diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index eb58041bc..ba6c7a175 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -181,7 +181,6 @@ jobs:
         run: make install-katana
       - name: Run tests
         run: |
-          make fetch-ssj-artifacts
           cp .env.example .env
           make run-nodes & make test-end-to-end
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3fc968c24..d309d0aa8 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ ifneq ("$(wildcard .env)","")
     export $(shell sed 's/=.*//' .env)
 endif
 
-.PHONY: build test coverage
+.PHONY: build test coverage clean
 
 # 154615699 corresponds to release v0.1.7 of Kakarot SSJ.
 KKRT_SSJ_RELEASE_ID = 154615699
@@ -13,28 +13,28 @@ KKRT_SSJ_BUILD_ARTIFACT_URL = $(shell curl -L https://api.github.com/repos/kkrt-
 KATANA_VERSION = v1.0.0-alpha.11
 ROOT_DIR:=$(shell dirname $(realpath $(lastword $(MAKEFILE_LIST))))
 
+BUILD_DIR = build
+SSJ_DIR = $(BUILD_DIR)/ssj
+SSJ_ZIP = dev-artifacts.zip
 
-build: check
-	$(MAKE) clean
+build: $(SSJ_DIR) check
 	poetry run python ./kakarot_scripts/compile_kakarot.py
 
 check:
 	poetry check --lock
 
+$(SSJ_DIR): $(SSJ_ZIP)
+	rm -rf $(SSJ_DIR)
+	mkdir -p $(SSJ_DIR)
+	unzip -o $(SSJ_ZIP) -d $(SSJ_DIR)
+	rm -f $(SSJ_ZIP)
+
+$(SSJ_ZIP):
+	curl -sL -o $(SSJ_ZIP) "$(KKRT_SSJ_BUILD_ARTIFACT_URL)"
+
 fetch-ef-tests:
 	poetry run python ./kakarot_scripts/ef_tests/fetch.py
 
-# This action fetches the latest Kakarot SSJ (Cairo compiler version >=2) artifacts
-# from the main branch and unzips them into the build/ssj directory.
-# This is required because Kakarot Zero (Cairo Zero, compiler version <1) uses some SSJ Cairo programs.
-# Most notably for precompiles.
-fetch-ssj-artifacts:
-	rm -rf build/ssj
-	mkdir -p build/ssj
-	@curl -sL -o dev-artifacts.zip "$(KKRT_SSJ_BUILD_ARTIFACT_URL)"
-	unzip -o dev-artifacts.zip -d build/ssj
-	rm -f dev-artifacts.zip
-
 setup: fetch-ssj-artifacts
 	poetry install
 
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ test: deploy
 test-unit: build-sol
 	poetry run pytest tests/src -m "not NoCI" -n logical --seed 42
 
-# run make run-nodes in other terminal
 test-end-to-end: deploy
 	poetry run pytest tests/end_to_end --seed 42
 
@@ -59,9 +58,10 @@ format-check:
 	trunk check --ci
 
 clean:
-	rm -rf build/*.json
-	rm -rf build/fixtures/*.json
-	mkdir -p build
+	rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR)/*.json
+	rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR)/fixtures/*.json
+	rm -rf $(SSJ_DIR)
+	mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
 
 check-resources:
 	poetry run python kakarot_scripts/check_resources.py