diff --git a/.github/actions/prepare-bazel-ci/action.yml b/.github/actions/prepare-bazel-ci/action.yml
index bf07545e4..598c6e4c1 100644
--- a/.github/actions/prepare-bazel-ci/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/prepare-bazel-ci/action.yml
@@ -9,9 +9,6 @@ inputs:
     required: false
     default: "false"
 outputs:
-  repository-cache-hit:
-    description: Whether the Bazel repository cache restore hit.
-    value: ${{ steps.cache_bazel_repository_restore.outputs.cache-hit }}
   repository-cache-path:
     description: Filesystem path used for the Bazel repository cache.
     value: ${{ steps.setup_bazel.outputs.repository-cache-path }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/bazel.yml b/.github/workflows/bazel.yml
index 41d76f846..5d30916f9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bazel.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bazel.yml
@@ -109,10 +109,10 @@ jobs:
           path: ${{ runner.temp }}/bazel-execution-logs
           if-no-files-found: ignore
 
-      # Save bazel repository cache explicitly; make non-fatal so cache uploading
-      # never fails the overall job. Only save when key wasn't hit.
+      # Save the Bazel repository cache after every non-cancelled run. Keep the
+      # upload non-fatal so cache service issues never fail the job itself.
       - name: Save bazel repository cache
-        if: always() && !cancelled() && steps.prepare_bazel.outputs.repository-cache-hit != 'true'
+        if: always() && !cancelled()
         continue-on-error: true
         uses: actions/cache/save@668228422ae6a00e4ad889ee87cd7109ec5666a7 # v5
         with:
@@ -186,10 +186,92 @@ jobs:
           path: ${{ runner.temp }}/bazel-execution-logs
           if-no-files-found: ignore
 
-      # Save bazel repository cache explicitly; make non-fatal so cache uploading
-      # never fails the overall job. Only save when key wasn't hit.
+      # Save the Bazel repository cache after every non-cancelled run. Keep the
+      # upload non-fatal so cache service issues never fail the job itself.
       - name: Save bazel repository cache
-        if: always() && !cancelled() && steps.prepare_bazel.outputs.repository-cache-hit != 'true'
+        if: always() && !cancelled()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: actions/cache/save@668228422ae6a00e4ad889ee87cd7109ec5666a7 # v5
+        with:
+          path: ${{ steps.prepare_bazel.outputs.repository-cache-path }}
+          key: bazel-cache-${{ matrix.target }}-${{ hashFiles('MODULE.bazel', 'codex-rs/Cargo.lock', 'codex-rs/Cargo.toml') }}
+
+  verify-release-build:
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - os: ubuntu-24.04
+            target: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
+          - os: macos-15-xlarge
+            target: aarch64-apple-darwin
+          - os: windows-latest
+            target: x86_64-pc-windows-gnullvm
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    name: Verify release build on ${{ matrix.os }} for ${{ matrix.target }}
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6
+
+      - name: Prepare Bazel CI
+        id: prepare_bazel
+        uses: ./.github/actions/prepare-bazel-ci
+        with:
+          target: ${{ matrix.target }}
+
+      - name: bazel build verify-release-build targets
+        env:
+          BUILDBUDDY_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.BUILDBUDDY_API_KEY }}
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          # This job exists to compile Rust code behind
+          # `cfg(not(debug_assertions))` so PR CI catches failures that would
+          # otherwise show up only in a release build. We do not need the full
+          # optimizer and debug-info work that normally comes with a release
+          # build to get that signal, so keep Bazel in `fastbuild` and disable
+          # Rust debug assertions explicitly.
+          bazel_wrapper_args=()
+          if [[ "${RUNNER_OS}" == "Windows" ]]; then
+            bazel_wrapper_args+=(--windows-msvc-host-platform)
+          fi
+
+          bazel_build_args=(
+            --compilation_mode=fastbuild
+            --@rules_rust//rust/settings:extra_rustc_flag=-Cdebug-assertions=no
+            --@rules_rust//rust/settings:extra_exec_rustc_flag=-Cdebug-assertions=no
+            --build_metadata=COMMIT_SHA=${GITHUB_SHA}
+            --build_metadata=TAG_job=verify-release-build
+            --build_metadata=TAG_rust_debug_assertions=off
+          )
+
+          bazel_target_lines="$(bash ./scripts/list-bazel-release-targets.sh)"
+          bazel_targets=()
+          while IFS= read -r target; do
+            bazel_targets+=("${target}")
+          done <<< "${bazel_target_lines}"
+
+          ./.github/scripts/run-bazel-ci.sh \
+            "${bazel_wrapper_args[@]}" \
+            -- \
+            build \
+            "${bazel_build_args[@]}" \
+            -- \
+            "${bazel_targets[@]}"
+
+      - name: Upload Bazel execution logs
+        if: always() && !cancelled()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@bbbca2ddaa5d8feaa63e36b76fdaad77386f024f # v7
+        with:
+          name: bazel-execution-logs-verify-release-build-${{ matrix.target }}
+          path: ${{ runner.temp }}/bazel-execution-logs
+          if-no-files-found: ignore
+
+      # Save the Bazel repository cache after every non-cancelled run. Keep the
+      # upload non-fatal so cache service issues never fail the job itself.
+      - name: Save bazel repository cache
+        if: always() && !cancelled()
         continue-on-error: true
         uses: actions/cache/save@668228422ae6a00e4ad889ee87cd7109ec5666a7 # v5
         with:
diff --git a/scripts/list-bazel-release-targets.sh b/scripts/list-bazel-release-targets.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..900f58b02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/list-bazel-release-targets.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+repo_root="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
+cd "${repo_root}"
+
+# Keep this list focused on first-party Rust targets whose compile surface can
+# differ when `cfg(not(debug_assertions))` becomes active.
+#
+# Exclude the experimental `v8-poc` target because it pulls in expensive V8
+# build machinery that is unrelated to the release-only Rust regression this
+# workflow is meant to catch.
+printf '%s\n' \
+  "//codex-rs/..." \
+  "-//codex-rs/v8-poc:all"