Link release builds with a faster linker
When linking dominates the build, switch to a faster linker.
How OpenAI used this technique
Read what OpenAI changed and follow the original sources.
Link release builds with a faster linker
Codex profiled its Windows x64 release build and found most of the time in final code generation and linking. The release workflow now configures the LLVM linker before the Cargo build.
Estimate: about four minutes off total release workflow time Source
- Use it when
- A build profile shows linking or final code generation taking a large share of the build job.
- Before applying it
- Every linked binary must pass the same tests and signing steps.
Company Playbooks
- Read Anthropic’s playbookRun only affected tests
- Read DoorDash’s playbookRun build and test in parallel, sharded across CI agents
- Read Linear’s playbookBenchmark the same job on faster hardware
- Read Mastra’s playbookStarSling runners for the slowest test workflow
- Read OpenAI’s playbookRank CI fixes by the minutes they save
- Read Ramp’s playbookMove a CPU-bound test suite to a faster CPU
- Read Shopify’s playbookLet an agent iterate against one CI metric
- Read Spotify’s playbookBuild arm64 on native arm64 runners
- Read Stripe’s playbookRun only the tests a change can reach
- Read Uber’s playbookBuild the merge-queue speculations most likely to be needed