diff --git a/.github/actions/docker-tag-and-build/action.yml b/.github/actions/docker-tag-and-build/action.yml
index 436bf8fd4..fac0ce565 100644
--- a/.github/actions/docker-tag-and-build/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/docker-tag-and-build/action.yml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ runs:
           type=ref,event=branch
 
     - name: Build and push
-      uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+      uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
       with:
         context: ${{ github.workspace }}
         file: ${{ inputs.dockerfile }}
diff --git a/.github/actions/linux-build/action.yml b/.github/actions/linux-build/action.yml
index 20bc9d1f5..2900e40d6 100644
--- a/.github/actions/linux-build/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/linux-build/action.yml
@@ -41,14 +41,21 @@ runs:
   steps:
     - name: echo cache key
       shell: bash
-      run: echo "Cache key -> ccache:${{ runner.os }}:${{ inputs.CC }}_${{ inputs.CXX }}:${{ inputs.modules }}:pch=${{ inputs.pch }}:${{ github.ref_name }}"
+      run: echo "Cache key -> ccache:${{ runner.os }}:${{ inputs.CC }}_${{ inputs.CXX }}:${{ inputs.modules }}:pch=${{ inputs.pch }}:${{ github.ref_name }}-${{ github.run_id }}"
 
+    # The primary key is unique per run (`-${{ github.run_id }}`) so every run
+    # saves a fresh cache. A static key would hit on itself on the second run
+    # and `actions/cache` would then skip the upload, freezing the cache after
+    # the first commit on a branch (and permanently on master). The restore-keys
+    # walk back from the most-recent cache on this branch to progressively
+    # broader fallbacks (branch -> pch variant -> modules variant -> compiler).
     - name: Cache
       uses: actions/cache@v4
       with:
         path: ${{ github.workspace }}/var/ccache
-        key: ccache:${{ runner.os }}:${{ inputs.CC }}_${{ inputs.CXX }}:${{ inputs.modules }}:pch=${{ inputs.pch }}:${{ github.ref_name }}
+        key: ccache:${{ runner.os }}:${{ inputs.CC }}_${{ inputs.CXX }}:${{ inputs.modules }}:pch=${{ inputs.pch }}:${{ github.ref_name }}-${{ github.run_id }}
         restore-keys: |
+          ccache:${{ runner.os }}:${{ inputs.CC }}_${{ inputs.CXX }}:${{ inputs.modules }}:pch=${{ inputs.pch }}:${{ github.ref_name }}-
           ccache:${{ runner.os }}:${{ inputs.CC }}_${{ inputs.CXX }}:${{ inputs.modules }}:pch=${{ inputs.pch }}
           ccache:${{ runner.os }}:${{ inputs.CC }}_${{ inputs.CXX }}:${{ inputs.modules }}
           ccache:${{ runner.os }}:${{ inputs.CC }}_${{ inputs.CXX }}
@@ -78,6 +85,8 @@ runs:
       shell: bash
       env:
         CCACHE_DIR: $GITHUB_WORKSPACE/var/ccache
+      # CCACHE_COMPRESSLEVEL=3: level 9 burns CPU for marginal size gains on a
+      # cache that never approaches max_size.
       run: |
         mkdir -p "$CCACHE_DIR"
         cat <<EOF >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
@@ -87,7 +96,7 @@ runs:
         CCACHE_MAXSIZE=5G
         CCACHE_SLOPPINESS=pch_defines,time_macros,include_file_mtime
         CCACHE_COMPRESS=1
-        CCACHE_COMPRESSLEVEL=9
+        CCACHE_COMPRESSLEVEL=3
         CCACHE_COMPILERCHECK=content
         CCACHE_LOGFILE=${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}/cache.debug
         CC=${{ inputs.CC }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codestyle.yml b/.github/workflows/codestyle.yml
index 643593a0c..640d2d7b0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codestyle.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codestyle.yml
@@ -10,6 +10,12 @@ on:
       - "!README.md"
       - "!docs/**"
 
+concurrency:
+  # New commits on a PR cancel the still-running codestyle check on the old
+  # commit. github.ref is refs/pull/<N>/merge, so the group is stable per PR.
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
 jobs:
   triage:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker_build.yml b/.github/workflows/docker_build.yml
index e770e0eae..7263820e3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker_build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker_build.yml
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Login to Docker Hub
         if: github.repository == 'azerothcore/azerothcore-wotlk' && github.ref_name == 'master'
-        uses: docker/login-action@v1
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
           username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
           password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Trigger acore-docker CI
         if: github.repository == 'azerothcore/azerothcore-wotlk' && github.ref_name == 'master'
-        uses: peter-evans/repository-dispatch@v2
+        uses: peter-evans/repository-dispatch@v3
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.ACORE_DOCKER_REPO_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
           repository: azerothcore/acore-docker
diff --git a/.github/workflows/macos_build.yml b/.github/workflows/macos_build.yml
index 09ae976a2..cb0efefe8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/macos_build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/macos_build.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ on:
       - synchronize
 
 concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.head_ref }} || concat(${{ github.ref_name }}, ${{ github.workflow }})
+  # One concurrency group per workflow + ref (matches the other build workflows).
+  # PRs cancel superseded runs; branch pushes are isolated by ref.
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 permissions:
@@ -35,9 +37,11 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
           path: ~/Library/Caches/ccache
-          key: ccache:${{ matrix.os }}:${{ github.ref_name }}
+          # Unique per run so the cache is re-saved every run instead of
+          # freezing on the first (a static key hits itself and skips upload).
+          key: ccache:${{ matrix.os }}:${{ github.ref_name }}-${{ github.run_id }}
           restore-keys: |
-            ccache:${{ matrix.os }}:${{ github.ref_name }}
+            ccache:${{ matrix.os }}:${{ github.ref_name }}-
             ccache:${{ matrix.os }}
       - name: reset ccache stats
         shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/workflows/sql-codestyle.yml b/.github/workflows/sql-codestyle.yml
index 4c21a8c9b..809a58d12 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/sql-codestyle.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/sql-codestyle.yml
@@ -10,6 +10,12 @@ on:
       - "!README.md"
       - "!docs/**"
 
+concurrency:
+  # New commits on a PR cancel the still-running codestyle check on the old
+  # commit. github.ref is refs/pull/<N>/merge, so the group is stable per PR.
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
 jobs:
   triage:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest