diff --git a/.github/scripts/archive-node-modules.sh b/.github/scripts/archive-node-modules.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..5b989ca123
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/archive-node-modules.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# Packs the installed dependency tree into ONE compressed file for the other jobs to unpack.
+#
+# Paired with restore-node-modules.sh. A single ~2.9 GB file beats handing actions/cache ~900k loose
+# files in both directions, and it is small enough to sit in the 10 GB per-repo cache budget — which
+# the exploded ~9 GB tree never was.
+set -o pipefail
+
+ARCHIVE="${NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE:?NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE must be set}"
+
+PATHS=()
+for p in node_modules apps/*/node_modules packages/*/node_modules \
+	packages/plugins/*/node_modules tools/node_modules; do
+	[ -d "$p" ] && PATHS+=("$p")
+done
+if [ ${#PATHS[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
+	echo "::error::install produced no node_modules directories"
+	exit 1
+fi
+echo "archiving ${#PATHS[@]} directories"
+
+if command -v zstd >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+	COMPRESS="zstd -3 -T0"
+else
+	echo "::warning::zstd unavailable — falling back to gzip (larger archive, slower)"
+	COMPRESS="gzip -3"
+fi
+
+# `--warning=no-file-changed` because yarn's daemon can touch files while we read them; `|| [ $? -eq 1 ]`
+# accepts tar's "file changed as we read it" (exit 1) while still failing on a real error (exit 2).
+tar --warning=no-file-changed --use-compress-program="$COMPRESS" \
+	-cf "$ARCHIVE" "${PATHS[@]}" || [ $? -eq 1 ]
+
+# Tolerating exit 1 means a TRUNCATED archive could be published, and every consumer would then fall
+# back to its own multi-hour install. A cheap size floor catches the gross case.
+size=$(stat -c%s "$ARCHIVE")
+ls -lh "$ARCHIVE"
+if [ "$size" -lt 104857600 ]; then
+	echo "::error::archive is only $size bytes — the dependency tree cannot be that small"
+	exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index c6300701db..caaf84c558 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ env:
   # Nx Cloud is disabled for this org; without this `nx run-many` hard-fails with
   # "Nx Cloud: Workspace is unable to be authorized. Exiting run."
   NX_NO_CLOUD: true
+  # The dependency tree travels between jobs as this one compressed file. Workspace-relative so the
+  # same string works for `tar` in a run step and for actions/cache.
+  NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE: node-modules.tar.zst
 
 # Least-privilege scope for the automatic GITHUB_TOKEN.
 # This workflow only builds/tests/deploys from a checkout — read access is sufficient.
@@ -67,20 +70,42 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
           node-version: 24
-          cache: yarn
+
+      - name: Restore node_modules archive
+        id: cache
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+        with:
+          path: ${{ env.NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE }}
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('yarn.lock', 'patches/**', '.scripts/postinstall.js') }}
 
       - name: Install dependencies
+        if: steps.cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
         run: yarn install --network-timeout 1000000 --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts
 
       - name: Run postinstall manually
+        if: steps.cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
         run: yarn postinstall.manual
 
+      - name: Archive node_modules
+        if: steps.cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        shell: bash
+        run: .github/scripts/archive-node-modules.sh
+
+      - name: Save node_modules archive
+        if: steps.cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        uses: actions/cache/save@v4
+        # Explicit save so a FAILED install can never publish a half-built tree.
+        with:
+          path: ${{ env.NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE }}
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('yarn.lock', 'patches/**', '.scripts/postinstall.js') }}
+
   # The strict library verdict, as its own early-reporting check: this is the task set whose
   # per-library `strictTemplates` tsconfigs catch template type errors (the class that broke the
   # demo webapp image). It has no `needs` edge and no app build behind it, so it reports as soon
   # as install + the 71 library builds finish.
   build-libs:
     name: build-libs
+    needs: build-monorepo-root
     runs-on: ${{ vars.RUNNER_LINUX_X64_8 || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
     timeout-minutes: 180
     steps:
@@ -89,19 +114,25 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
           node-version: 24
-          cache: yarn
 
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: yarn install --network-timeout 1000000 --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts
+      - name: Restore node_modules archive
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+        with:
+          path: ${{ env.NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE }}
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('yarn.lock', 'patches/**', '.scripts/postinstall.js') }}
 
-      - name: Run postinstall manually
-        run: yarn postinstall.manual
+      - name: Restore node_modules
+        shell: bash
+        # Unpacks the tree build-monorepo-root published, or installs from scratch if the cache is
+        # unavailable. One step, so there is no `if:` on a previous step's outcome to get wrong.
+        run: .github/scripts/restore-node-modules.sh
 
       - name: Build packages
         run: yarn build:package:all
 
   build-api:
     name: build-api
+    needs: build-monorepo-root
     runs-on: ${{ vars.RUNNER_LINUX_X64_8 || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
     timeout-minutes: 180
     steps:
@@ -110,19 +141,25 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
           node-version: 24
-          cache: yarn
 
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: yarn install --network-timeout 1000000 --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts
+      - name: Restore node_modules archive
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+        with:
+          path: ${{ env.NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE }}
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('yarn.lock', 'patches/**', '.scripts/postinstall.js') }}
 
