diff --git a/.github/workflows/zebra-bench.yml b/.github/workflows/zebra-bench.yml
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+name: Zebra consensus benchmarks
+
+# Runs the zebra-consensus criterion benches on every zebra-touching commit:
+# the transparent script cache bench (benches/script.rs) and the block-path
+# UTXO lookup bench (benches/utxo_lookup.rs). Informational, not a required
+# check: absolute times on shared runners are noisy, but the ratios the
+# benches exist to watch (cache miss vs hit, serial vs overlapped lookups)
+# are measured within one run on one box, and an order-of-magnitude
+# regression is visible through the noise.
+#
+# Each bench step is guarded on its bench file existing, so this workflow can
+# land before the PRs that add the benches and activates as they merge.
+
+on:
+  # No `paths:` filter, for the reasons written up at the top of z3-smoke.yml;
+  # the `changes` job below is the equivalent gate.
+  pull_request:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - main
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  changes:
+    name: Path gate
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 5
+    outputs:
+      relevant: ${{ steps.gate.outputs.relevant }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v7
+        with:
+          # Depth 2 diffs the PR merge commit (or the pushed merge) against
+          # what it landed on.
+          fetch-depth: 2
+
+      - name: Decide whether this change can move the benchmarks
+        id: gate
+        env:
+          EVENT_NAME: ${{ github.event_name }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          # A manual dispatch is an explicit request; only `push` and
+          # `pull_request` go through the diff gate.
+          if [ "$EVENT_NAME" = "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
+            echo "relevant=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "Manual dispatch: benching unconditionally." >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          specs=(
+            ':(glob)zebra/zebra-consensus/**'
+            ':(glob)zebra/zebra-chain/**'
+            ':(glob)zebra/zebra-script/**'
+            ':(glob)zebra/Cargo.toml'
+            ':(glob)zebra/Cargo.lock'
+            ':(glob).github/workflows/zebra-bench.yml'
+          )
+
+          # Fail open: "we could not tell" must never silently mean "no CI".
+          base="HEAD^1"
+          if [ "$EVENT_NAME" = "push" ]; then
+            before=$(jq -r '.before // empty' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH" 2>/dev/null || true)
+            if [ -n "$before" ] && [ "$before" != "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000" ]; then
+              base="$before"
+            fi
+          fi
+
+          if ! git diff --name-only "$base" HEAD > "$RUNNER_TEMP/changed" 2>/dev/null; then
+            echo "relevant=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "::warning::could not diff against the base; benching unconditionally"
+            echo "Could not diff against the base; benching unconditionally." >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          git diff --name-only "$base" HEAD -- "${specs[@]}" > "$RUNNER_TEMP/matched"
+
+          total=$(( $(wc -l < "$RUNNER_TEMP/changed") ))
+          hits=$(( $(wc -l < "$RUNNER_TEMP/matched") ))
+          if [ "$hits" -gt 0 ]; then relevant=true; else relevant=false; fi
+          echo "relevant=$relevant" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+          {
+            echo "### zebra bench path gate"
+            echo
+            echo "\`$total\` file(s) changed, \`$hits\` of them reaching the benched crates."
+          } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+
+  bench:
+    name: zebra-consensus benches
+    needs: changes
+    if: needs.changes.outputs.relevant == 'true'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # First uncached run builds the zebra workspace's bench profile (~40 min);
+    # cached runs are dominated by the benches themselves (~10 min).
+    timeout-minutes: 75
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v7
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 1
+
+      # rustup resolves zebra's rust-toolchain.toml on first use. This cache
+      # namespace stays separate from z3-regtest's (different artifact sets),
+      # and only main saves it: per-PR saves of a multi-GB target tree would
+      # push the repo past the Actions cache quota and evict the smoke and
+      # regtest caches. PR runs restore main's entry.
+      - name: Rust build cache
+        uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@v2
+        with:
+          prefix-key: v1-bench
+          save-if: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}
+          workspaces: |
+            zebra -> target
+
+      - name: Script cache bench
+        working-directory: zebra
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          if [ ! -f zebra-consensus/benches/script.rs ]; then
+            echo "benches/script.rs not on this branch yet; skipping" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          cargo bench -p zebra-consensus --bench script 2>&1 | tee "$RUNNER_TEMP/script.out"
+          {
+            echo "### script bench"
+            echo '```'
+            grep -B1 -A2 "time:" "$RUNNER_TEMP/script.out" || echo "no timings parsed"
+            echo '```'
+          } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+
+      - name: UTXO lookup bench
+        working-directory: zebra
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          if [ ! -f zebra-consensus/benches/utxo_lookup.rs ]; then
+            echo "benches/utxo_lookup.rs not on this branch yet; skipping" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          cargo bench -p zebra-consensus --bench utxo_lookup 2>&1 | tee "$RUNNER_TEMP/utxo.out"
+          {
+            echo "### utxo_lookup bench"
+            echo '```'
+            grep -B1 -A2 "time:" "$RUNNER_TEMP/utxo.out" || echo "no timings parsed"
+            echo '```'
+          } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"