diff --git a/.github/workflows/rust-codegen.yml b/.github/workflows/rust-codegen.yml
index 11f45aa63..3b92f220a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/rust-codegen.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/rust-codegen.yml
@@ -12,12 +12,16 @@ name: Rust codegen
 # fn signatures, wrong trait bounds, generic drift. The
 # `tests/compile_spec.rs` cancel-mode end-to-end probe runs in
 # `Check & Test`; this suite is the breadth check across the core
-# example corpus, run nightly so the per-example `cargo check`
-# (~30-60 s each) doesn't burden every PR.
+# example corpus, run only where Rust codegen can change so the
+# per-example `cargo check` (~30-60 s each) doesn't burden every PR.
 #
-# Sister workflow to `proof.yml`. Both consolidate heavy toolchain
-# / build work into one nightly run instead of adding latency to
-# every compiler-touching PR.
+# Sister workflow to `proof.yml`. It runs nightly against main and on
+# pull requests that touch the Rust backend or what feeds it: the Rust
+# emitter, shared codegen, MIR and its ownership passes, the native
+# providers and capability contracts, the Aver runtime crate, yield
+# lowering, and the self-hosted sources. Other PRs skip it, so ordinary
+# compiler changes do not pay for the per-example `cargo check`. Neither
+# job is a required check; their names are distinct from every `CI` job.
 
 on:
   schedule:
@@ -25,8 +29,32 @@ on:
     # as fuzz nightly + proof nightly. Three independent workflows
     # each reading main, no cross-artefact deps.
     - cron: '0 3 * * *'
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - '.github/workflows/rust-codegen.yml'
+      - 'src/codegen/rust/**'
+      - 'src/codegen/common.rs'
+      - 'src/codegen/mod.rs'
+      - 'src/codegen/builtin*.rs'
+      - 'src/ir/mir/**'
+      - 'src/ir/alias.rs'
+      - 'src/ir/escape.rs'
+      - 'src/ir/last_use.rs'
+      - 'src/yield_lowering/**'
+      - 'src/provider/**'
+      - 'stdlib/capabilities/**'
+      - 'aver-rt/**'
+      - 'self_hosted/**'
+      - 'tests/rust_codegen_regression.rs'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
+concurrency:
+  # A new push to the same PR supersedes the running canary; nightly and
+  # dispatched runs keep their own group and are never cancelled.
+  group: rust-codegen-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.run_id }}
+  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
+
 env:
   CARGO_TERM_COLOR: always
 
diff --git a/tests/wasm_host_work_spec.rs b/tests/wasm_host_work_spec.rs
index f1aa5cc53..9c6e2f708 100644
--- a/tests/wasm_host_work_spec.rs
+++ b/tests/wasm_host_work_spec.rs
@@ -65,25 +65,102 @@ fn wasm_workers_transport_unit_tasks_and_unit_results() {
     );
 }
 
-#[test]
-fn javascript_workers_run_the_coordinator_and_progress_independently() {
-    let node = std::env::var_os("AVER_NODE").unwrap_or_else(|| "node".into());
-    let version = Command::new(&node)
-        .arg("--version")
-        .output()
-        .expect("Node is required for the public JS Work host test (set AVER_NODE)");
-    let major: u32 = String::from_utf8_lossy(&version.stdout)
+/// Oldest Node whose V8 runs the emitted module: WasmGC and tail calls are
+/// on by default from Node 22.
+const MIN_NODE_MAJOR: u32 = 22;
+
+fn node_major(node: &std::ffi::OsStr) -> Option<u32> {
+    let output = Command::new(node).arg("--version").output().ok()?;
+    if !output.status.success() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout)
         .trim()
         .trim_start_matches('v')
         .split('.')
-        .next()
-        .unwrap_or("")
+        .next()?
         .parse()
-        .unwrap_or(0);
-    assert!(
-        major >= 22,
-        "the JS host test needs Node 22+ with WasmGC and tail calls; set AVER_NODE"
-    );
+        .ok()
+}
+
+/// The Node that runs the JS host test and its major version.
+///
+/// `AVER_NODE` wins when set, and a too-old value is reported rather than
+/// silently replaced by another install. Otherwise `node` on `PATH` is used when it is new enough,
+/// then the newest suitable install under `~/.nvm/versions/node`. The
+/// error names every candidate so a skip or failure says what was tried.
+fn suitable_node() -> Result<(std::ffi::OsString, u32), String> {
+    if let Some(node) = std::env::var_os("AVER_NODE") {
+        return match node_major(&node) {
+            Some(major) if major >= MIN_NODE_MAJOR => Ok((node, major)),
+            Some(major) => Err(format!(
+                "AVER_NODE={} is Node {major}; Node {MIN_NODE_MAJOR}+ is required",
+                node.to_string_lossy()
+            )),
+            None => Err(format!(
+                "AVER_NODE={} did not run `--version`",
+                node.to_string_lossy()
+            )),
+        };
+    }
+    let mut tried = Vec::new();
+    let path_node = std::ffi::OsString::from("node");
+    match node_major(&path_node) {
+        Some(major) if major >= MIN_NODE_MAJOR => return Ok((path_node, major)),
+        Some(major) => tried.push(format!("`node` on PATH is Node {major}")),
+        None => tried.push("no `node` on PATH".to_string()),
+    }
+    if let Some(home) = std::env::var_os("HOME") {
+        let nvm = std::path::PathBuf::from(home).join(".nvm/versions/node");
+        let mut installs: Vec<(u32, std::path::PathBuf)> = std::fs::read_dir(&nvm)
+            .into_iter()
+            .flatten()
+            .filter_map(|entry| entry.ok())
+            .filter_map(|entry| {
+                let name = entry.file_name();
+                let major = name
+                    .to_str()?
+                    .trim_start_matches('v')
+                    .split('.')
+                    .next()?
+                    .parse()
+                    .ok()?;
+                Some((major, entry.path().join("bin/node")))
+            })
+            .filter(|(major, bin)| *major >= MIN_NODE_MAJOR && bin.is_file())
+            .collect();
+        installs.sort();
+        if let Some((_, bin)) = installs.pop() {
+            let node = bin.into_os_string();
+            if let Some(major) = node_major(&node) {
+                return Ok((node, major));
+            }
+        }
+        tried.push(format!("no Node {MIN_NODE_MAJOR}+ under {}", nvm.display()));
+    }
+    Err(tried.join("; "))
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn javascript_workers_run_the_coordinator_and_progress_independently() {
+    let (node, major) = match suitable_node() {
+        Ok(found) => found,
+        // CI installs a suitable Node for this lane, so a missing one there
+        // is a broken lane, not a reason to skip.
+        Err(why) if std::env::var_os("CI").is_some() => {
+            panic!(
+                "the JS Work host test needs Node {MIN_NODE_MAJOR}+ with WasmGC and tail calls: {why}"
+            )
+        }
+        Err(why) => {
+            eprintln!(
+                "SKIP javascript_workers_run_the_coordinator_and_progress_independently: \
+                 needs Node {MIN_NODE_MAJOR}+ with WasmGC and tail calls ({why}); \
+                 set AVER_NODE to a suitable node"
+            );
+            return;
+        }
+    };
     let out = tempfile::tempdir().expect("wasm artifacts");
     for name in [
         "work_jobs_parallel",