diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index 1841eb7..9c6d491 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -35,4 +35,7 @@ jobs:
           clojure --version
 
       - name: Gate
-        run: make test
+        # `make ci` runs the behavior gates (corpus/unit/smoke/sci/certify). The
+        # self-host byte-fixpoint (make selfhost) is a dev-machine check — it only
+        # holds on the Chez that minted the seed. See jolt-8479.
+        run: make ci
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 2a336b1..b10bbb0 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -4,12 +4,20 @@
 # build step. `make test` is the full gate. `make remint` rebuilds the seed after a
 # source change.
 
-.PHONY: test values corpus unit smoke selfhost sci certify remint
+.PHONY: test ci values corpus unit smoke selfhost sci certify remint
 
-# Full gate. Each step exits non-zero on failure, failing the target.
-test: selfhost values corpus unit smoke sci certify
+# Full gate (dev machine). Includes the self-host byte-fixpoint, which only holds
+# on the same Chez that minted the seed.
+test: selfhost ci
 	@echo "OK: all gates passed"
 
+# CI gate: behavior only. The checked-in seed is a minted artifact (like a
+# lockfile) — it RUNS correctly on any Chez, but `selfhost` rebuilds it and a
+# different Chez version may emit byte-different (gensym/order) output, so the
+# byte-fixpoint is a dev-machine check, not a CI one (jolt-8479).
+ci: values corpus unit smoke sci certify
+	@echo "OK: CI gates passed"
+
 # Self-host fixpoint: bootstrap.ss rebuild == checked-in seed.
 selfhost:
 	@sh host/chez/selfcheck.sh