diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeql-analysis.yml b/.github/workflows/codeql-analysis.yml
index 8768c8d..264712a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codeql-analysis.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeql-analysis.yml
@@ -15,20 +15,17 @@ jobs:
       security-events: write
 
     steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
+      - name: checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 1
 
       # Initializes the CodeQL tools for scanning.
-      - name: Initialize CodeQL
+      - name: initialize codeql
         uses: github/codeql-action/init@v3
         with:
           languages: go
+          build-mode: autobuild
 
-      # Autobuild attempts to build any compiled languages (C/C++, C#, or Java).
-      - name: Autobuild
-        uses: github/codeql-action/autobuild@v3
-
-      - name: Perform CodeQL Analysis
+      - name: perform codeql analysis
         uses: github/codeql-action/analyze@v3
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr.yml b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
index 412e886..302c32a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
@@ -6,33 +6,52 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   lint:
-    name: GolangCI Lint
+    name: golangci-lint
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
+      - name: checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 1
-      - name: Set up go
-        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+      - name: set up go
+        uses: WillAbides/setup-go-faster@v1
         with:
           go-version-file: go.mod
-      - name: Run linter
+      - name: lint
         uses: golangci/golangci-lint-action@v6
         with:
           version: latest
 
+  check:
+    name: go vet
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 1
+      - name: set up go
+        uses: WillAbides/setup-go-faster@v1
+        with:
+          go-version-file: go.mod
+      - name: run go vet
+        run: go vet ./...
+      - name: run staticcheck
+        uses: dominikh/staticcheck-action@v1
+        with:
+          version: latest
+
   tests:
-    name: Run unit tests with the race detector enabled
+    name: run unit tests with the race detector enabled
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
+      - name: checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 1
-      - name: Set up go
-        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+      - name: set up go
+        uses: WillAbides/setup-go-faster@v1
         with:
           go-version-file: go.mod
-      - name: Run unit tests
+      - name: run unit tests
         run: go test -v -race ./...
diff --git a/.golangci.yml b/.golangci.yml
index 1712b7b..da1adb2 100644
--- a/.golangci.yml
+++ b/.golangci.yml
@@ -9,11 +9,14 @@ linters:
     - depguard # enforces that only deps on a whitelist can be used (meant for orgs, not small projects)
     - execinquery # deprecated
     - exhaustruct
+    - exportloopref # deprecated
     - forbidigo # we need to use fmt.Print*()
     - gomnd
-    - nolintlint
-    - nonamedreturns
+    - govet # we run the official go vet separately
+    - nolintlint # we do occasionally need to suppress linter false positives
+    - nonamedreturns # named returns often help readability
     - paralleltest # tests only take 2.5s to run. no need to parallelize
+    - staticcheck # dominickh doesn't recommend running staticcheck as part of golangci-lint, so we run Real Staticcheck™ separately
     - testpackage
     - varnamelen # makes bad suggestions
     - wsl