error: ${{ inputs.allow-errors }}
         run: |
-          node ./tools/local-env/scripts/docker.js ${{ inputs.coverage-report && 'exec' || 'run' }} \
-            php ./vendor/bin/phpunit \
+          ./vendor/bin/phpunit \
             --verbose \
             -c "${PHPUNIT_CONFIG}" \
             ${{ inputs.phpunit-test-groups && '--group "${TEST_GROUPS}"' || '' }} \
@@ -314,18 +313,18 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run AJAX tests
         if: ${{ ! inputs.phpunit-test-groups && ! inputs.coverage-report }}
         continue-on-error: ${{ inputs.allow-errors }}
-        run: node ./tools/local-env/scripts/docker.js run php ./vendor/bin/phpunit --verbose -c "${PHPUNIT_CONFIG}" --group ajax
+        run: ./vendor/bin/phpunit --verbose -c "${PHPUNIT_CONFIG}" --group ajax
 
       - name: Run ms-files tests as a multisite install
         if: ${{ inputs.multisite && ! inputs.phpunit-test-groups && ! inputs.coverage-report }}
         continue-on-error: ${{ inputs.allow-errors }}
-        run: node ./tools/local-env/scripts/docker.js run php ./vendor/bin/phpunit --verbose -c "${PHPUNIT_CONFIG}" --group ms-files
+        run: ./vendor/bin/phpunit --verbose -c "${PHPUNIT_CONFIG}" --group ms-files
 
       # __fakegroup__ is excluded to force PHPUnit to ignore the <exclude> settings in phpunit.xml.dist.
       - name: Run (Xdebug) tests
         if: ${{ ! inputs.phpunit-test-groups && ! inputs.coverage-report }}
         continue-on-error: ${{ inputs.allow-errors }}
-        run: LOCAL_PHP_XDEBUG=true node ./tools/local-env/scripts/docker.js run php ./vendor/bin/phpunit -v --group xdebug --exclude-group __fakegroup__
+        run: XDEBUG_MODE=develop,debug ./vendor/bin/phpunit -v --group xdebug --exclude-group __fakegroup__
 
       - name: Upload test coverage report to Codecov
         if: ${{ inputs.coverage-report }}

From e255fb43b7bead974dafdb3e27ad639f264f9b97 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:18:59 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 07/16] Remove docker pull, etc.

---
 .../workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml   | 37 -------------------
 1 file changed, 37 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 7e23c15a1787d..5299d17e9985d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -221,43 +221,6 @@ jobs:
           composer --version
           locale -a
 
-      - name: Docker debug information
-        run: |
-          docker -v
-
-      - name: Pull Docker images (with retry)
-        run: |
-          for attempt in 1 2 3; do
-            if npm run env:pull; then
-              break
-            fi
-
-            if [ "$attempt" -eq 3 ]; then
-              echo "npm run env:pull failed after $attempt attempts."
-              exit 1
-            fi
-
-            echo "npm run env:pull failed (attempt $attempt); retrying..."
-            sleep $(( attempt * 10 ))
-          done
-
-      - name: Start Docker environment
-        run: |
-          npm run env:start
-
-      - name: Log running Docker containers
-        run: docker ps -a
-
-      - name: WordPress Docker container debug information
-        run: |
-          docker compose run --rm mysql "${LOCAL_DB_CMD}" --version
-          docker compose run --rm php php --version
-          docker compose run --rm php php -m
-          docker compose run --rm php php -i
-          docker compose run --rm php locale -a
-        env:
-          LOCAL_DB_CMD: ${{ env.LOCAL_DB_TYPE == 'mariadb' && contains( fromJSON('["5.5", "10.0", "10.1", "10.2", "10.3"]'), env.LOCAL_DB_VERSION ) && 'mysql' || env.LOCAL_DB_TYPE }}
-
       - name: Set up test configuration
         run: |
           sed \

From 7b30e94ec07fab4b02dff40d0a76b0c7ed73319e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:30:36 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 08/16] Configure db and tests correctly, so the DB names
 match.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml | 14 ++++++++++----
 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 5299d17e9985d..1e660179183c5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -134,12 +134,18 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       contents: read
 
