diff --git a/.github/workflows/benchmarks.yml b/.github/workflows/benchmarks.yml
index 7566856d52d..4d016a3e3cd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/benchmarks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/benchmarks.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
 
 name: Benchmarks
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/macos_x86_64.yml b/.github/workflows/macos_x86_64.yml
index 8d112a2a53e..fc3527fa292 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/macos_x86_64.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/macos_x86_64.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
 
 name: Macos x86-64 rust tests
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/nix_linux_x86_64.yml b/.github/workflows/nix_linux_x86_64.yml
index 90406b3ddf3..647adf6fa57 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nix_linux_x86_64.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nix_linux_x86_64.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
 
 name: Nix linux x86_64 cargo test
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/nix_macos_apple_silicon.yml b/.github/workflows/nix_macos_apple_silicon.yml
index d1d37969d4f..0f00277d2cd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nix_macos_apple_silicon.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nix_macos_apple_silicon.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
 
 name: Nix apple silicon cargo test
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/nix_macos_x86_64.yml b/.github/workflows/nix_macos_x86_64.yml
index 53bd641fdc8..7c9e43aa281 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nix_macos_x86_64.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nix_macos_x86_64.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
 
 name: Nix macOS x86_64 cargo test
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/spellcheck.yml b/.github/workflows/spellcheck.yml
index 5ad79a396f1..fb7f9284c0c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spellcheck.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spellcheck.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
 
 name: SpellCheck
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_nightly_many_os.yml b/.github/workflows/test_nightly_many_os.yml
index 8885a9c1862..aeb25e52d6b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_nightly_many_os.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_nightly_many_os.yml
@@ -1,11 +1,9 @@
 on:
+  #pull_request:
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 name: Test latest nightly release for macOS, ubu 20.04, ubu 22.04 x86_64
 
-env:
-  ZIG_VERSION: 0.9.1
-
 jobs:
   test-nightly:
     name: test nightly macos 11, macos 12, ubu 20.04, ubu 22.04
@@ -17,6 +15,9 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 90
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - uses: goto-bus-stop/setup-zig@v2
+        with:
+          version: 0.9.1
 
       - name: get the latest release archive for linux (x86_64)
         if: startsWith(matrix.os, 'ubuntu')
@@ -26,44 +27,19 @@ jobs:
         if: startsWith(matrix.os, 'macos')
         run: curl -fOL https://github.com/roc-lang/roc/releases/download/nightly/roc_nightly-macos_x86_64-latest.tar.gz
 
-      - name: remove everything in this dir except the tar # we want to test like a user who would have downloaded the release, so we clean up all files from the repo checkout
-        run: ls | grep -v "roc_nightly.*tar\.gz" | xargs rm -rf
-
-      - name: decompress the tar
-        run: ls | grep "roc_nightly.*tar\.gz" | xargs tar -xzvf
-
-      - name: delete tar
-        run: ls | grep "roc_nightly.*tar\.gz" | xargs rm -rf
-
-      - name: rename nightly folder
-        run: mv roc_nightly* roc_nightly
-
-      - name: test roc hello world
-        run: cd roc_nightly && ./roc examples/helloWorld.roc
+      - run: zig version
 
-      - name: test platform switching rust
-        run: cd roc_nightly && ./roc examples/platform-switching/rocLovesRust.roc
+      - name: prep and run basic tests
+        run: |
+          ./ci/basic_nightly_test.sh
 
-      - name: get OS to use for zig download
+      - name: clean up, get old linux release (x86_64), run tests
         if: startsWith(matrix.os, 'ubuntu')
-        run: echo "OS_TYPE=linux" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
-      - name: get OS to use for zig download
-        if: startsWith(matrix.os, 'macos')
-        run: echo "OS_TYPE=macos" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
-      - name: Install zig
         run: |
-          curl -fL -o zig.tar.xz https://ziglang.org/download/${ZIG_VERSION}/zig-${{env.OS_TYPE}}-x86_64-${ZIG_VERSION}.tar.xz && tar -xf zig.tar.xz
-          echo "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}/zig-${{env.OS_TYPE}}-x86_64-${ZIG_VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_PATH
-      - name: zig version
-        run: zig version
-
-      - name: test platform switching zig
-        run: cd roc_nightly && ./roc examples/platform-switching/rocLovesZig.roc
+          rm -rf roc_nightly
+          curl -fOL https://github.com/roc-lang/roc/releases/download/nightly/roc_nightly-old_linux_x86_64-latest.tar.gz
+          ./ci/basic_nightly_test.sh
 
-      - name: test platform switching c
-        run: cd roc_nightly && ./roc examples/platform-switching/rocLovesC.roc
 
 
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ubuntu_x86_64.yml b/.github/workflows/ubuntu_x86_64.yml
index fd7f81ddf0f..a411f73d120 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ubuntu_x86_64.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ubuntu_x86_64.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
 
 name: CI
 
@@ -61,7 +62,6 @@ jobs:
         run: ./ci/www-repl.sh && sccache --show-stats
 
       #TODO i386 (32-bit linux) cli tests
-
       #TODO verify-no-git-changes
 
       - name: test website build script
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows_release_build.yml b/.github/workflows/windows_release_build.yml
index a889900b0cf..28452089557 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows_release_build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows_release_build.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
 
 name: windows - release build
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows_tests.yml b/.github/workflows/windows_tests.yml
index 2fe095b711b..3fce2a66cb1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows_tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows_tests.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-on: [pull_request]
+on:
+  pull_request:
 
 name: windows - subset of tests
 
diff --git a/ci/basic_nightly_test.sh b/ci/basic_nightly_test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..dca5da8ae03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/basic_nightly_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# https://vaneyckt.io/posts/safer_bash_scripts_with_set_euxo_pipefail/
+set -euxo pipefail
+
+# if to prevent unset vars errror
+if [ -n "$(ls | grep -v "roc_nightly.*tar\.gz"  | grep -v "^ci$")" ]; then
+  
+  # Remove everything in this dir except the tar and ci folder.
+  # We want to test like a user who would have downloaded the release, so we clean up all files from the repo checkout.
+  to_delete=$(ls | grep -v "roc_nightly.*tar\.gz"  | grep -v "^ci$")
+
+  for file_or_dir in $to_delete
+  do
+    echo "Removing: $file_or_dir" 
+    rm -rf "$file_or_dir"
+  done
+fi
+
+# decompress the tar
+ls | grep "roc_nightly.*tar\.gz" | xargs tar -xzvf
+
+# delete tar
+ls | grep "roc_nightly.*tar\.gz" | xargs rm -rf
+
+# rename nightly folder
+mv roc_nightly* roc_nightly
+
+cd roc_nightly
+
+# test roc hello world
+./roc examples/helloWorld.roc 
+
+./roc examples/platform-switching/rocLovesRust.roc
+
+./roc examples/platform-switching/rocLovesZig.roc
+
+./roc examples/platform-switching/rocLovesC.roc
+
+cd ..