diff --git a/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml b/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml
index 20ad2689deb..8d7cea65390 100644
--- a/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/golangci-lint/action.yml
@@ -42,10 +42,6 @@ runs:
     - name: Touching core/web/assets/index.html
       shell: bash
       run: mkdir -p core/web/assets && touch core/web/assets/index.html
-    - name: Build binary
-      working-directory: ${{ inputs.go-directory }}
-      shell: bash
-      run: go build ./...
     - name: Set golangci-lint working directory
       shell: bash
       id: set-working-directory
@@ -61,6 +57,7 @@ runs:
       with:
         version: v1.61.0
         only-new-issues: true
+        allow-parallel-runners: true
         args: --out-format colored-line-number,checkstyle:golangci-lint-report.xml
         working-directory: ${{ steps.set-working-directory.outputs.golangci-lint-working-directory }}
     - name: Print lint report artifact
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml
index c38ecd918ae..64623e69616 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-core.yml
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       pull-requests: read
     outputs:
+      affected-packages: ${{ steps.affected-modules.outputs.changes }}
       deployment-changes: ${{ steps.match-some.outputs.deployment == 'true' }}
       should-run-ci-core: ${{ steps.match-some.outputs.core-ci == 'true' || steps.match-every.outputs.non-ignored == 'true' ||  github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.event_name == 'schedule' }}
       should-run-golangci: ${{ steps.match-some.outputs.golang-ci == 'true' || steps.match-every.outputs.non-ignored == 'true' || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' }}
@@ -47,7 +48,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           # "if any changed file matches one or more of the conditions" (https://github.com/dorny/paths-filter/issues/225)
           predicate-quantifier: some
-          # deployment - any changes to files in `deployments/`
+          # deployment - any changes to files in the `deployments/`
           # core-ci - any changes that could affect this workflow definition
           # golang-ci - any changes that could affect the linting result
           filters: |
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ jobs:
             non-ignored:
               - '**'
               - '!docs/**'
+              - '!fuzz/**'
               - '!integration-tests/**'
               - '!tools/secrets/**'
               - '!tools/goreleaser-config/**'
@@ -91,24 +93,43 @@ jobs:
               - '!nix-darwin-shell-hook.sh'
               - '!LICENSE'
               - '!.github/**'
-    
+      - uses: dorny/paths-filter@de90cc6fb38fc0963ad72b210f1f284cd68cea36 # v3.0.2
+        id: affected-modules
+        with:
+          # to get affected packages as output (not simply `true` or `false`) 
+          # use the following syntax `package_name: 'path/to/package'`
+          filters: |
+            ccip: 'ccip/**'
+            common: 'common/**'
+            core: 'core/**'
+            dashboard-lib: 'dashboard-lib/**'
+            deployment: 'deployment/**'
+            plugins: 'plugins/**'
+              
   golangci:
-    # We don't directly merge dependabot PRs, so let's not waste the resources
-    if: ${{ (github.event_name == 'pull_request' ||  github.event_name == 'schedule') && github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]' }}
     name: lint
+    # We don't directly merge dependabot PRs, so let's not waste the resources.
+    # toJson/fromJson is used to account for empty array formatting differences ([], [ ], etc.)
+    # if: ${{ (github.event_name == 'pull_request' ||  github.event_name == 'schedule') && github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]' && needs.filter.outputs.should-run-golangci == 'true' && (toJson(fromJson(needs.filter.outputs.affected-packages)) != '[]' && needs.filter.outputs.affected-packages != '')}}
+    if: always()
+    needs: [filter, run-frequency]
     permissions:
-      # For golangci-lint-actions to annotate code in the PR.
+      # To annotate code in the PR.
       checks: write
       contents: read
       # For golangci-lint-action's `only-new-issues` option.
       pull-requests: read
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-8cores-32GB-ARM
-    needs: [filter, run-frequency]
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        modules: ${{ fromJson(needs.filter.outputs.affected-packages) }}
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4.2.1
-      - name: Golang Lint
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4.2.1
+      - name: Golang Lint (${{ matrix.modules }})
         uses: ./.github/actions/golangci-lint
-        if: ${{ needs.filter.outputs.should-run-golangci == 'true' }}
+        with: 
+          go-directory: ${{ matrix.modules }}
       - name: Notify Slack
         if: ${{ failure() && needs.run-frequency.outputs.one-per-day-frequency == 'true' }}
         uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@6c661ce58804a1a20f6dc5fbee7f0381b469e001 # v1.25.0
diff --git a/ccip/fail_test.go b/ccip/fail_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..498ad4ad5e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ccip/fail_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package ccip
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestFail(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip()
+	}
+	t.Fatal("fake failure")
+}
+
+func TestRace(t *testing.T) {
+	var v int
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	wg.Add(100)
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			v++
+			v--
+		}()
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+	t.Log(v)
+}
+
+func TestLint(t *testing.T) {
+	const v1 = (true && false) && (true && false) // SQ Identical expressions should not be used on both sides of a binary operator
+	a := 1
+	if !(a == 2) { // SQ boolean check should not be inverted
+	}
+	const UnusedVar = 1 // lint should complain for unused variable
+	const ALL_CAPS = 10 // should be AllCaps
+	err := os.ErrNotExist
+	if err == os.ErrNotExist { // should use errors.Is
+		err := errors.New("fake error") // shadowed variable
+		t.Log(err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/core/fail_test.go b/core/fail_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4f4c58934ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/fail_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package core
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestFail(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip()
+	}
+	t.Fatal("fake failure")
+}
+
+func TestRace(t *testing.T) {
+	var v int
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	wg.Add(100)
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			v++
+			v--
+		}()
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+	t.Log(v)
+}
+
+func TestLint(t *testing.T) {
+	const v1 = (true && false) && (true && false) // SQ Identical expressions should not be used on both sides of a binary operator
+	a := 1
+	if !(a == 2) { // SQ boolean check should not be inverted
+	}
+	const UnusedVar = 1 // lint should complain for unused variable
+	const ALL_CAPS = 10 // should be AllCaps
+	err := os.ErrNotExist
+	if err == os.ErrNotExist { // should use errors.Is
+		err := errors.New("fake error") // shadowed variable
+		t.Log(err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/dashboard-lib/fail_test.go b/dashboard-lib/fail_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c9c78e5091c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dashboard-lib/fail_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package deployment
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestFail(t *testing.T) {
+	if testing.Short() {
+		t.Skip()
+	}
+	t.Fatal("fake failure")
+}
+
+func TestRace(t *testing.T) {
+	var v int
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	wg.Add(100)
+	for i := 0; i < 100; i++ {
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			v++
+			v--
+		}()
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+	t.Log(v)
+}
+
+func TestLint(t *testing.T) {
+	const v1 = (true && false) && (true && false) // SQ Identical expressions should not be used on both sides of a binary operator
+	a := 1
+	if !(a == 2) { // SQ boolean check should not be inverted
+	}
+	const UnusedVar = 1 // lint should complain for unused variable
+	const ALL_CAPS = 10 // should be AllCaps
+	err := os.ErrNotExist
+	if err == os.ErrNotExist { // should use errors.Is
+		err := errors.New("fake error") // shadowed variable
+		t.Log(err)
+	}
+}