+    env:
+      WP_DB_PASSWORD: password
+      WP_DB_DATABASE: wordpress_develop_tests
+
     services:
       mysql:
         image: ${{ inputs.db-type }}:${{ inputs.db-version }}
         env:
-          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
-          MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
+          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${{ env.WP_DB_PASSWORD }}
+          MYSQL_DATABASE: ${{ env.WP_DB_DATABASE }}
+          MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${{ env.WP_DB_PASSWORD }}
+          MARIADB_DATABASE: ${{ env.WP_DB_DATABASE }}
         ports:
           - 3306:3306
         options: >-
@@ -224,9 +230,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Set up test configuration
         run: |
           sed \
-            -e 's/youremptytestdbnamehere/wordpress_develop_tests/' \
+            -e "s/youremptytestdbnamehere/${WP_DB_DATABASE}/" \
             -e 's/yourusernamehere/root/' \
-            -e 's/yourpasswordhere/password/' \
+            -e "s/yourpasswordhere/${WP_DB_PASSWORD}/" \
             -e 's/localhost/127.0.0.1/' \
             -e "s/'WP_TESTS_DOMAIN', 'example.org'/'WP_TESTS_DOMAIN', '${LOCAL_WP_TESTS_DOMAIN}'/" \
             wp-tests-config-sample.php > wp-tests-config.php

From 7bf7febe19e2bd2af7eb7b211b808988bb2cc746 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:58:21 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 09/16] Configure imagick.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml | 7 +++++++
 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 1e660179183c5..89bd67d5564e8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -202,6 +202,13 @@ jobs:
           extensions: "gd, opcache, mysqli, zip, exif, intl, mbstring, xml, xsl, imagick, xdebug${{ inputs.memcached && ', memcached' || '' }}"
           coverage: none
 
+      - name: Configure ImageMagick
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ghostscript libheif1
+          # Allow PDF processing; Ubuntu disables this in the default ImageMagick policy for security.
+          sudo find /etc/ImageMagick* -name policy.xml \
+            -exec sed -i 's@rights="none" pattern="PDF"@rights="read|write" pattern="PDF"@' {} +
+
       # Since Composer dependencies are installed using `composer update` and no lock file is in version control,
       # passing a custom cache suffix ensures that the cache is flushed at least once per week.
       - name: Install Composer dependencies

From d65570579e12c4a45cf44e34e80c06bc0eaa772b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:10:06 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 10/16] Further system deps.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 89bd67d5564e8..1df12a6c7e7ee 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Configure ImageMagick
         run: |
-          sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ghostscript libheif1
+          sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ghostscript libheif1 libheif-plugin-aomenc libheif-plugin-aomdec
           # Allow PDF processing; Ubuntu disables this in the default ImageMagick policy for security.
           sudo find /etc/ImageMagick* -name policy.xml \
             -exec sed -i 's@rights="none" pattern="PDF"@rights="read|write" pattern="PDF"@' {} +

From 4156ba9ceedbbabe74a343a2eef9660af185e704 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:13:22 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 11/16] Further system dependencies.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml | 6 ++++--
 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 1df12a6c7e7ee..5a758a3208549 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -202,9 +202,11 @@ jobs:
           extensions: "gd, opcache, mysqli, zip, exif, intl, mbstring, xml, xsl, imagick, xdebug${{ inputs.memcached && ', memcached' || '' }}"
           coverage: none
 
-      - name: Configure ImageMagick
+      - name: Install system dependencies
         run: |
-          sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ghostscript libheif1 libheif-plugin-aomenc libheif-plugin-aomdec
+          sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends ghostscript libheif1 libheif-plugin-aomenc libheif-plugin-aomdec libavif16 locales
+          # Generate the locales used by WordPress tests.
+          sudo locale-gen ru_RU.UTF-8 fr_FR.UTF-8 de_DE.UTF-8 es_ES.UTF-8 ja_JP.UTF-8
           # Allow PDF processing; Ubuntu disables this in the default ImageMagick policy for security.
           sudo find /etc/ImageMagick* -name policy.xml \
             -exec sed -i 's@rights="none" pattern="PDF"@rights="read|write" pattern="PDF"@' {} +

From 935ae78989299fd0e1a015eed8309205d92d1137 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:20:02 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 12/16] Try building WordPress once.

