diff --git a/.github/workflows-source/release-testing.yml b/.github/workflows-source/release-testing.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..451c738de77b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows-source/release-testing.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+name: Release Testing
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - 'hotfix-*-rc--*'
+      - 'rc--*'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  pull_request:
+    paths:
+      - '.github/workflows/release-testing.yml'
+
+env:
+  CI_COMMIT_SHA: ${{ github.sha }}
+  CI_COMMIT_REF_PROTECTED: ${{ github.ref_protected }}
+  CI_JOB_NAME: ${{ github.job }}
+  CI_JOB_ID: ${{ github.job }} # github does not expose this variable https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/8945
+  CI_JOB_URL: "${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}"
+  CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE: ${{ github.event_name }}
+  CI_PROJECT_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}
+  CI_MERGE_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}
+  ROOT_PIPELINE_ID: ${{ github.run_id }}
+  BAZEL_STARTUP_ARGS: "--output_base=/var/tmp/bazel-output/"
+  RUSTFLAGS: "--remap-path-prefix=${CI_PROJECT_DIR}=/ic"
+  AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_CONTENT: ${{ secrets.AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_FILE }}
+  DOCKER_HUB_USER: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USER }}
+  DOCKER_HUB_PASSWORD_RO: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_PASSWORD_RO }}
+  BUILDEVENT_APIKEY: ${{ secrets.HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN }}
+  BUILDEVENT_DATASET: "github-ci-dfinity"
+
+anchors:
+  image: &image
+    image: ghcr.io/dfinity/ic-build@sha256:5bd0f059ad6e21966e9c644516b6ecd52d5ed44f1b18a76b91b59740a9d639a2
+  dind-large-setup: &dind-large-setup
+    runs-on:
+      group: dind-large
+    container:
+      <<: *image
+    timeout-minutes: 180 # 3 hours
+    if: ${{ vars.RUN_CI == 'true' }}
+  checkout: &checkout
+    name: Checkout
+    uses: actions/checkout@v4
+  before-script: &before-script
+    name: Before script
+    id: before-script
+    shell: bash
+    run: ./gitlab-ci/src/ci-scripts/before-script.sh
+
+jobs:
+  bazel-system-test-nightly:
+    name: Bazel System Test Nightly
+    <<: *dind-large-setup
+    steps:
+      - <<: *checkout
+      - <<: *before-script
+      - name: Run Bazel System Test Nightly
+        id: bazel-test-all
+        uses: ./.github/actions/bazel-test-all/
+        with:
+          BAZEL_COMMAND: "test"
+          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//rs/tests/..."
+          BAZEL_CI_CONFIG: "--config=ci --repository_cache=/cache/bazel"
+          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS: "--keep_going --test_tag_filters=system_test_nightly --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
+          HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN }}
+
+  bazel-system-test-staging:
+    name: Bazel System Test Staging
+    continue-on-error: True
+    <<: *dind-large-setup
+    steps:
+      - <<: *checkout
+      - <<: *before-script
+      - name: Run Bazel System Test Staging
+        id: bazel-test-all
+        uses: ./.github/actions/bazel-test-all/
+        with:
+          BAZEL_COMMAND: "test"
+          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//rs/tests/..."
+          BAZEL_CI_CONFIG: "--config=ci --repository_cache=/cache/bazel"
+          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS: "--keep_going --test_tag_filters=system_test_staging --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
+          HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN }}
+
+  bazel-system-test-hotfix:
+    name: Bazel Test All
+    <<: *dind-large-setup
+    timeout-minutes: 90
+    steps:
+      - <<: *checkout
+      - <<: *before-script
+      - name: Run Bazel Test All
+        id: bazel-test-all
+        uses: ./.github/actions/bazel-test-all/
+        with:
+          BAZEL_COMMAND: "test"
+          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//rs/tests/..."
