diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 1994a255c8..531297179c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -195,8 +195,9 @@ jobs:
         with:
           toolchain: stable
       - name: Build bevy
+        # this uses the same command as when running the example to ensure build is reused
         run: |
-          cargo build --features "bevy_ci_testing,trace,trace_chrome"
+          TRACE_CHROME=trace-alien_cake_addict.json CI_TESTING_CONFIG=.github/example-run/alien_cake_addict.ron cargo build --example alien_cake_addict --features "bevy_ci_testing,trace,trace_chrome"
       - name: Run examples
         run: |
           for example in .github/example-run/*.ron; do
diff --git a/.github/workflows/validation-jobs.yml b/.github/workflows/validation-jobs.yml
index e64445fb7e..5f8f9b69a7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validation-jobs.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validation-jobs.yml
@@ -82,8 +82,10 @@ jobs:
           key: ${{ runner.os }}-windows-run-examples-${{ hashFiles('**/Cargo.toml') }}
 
       - name: Build bevy
+        shell: bash
+        # this uses the same command as when running the example to ensure build is reused
         run: |
-          cargo build --features "bevy_ci_testing"
+          WGPU_BACKEND=dx12 CI_TESTING_CONFIG=.github/example-run/alien_cake_addict.ron cargo build --example alien_cake_addict --features "bevy_ci_testing"
 
       - name: Run examples
         shell: bash