diff --git a/.bazelrc b/.bazelrc
index 1c001eda49..ed02c4319c 100644
--- a/.bazelrc
+++ b/.bazelrc
@@ -102,11 +102,12 @@ common:clang --cxxopt=-gmlt --host_cxxopt=-gmlt
 common:clang --linkopt=-fuse-ld=lld --host_linkopt=-fuse-ld=lld
 common:clang --define is_clang=true
 
-# --config=release : the exact compiler configuration used for published executables. Keep debug
-# information in Bazel's outputs so tools/stage_release_artifacts.sh can split it from the shipped
-# binaries. Explicit -flto=thin flags are intentional: toolchains_llvm does not expose Bazel's
-# thin_lto feature, and --features=thin_lto would therefore be accepted but silently do nothing.
-common:release --config=clang
+# --config=release supplies the production optimization and link settings without selecting a
+# compiler. --config=clang_release is the exact composed configuration used for tests and published
+# executables. Keep debug information in Bazel's outputs so tools/stage_release_artifacts.sh can
+# split it from the shipped binaries. Explicit -flto=thin flags are intentional: toolchains_llvm
+# does not expose Bazel's thin_lto feature, and --features=thin_lto would therefore be accepted but
+# silently do nothing.
 common:release --compilation_mode=opt
 common:release --strip=never
 common:release --copt=-Oz
@@ -115,6 +116,7 @@ common:release --linkopt=-flto=thin
 # Enable the ELF-only linkopts selected by the two shipped binary targets. Keeping these behind a
 # build setting prevents LLD spellings from reaching macOS or unrelated test/host executables.
 common:release --//xff:xff_release_elf_link_optimizations=True
+common:clang_release --config=clang --config=release
 