---
 .github/workflows/phpunit-tests.yml           |  5 ++++
 .../workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml   | 22 +++++++++++++++-
 .../workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml  | 25 +++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 51 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/phpunit-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/phpunit-tests.yml
index a9be5d8565fe3..8dfe9cb66309d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/phpunit-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/phpunit-tests.yml
@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@ jobs:
       report: ${{ matrix.report || false }}
       gutenberg-artifact: gutenberg-build
       gutenberg-sha: ${{ needs.prepare-gutenberg.outputs.gutenberg-sha }}
+      wordpress-build-artifact: wordpress-build
 
   #
   # Creates a PHPUnit test job for each PHP/MariaDB combination.
@@ -202,6 +203,7 @@ jobs:
       report: false
       gutenberg-artifact: gutenberg-build
       gutenberg-sha: ${{ needs.prepare-gutenberg.outputs.gutenberg-sha }}
+      wordpress-build-artifact: wordpress-build
 
   #
   # Creates PHPUnit test jobs to test MariaDB and MySQL innovation releases.
@@ -252,6 +254,7 @@ jobs:
       report: false
       gutenberg-artifact: gutenberg-build
       gutenberg-sha: ${{ needs.prepare-gutenberg.outputs.gutenberg-sha }}
+      wordpress-build-artifact: wordpress-build
 
   #
   # Runs the HTML API test group.
@@ -287,6 +290,7 @@ jobs:
       phpunit-test-groups: ${{ matrix.phpunit-test-groups }}
       gutenberg-artifact: gutenberg-build
       gutenberg-sha: ${{ needs.prepare-gutenberg.outputs.gutenberg-sha }}
+      wordpress-build-artifact: wordpress-build
 
   #
   # Runs unit tests for forks.
@@ -350,6 +354,7 @@ jobs:
       phpunit-test-groups: ${{ matrix.phpunit-test-groups || '' }}
       gutenberg-artifact: gutenberg-build
       gutenberg-sha: ${{ needs.prepare-gutenberg.outputs.gutenberg-sha }}
+      wordpress-build-artifact: wordpress-build
 
   slack-notifications:
     name: Slack Notifications
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index 5a758a3208549..bc96b4e4cab4e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -82,6 +82,11 @@ on:
         required: false
         type: string
         default: ''
+      wordpress-build-artifact:
+        description: 'The name of a same-workflow artifact containing the pre-built WordPress assets. Optional: callers that omit it build per job.'
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: ''
     secrets:
       CODECOV_TOKEN:
         description: 'The Codecov token required for uploading reports.'
@@ -174,7 +179,7 @@ jobs:
       # Branches >= 5.9 call this workflow at @trunk without the producer job, so they
       # pass no artifact. They skip this step and fall back to a per-job download.
       - name: Download prepared Gutenberg build
-        if: inputs.gutenberg-artifact != ''
+        if: inputs.gutenberg-artifact != '' && inputs.wordpress-build-artifact == ''
         uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8.0.1
         with:
           # Without a run ID, this action reads only from the caller's current workflow run.
@@ -183,11 +188,24 @@ jobs:
           digest-mismatch: error
 
       - name: Set up Node.js
+        if: inputs.wordpress-build-artifact == ''
         uses: actions/setup-node@48b55a011bda9f5d6aeb4c2d9c7362e8dae4041e # v6.4.0
         with:
           node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
           cache: npm
 
+      - name: Download WordPress build
+        if: inputs.wordpress-build-artifact != ''
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8.0.1
+        with:
+          name: ${{ inputs.wordpress-build-artifact }}
+          path: /tmp/wordpress-build
+          digest-mismatch: error
+
+      - name: Apply WordPress build
+        if: inputs.wordpress-build-artifact != ''
+        run: tar -xzf /tmp/wordpress-build/wordpress-build.tar.gz
+
       ##
       # This allows Composer dependencies to be installed using a single step.
       #
@@ -219,9 +237,11 @@ jobs:
           custom-cache-suffix: $(/bin/date -u --date='last Mon' "+%F")
 
       - name: Install npm dependencies
+        if: inputs.wordpress-build-artifact == ''
         run: npm ci
 
       - name: Build WordPress
+        if: inputs.wordpress-build-artifact == ''
         run: npm run build:dev
         env:
           # The producer resolved this once. Matrix jobs must not re-resolve mutable GHCR tags.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
index c5e1f904a9680..5f4af5420dbc8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-node@48b55a011bda9f5d6aeb4c2d9c7362e8dae4041e # v6.4.0
         with:
           node-version-file: '.nvmrc'
+          cache: npm
 
