diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/validate.yml b/.gitea/workflows/validate.yml
index cc20b78..5ec67d9 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/validate.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/validate.yml
@@ -30,6 +30,9 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-go@v5
         with:
           go-version-file: go.mod
+          # Three small modules aren't worth caching, and the runners' cache server is unreachable
+          # from job containers: each restore/save attempt timed out after ~4.7 minutes.
+          cache: false
 
       - name: Validate
         run: |
@@ -69,6 +72,9 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-go@v5
         with:
           go-version-file: go.mod
+          # Three small modules aren't worth caching, and the runners' cache server is unreachable
+          # from job containers: each restore/save attempt timed out after ~4.7 minutes.
+          cache: false
 
       # Secrets named in a game's test.yaml must be listed here to reach the boot test
       - name: Boot test changed games
@@ -93,6 +99,9 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/setup-go@v5
         with:
           go-version-file: go.mod
+          # Three small modules aren't worth caching, and the runners' cache server is unreachable
+          # from job containers: each restore/save attempt timed out after ~4.7 minutes.
+          cache: false
 
       # Unlike the node-agent notify, a failure here fails the run, because the panel would
       # otherwise keep serving the previous templates silently.
diff --git a/scripts/runner/config.yaml b/scripts/runner/config.yaml
index 1f0e408..cda4498 100644
--- a/scripts/runner/config.yaml
+++ b/scripts/runner/config.yaml
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ runner:
   capacity: 1
   timeout: 3h
 
+cache:
+  # The built-in cache server listens on the runner container's own network, which job containers
+  # can't reach: every cache restore/save waited ~4.7 minutes for a timeout. Off, they skip at once.
+  enabled: false
+
 container:
   # Empty = use the host's Docker and mount it into job containers, which the boot test needs
   # to start the node-agent and game containers