diff --git a/.github/debug_assertions.sh b/.github/debug_assertions.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..67dbc1269
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/debug_assertions.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Check all the standard Rust source files
+output=$(rg "debug_assertions" -g "*.rs" .)
+
+if [ -z "$output" ]; then
+	if [ "$USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS" = "true" ]; then
+		echo "Could not find any debug_assertions usage in Rust code."
+		echo "The CI script must be modified to not expect usage."
+		echo "Set USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS to false in .github/workflows/ci.yml."
+		exit 1
+	else
+		echo "Expected no debug_assertions usage in Rust code and found none."
+		exit 0
+	fi
+else
+	if [ "$USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS" = "true" ]; then
+		echo "Expected debug_assertions to be used in Rust code and found it."
+		exit 0
+	else
+		echo "Found debug_assertions usage in Rust code."
+		echo ""
+		echo $output
+		echo ""
+		echo "The CI script must be modified to expect this usage."
+		echo "Set USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS to true in .github/workflows/ci.yml."
+		exit 1
+	fi
+fi
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index a467e7202..c2e3edd2d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ env:
   NO_WASM_PKGS: "--exclude masonry --exclude xilem"
   # Only some of our examples support Android (primarily due to extra required boilerplate).
   ANDROID_TARGETS: "-p xilem --example mason_android --example calc_android --example stopwatch_android --example variable_clock_android --example http_cats_android --example to_do_mvc_android"
+  # Whether the workspace contains Rust code using the debug_assertions configuration option.
+  USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS: "true"
 
 
 # Rationale
@@ -43,6 +45,9 @@ env:
 # The MSRV jobs run only cargo check because different clippy versions can disagree on goals and
 # running tests introduces dev dependencies which may require a higher MSRV than the bare package.
 #
+# If the workspace uses debug_assertions then we verify code twice, with it set to true or false.
+# We always keep it true for external dependencies so that we can reuse the cache for faster builds.
+#
 # We don't save caches in the merge-group cases, because those caches will never be re-used (apart
 # from the very rare cases where there are multiple PRs in the merge queue).
 # This is because GitHub doesn't share caches between merge queues and the main branch.
@@ -83,6 +88,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: check copyright headers
         run: bash .github/copyright.sh
 
+      - name: check debug_assertions presence
+        run: bash .github/debug_assertions.sh
+
       - name: install cargo-rdme
         uses: taiki-e/install-action@v2
         with:
@@ -122,15 +130,22 @@ jobs:
           save-if: ${{ github.event_name != 'merge_group' }}
 
       - name: cargo clippy
-        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace --locked --optional-deps --each-feature -- -D warnings
+        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace --locked --profile ci --optional-deps --each-feature -- -D warnings
 
       - name: cargo clippy (auxiliary)
-        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace --locked --optional-deps --each-feature --tests --benches --examples -- -D warnings
+        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace --locked --profile ci --optional-deps --each-feature --tests --benches --examples -- -D warnings
+
+      - name: cargo clippy (no debug_assertions)
+        if: env.USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS == 'true'
+        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace --locked --profile ci --optional-deps --each-feature -- -D warnings
+        env:
+          CARGO_PROFILE_CI_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS: "false"
 
-      # Verify that we can build in release mode
-      # TODO: Find a way for this to share artifacts with the above job?
-      - name: cargo clippy (release)
-        run: cargo clippy --release --workspace --locked --all-targets -- -D warnings
+      - name: cargo clippy (auxiliary) (no debug_assertions)
+        if: env.USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS == 'true'
+        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace --locked --profile ci --optional-deps --each-feature --tests --benches --examples -- -D warnings
+        env:
+          CARGO_PROFILE_CI_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS: "false"
 
   clippy-stable-wasm:
     name: cargo clippy (wasm32)
@@ -156,15 +171,22 @@ jobs:
           save-if: ${{ github.event_name != 'merge_group' }}
 
       - name: cargo clippy
-        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --optional-deps --each-feature -- -D warnings
+        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --profile ci --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --optional-deps --each-feature -- -D warnings
 
       - name: cargo clippy (auxiliary)
-        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --optional-deps --each-feature --tests --benches --examples -- -D warnings
+        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --profile ci --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --optional-deps --each-feature --tests --benches --examples -- -D warnings
+
+      - name: cargo clippy (no debug_assertions)
+        if: env.USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS == 'true'
+        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --profile ci --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --optional-deps --each-feature -- -D warnings
+        env:
+          CARGO_PROFILE_CI_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS: "false"
 
-      # Verify that we can build in release mode
-      # TODO: Find a way for this to share artifacts with the above job?
-      - name: cargo clippy (release)
-        run: cargo clippy --release --workspace ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --all-targets -- -D warnings
+      - name: cargo clippy (auxiliary) (no debug_assertions)
+        if: env.USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS == 'true'
+        run: cargo hack clippy --workspace ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --profile ci --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --optional-deps --each-feature --tests --benches --examples -- -D warnings
+        env:
+          CARGO_PROFILE_CI_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS: "false"
 
   prime-lfs-cache:
     name: Prime LFS Cache
@@ -344,7 +366,13 @@ jobs:
           save-if: ${{ github.event_name != 'merge_group' }}
 
       - name: cargo check
-        run: cargo hack check ${{ env.RUST_MIN_VER_PKGS }} --locked --optional-deps --each-feature
+        run: cargo hack check ${{ env.RUST_MIN_VER_PKGS }} --locked --profile ci --optional-deps --each-feature
+
+      - name: cargo check (no debug_assertions)
+        if: env.USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS == 'true'
+        run: cargo hack check ${{ env.RUST_MIN_VER_PKGS }} --locked --profile ci --optional-deps --each-feature
+        env:
+          CARGO_PROFILE_CI_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS: "false"
 
   check-msrv-wasm:
     name: cargo check (msrv) (wasm32)
@@ -369,7 +397,13 @@ jobs:
           save-if: ${{ github.event_name != 'merge_group' }}
 
       - name: cargo check
-        run: cargo hack check ${{ env.RUST_MIN_VER_PKGS }} ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --optional-deps --each-feature
+        run: cargo hack check ${{ env.RUST_MIN_VER_PKGS }} ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --profile ci --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --optional-deps --each-feature
+
+      - name: cargo check (no debug_assertions)
+        if: env.USING_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS == 'true'
+        run: cargo hack check ${{ env.RUST_MIN_VER_PKGS }} ${{ env.NO_WASM_PKGS }} --locked --profile ci --target wasm32-unknown-unknown --optional-deps --each-feature
+        env:
+          CARGO_PROFILE_CI_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS: "false"
 
   doc:
     name: cargo doc
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index ef62a76b3..a9fb0b033 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -122,3 +122,8 @@ accesskit = "0.17.0"
 accesskit_winit = "0.23.0"
 nv-flip = "0.1.2"
 time = "0.3.36"
+
+[profile.ci]
+inherits = "dev"
+[profile.ci.package."*"]
+debug-assertions = true # Keep always on for dependencies for cache reuse.