 # --config=clang-coverage : collect C++ coverage with the same hermetic Clang/libc++ toolchain
 # that owns the default build. Bazel otherwise defaults C++ coverage to the local gcov toolchain.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index ca54dc96ac..6f49587673 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ jobs:
         os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest]
         config:
           - name: default
-            flags: "--config=clang"
+            flags: "--config=clang_release"
           - name: asan
             flags: "--config=clang --config=asan"
         exclude:
@@ -106,12 +106,10 @@ jobs:
             --disk_cache=$HOME/.cache/bazel-disk --repository_cache=$HOME/.cache/bazel-repo \
             "${fuse_test_config[@]}" \
             ${{ matrix.config.flags }}
-      # ThinLTO on every unit-test executable makes a cold job exceed 20 minutes. The ordinary suite
-      # above remains on the same hermetic Clang toolchain without LTO; these tagged binary-level
-      # tests compile the actual release targets with size optimization + ThinLTO and exercise both
-      # lean and full programs. Staging and executing the stripped copies covers the final release
-      # transformation as well.
-      - name: Test, build, and smoke-test release artifacts
+      # The complete suite above builds both shipped binaries with the production ThinLTO config.
+      # Stage those already-built outputs and execute the stripped copies to cover the final release
+      # transformation without a second Bazel invocation or compilation configuration.
+      - name: Stage and smoke-test release artifacts
         if: matrix.config.name == 'default'
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
@@ -122,20 +120,8 @@ jobs:
             *) echo "unsupported runner OS: ${RUNNER_OS}" >&2; exit 2 ;;
           esac
           arch="$(uname -m)"
-          release_test_config=(--config=release)
-          if [ "${RUNNER_OS}" = "Linux" ]; then
-            release_test_config+=(--config=xff_fuse_tests_required)
-          fi
-          bazel test //xff/cli:all --config=xff_docs \
-            --test_tag_filters=release-binary \
-            --disk_cache=$HOME/.cache/bazel-disk --repository_cache=$HOME/.cache/bazel-repo \
-            "${release_test_config[@]}"
-          bazel build --config=release //xff/cli:xff \
-            --disk_cache=$HOME/.cache/bazel-disk --repository_cache=$HOME/.cache/bazel-repo
-          bazel build --config=release --config=xff_full //xff/cli:xff_full \
-            --disk_cache=$HOME/.cache/bazel-disk --repository_cache=$HOME/.cache/bazel-repo
-          lean="$(bazel cquery --config=release --output=files //xff/cli:xff 2>/dev/null)"
-          full="$(bazel cquery --config=release --config=xff_full --output=files //xff/cli:xff_full 2>/dev/null)"
+          lean="bazel-bin/xff/cli/xff"
+          full="bazel-bin/xff/cli/xff_full"
           tools/stage_release_artifacts.sh "${platform}" "${arch}" "${lean}" "${full}" dist
           lean_staged="dist/.xff-${platform}-${arch}-staging/xff-${platform}-${arch}/xff"
           full_staged="dist/.xff_full-${platform}-${arch}-staging/xff_full-${platform}-${arch}/xff_full"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 5eb1534676..237b983f6f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -176,17 +176,17 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build lean + full binaries
         run: |
           command -v zstd
-          bazel build --config=release //xff/cli:xff \
+          bazel build --config=clang_release //xff/cli:xff \
             --disk_cache="${HOME}/.cache/bazel-disk" --repository_cache="${HOME}/.cache/bazel-repo"
-          bazel build --config=release --config=xff_full //xff/cli:xff_full \
+          bazel build --config=clang_release --config=xff_full //xff/cli:xff_full \
             --disk_cache="${HOME}/.cache/bazel-disk" --repository_cache="${HOME}/.cache/bazel-repo"
       - name: Stage artifacts
         env:
           PLATFORM: ${{ matrix.platform }}
         run: |
           arch="$(uname -m)"
-          lean="$(bazel cquery --config=release --output=files //xff/cli:xff 2>/dev/null)"
-          full="$(bazel cquery --config=release --config=xff_full --output=files //xff/cli:xff_full 2>/dev/null)"
+          lean="$(bazel cquery --config=clang_release --output=files //xff/cli:xff 2>/dev/null)"
+          full="$(bazel cquery --config=clang_release --config=xff_full --output=files //xff/cli:xff_full 2>/dev/null)"
           tools/stage_release_artifacts.sh "${PLATFORM}" "${arch}" "${lean}" "${full}" dist
           lean_staged="dist/.xff-${PLATFORM}-${arch}-staging/xff-${PLATFORM}-${arch}/xff"
           full_staged="dist/.xff_full-${PLATFORM}-${arch}-staging/xff_full-${PLATFORM}-${arch}/xff_full"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e6433d9546..a6e1c00170 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ bazel build --config=xff_full //xff/cli:xff_full
 
 The `//xff` target alias follows your active workspace configuration automatically: it resolves to the lean binary by default, and switches to the full binary under `--config=xff_full`. The underlying targets remain explicit and configuration-stable: `//xff/cli:xff` is always lean, and `//xff/cli:xff_full` is always full.
 
-Published binaries use `--config=release`, which selects the hermetic Clang toolchain, optimizes for
+Published binaries use `--config=clang_release`, which combines the hermetic Clang toolchain with
 size, and enables ThinLTO. Releases provide the stripped `xff-PLATFORM-ARCH` and
 `xff_full-PLATFORM-ARCH` executables directly. Each platform also provides one level-19
 Zstandard-compressed `xff-PLATFORM-ARCH.tar.zst` archive containing both executables plus their
diff --git a/docs/history.md b/docs/history.md
index 1f640f3005..bca1c2da4c 100644
--- a/docs/history.md
+++ b/docs/history.md
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ The former combined roadmap and completion ledger through PR #683 is retained se
   | combined `.tar.zst` |  3,794,872 |   3,875,217 |   +80,345 B |
 