-      - name: Run postinstall manually
-        run: yarn postinstall.manual
+      - name: Restore node_modules
+        shell: bash
+        # Unpacks the tree build-monorepo-root published, or installs from scratch if the cache is
+        # unavailable. One step, so there is no `if:` on a previous step's outcome to get wrong.
+        run: .github/scripts/restore-node-modules.sh
 
       - name: Build API
         run: yarn build:api:prod:ci
 
   build-web:
     name: build-web
+    needs: build-monorepo-root
     runs-on: ${{ vars.RUNNER_LINUX_X64_8 || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
     timeout-minutes: 180
     steps:
@@ -131,19 +168,25 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
           node-version: 24
-          cache: yarn
 
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: yarn install --network-timeout 1000000 --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts
+      - name: Restore node_modules archive
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+        with:
+          path: ${{ env.NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE }}
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('yarn.lock', 'patches/**', '.scripts/postinstall.js') }}
 
-      - name: Run postinstall manually
-        run: yarn postinstall.manual
+      - name: Restore node_modules
+        shell: bash
+        # Unpacks the tree build-monorepo-root published, or installs from scratch if the cache is
+        # unavailable. One step, so there is no `if:` on a previous step's outcome to get wrong.
+        run: .github/scripts/restore-node-modules.sh
 
       - name: Build web
         run: yarn build:gauzy:prod:ci
 
   build-desktop:
     name: build-desktop
+    needs: build-monorepo-root
     # Matches the CircleCI branch filter: desktop was never built on ordinary PR branches.
     if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/develop' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/stage' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/master'
     runs-on: ${{ vars.RUNNER_LINUX_X64_8 || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
@@ -154,7 +197,6 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
           node-version: 24
-          cache: yarn
 
       - name: Install system dependencies for Electron
         run: |
@@ -162,11 +204,17 @@ jobs:
           sudo apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
             build-essential icnsutils graphicsmagick binutils libappindicator3-1 || true
 
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: yarn install --network-timeout 1000000 --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts
+      - name: Restore node_modules archive
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@v4
+        with:
+          path: ${{ env.NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE }}
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-node-modules-${{ hashFiles('yarn.lock', 'patches/**', '.scripts/postinstall.js') }}
 
-      - name: Run postinstall manually
-        run: yarn postinstall.manual
+      - name: Restore node_modules
+        shell: bash
+        # Unpacks the tree build-monorepo-root published, or installs from scratch if the cache is
+        # unavailable. One step, so there is no `if:` on a previous step's outcome to get wrong.
+        run: .github/scripts/restore-node-modules.sh
 
       - name: Build desktop
         run: yarn build:desktop
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_playwright.yml b/.github/workflows/test_playwright.yml
index 044f5fbd93..fd52dc4738 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_playwright.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_playwright.yml
@@ -96,46 +96,8 @@ jobs:
         #     was killed at the 120-minute job timeout 1 h 58 m in. All four shards died that way and
         #     the 12 h 34 m run produced ZERO test results.
         #
-        # And this job no longer writes a cache AT ALL. After pruning duplicates the budget holds
-        # 9.33 GB of caches that other workflows genuinely need — `build.yml`'s 4.66 GB yarn cache
-        # (the PR gate, five jobs, every pull request) and the 4.64 GB macOS desktop-build cache.
-        # Storing even a ~3 GB archive would evict one of them, making the PR gate slower to speed up
-        # a suite that runs only on stage pushes. That is a bad trade, so deps pays the bootstrap and
-        # the artifact makes sure nothing downstream pays it again.
-        #
-        # zstd on one file also beats the cache action's per-file handling of a huge tree in both
-        # directions. `--warning=no-file-changed` because yarn's own daemon can touch files while we
-        # read them; `|| [ $? -eq 1 ]` accepts tar's "file changed as we read it" (exit 1) but still
-        # fails on a real error (exit 2).
-        run: |
-          set -o pipefail
-          PATHS=()
-          for p in node_modules apps/*/node_modules packages/*/node_modules \
-                   packages/plugins/*/node_modules tools/node_modules; do
-            [ -d "$p" ] && PATHS+=("$p")
-          done
-          if [ ${#PATHS[@]} -eq 0 ]; then
-            echo "::error::bootstrap produced no node_modules directories"; exit 1
-          fi
-          echo "archiving ${#PATHS[@]} directories"
-          if command -v zstd >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            COMPRESS="zstd -3 -T0"
-          else
-            echo "::warning::zstd unavailable — falling back to gzip (larger archive, slower)"
-            COMPRESS="gzip -3"
-          fi
-          tar --warning=no-file-changed --use-compress-program="$COMPRESS" \
-              -cf "$NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE" "${PATHS[@]}" || [ $? -eq 1 ]
-          ls -lh "$NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE"
-          # Tolerating tar's exit 1 means a TRUNCATED archive could be published, and every
-          # downstream job would then fall back to its own multi-hour bootstrap. A cheap size floor
-          # catches the gross case; a full `tar -t` would re-read every byte for little extra.
-          size=$(stat -c%s "$NODE_MODULES_ARCHIVE")
-          echo "archive bytes: $size"
-          if [ "$size" -lt 104857600 ]; then
-            echo "::error::archive is only $size bytes — the dependency tree cannot be that small"
-            exit 1
-          fi
+        # Shares its implementation with build.yml — see the script.
+        run: .github/scripts/archive-node-modules.sh
 
       - name: Upload node_modules archive
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7