diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index e4e3407e..35162dfd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -235,6 +235,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: '3.12'
       - run: npm ci
+      - name: Cache examples-chat python venv
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: examples/chat/python/.venv
+          key: uv-venv-${{ runner.os }}-py3.12-${{ hashFiles('examples/chat/python/uv.lock') }}
       - working-directory: examples/chat/python
         run: uv sync
       - run: npx nx run examples-chat-python:smoke --skip-nx-cache
@@ -260,8 +265,20 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: '3.12'
       - run: npm ci
+      - name: Cache examples-chat python venv
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: examples/chat/python/.venv
+          key: uv-venv-${{ runner.os }}-py3.12-${{ hashFiles('examples/chat/python/uv.lock') }}
       - working-directory: examples/chat/python
         run: uv sync
+      - name: Cache Playwright browsers
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ~/.cache/ms-playwright
+          key: playwright-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('package-lock.json') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            playwright-${{ runner.os }}-
       - run: npx playwright install --with-deps chromium
       - run: npx nx e2e examples-chat-angular --skip-nx-cache -- --shard=${{ matrix.shard }}/4
       - name: Upload Playwright trace on failure
@@ -333,9 +350,21 @@ jobs:
         with:
           python-version: '3.12'
       - run: npm ci
+      - name: Cache cap python venv
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ${{ matrix.cap.python }}/.venv
+          key: uv-venv-${{ runner.os }}-py3.12-${{ matrix.cap.python }}-${{ hashFiles(format('{0}/uv.lock', matrix.cap.python)) }}
       - name: uv sync per-cap python
         working-directory: ${{ matrix.cap.python }}
         run: uv sync
+      - name: Cache Playwright browsers
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ~/.cache/ms-playwright
+          key: playwright-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('package-lock.json') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            playwright-${{ runner.os }}-
       - run: npx playwright install --with-deps chromium
       - name: nx e2e ${{ matrix.cap.angular }}
         run: npx nx e2e "${{ matrix.cap.angular }}" --skip-nx-cache
@@ -374,6 +403,13 @@ jobs:
           node-version: 22
           cache: npm
       - run: npm ci
+      - name: Cache Playwright browsers
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ~/.cache/ms-playwright
+          key: playwright-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('package-lock.json') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            playwright-${{ runner.os }}-
       - run: npx playwright install --with-deps chromium
       - run: npx nx e2e website --skip-nx-cache
 
@@ -598,6 +634,14 @@ jobs:
 
           echo "website=$website_changed" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           echo "cockpit=$cockpit_changed" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+      - name: Cache Playwright browsers
+        if: steps.affected.outputs.website == 'true'
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ~/.cache/ms-playwright
+          key: playwright-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('package-lock.json') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            playwright-${{ runner.os }}-
       - name: Install Playwright browsers
         if: steps.affected.outputs.website == 'true'
         run: npx playwright install --with-deps chromium
@@ -786,6 +830,13 @@ jobs:
         run: npx tsx scripts/verify-shared-deployment.ts
         env:
           LANGSMITH_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.LANGSMITH_API_KEY }}
+      - name: Cache Playwright browsers
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ~/.cache/ms-playwright
+          key: playwright-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('package-lock.json') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            playwright-${{ runner.os }}-
       - run: npx playwright install --with-deps chromium
       - name: Run production smoke tests
         run: npx playwright test apps/cockpit/e2e/production-smoke.spec.ts --reporter=list
diff --git a/scripts/ci-scope.mjs b/scripts/ci-scope.mjs
index 5dab8d1e..65339be3 100644
--- a/scripts/ci-scope.mjs
+++ b/scripts/ci-scope.mjs
@@ -18,9 +18,21 @@ const GLOBAL_CI_FILES = new Set([
   'nx.json',
   'tsconfig.json',
   'tsconfig.base.json',
+]);
+
+/** Files whose changes only affect linting (not builds, not e2e tests).
+ *  These flip the scopes that actually run `nx lint` (library, cockpit,
+ *  website, examples_chat) but do NOT trigger e2e/smoke/deploy jobs.
+ *  Avoids the ~50 CI-minute spike from a one-line lint-config tweak
+ *  re-running the 24-cap cockpit-e2e matrix. */
+const LINT_ONLY_FILES = new Set([
   'eslint.config.mjs',
 ]);
 
+/** Subset of SCOPE_KEYS that own jobs running `nx lint`. Flipped true
+ *  when a LINT_ONLY_FILES entry changes. */
+const LINT_SCOPE_KEYS = ['library', 'cockpit', 'website', 'examples_chat'];
+
 export function emptyScope() {
   return Object.fromEntries(SCOPE_KEYS.map((k) => [k, false]));
 }
@@ -58,6 +70,9 @@ export function classifyFromAffected(changedFiles, affectedProjects) {
       if (SCOPE_KEYS.includes(key)) scope[key] = true;
     }
   }
+  if (changedFiles.some((f) => LINT_ONLY_FILES.has(f))) {
+    for (const key of LINT_SCOPE_KEYS) scope[key] = true;
+  }
   return scope;
 }
 
diff --git a/scripts/ci-scope.spec.mjs b/scripts/ci-scope.spec.mjs
index a1a2200a..47ece4b3 100644
--- a/scripts/ci-scope.spec.mjs
+++ b/scripts/ci-scope.spec.mjs
@@ -36,6 +36,36 @@ describe('classifyFromAffected — short-circuit', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('classifyFromAffected — lint-only files', () => {
+  it('eslint.config.mjs flips only lint-running scopes, NOT e2e/smoke/deploy', () => {
+    const scope = classifyFromAffected(['eslint.config.mjs'], []);
+    // Lint-running scopes: true
+    assert.equal(scope.library, true);
+    assert.equal(scope.cockpit, true);
+    assert.equal(scope.website, true);
+    assert.equal(scope.examples_chat, true);
+    // E2e / smoke / deploy / secret / posthog scopes: false
+    assert.equal(scope.website_e2e, false);
+    assert.equal(scope.cockpit_e2e, false);
+    assert.equal(scope.cockpit_smoke, false);
+    assert.equal(scope.cockpit_examples, false);
+    assert.equal(scope.cockpit_secret, false);
+    assert.equal(scope.cockpit_deploy_smoke, false);
+    assert.equal(scope.posthog, false);
+  });
+
+  it('eslint.config.mjs alongside an affected project still ORs in the project scopes', () => {
+    const scope = classifyFromAffected(
+      ['eslint.config.mjs', 'cockpit/chat/messages/python/src/graph.py'],
+      [{ name: 'cockpit-chat-messages-python', tags: ['scope:cockpit-e2e', 'scope:cockpit-examples', 'scope:cockpit-smoke'] }],
+    );
+    assert.equal(scope.library, true);
+    assert.equal(scope.cockpit_e2e, true);
+    assert.equal(scope.cockpit_examples, true);
+    assert.equal(scope.cockpit_smoke, true);
+  });
+});
+
 describe('classifyFromAffected — publishable lib broadcast', () => {
   it('publishable lib triggers library + website + website_e2e + cockpit_* + examples_chat', () => {
     const scope = classifyFromAffected(['libs/chat/src/foo.ts'], [