       - name: Download and verify Gutenberg build
         id: download
@@ -58,3 +59,27 @@ jobs:
           if-no-files-found: error
           include-hidden-files: true
           retention-days: 1
+
+      - name: Install npm dependencies
+        run: npm ci
+        env:
+          PUPPETEER_SKIP_DOWNLOAD: true
+
+      - name: Build WordPress
+        run: npm run build:dev
+        env:
+          GUTENBERG_EXPECTED_SHA: ${{ steps.download.outputs.gutenberg-sha }}
+
+      - name: Package WordPress build
+        run: |
+          { git diff --name-only HEAD; git ls-files --others --exclude-standard; } \
+            > /tmp/build-manifest.txt
+          tar -czf /tmp/wordpress-build.tar.gz --files-from=/tmp/build-manifest.txt
+
+      - name: Upload WordPress build
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          name: wordpress-build
+          path: /tmp/wordpress-build.tar.gz
+          if-no-files-found: error
+          retention-days: 1

From 1131aad926af897bc8f460673de6107db97dc9ab Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:27:23 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 13/16] Display list of files to be included in the tar file.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml | 2 ++
 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
index 5f4af5420dbc8..9bd5c31d98ad9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           { git diff --name-only HEAD; git ls-files --others --exclude-standard; } \
             > /tmp/build-manifest.txt
+          echo "Files included in build artifact:"
+          cat /tmp/build-manifest.txt
           tar -czf /tmp/wordpress-build.tar.gz --files-from=/tmp/build-manifest.txt
 
       - name: Upload WordPress build

From c322e1a6cfdfc13355b9bac4fcaa88065a839308 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:39:21 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 14/16] The WP artifact should actually contain files.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml  | 5 ++++-
 .github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml | 4 ++--
 2 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
index bc96b4e4cab4e..38d280d21b7d5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-phpunit-tests-v3.yml
@@ -204,7 +204,10 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Apply WordPress build
         if: inputs.wordpress-build-artifact != ''
-        run: tar -xzf /tmp/wordpress-build/wordpress-build.tar.gz
+        run: |
+          echo "Files included in build artifact:"
+          tar -tzf /tmp/wordpress-build/wordpress-build.tar.gz
+          tar -xzf /tmp/wordpress-build/wordpress-build.tar.gz
 
       ##
       # This allows Composer dependencies to be installed using a single step.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
index 9bd5c31d98ad9..ace2806c6aeef 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
@@ -76,12 +76,12 @@ jobs:
             > /tmp/build-manifest.txt
           echo "Files included in build artifact:"
           cat /tmp/build-manifest.txt
-          tar -czf /tmp/wordpress-build.tar.gz --files-from=/tmp/build-manifest.txt
+          tar -czf wordpress-build.tar.gz --files-from=/tmp/build-manifest.txt
 
       - name: Upload WordPress build
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
         with:
           name: wordpress-build
-          path: /tmp/wordpress-build.tar.gz
+          path: wordpress-build.tar.gz
           if-no-files-found: error
           retention-days: 1

From c18e564e4c79135888242974b3c2b9c069fb4e0b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:56:16 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 15/16] I reckon this will be better.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
index ace2806c6aeef..8e979ce788b76 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Package WordPress build
         run: |
-          { git diff --name-only HEAD; git ls-files --others --exclude-standard; } \
+          { git diff --name-only HEAD; git ls-files --others --exclude="/vendor/*" --exclude="/node_modules/*"; } \
             > /tmp/build-manifest.txt
           echo "Files included in build artifact:"
           cat /tmp/build-manifest.txt

From bd7f9da3df946171c44e4eb8f3d3cdc51f30f111 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Wilson <git-commit-by@peterwilson.cc>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:58:27 +1000
Subject: [PATCH 16/16] Exclude gb directory too.

---
 .github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
index 8e979ce788b76..4a05e6a77a824 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-gutenberg.yml
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Package WordPress build
         run: |
-          { git diff --name-only HEAD; git ls-files --others --exclude="/vendor/*" --exclude="/node_modules/*"; } \
+          { git diff --name-only HEAD; git ls-files --others --exclude="/gutenberg/*" --exclude="/vendor/*" --exclude="/node_modules/*"; } \
             > /tmp/build-manifest.txt
           echo "Files included in build artifact:"
           cat /tmp/build-manifest.txt