diff --git a/.github/workflows/artifacts.yml b/.github/workflows/artifacts.yml
index 38f20b8f663..060fcd735d2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/artifacts.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/artifacts.yml
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ on:
   release:
     types:
       - prereleased
+env:
+  GRADLE_OPTS: "-Dorg.gradle.parallel=true -Dorg.gradle.caching=true"
 
 jobs:
   artifacts:
@@ -23,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@9e899d11ad247ec76be7a60bc1cf9d3abbb9e7f1
       - name: assemble release
         run:
-          ./gradlew -Prelease.releaseVersion=${{github.ref_name}} -Pversion=${{github.ref_name}} assemble -Dorg.gradle.parallel=true -Dorg.gradle.caching=true
+          ./gradlew -Prelease.releaseVersion=${{github.ref_name}} -Pversion=${{github.ref_name}} assemble
       - name: hashes
         id: hashes
         run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
index 821310ef13f..55a2a9b2feb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
@@ -13,8 +13,10 @@ name: "CodeQL"
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
-  push:
-    branches: [ main ]
+  schedule:
+    # * is a special character in YAML so you have to quote this string
+    # expression evaluates to midnight every night
+    - cron: '0 0 * * *'
 
 jobs:
   analyze:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/develop.yml b/.github/workflows/develop.yml
index 2cbaaca0a0a..fa432caa41c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/develop.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/develop.yml
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ on:
   push:
     -branches:
       - main
+env:
+  GRADLE_OPTS: "-Dorg.gradle.parallel=true -Dorg.gradle.caching=true"
 
 jobs:
   artifacts:
@@ -23,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@9e899d11ad247ec76be7a60bc1cf9d3abbb9e7f1
       - name: assemble release
         run:
-          ./gradlew assemble -Dorg.gradle.parallel=true -Dorg.gradle.caching=true
+          ./gradlew assemble
       - name: upload tarball
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@5d5d22a31266ced268874388b861e4b58bb5c2f3
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker.yml b/.github/workflows/docker.yml
index db347248b0a..8889b0dc7ad 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 name: docker
 on:
-  workflow_dispatch:
   release:
     types:
       - prereleased
diff --git a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
index 169c4ef7c5a..a0ba6c0c802 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/integration-tests.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ concurrency:
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 env:
-  GRADLE_OPTS: "-Xmx6g -Dorg.gradle.daemon=false"
+  GRADLE_OPTS: "-Xmx6g -Dorg.gradle.daemon=false -Dorg.gradle.parallel=true -Dorg.gradle.caching=true"
 
 jobs:
   integration-tests:
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: setup gradle
         uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@9e899d11ad247ec76be7a60bc1cf9d3abbb9e7f1
       - name: run integration tests
-        run: ./gradlew integrationTest compileJmh -Dorg.gradle.parallel=true -Dorg.gradle.caching=true
+        run: ./gradlew integrationTest compileJmh
       - name: Publish Test Report
         uses: mikepenz/action-junit-report@5f47764eec0e1c1f19f40c8e60a5ba47e47015c5
         if: (success() || failure())
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reference-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/reference-tests.yml
index 59d429d4488..36fe41a3b53 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reference-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reference-tests.yml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ on:
       - release-*
 
 env:
-  GRADLE_OPTS: "-Xmx6g -Dorg.gradle.daemon=false"
+  GRADLE_OPTS: "-Xmx6g -Dorg.gradle.daemon=false -Dorg.gradle.parallel=true -Dorg.gradle.caching=true"
   total-runners: 10
 
 concurrency:
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: refTestArgs.txt
         run: cat refTestArgs.txt
       - name: run reference tests
-        run: ./gradlew ethereum:referenceTests:referenceTests `cat refTestArgs.txt` -Dorg.gradle.parallel=true -Dorg.gradle.caching=true
+        run: ./gradlew ethereum:referenceTests:referenceTests `cat refTestArgs.txt`
       - name: Upload Test Report
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@5d5d22a31266ced268874388b861e4b58bb5c2f3
         if: always() # always run even if the previous step fails
diff --git a/gradle.properties b/gradle.properties
index 684efa87413..cc51c2b730f 100644
--- a/gradle.properties
+++ b/gradle.properties
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ version=24.2.0-SNAPSHOT
 org.gradle.welcome=never
 # Set exports/opens flags required by Google Java Format and ErrorProne plugins. (JEP-396)
 org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4g \
--XX:MaxMetaspaceSize=256m \
 --add-exports jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.api=ALL-UNNAMED \
 --add-exports jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.file=ALL-UNNAMED \
 --add-exports jdk.compiler/com.sun.tools.javac.main=ALL-UNNAMED \