   This non-LTO comparison isolates ordinary ELF linking but is not xff's release configuration.
-  The actual `--config=release` build uses ThinLTO. Mold reaches that link and then fails because
+  The actual `--config=clang_release` build uses ThinLTO. Mold reaches that link and then fails because
   Clang supplies `LLVMgold.so`, which is absent from the downloaded LLVM 22 distribution.
   LLVM's documented external-linker path requires building a matching gold plugin from the LLVM
   source tree; LLD consumes the bitcode natively. Supplying that plugin would therefore expand the
diff --git a/tools/release_prep_test.sh b/tools/release_prep_test.sh
index 322b942ffa..4605d2ebf9 100755
--- a/tools/release_prep_test.sh
+++ b/tools/release_prep_test.sh
@@ -213,11 +213,11 @@ test_release_reference_uses_clang() {
 test_release_binaries_use_shared_configuration_and_staging() {
   release_workflow="${HERE}/../.github/workflows/release.yml"
   main_workflow="${HERE}/../.github/workflows/main.yml"
-  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'bazel build --config=release //xff/cli:xff' "${release_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
-    fail "release workflow: lean binary must build exactly once with --config=release"
+  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'bazel build --config=clang_release //xff/cli:xff' "${release_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
+    fail "release workflow: lean binary must build exactly once with --config=clang_release"
   fi
-  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'bazel build --config=release --config=xff_full //xff/cli:xff_full' "${release_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
-    fail "release workflow: full binary must build exactly once with --config=release"
+  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'bazel build --config=clang_release --config=xff_full //xff/cli:xff_full' "${release_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
+    fail "release workflow: full binary must build exactly once with --config=clang_release"
   fi
   if [ "$(count_lines_with 'tools/stage_release_artifacts.sh' "${release_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
     fail "release workflow: artifacts must use the shared staging script"
@@ -240,14 +240,18 @@ test_release_binaries_use_shared_configuration_and_staging() {
   if [ "$(count_lines_with '          subject-path: dist/*' "${release_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
     fail "release workflow: provenance must attest every asset, including SHA256SUMS"
   fi
-  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'release_test_config=(--config=release)' "${main_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
-    fail "main workflow: release-test options must start with --config=release"
+  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'flags: "--config=clang_release"' "${main_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
+    fail "main workflow: default tests must use the production Clang release configuration"
   fi
-  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'bazel test //xff/cli:all --config=xff_docs' "${main_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
-    fail "main workflow: binary-level tests must use --config=release"
+  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'bazel test //xff/cli:all --config=xff_docs' "${main_workflow}")" -ne 0 ]; then
+    fail "main workflow: release validation must not add a second bazel test invocation"
   fi
-  if [ "$(count_lines_with '--test_tag_filters=release-binary' "${main_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
-    fail "main workflow: release tests must select tagged binary-level bashtests"
+  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'bazel build --config=clang_release' "${main_workflow}")" -ne 0 ]; then
+    fail "main workflow: release validation must not add a bazel build invocation"
+  fi
+  if [ "$(count_lines_with 'lean="bazel-bin/xff/cli/xff"' "${main_workflow}")" -ne 1 ] \
+    || [ "$(count_lines_with 'full="bazel-bin/xff/cli/xff_full"' "${main_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
+    fail "main workflow: staging must consume both binaries built by the complete test invocation"
   fi
   if [ "$(count_lines_with 'tools/stage_release_artifacts.sh' "${main_workflow}")" -ne 1 ]; then
     fail "main workflow: release cells must exercise the shared staging script"
diff --git a/xff/BUILD.bazel b/xff/BUILD.bazel
index 02bf415659..a61337b798 100644
--- a/xff/BUILD.bazel
+++ b/xff/BUILD.bazel
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ load("//xff:cc.bzl", "cc_test")
 package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:private"])
 
 # Internal release-mode switch for ELF linker optimizations. `.bazelrc` enables it only through
-# `--config=release`; the Linux constraint below ensures those LLD options never reach Mach-O links.
+# `--config=clang_release`; the Linux constraint below ensures those LLD options never reach Mach-O
+# links.
 bool_flag(
     name = "xff_release_elf_link_optimizations",
     build_setting_default = False,