diff --git a/.github/workflows/freebsd.yml b/.github/workflows/freebsd.yml
index fdacbe5..feb6613 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/freebsd.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/freebsd.yml
@@ -5,12 +5,14 @@
 # uploaded and no secrets are used.
 name: FreeBSD
 
-# The VM build takes one to several hours, so it runs nightly on main rather than on every push
-# or dependency change: a drifted dependency still shows up within a day. PRs that change the
-# FreeBSD packaging itself still run it.
+# The VM build is slow, so it runs nightly on main and on pushes to `release`, not on every push
+# or dependency change: a drifted dependency still shows up within a day, and always before a
+# release ships. PRs that change the FreeBSD packaging itself still run it.
 on:
   schedule:
     - cron: "17 2 * * *"
+  push:
+    branches: [release]
   pull_request:
     paths:
       - .github/workflows/freebsd.yml
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows-arm64.yml b/.github/workflows/windows-arm64.yml
index 484a06e..a289df7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows-arm64.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows-arm64.yml
@@ -4,15 +4,17 @@
 # out for now: PdfCraft saw an intermittent access violation in egui UI tests there.)
 name: Windows ARM64
 
-# Nightly on main (dependency and runner-image drift shows up within a day), and on PRs that
-# change the Windows packaging itself.
+# Nightly on main and on pushes to `release` (dependency and runner-image drift shows up within a
+# day, and always before a release ships), and on PRs that change the Windows packaging itself.
 on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: "41 4 * * *"
+  push:
+    branches: [release]
   pull_request:
     paths:
       - .github/workflows/windows-arm64.yml
       - packaging/windows/**
-  schedule:
-    - cron: "41 4 * * *"
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 concurrency: