diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index a99eb28ca..7020dc3d7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -1,25 +1,45 @@
 name: Build
 on:
   workflow_call:
+    outputs:
+      artifact-id:
+        description: "The artifact id uploaded by this build"
+        value: ${{ jobs.build.outputs.artifact-id }}
 jobs:
   build:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      artifact-id: ${{ steps.upload.outputs.artifact-id }}
     steps:      
-    - uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+    - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
       with:
         python-version: '3.10'
     - run: pip install 'git+https://github.com/silnrsi/sldrtools'
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    - name: Use cached sldr
+      id: cache-sldr
+      uses: actions/cache@v4
+      with:
+        path: |
+          flat
+          unflat
+        key: sldr-flattened-${{ hashFiles('sldr/**') }}
 
     - name: Generate unflattened sldr
+      if: steps.cache-sldr.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
       run: ldmlflatten -o unflat -i sldr -a -c -g    
 
     - name: Generate flattened sldr
+      if: steps.cache-sldr.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
       run: ldmlflatten -o flat -i sldr -a -A -g
 
     - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+      id: upload
+      if: steps.cache-sldr.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
       with:
         name: sldr
         path: |
            flat/
            unflat/
+        compression-level: 9
diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
index b7e484db4..cd5d6f2c2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
@@ -2,46 +2,51 @@ name: Deploy to server
 on:
   workflow_call:
     inputs:
-      stage_to:
+      stage-to:
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      artifact-id:
         required: true
         type: string
     secrets:
-      uploader_key:
+      uploader-key:
         required: true
-      server_address:
+      server-address:
         required: true
-      repository_dispatch_pat:
+      repository-dispatch-pat:
         required: true
 
 jobs:
   deploy:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    if: inputs.artifact-id
     env:
       RSYNC_OPTS: -aP --no-p --no-g --no-t --compress --del -e "ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no"
     steps:
     # Install our private key for uploading deliverable
-    - uses: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.7.0
+    - uses: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.9.0
       with:
-        ssh-private-key: ${{secrets.uploader_key}}
+        ssh-private-key: ${{secrets.uploader-key}}
     # Download the artefact
     - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
       with:
         name: sldr
     # Upload results
-    - name: Upload flattened SLDR to /ldml-api/data/${{ inputs.stage }}
-      run: rsync ${{env.RSYNC_OPTS}} --chmod=Dug=rwx flat unflat ${{secrets.server_address}}/sites/s/ldml-api/data/${{ inputs.stage_to }}/
+    - name: Upload flattened SLDR to /ldml-api/data/${{ inputs.stage-to }}
+      run: rsync ${{env.RSYNC_OPTS}} --chmod=Dug=rwx flat unflat ${{secrets.server-address}}/sites/s/ldml-api/data/${{ inputs.stage-to }}/
 
   dispatch:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: deploy
     steps:
     - name: Trigger langtags rebuild
-      uses: peter-evans/repository-dispatch@v2
+      uses: peter-evans/repository-dispatch@v3
       with:
-        token: ${{ secrets.repository_dispatch_pat }}
+        token: ${{ secrets.repository-dispatch-pat }}
         repository: silnrsi/langtags
-        event-type: sldr${{ endsWith(github.ref, '/release') && '-release' || ''}}-deployed
+        event-type: sldr-deployed
         client-payload: >- 
           {
-            "release": "${{ endsWith(github.ref, '/release') }}"
+            "release": "${{ github.ref_name == 'release' }}",
+            "artifact-id": ${{ inputs.artifact-id }}
           }
diff --git a/.github/workflows/production.yml b/.github/workflows/production.yml
index 4a2adfe8a..e96fb80f4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/production.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/production.yml
@@ -2,10 +2,14 @@ name: Flatten SLDR and publish release branch to production
 on:
   push:
     paths:
+    - .github/workflows/**
     - sldr/**
     branches: [ release ]
   pull_request:
+    types:
+    - closed
     paths:
+    - .github/workflows/**
     - sldr/**
     branches: [ release ]
 
@@ -16,10 +20,12 @@ jobs:
 # Deploy built artefacts to the secrets.UPLOAD_TARGET
   deploy:
     needs: build
+    if: github.event_name == 'push' || github.event.pull_request.merged == true
     uses: ./.github/workflows/deploy.yml
     with:
-      stage_to: sldr
+      stage-to: sldr
+      artifact-id: ${{ needs.build.outputs.artifact-id }}
     secrets:
-      uploader_key: ${{ secrets.UPLOADER_SSH_KEY }}
-      server_address: ${{ secrets.UPLOAD_TARGET }}
-      repository_dispatch_pat: ${{ secrets.REPO_DISPATCH_TOKEN }}
\ No newline at end of file
+      uploader-key: ${{ secrets.UPLOADER_SSH_KEY }}
+      server-address: ${{ secrets.UPLOAD_TARGET }}
+      repository-dispatch-pat: ${{ secrets.REPO_DISPATCH_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/staging.yml b/.github/workflows/staging.yml
index 01bdaecec..3abc2e819 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/staging.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/staging.yml
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
-name: Flatten SLDR and publish to staging
+name: Flatten SLDR and publish master to staging
 on:
   push:
     paths:
     - .github/workflows/**
     - sldr/**
-    branches: [ master ]
+    branches: [ master, feat/*, fix/* ]
   pull_request:
+    types:
+    - closed
     paths:
     - .github/workflows/**
     - sldr/**
@@ -18,10 +20,12 @@ jobs:
 # Deploy built artefacts to the secrets.UPLOAD_TARGET
   deploy:
     needs: build
+    if: github.event_name == 'push' || github.event.pull_request.merged == true
     uses: ./.github/workflows/deploy.yml
     with:
-      stage_to: sldr-staging
+      stage-to: sldr-staging
+      artifact-id: ${{ needs.build.outputs.artifact-id }}
     secrets:
-      uploader_key: ${{ secrets.UPLOADER_SSH_KEY }}
-      server_address: ${{ secrets.UPLOAD_TARGET }}
-      repository_dispatch_pat: ${{ secrets.REPO_DISPATCH_TOKEN }}
+      uploader-key: ${{ secrets.UPLOADER_SSH_KEY }}
+      server-address: ${{ secrets.UPLOAD_TARGET }}
+      repository-dispatch-pat: ${{ secrets.REPO_DISPATCH_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 59c76a8d0..853e6d8aa 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,20 +1,18 @@
-.*.sw?
+# runtime litter
 *.pyc
-*~
-**/__pycache__/
-node_modules/
-vendor_bower/
-dev/
-flat/
-unflat/
-cldrdata/
-cldrflat/
-temp/
-results/
-keyboards/
-doc/*.rnc
-sldr/*/*.orig
 
-# Editors
-*.bak
+# build intermediates
+*.egg-info/**
+dist/
+build/
+/flat/**
+/unflat/**
 
+# dev environment
+/.venv/
+/.vscode/
+*.code-workspace
+*.env
+*.secrets
+*~
+*.bak
\ No newline at end of file