diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-go/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-go/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ff1d4f34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/setup-go/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+name: 'Setup Go Environment'
+description: 'Setup Go with caching and common environment variables'
+inputs:
+  go-version-file:
+    description: 'Path to go.mod file'
+    required: false
+    default: 'go.mod'
+outputs:
+  go-version:
+    description: 'The Go version that was installed'
+    value: ${{ steps.setup-go.outputs.go-version }}
+  cache-hit:
+    description: 'Whether the Go cache was hit'
+    value: ${{ steps.setup-go.outputs.cache-hit }}
+runs:
+  using: 'composite'
+  steps:
+    - name: Setup Go
+      id: setup-go
+      uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+      with:
+        go-version-file: ${{ inputs.go-version-file }}
+        cache: true
+
+    - name: Set Go environment variables
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        echo "GOMAXPROCS=2" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        echo "GOCACHE=$(go env GOCACHE)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        echo "GOMODCACHE=$(go env GOMODCACHE)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+    - name: Print Go environment
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        echo "Go version: $(go version)"
+        echo "GOOS: $(go env GOOS)"
+        echo "GOARCH: $(go env GOARCH)"
+        echo "Cache directory: $(go env GOCACHE)"
+        echo "Module cache: $(go env GOMODCACHE)"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-test.yaml b/.github/workflows/build-test.yaml
index 9c661c02..f448a052 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-test.yaml
@@ -2,145 +2,161 @@ name: build-test
 
 on:
   pull_request:
-    types:
-      - opened
-      - reopened
-      - synchronize
-      - ready_for_review
-    branches:
-      - v1beta3
+    types: [opened, reopened, synchronize, ready_for_review]
+    branches: [v1beta3]
   push:
-    branches:
-      - "v1beta3"
+    branches: [v1beta3]
 
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
-  fail_if_pull_request_is_draft:
-    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == true
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Fails in order to indicate that pull request needs to be marked as ready to review and unit tests workflow needs to pass.
-        run: exit 1
-
-  test-integration:
+  # Detect changes to optimize test execution
+  changes:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      go-files: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.go-files }}
+      preflight: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.preflight }}
+      support-bundle: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.support-bundle }}
+      examples: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.examples }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - uses: actions/setup-go@v6
+      - uses: dorny/paths-filter@v3
+        id: filter
         with:
-          go-version-file: 'go.mod'
-      - uses: replicatedhq/action-k3s@main
-        id: k3s
+          filters: |
+            go-files:
+              - '**/*.go'
+              - 'go.{mod,sum}'
+              - 'Makefile'
+            preflight:
+              - 'cmd/preflight/**'
+              - 'pkg/preflight/**'
+            support-bundle:
+              - 'cmd/troubleshoot/**'
+              - 'pkg/supportbundle/**'
+            examples:
+              - 'examples/**'
+              - 'test/run-examples.sh'
+
+  # Validation jobs
+  validate:
+    if: needs.changes.outputs.go-files == 'true'
+    needs: changes
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 10
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup-go
+
+      - name: Check go mod tidy
+        run: |
+          go mod tidy
+          git diff --exit-code go.mod go.sum || {
+            echo "::error::Please run 'go mod tidy' and commit changes"
+            exit 1
+          }
+
+      - name: Format and vet
+        run: |
+          make fmt
+          git diff --exit-code || {
+            echo "::error::Please run 'make fmt' and commit changes"
+            exit 1
+          }
+          make vet
+
+  # Unit and integration tests
+  test:
+    if: needs.changes.outputs.go-files == 'true'
+    needs: [changes, validate]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 20
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup-go
+
+      - name: Setup K3s
+        uses: replicatedhq/action-k3s@main
         with:
           version: v1.31.2-k3s1
-      # test-integration includes unit tests
-      - run: make test-integration
 
-  compile-preflight:
+      - name: Run tests
+        run: make test-integration
+
+  # Build binaries
+  build:
+    if: needs.changes.outputs.go-files == 'true'
+    needs: [changes, validate]
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 10
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - uses: actions/setup-go@v6
-        with:
-          go-version-file: 'go.mod'
-      - run: make preflight
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup-go
+      - run: make build
       - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
-          name: preflight
-          path: bin/preflight
-
-  validate-preflight-e2e:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: compile-preflight
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - uses: replicatedhq/action-k3s@main
-        id: k3s
-        with:
-          version: v1.31.2-k3s1
-      - name: Download preflight binary
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v5
-        with:
-          name: preflight
+          name: binaries
           path: bin/
-      - run: chmod +x bin/preflight
-      - run: make preflight-e2e-test
+          retention-days: 1
 
-  run-examples:
+  # Examples validation
+  examples:
+    if: needs.changes.outputs.examples == 'true' || needs.changes.outputs.go-files == 'true'
+    needs: changes
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 10
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v5
       - run: make run-examples
 
-  compile-supportbundle:
+  # E2E tests
+  e2e:
+    if: needs.changes.outputs.go-files == 'true' || github.event_name == 'push'
+    needs: [changes, build]
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 15
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - name: preflight
+            target: preflight-e2e-test
+            needs-k3s: true
+          - name: support-bundle-shell
+            target: support-bundle-e2e-test
+            needs-k3s: true
+          - name: support-bundle-go
+            target: support-bundle-e2e-go-test
+            needs-k3s: false
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - uses: actions/setup-go@v6
-        with:
-          go-version-file: 'go.mod'
-      - run: make support-bundle
-      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: support-bundle
-          path: bin/support-bundle
 
-  validate-supportbundle-e2e:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: compile-supportbundle
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - uses: replicatedhq/action-k3s@main
-        id: k3s
+      - name: Setup K3s
+        if: matrix.needs-k3s
+        uses: replicatedhq/action-k3s@main
         with:
           version: v1.31.2-k3s1
-      - name: Download support bundle binary
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v5
-        with:
-          name: support-bundle
-          path: bin/
-      - run: chmod +x bin/support-bundle
-      - run: make support-bundle-e2e-test
 
-  # Additional e2e tests for support bundle that run in Go, these create a Kind cluster
-  validate-supportbundle-e2e-go:
-     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-     needs: compile-supportbundle
-     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
-      - name: Download support bundle binary
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v5
+      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
         with:
-          name: support-bundle
+          name: binaries
           path: bin/
-      - run: chmod +x bin/support-bundle
-      - name: Download preflight binary
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v5
-        with:
-          name: preflight
-          path: bin/
-      - run: chmod +x bin/preflight
-      - run: make support-bundle-e2e-go-test
 
-  # Summary job - all tests must pass for this to succeed
-  validate-success:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs:
-      - tidy-check
-      - test-integration
-      - run-examples
-      - validate-preflight-e2e
-      - validate-supportbundle-e2e
-      - validate-supportbundle-e2e-go
+      - run: chmod +x bin/*
+      - run: make ${{ matrix.target }}
+
+  # Success summary
+  success:
     if: always()
+    needs: [validate, test, build, examples, e2e]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      # Check if all required jobs succeeded
-      - name: fail if any required job failed
-        if: contains(needs.*.result, 'failure') || contains(needs.*.result, 'cancelled')
-        run: exit 1
-      # Success message
-      - name: All tests passed
-        run: echo "All build and test jobs completed successfully"
+      - name: Check results
+        run: |
+          if [[ "${{ contains(needs.*.result, 'failure') || contains(needs.*.result, 'cancelled') }}" == "true" ]]; then
+            echo "::error::Some jobs failed or were cancelled"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "✅ All tests passed!"