diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..039e8965
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+name: build-on-self-hosted-runner
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - main
+    paths-ignore:
+      - "**.md"
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - main
+    paths-ignore:
+      - "**.md"
+env:
+  CARGO_TERM_COLOR: always
+  GCP_ZONE: europe-west3-a
+
+jobs:
+  create-runner:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      label: ${{ steps.create-runner.outputs.label }}
+    steps:
+      - id: create-runner
+        uses: related-sciences/gce-github-runner@v0.10
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GH_SA_TOKEN }}
+          project_id: ${{ secrets.GCP_PROJECT_ID }}
+          service_account_key: ${{ secrets.GCP_SA_KEY }}
+          image_project: ubuntu-os-cloud
+          image_family: ubuntu-2004-lts
+          machine_type: e2-highcpu-32
+          disk_size: 100
+          machine_zone: ${{ env.GCP_ZONE }}
+          ephemeral: true
+
+  test-features:
+      needs: create-runner
+      runs-on: ${{ needs.create-runner.outputs.label }}
+      steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set HOME
+        run: echo "HOME=/home/ubuntu" >> ${GITHUB_ENV}
+
+      - name: Install minimal nightly Rust
+        uses: actions-rs/toolchain@v1
+        with:
+          profile: minimal
+          toolchain: nightly-2023-05-22
+          target: wasm32-unknown-unknown
+          override: true
+          components: rustfmt, clippy
+
+      - name: Install Dependencies
+        run: sudo apt install protobuf-compiler clang build-essential -y
+
+      - name: 🫠 rustfmt 🫠
+        uses: actions-rs/cargo@v1
+        with:
+          command: fmt
+          args: --check
+
+      - name: Run tests with benchmarks
+        run: cargo test --features runtime-benchmarks
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/collator_actions.yml b/.github/workflows/collator_actions.yml
index 89415aed..360c9879 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/collator_actions.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/collator_actions.yml
@@ -1,74 +1,74 @@
-name: rust
-on:
-  workflow_dispatch:
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - main
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "**.md"
-  pull_request:
-    branches:
-      - main
-    paths-ignore:
-      - "**.md"
-
-    env: 
-      CARGO_TERM_COLOR: always
-
-jobs:
-  build-imbue-collator:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout sources
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          submodules: recursive
-
-      - name: Install minimal nightly Rust
-        uses: actions-rs/toolchain@v1
-        with:
-          profile: minimal
-          toolchain: nightly-2023-05-22
-          target: wasm32-unknown-unknown
-          override: true
-
-      - name: Update submodules
-        run: git submodule update --recursive --remote
-
-      - name: Clean unused directories
-        run: sudo rm -rf /usr/share/dotnet;sudo rm -rf /opt/ghc;sudo rm -rf "/usr/local/share/boost";sudo rm -rf "$AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY"
-
-      - name: Install Protobuf
-        run: sudo apt install protobuf-compiler
-
-      - name: Run tests with benchmarks
-        run: cargo test --features runtime-benchmarks
-  clippy:
-      runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-      steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: Install Protobuf
-        run: sudo apt install protobuf-compiler
-      - name: Install minimal nightly Rust
-        uses: actions-rs/toolchain@v1
-        with:
-          profile: minimal
-          toolchain: nightly-2023-05-22
-          target: wasm32-unknown-unknown
-          override: true
-      - name: Install clippy
-        run: rustup component add clippy
-      - name: Ensure executable
-        run: chmod +x ./ci/jobs/clippy.sh
-      - name: Run clippy
-        run: ./ci/jobs/clippy.sh
-  rustfmt:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-    - name: Install rustfmt
-      run: rustup component add rustfmt
-    - name: Ensure executable
-      run: chmod +x ./ci/jobs/rustfmt.sh
-    - name: Run rustfmt
-      run: ./ci/jobs/rustfmt.sh
\ No newline at end of file
+#name: rust
+#on:
+#  workflow_dispatch:
+#  push:
+#    branches:
+#      - main
+#    paths-ignore:
+#      - "**.md"
+#  pull_request:
+#    branches:
+#      - main
+#    paths-ignore:
+#      - "**.md"
+#
+#    env:
+#      CARGO_TERM_COLOR: always
+#
+#jobs:
+#  build-imbue-collator:
+#    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+#    steps:
+#      - name: Checkout sources
+#        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+#        with:
+#          submodules: recursive
+#
+#      - name: Install minimal nightly Rust
+#        uses: actions-rs/toolchain@v1
+#        with:
+#          profile: minimal
+#          toolchain: nightly-2023-05-22
+#          target: wasm32-unknown-unknown
+#          override: true
+#
+#      - name: Update submodules
+#        run: git submodule update --recursive --remote
+#
+#      - name: Clean unused directories
+#        run: sudo rm -rf /usr/share/dotnet;sudo rm -rf /opt/ghc;sudo rm -rf "/usr/local/share/boost";sudo rm -rf "$AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY"
+#
+#      - name: Install Protobuf
+#        run: sudo apt install protobuf-compiler
+#
+#      - name: Run tests with benchmarks
+#        run: cargo test --features runtime-benchmarks
+#  clippy:
+#      runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+#      steps:
+#      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+#      - name: Install Protobuf
+#        run: sudo apt install protobuf-compiler
+#      - name: Install minimal nightly Rust
+#        uses: actions-rs/toolchain@v1
+#        with:
+#          profile: minimal
+#          toolchain: nightly-2023-05-22
+#          target: wasm32-unknown-unknown
+#          override: true
+#      - name: Install clippy
+#        run: rustup component add clippy
+#      - name: Ensure executable
+#        run: chmod +x ./ci/jobs/clippy.sh
+#      - name: Run clippy
+#        run: ./ci/jobs/clippy.sh
+#  rustfmt:
+#    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+#    steps:
+#    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+#    - name: Install rustfmt
+#      run: rustup component add rustfmt
+#    - name: Ensure executable
+#      run: chmod +x ./ci/jobs/rustfmt.sh
+#    - name: Run rustfmt
+#      run: ./ci/jobs/rustfmt.sh
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index d095aad3..736b52bb 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 [profile.release]
 panic = 'unwind'
 split-debuginfo = "unpacked"
+opt-level = 3
 
 [workspace.package]
 authors = ["imbue <https://github.com/ImbueNetwork>"]
@@ -24,3 +25,13 @@ members = [
 	"runtime/imbue-kusama",
 	"runtime/common",
 ]
+
+# make sure dev builds with backtrace do
+# not slow us down
+[profile.dev.package.backtrace]
+inherits = "release"
+
+[profile.production]
+inherits = "release"
+lto = true
+codegen-units = 1
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ci/jobs/clippy.sh b/ci/jobs/clippy.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
diff --git a/ci/jobs/install_rust.sh b/ci/jobs/install_rust.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..f868801d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/jobs/install_rust.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -euo pipefail
+sudo apt -y install build-essential
+sudo apt -y install --assume-yes git clang curl libssl-dev  
+curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y
+source $HOME/.cargo/env
+rustup update
+rustup toolchain install nightly-2023-05-22
+rustup target add wasm32-unknown-unknown --toolchain nightly-2023-05-22
+rustup component add rustfmt
+rustup component add clippy
diff --git a/ci/jobs/rustfmt.sh b/ci/jobs/rustfmt.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755