diff --git a/.github/workflows/desktop-build.yml b/.github/workflows/desktop-build.yml
index 164ee614c..bd528f245 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/desktop-build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/desktop-build.yml
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ jobs:
             make_package: 1
             override_target: 13
             package_suffix: "-macOS13_Intel"
-            qt_version: 6.11.1
+            qt_version: 6.11.*
             qt_modules: qtimageformats qtmultimedia qtshadertools qtwebsockets
             soc: Intel
             type: Release
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ jobs:
             make_package: 1
             override_target: 14
             package_suffix: "-macOS14"
-            qt_version: 6.11.1
+            qt_version: 6.11.*
             qt_modules: qtimageformats qtmultimedia qtshadertools qtwebsockets
             soc: Apple
             type: Release
@@ -304,7 +304,7 @@ jobs:
             make_package: 1
             override_target: 15
             package_suffix: "-macOS15"
-            qt_version: 6.11.1
+            qt_version: 6.11.*
             qt_modules: qtimageformats qtmultimedia qtshadertools qtwebsockets
             soc: Apple
             type: Release
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ jobs:
 
             ccache_eviction_age: 7d
             cmake_generator: Ninja
-            qt_version: 6.11.1
+            qt_version: 6.11.*
             qt_modules: qtimageformats qtmultimedia qtshadertools qtwebsockets
             soc: Apple
             type: Debug
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ jobs:
             cmake_generator_platform: x64
             make_package: 1
             package_suffix: "-Win10"
-            qt_version: 6.11.1
+            qt_version: 6.11.*
             qt_modules: qtimageformats qtmultimedia qtshadertools qtwebsockets
             type: Release
 
@@ -368,18 +368,20 @@ jobs:
           key: ccache-${{ matrix.runner }}_${{ matrix.override_target }}-Xcode${{ matrix.xcode }}
           path: ${{ env.CCACHE_DIR }}
 
-      - name: "Install aqtinstall"
+      - name: "[macOS] Install aqtinstall"
+        if: matrix.os == 'macOS'
         run: pipx install aqtinstall
 
       # Resolve given wildcard versions (e.g. Qt 6.6.*) to latest version via aqtinstall to avoid stale caches on new releases
-      - name: "Resolve latest Qt patch version"
+      - name: "[macOS] Resolve latest Qt from ${{ matrix.qt_version }} input"
+        if: matrix.os == 'macOS'
         env:
           QT_VERSION: ${{ matrix.qt_version }}
         id: resolve_qt_version
         shell: bash
         run: .ci/resolve_latest_aqt_qt_version.sh "$QT_VERSION"
 
-      - name: "[macOS] Restore thin Qt ${{ steps.resolve_qt_version.outputs.version }} libraries"
+      - name: "[macOS] Restore thin Qt ${{ steps.resolve_qt_version.outputs.version }}"
         if: matrix.os == 'macOS'
         id: restore_qt
         uses: actions/cache/restore@v6
@@ -389,21 +391,22 @@ jobs:
 
       # Using jurplel/install-qt-action to install Qt without using brew
       # Qt build using vcpkg either just fails or takes too long to build
-      - name: "[macOS] Install fat Qt ${{ steps.resolve_qt_version.outputs.version }}"
+      - name: "[macOS] Install fat Qt ${{ matrix.qt_version }}"
         if: matrix.os == 'macOS' && steps.restore_qt.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
         uses: jurplel/install-qt-action@v4
         with:
           cache: false
-          dir: ${{ github.workspace }}
+          # cache-key-prefix: Qt
+          dir: ${{ github.workspace }}    # thinning script depends on this location
           modules: ${{ matrix.qt_modules }}
-          version: ${{ steps.resolve_qt_version.outputs.version }}
+          version: ${{ matrix.qt_version }}
 
       - name: "[macOS] Create thin Qt libraries"
         if: matrix.os == 'macOS' && steps.restore_qt.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
         run: .ci/thin_macos_qtlib.sh
 
       - name: "[macOS] Cache thin Qt libraries"
-        if: matrix.os == 'macOS' && steps.restore_qt.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        if: matrix.os == 'macOS' && steps.restore_qt.outputs.cache-hit != 'true' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master'
         uses: actions/cache/save@v6
         with:
           key: ${{ steps.restore_qt.outputs.cache-primary-key }}
@@ -415,10 +418,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           # Qt 6.11.0 only works with aqtinstall directly from git until aqtinstall 3.4 is released
           aqtsource: git+https://github.com/miurahr/aqtinstall.git
-          cache: true
+          cache: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' }}
           cache-key-prefix: Qt
           modules: ${{ matrix.qt_modules }}
-          version: ${{ steps.resolve_qt_version.outputs.version }}
+          version: ${{ matrix.qt_version }}
 
       - name: "[Windows] Install NSIS"
         if: matrix.os == 'Windows'
@@ -450,7 +453,7 @@ jobs:
           PACKAGE_SUFFIX: '${{ matrix.package_suffix }}'
           TARGET_MACOS_VERSION: ${{ matrix.override_target }}
           USE_CCACHE: ${{ matrix.use_ccache }}
-          VCPKG_BINARY_SOURCES: 'clear;files,${{ steps.vcpkg-cache.outputs.path }},readwrite'
+          VCPKG_BINARY_SOURCES: "clear;files,${{ steps.vcpkg-cache.outputs.path }},${{ case(github.ref == 'refs/heads/master', 'readwrite', 'read') }}"
           VCPKG_DISABLE_METRICS: 1
           VCPKG_FEATURE_FLAGS: dependencygraph
         run: .ci/compile.sh --server --test --vcpkg
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-release.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-release.yml
index 255e8b045..967d94c58 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-release.yml
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: docker/build-push-action@v7
         with:
           cache-from: type=gha,scope=${{ env.CACHE_SCOPE }}
-          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=${{ env.CACHE_SCOPE }}
+          cache-to: ${{ case(github.ref == 'refs/heads/master', format('type=gha,mode=max,scope={0}', env.CACHE_SCOPE), '') }}
           context: .
           platforms: ${{ matrix.platform }}
           push: false