diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index bb673da..9ff1a1f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -2,18 +2,11 @@
 name: build
 
 on:
-  pull_request:
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - main
+  workflow_call:
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
 
-concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
-  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
-
 jobs:
   smoke-build:
     name: build & smoke-test newest image
@@ -58,13 +51,3 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           ./scripts/repro_test.py \
             --image "${{ steps.pair.outputs.image }}"
-
-  complete:
-    if: always()
-    needs:
-      - smoke-build
-    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
-    steps:
-      - name: check upstream jobs
-        if: contains(needs.*.result, 'failure') || contains(needs.*.result, 'cancelled')
-        run: exit 1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1892a1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+---
+name: ci
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - main
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
+
+jobs:
+  lint:
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/lint.yml
+
+  build:
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/build.yml
+
+  complete:
+    if: always()
+    name: complete
+    needs: [lint, build]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    steps:
+      - if: contains(needs.*.result, 'failure') || contains(needs.*.result, 'cancelled')
+        run: exit 1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/lint.yml b/.github/workflows/lint.yml
index 12a7790..f8c3936 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/lint.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/lint.yml
@@ -2,10 +2,7 @@
 name: lint
 
 on:
-  pull_request:
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - main
+  workflow_call:
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -76,17 +73,3 @@ jobs:
           enable-cache: true
       - name: run pytest
         run: uv run pytest
-
-  complete:
-    if: always()
-    needs:
-      - json
-      - dockerfile
-      - python
-      - matrix-smoke
-      - tests
-    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
-    steps:
-      - name: check upstream jobs
-        if: contains(needs.*.result, 'failure') || contains(needs.*.result, 'cancelled')
-        run: exit 1
diff --git a/RELEASE.md b/RELEASE.md
index a6a8529..a3a5890 100644
--- a/RELEASE.md
+++ b/RELEASE.md
@@ -42,12 +42,11 @@ These are set in the workflow YAML, not in repo settings — but worth knowing w
 
 ### Branch protection
 
-The `complete` job in each workflow (`lint.yml`, `build.yml`, `publish.yml`, `release.yml`) is a single aggregator status check. Configure branch protection on `main` to require these checks before merging:
+`ci.yml` is the single PR gate. It runs on `pull_request` (and pushes to `main`), calls `lint.yml` and `build.yml` as reusable workflows, and rolls them up into one `complete` job that `needs` both. Configure branch protection on `main` to require that one check before merging:
 
-- `lint / complete`
-- `build / complete`
+- `complete`
 
-The `publish` and `release` workflows fire on release events / dispatch and don't gate merges to `main`.
+Because `complete` `needs` lint and build, the check can't report success until both finish — so auto-merge waits on all of CI through a single required check. The `publish` and `release` workflows fire on release events / dispatch and don't gate merges to `main`.
 
 ## Release tag scheme
 
@@ -127,7 +126,7 @@ Triggered exclusively by the `release: published` event — when a maintainer cl
 | `manifest`       | Assembles the multi-arch manifest list `:<cli>-rust<key>` per rust base. Lists are (re)created via `docker buildx imagetools create`, overwriting any existing list.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
 | `aliases`        | Re-points `:<cli>` to the manifest list of `(cli, default rust pin)` — the highest `rust_versions[]` pin whose label matches `default_distro`, newest digest winning a tie. If this cli is the newest declared, also re-points `:latest`. Both tags are intentionally moving; the job fails loudly if no `rust_versions[]` pin matches `default_distro`.                                               |
 | `release`        | Downloads every per-arch metadata + (when present) SBOM/provenance artifact, calls `scripts/release_body.py` to compose a structural body section, then **appends** that section to the just-created release body and attaches the SBOM + provenance files for freshly-built pairs as release assets. Any human-written notes already in the release body are preserved.                               |
-| `complete`       | Branch-protection aggregator. Fails if any upstream job failed or was cancelled.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
+| `complete`       | Single aggregator for the publish workflow. Fails if any upstream job failed or was cancelled.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
 
 ## Mutable tags and restarts