diff --git a/.github/workflows/cache-warm.yml b/.github/workflows/cache-warm.yml
index 660d96b09..62ecc2010 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cache-warm.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cache-warm.yml
@@ -212,6 +212,9 @@ jobs:
           install-build-packaging-tools: 'false'
 
       - name: Build ci-feat-rio superset
+        env:
+          # --all-targets links the same test binaries as the reader lane.
+          CARGO_BUILD_JOBS: "2"
         run: |
           cargo build -p rustfs -p rustfs-ecstore --all-targets --features rio-v2
           cargo build -p rustfs --bins --features rio-v2,e2e-test-hooks
@@ -240,6 +243,9 @@ jobs:
           install-build-packaging-tools: 'false'
 
       - name: Build ci-feat-proto superset
+        env:
+          # Avoid an unbounded burst of concurrent test-binary links (#5394).
+          CARGO_BUILD_JOBS: "2"
         run: |
           cargo build -p rustfs -p rustfs-protocols --all-targets --features swift
           cargo build -p rustfs -p rustfs-protocols --all-targets --features sftp
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 664ef7952..d245b0b89 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -457,6 +457,11 @@ jobs:
         run: cargo clippy -p rustfs -p rustfs-ecstore --all-targets --features rio-v2 -- -D warnings
 
       - name: Run rio-v2 feature tests
+        env:
+          # Match the main nextest lane's #5394 link-I/O guard. A cold feature
+          # cache otherwise fans out enough rust-lld processes to exhaust this
+          # job's 90-minute budget before any test starts.
+          CARGO_BUILD_JOBS: "2"
         run: |
           cargo nextest run -p rustfs -p rustfs-ecstore --features rio-v2
           cargo test -p rustfs --doc --features rio-v2
@@ -505,6 +510,10 @@ jobs:
           cargo clippy -p rustfs -p rustfs-protocols --all-targets ${{ matrix.features.flags }} -- -D warnings
 
       - name: Run tests with ${{ matrix.features.name }}
+        env:
+          # Keep feature-test linking under the same bounded concurrency as the
+          # main nextest lane; Clippy is metadata-only and needs no such limit.
+          CARGO_BUILD_JOBS: "2"
         run: |
           cargo nextest run -p rustfs -p rustfs-protocols ${{ matrix.features.flags }}