diff --git a/.github/actions/install-tools/action.yml b/.github/actions/install-tools/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1585a2b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/install-tools/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+name: Install tools
+inputs:
+  tools:
+    required: true
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - id: parse
+      env:
+        TOOLS: ${{ inputs.tools }}
+      run: |
+        for tool in $TOOLS; do
+          case "$tool" in
+            just|uv) echo "$tool=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT" ;;
+            *) echo "::error::Unknown tool: $tool"; exit 1 ;;
+          esac
+        done
+      shell: bash
+    - if: steps.parse.outputs.just == 'true'
+      run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y just
+      shell: bash
+    - if: steps.parse.outputs.uv == 'true'
+      uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@37802adc94f370d6bfd71619e3f0bf239e1f3b78 # v7.6.0
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 09b43ec5..d0e448a0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -27,14 +27,16 @@ jobs:
         run: rustup toolchain install stable --profile minimal -c rustfmt -c clippy
       - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@c19371144df3bb44fab255c43d04cbc2ab54d1c4 # v2.9.1
 
-      - name: Check formatting
-        run: cargo fmt --check
-      - name: Clippy
-        run: cargo clippy --all-features --tests -- -D warnings
-      - name: Install zizmor
-        run: pipx install zizmor==1.23.1
-      - name: Run zizmor
-        run: zizmor --format plain .github/
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-tools
+        with:
+          tools: just
+
+      - name: Check lint
+        run: just check-lint
+      - name: Check Zizmor
+        run: |
+          pipx install zizmor==1.23.1
+          zizmor --format plain .github/
       - name: Check `cargo package`
         # creates a .crate for distribution and verifies it can build in isolation
         # see https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/commands/cargo-package.html
@@ -57,10 +59,12 @@ jobs:
         run: rustup toolchain install ${{ matrix.rust }} --profile minimal && rustup default ${{ matrix.rust }}
       - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@c19371144df3bb44fab255c43d04cbc2ab54d1c4 # v2.9.1
 
-      - uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@37802adc94f370d6bfd71619e3f0bf239e1f3b78 # v7.6.0
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-tools
+        with:
+          tools: just uv
 
       - name: Run tests
-        run: RUST_BACKTRACE=1 cargo test
+        run: just check-tests
 
   test-all-features:
     name: test-all-features (${{ matrix.rust }})
@@ -79,10 +83,12 @@ jobs:
         run: rustup toolchain install ${{ matrix.rust }} --profile minimal && rustup default ${{ matrix.rust }}
       - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@c19371144df3bb44fab255c43d04cbc2ab54d1c4 # v2.9.1
 
-      - uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@37802adc94f370d6bfd71619e3f0bf239e1f3b78 # v7.6.0
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-tools
+        with:
+          tools: just uv
 
       - name: Run tests with all features
-        run: RUST_BACKTRACE=1 cargo test --all-features
+        run: just check-tests-all-features
 
   docs:
     name: docs
@@ -93,17 +99,19 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
-
       - name: Install Rust
         run: rustup toolchain install nightly --profile minimal && rustup default nightly
       - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@c19371144df3bb44fab255c43d04cbc2ab54d1c4 # v2.9.1
 
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-tools
+        with:
+          tools: just
+
       - name: Install cargo-docs-rs
         run: cargo install --locked cargo-docs-rs
-      - name: Build docs
-        env:
-          RUSTDOCFLAGS: "-D warnings"
-        run: cargo docs-rs
+
+      - name: Check docs
+        run: just check-docs
 
   # test with the minimal versions of all our dependencies
   test-minimal-versions:
@@ -115,19 +123,17 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
-
       - name: Install Rust
         run: rustup toolchain install nightly --profile minimal && rustup default nightly
-      - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@c19371144df3bb44fab255c43d04cbc2ab54d1c4 # v2.9.1
-
-      - uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@37802adc94f370d6bfd71619e3f0bf239e1f3b78 # v7.6.0
+      - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@ad397744b0d591a723ab90405b7247fac0e6b8db # v2
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-tools
+        with:
+          tools: just uv
 
-      - name: Generate minimal versions lockfile
+      - name: Generate lockfile
         run: cargo generate-lockfile -Z minimal-versions
       - name: Run tests
-        # --locked tells cargo not to update the lockfile. this makes sure we use the lockfile we just generated
-        # and don't regenerate it for non-minimal versions.
-        run: HEGEL_RUNNING_TESTS_WITH_RUST_NIGHTLY=1 RUST_BACKTRACE=1 cargo test --locked --all-features
+        run: just check-tests-minimal-versions
 
   compile-examples:
     name: compile-examples (${{ matrix.rust }})
@@ -164,12 +170,12 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install cargo-llvm-cov
         run: cargo install --locked cargo-llvm-cov
 
