diff --git a/.github/actions/build-js/action.yaml b/.github/actions/build-js/action.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0301fef3f80e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/build-js/action.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+name: build-js
+description: "Build the prqlc npm package, ready for `npm publish`."
+
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - uses: baptiste0928/cargo-install@v3
+      with:
+        crate: wasm-pack
+
+    - name: Setup Node
+      uses: actions/setup-node@v7
+      with:
+        # Node 24+ includes npm 11.5.1+ required for OIDC trusted publishing
+        node-version: "24.x"
+        registry-url: "https://registry.npmjs.org"
+
+    - run: ./.github/workflows/scripts/set_version.sh
+      shell: bash
+
+    - name: 💰 Cache
+      uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@v2
+      with:
+        prefix-key: ${{ env.version }}-${{ hashFiles('./Cargo.lock') }}
+        # Share key with the `build-web` job
+        shared-key: web
+        save-if: false
+        # Caching `~/.cargo/bin/` breaks the rustup `cargo`/`rustc` symlinks
+        # on the new macos-15 runner image — see
+        # https://github.com/Swatinem/rust-cache/issues/341.
+        cache-bin: "false"
+
+    # This is only required in order to have `cross-env` installed, since `npx
+    # cross-env` doesn't seem to work in CI (https://github.com/PRQL/prql/pull/3728)
+    - run: npm install
+      working-directory: prqlc/bindings/js/
+      shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
index 565fdd553078..0b144594711d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -329,60 +329,62 @@ jobs:
           command: upload
           args: --skip-existing *
 
-  publish-js:
+  # `release.yaml` is reused from `nightly.yaml` on PRs, where it only
+  # smoke-tests the publish path. Those runs are on branch refs, which the
+  # `release` environment's deployment policy denies, so each smoke test is its
+  # own job holding no `id-token: write`. A registry accepts an OIDC token from
+  # any run of this workflow unless its publisher config pins the environment,
+  # so a run outside `release` must not be able to mint one.
+  test-publish-js:
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
-    # Off-release runs publish with `--dry-run`, on a branch ref the
-    # deployment-branch policy denies, so they take no environment — as in
-    # `publish-to-cargo` below.
-    environment: ${{ github.event_name == 'release' && 'release' || '' }}
+    if: github.event_name != 'release'
     permissions:
       contents: read
-      id-token: write
     steps:
       - name: 📂 Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v7
-      - uses: baptiste0928/cargo-install@v3
-        with:
-          crate: wasm-pack
-
-      - name: Setup Node
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v7
-        with:
-          # Node 24+ includes npm 11.5.1+ required for OIDC trusted publishing
-          node-version: "24.x"
-          registry-url: "https://registry.npmjs.org"
-
-      - run: ./.github/workflows/scripts/set_version.sh
-      - name: 💰 Cache
-        uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@v2
-        with:
-          prefix-key: ${{ env.version }}-${{ hashFiles('./Cargo.lock') }}
-          # Share key with the `build-web` job
-          shared-key: web
-          save-if: false
-          # Caching `~/.cargo/bin/` breaks the rustup `cargo`/`rustc` symlinks
-          # on the new macos-15 runner image — see
-          # https://github.com/Swatinem/rust-cache/issues/341.
-          cache-bin: "false"
-
-      # This is only required in order to have `cross-env` installed, since `npx
-      # cross-env` doesn't seem to work in CI (https://github.com/PRQL/prql/pull/3728)
-      - run: npm install
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/build-js
+      # `--provenance` needs an OIDC token, so it belongs to `publish-js` alone.
+      - name: Check the npm package
+        run: npm publish --dry-run --access public
         working-directory: prqlc/bindings/js/
 
+  publish-js:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    if: github.event_name == 'release'
+    environment: release
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write
+    steps:
+      - name: 📂 Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v7
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/build-js
       - name: Publish to npm
-        run:
-          npm publish --provenance --access public ${{ (github.event_name !=
-          'release') && '--dry-run' || '' }}
+        run: npm publish --provenance --access public
         working-directory: prqlc/bindings/js/
 
+  test-publish-to-cargo:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    if: github.event_name != 'release'
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    steps:
+      - name: 📂 Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v7
+      - uses: baptiste0928/cargo-install@v3
+        with:
+          crate: cargo-release
+      # Currently, we can only check prqlc-parser which is not dependent other local crates with --dry-run.
+      # https://github.com/crate-ci/cargo-release/issues/691
+      # --no-verify is required to prevent build.
+      - run:
+          cargo release publish --no-confirm --no-verify --package prqlc-parser
+
   publish-to-cargo:
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
-    # This job runs unconditionally as a `--no-verify` dry-run smoke test when
-    # `release.yaml` is reused from `nightly.yaml` on PRs; only apply the
-    # `release` environment on actual releases, otherwise the deployment-branch
-    # policy denies the dry-run on branch refs.
-    environment: ${{ github.event_name == 'release' && 'release' || '' }}
+    if: github.event_name == 'release'
+    environment: release
     permissions:
       contents: read
       id-token: write
@@ -395,18 +397,11 @@ jobs:
       # Auth is via crates.io Trusted Publishing (GitHub Actions OIDC). One
       # exchange covers prqlc, prqlc-parser and prqlc-macros: crates.io scopes
       # the minted token to every crate whose config matches this repo,
-      # workflow and environment. Dry runs publish nothing and have no
-      # environment to match, so they skip it.
+      # workflow and environment.
       - name: Authenticate with crates.io
         id: auth
-        if: github.event_name == 'release'
         uses: rust-lang/crates-io-auth-action@v1
-      # Currently, we can only check prqlc-parser which is not dependent other local crates with --dry-run.
-      # https://github.com/crate-ci/cargo-release/issues/691
-      # --no-verify is required to prevent build.
-      - run:
-          cargo release publish --no-confirm ${{ github.event_name == 'release'
-          && '--execute' || '--no-verify --package prqlc-parser'}}
+      - run: cargo release publish --no-confirm --execute
         env:
           CARGO_REGISTRY_TOKEN: ${{ steps.auth.outputs.token }}
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yaml b/.github/workflows/tests.yaml
index 9afee0405504..1350f2c4441f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yaml
@@ -111,6 +111,9 @@ jobs:
             nightly:
               - .github/workflows/nightly.yaml
               - .github/workflows/release.yaml
+              # The build steps `release.yaml` runs, so a change to one is
+              # smoke-tested by the same nightly run.
+              - .github/actions/build-*/**
               - "**/Cargo.toml"
               - Cargo.lock
               - rust-toolchain.toml