+          BAZEL_CI_CONFIG: "--config=ci --repository_cache=/cache/bazel"
+          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS_RULES: "--test_tag_filters=system_test_hotfix --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
+          HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-testing.yml b/.github/workflows/release-testing.yml
index 8daf06228dd9..f1db7481bbc5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-testing.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-testing.yml
@@ -1,15 +1,14 @@
 name: Release Testing
-
 on:
   push:
     branches:
       - 'hotfix-*-rc--*'
       - 'rc--*'
   workflow_dispatch:
-
+  pull_request:
+    paths:
+      - '.github/workflows/release-testing.yml'
 env:
-  AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_CONTENT: ${{ secrets.AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_FILE }}
-  BAZEL_STARTUP_ARGS: "--output_base=/var/tmp/bazel-output/"
   CI_COMMIT_SHA: ${{ github.sha }}
   CI_COMMIT_REF_PROTECTED: ${{ github.ref_protected }}
   CI_JOB_NAME: ${{ github.job }}
@@ -19,13 +18,13 @@ env:
   CI_PROJECT_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}
   CI_MERGE_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}
   ROOT_PIPELINE_ID: ${{ github.run_id }}
-  BUILDEVENT_APIKEY: ${{ secrets.HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN }}
-  BUILDEVENT_DATASET: "github-ci-dfinity"
+  BAZEL_STARTUP_ARGS: "--output_base=/var/tmp/bazel-output/"
+  RUSTFLAGS: "--remap-path-prefix=${CI_PROJECT_DIR}=/ic"
+  AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_CONTENT: ${{ secrets.AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_FILE }}
   DOCKER_HUB_USER: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USER }}
   DOCKER_HUB_PASSWORD_RO: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_PASSWORD_RO }}
-
-# TODO: DRY ~ put under wokflow-source
-
+  BUILDEVENT_APIKEY: ${{ secrets.HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN }}
+  BUILDEVENT_DATASET: "github-ci-dfinity"
 jobs:
   bazel-system-test-nightly:
     name: Bazel System Test Nightly
@@ -38,22 +37,19 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
       - name: Before script
         id: before-script
         shell: bash
         run: ./gitlab-ci/src/ci-scripts/before-script.sh
-
       - name: Run Bazel System Test Nightly
         id: bazel-test-all
         uses: ./.github/actions/bazel-test-all/
         with:
           BAZEL_COMMAND: "test"
-          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//... --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
+          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//rs/tests/..."
           BAZEL_CI_CONFIG: "--config=ci --repository_cache=/cache/bazel"
-          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS: "--keep_going --test_tag_filters=system_test_nightly"
+          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS: "--keep_going --test_tag_filters=system_test_nightly --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
           HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN }}
-
   bazel-system-test-staging:
     name: Bazel System Test Staging
     continue-on-error: True
@@ -64,38 +60,32 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 180 # 3 hours
     if: ${{ vars.RUN_CI == 'true' }}
     steps:
-
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
       - name: Before script
         id: before-script
         shell: bash
         run: ./gitlab-ci/src/ci-scripts/before-script.sh
-
       - name: Run Bazel System Test Staging
         id: bazel-test-all
         uses: ./.github/actions/bazel-test-all/
         with:
           BAZEL_COMMAND: "test"
-          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//... --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
+          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//rs/tests/..."
           BAZEL_CI_CONFIG: "--config=ci --repository_cache=/cache/bazel"
-          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS: "--keep_going --test_tag_filters=system_test_staging"
+          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS: "--keep_going --test_tag_filters=system_test_staging --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
           HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN }}
-
   bazel-system-test-hotfix:
     name: Bazel Test All
     runs-on:
       group: dind-large
     container:
       image: ghcr.io/dfinity/ic-build@sha256:5bd0f059ad6e21966e9c644516b6ecd52d5ed44f1b18a76b91b59740a9d639a2
-    timeout-minutes: 90
     if: ${{ vars.RUN_CI == 'true' }}
+    timeout-minutes: 90
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' && 256 || 0 }}
       - name: Before script
         id: before-script
         shell: bash
@@ -105,5 +95,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: ./.github/actions/bazel-test-all/
         with:
           BAZEL_COMMAND: "test"
+          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//rs/tests/..."
           BAZEL_CI_CONFIG: "--config=ci --repository_cache=/cache/bazel"
-          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS_RULES: "--test_tag_filters=system_test_hotfix"
+          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS_RULES: "--test_tag_filters=system_test_hotfix --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
+          HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.HONEYCOMB_API_TOKEN }}