-      - name: Install just
-        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y just
-      - uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@37802adc94f370d6bfd71619e3f0bf239e1f3b78 # v7.6.0
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-tools
+        with:
+          tools: just uv
 
       - name: Run coverage
-        run: RUST_BACKTRACE=1 just coverage
+        run: just check-coverage
 
   conformance:
     name: conformance
@@ -185,12 +191,12 @@ jobs:
         run: rustup toolchain install stable --profile minimal
       - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@c19371144df3bb44fab255c43d04cbc2ab54d1c4 # v2.9.1
 
-      - name: Install just
-        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y just
-      - uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@37802adc94f370d6bfd71619e3f0bf239e1f3b78 # v7.6.0
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-tools
+        with:
+          tools: just uv
 
       - name: Run conformance tests
-        run: just conformance
+        run: just check-conformance
 
   nix:
     name: nix
@@ -203,8 +209,9 @@ jobs:
           persist-credentials: false
 
       - uses: cachix/install-nix-action@1ca7d21a94afc7c957383a2d217460d980de4934 # v31.10.1
-      - name: Install just
-        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y just
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-tools
+        with:
+          tools: just
       - name: lint
         run: just check-format-nix
 
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 1bdf23d2..b90fb868 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -49,4 +49,6 @@ antithesis = ["dep:serde_json"]
 
 [package.metadata.docs.rs]
 all-features = true
-rustdoc-args = ["--cfg", "docsrs"]
+# -D warnings means "deny warnings", which actually means "turn warnings into errors". Have
+# we mentioned naming things is hard?
+rustdoc-args = ["--cfg", "docsrs", "-D", "warnings"]
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
index afe5258c..dc2953ac 100644
--- a/justfile
+++ b/justfile
@@ -1,43 +1,57 @@
-# don't print bash comments as output during `just` invocation
+# `just` prints bash comments in stdout by default. this suppresses that
 set ignore-comments := true
 
-check: lint docs test test-all-features
-
-docs:
-    cargo clean --doc && cargo doc --open --all-features --no-deps
-
-test:
+check-tests:
     RUST_BACKTRACE=1 cargo test
 
-test-all-features:
+check-tests-all-features:
     RUST_BACKTRACE=1 cargo test --all-features
 
+check-tests-minimal-versions:
+    # This is an annoyingly specific check and feels like it overly couples CI concerns and check
+    # concerns. I don't have a better proposal right now.
+
+    # --locked tells cargo not to update the lockfile. this makes sure we use the lockfile we just generated
+    # and don't regenerate it for non-minimal versions.
+    HEGEL_RUNNING_TESTS_WITH_RUST_NIGHTLY=1 RUST_BACKTRACE=1 cargo test --locked --all-features
+
 format:
     cargo fmt
     # also run format-nix if we have nix installed
     @which nix && just format-nix || true
 
-check-format:
-    cargo fmt --check
-
 format-nix:
     nix run nixpkgs#nixfmt -- nix/flake.nix
 
+check-format:
+    cargo fmt --check
+
 check-format-nix:
     nix run nixpkgs#nixfmt -- --check nix/flake.nix
 
-lint:
-    cargo fmt --check
+check-clippy:
     cargo clippy --all-features --tests -- -D warnings
-    RUSTDOCFLAGS="-D warnings" cargo doc --all-features --no-deps
 
-coverage:
+check-docs:
+    cargo +nightly docs-rs
+
+docs:
+    cargo +nightly docs-rs --open
+
+check-lint: check-format check-clippy
+
+check-coverage:
     # requires cargo-llvm-cov and llvm-tools-preview
     RUST_BACKTRACE=1 cargo llvm-cov --all-features --fail-under-lines 30 --show-missing-lines
 
-build-conformance:
+check-conformance:
     cargo build --release --manifest-path tests/conformance/rust/Cargo.toml
-
-conformance: build-conformance
-    uv run --with hegel-core \
-        --with pytest --with hypothesis pytest tests/conformance/test_conformance.py
+    uv run --with hegel-core --with pytest --with hypothesis \
+        pytest tests/conformance/test_conformance.py
+
+# these aliases are provided as ux improvements for local developers. CI should use the longer
+# forms.
+test: check-tests
+coverage: check-coverage
+lint: check-lint
+check: check-lint check-tests check-tests-all-features