diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index 6cad2057dd01..92d82aed9967 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -69,8 +69,13 @@ jobs:
         run: cp -vf .github/workflows/repositories /root/.sbt/ ; true
 
       - name: Test
+        # DON'T add dist/pack!
+        # Adding dist/pack bootstraps the compiler
+        # which undermines the point of these tests:
+        # to quickly run the tests without the cost of bootstrapping
+        # and also to run tests when the compiler doesn't bootstrap
         run: |
-          ./project/scripts/sbt ";dist/pack; compile ;test"
+          ./project/scripts/sbt ";compile ;test"
           ./project/scripts/cmdTests
 
   test:
diff --git a/compiler/test/dotty/tools/scripting/BashScriptsTests.scala b/compiler/test/dotty/tools/scripting/BashScriptsTests.scala
index 6fa009428bb1..8a19d0420692 100644
--- a/compiler/test/dotty/tools/scripting/BashScriptsTests.scala
+++ b/compiler/test/dotty/tools/scripting/BashScriptsTests.scala
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import scala.language.unsafeNulls
 import java.nio.file.Paths
 import org.junit.{Test, AfterClass}
 import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.experimental.categories.Category
 
 import vulpix.TestConfiguration
 
@@ -156,6 +157,7 @@ class BashScriptsTests:
    * verify that scriptPath.sc sees a valid script.path property,
    * and that it's value is the path to "scriptPath.sc".
    */
+  @Category(Array(classOf[BootstrappedOnlyTests]))
   @Test def verifyScriptPathProperty =
     val scriptFile = testFiles.find(_.getName == "scriptPath.sc").get
     val expected = s"${scriptFile.getName}"
diff --git a/compiler/test/dotty/tools/scripting/ExpressionTest.scala b/compiler/test/dotty/tools/scripting/ExpressionTest.scala
index 803baf30e6d8..a464d15a8fab 100755
--- a/compiler/test/dotty/tools/scripting/ExpressionTest.scala
+++ b/compiler/test/dotty/tools/scripting/ExpressionTest.scala
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import scala.language.unsafeNulls
 import java.nio.file.Paths
 import org.junit.{Test, AfterClass}
 import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+import org.junit.experimental.categories.Category
 
 import vulpix.TestConfiguration
 
@@ -15,6 +16,7 @@ import ScriptTestEnv.*
 /**
  *   +. test scala -e <expression>
  */
+@Category(Array(classOf[BootstrappedOnlyTests]))
 class ExpressionTest:
   /*
    * verify -e <expression> works.