diff --git a/.github/actionlint.yaml b/.github/actionlint.yaml
index 73b6f87e6f..d291b6427e 100644
--- a/.github/actionlint.yaml
+++ b/.github/actionlint.yaml
@@ -41,4 +41,11 @@ paths:
   .github/workflows/push-head-images.yaml:
     ignore:
       - 'unexpected key "background" for step'
-      - 'step must run script with "run" section or run action with "uses" section'
\ No newline at end of file
+      - 'step must run script with "run" section or run action with "uses" section'
+  # DEVOPS-1029: the release workflow uses `parallel:` blocks of the same
+  # feature; actionlint reports each `parallel:` step as missing a `run`/`uses`
+  # section. Suppress only that message for this one file until native support
+  # lands; then delete this entry.
+  .github/workflows/release.yaml:
+    ignore:
+      - 'step must run script with "run" section or run action with "uses" section'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
index e10fdc692e..fe3e2048fa 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -47,27 +47,34 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-      - run: git fetch --force --tags
-      - name: Set up Go
-        uses: actions/setup-go@v6
-        with:
-          cache: false
-          go-version-file: go.mod
-      - name: Setup Just
-        uses: extractions/setup-just@v2
-      - name: Setup Cosgin
-        uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@main
-        with:
-          cosign-release: "v2.2.3"
-      - name: Setup Syft
-        uses: anchore/sbom-action/download-syft@v0.22.2
-      - name: Set up QEMU
-        uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3
-      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
-      - uses: azure/setup-helm@v4
-        with:
-          version: "v3.0.2"
+      # DEVOPS-1029: independent setup steps run concurrently. The implicit
+      # wait-all at the end of this parallel block guarantees the tags are
+      # fetched and every tool is installed before get_version and goreleaser
+      # below consume them. No step here depends on another step in the block.
+      - parallel:
+          - name: Fetch tags
+            run: git fetch --force --tags
+          - name: Set up Go
+            uses: actions/setup-go@v6
+            with:
+              cache: false
+              go-version-file: go.mod
+          - name: Setup Just
+            uses: extractions/setup-just@v2
+          - name: Setup Cosgin
+            uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@main
+            with:
+              cosign-release: "v2.2.3"
+          - name: Setup Syft
+            uses: anchore/sbom-action/download-syft@v0.22.2
+          - name: Set up QEMU
+            uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3
+          - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+            uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+          - name: Set up Helm
+            uses: azure/setup-helm@v4
+            with:
+              version: "v3.0.2"
       - id: get_version
         run: |
           RELEASE_VERSION=$(echo "$GITHUB_REF" | sed -nE 's!refs/tags/!!p')
@@ -135,16 +142,20 @@ jobs:
           TELEMETRY_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.VCLUSTER_TELEMETRY_PRIVATE_KEY }}
           GORELEASER_CURRENT_TAG: ${{ steps.get_version.outputs.release_version }}
           GORELEASER_PREVIOUS_TAG: ${{ steps.get_version.outputs.previous_tag }}
-      - name: Save release assets
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v6
-        with:
-          name: release-assets
-          path: release/
-      - name: Attach assets to release
-        uses: FabianKramm/release-asset-action@v1
-        with:
-          pattern: "release/*"
-          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+      # DEVOPS-1029: both uploads only read release/ produced by goreleaser and
+      # are independent of each other, so they run concurrently. The implicit
+      # wait-all surfaces any upload failure (release-blocking, as before).
+      - parallel:
+          - name: Save release assets
+            uses: actions/upload-artifact@v6
+            with:
+              name: release-assets
+              path: release/
+          - name: Attach assets to release
+            uses: FabianKramm/release-asset-action@v1
+            with:
+              pattern: "release/*"
+              github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
       # Best-effort dispatch: a failed notify must not block the release. The
       # receiver in vcluster-docs reconciles on the next release if missed.