diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index fee5a078396..913a5c5a850 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     timeout-minutes: 60
 
+    env:
+      CG_CLIF_EXPENSIVE_CHECKS: 1
+
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
@@ -182,10 +185,10 @@ jobs:
       run: ./y.sh prepare
 
     - name: Build
-      run: CI_OPT=1 ./y.sh build --sysroot none
+      run: ./y.sh build --sysroot none
 
     - name: Benchmark
-      run: CI_OPT=1 ./y.sh bench
+      run: ./y.sh bench
 
 
   dist:
@@ -237,10 +240,10 @@ jobs:
       run: ./y.sh prepare
 
     - name: Build backend
-      run: CI_OPT=1 ./y.sh build --sysroot none
+      run: ./y.sh build --sysroot none
 
     - name: Build sysroot
-      run: CI_OPT=1 ./y.sh build
+      run: ./y.sh build
 
     - name: Package prebuilt cg_clif
       run: tar cvfJ cg_clif.tar.xz dist
diff --git a/build_system/build_backend.rs b/build_system/build_backend.rs
index 20f1bba2272..129713e574a 100644
--- a/build_system/build_backend.rs
+++ b/build_system/build_backend.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
+use std::env;
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
 use crate::path::{Dirs, RelPath};
 use crate::rustc_info::get_file_name;
 use crate::shared_utils::{rustflags_from_env, rustflags_to_cmd_env};
-use crate::utils::{is_ci, is_ci_opt, CargoProject, Compiler, LogGroup};
+use crate::utils::{CargoProject, Compiler, LogGroup};
 
 pub(crate) static CG_CLIF: CargoProject = CargoProject::new(&RelPath::SOURCE, "cg_clif");
 
@@ -21,11 +22,10 @@ pub(crate) fn build_backend(
 
     rustflags.push("-Zallow-features=rustc_private".to_owned());
 
-    if is_ci() {
-        if !is_ci_opt() {
-            cmd.env("CARGO_PROFILE_RELEASE_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS", "true");
-            cmd.env("CARGO_PROFILE_RELEASE_OVERFLOW_CHECKS", "true");
-        }
+    if env::var("CG_CLIF_EXPENSIVE_CHECKS").is_ok() {
+        // Enabling debug assertions implicitly enables the clif ir verifier
+        cmd.env("CARGO_PROFILE_RELEASE_DEBUG_ASSERTIONS", "true");
+        cmd.env("CARGO_PROFILE_RELEASE_OVERFLOW_CHECKS", "true");
     }
 
     if use_unstable_features {
diff --git a/build_system/main.rs b/build_system/main.rs
index 8a80d13ba9b..cdd2bae03f8 100644
--- a/build_system/main.rs
+++ b/build_system/main.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::process;
 
-use self::utils::{is_ci, is_ci_opt, Compiler};
+use self::utils::Compiler;
 
 mod abi_cafe;
 mod bench;
@@ -60,13 +60,6 @@ fn main() {
     }
     env::set_var("CG_CLIF_DISABLE_INCR_CACHE", "1");
 
-    if is_ci() {
-        if !is_ci_opt() {
-            // Enable the Cranelift verifier
-            env::set_var("CG_CLIF_ENABLE_VERIFIER", "1");
-        }
-    }
-
     // Force incr comp even in release mode unless in CI or incremental builds are explicitly disabled
     if env::var_os("CARGO_BUILD_INCREMENTAL").is_none() {
         env::set_var("CARGO_BUILD_INCREMENTAL", "true");
diff --git a/build_system/utils.rs b/build_system/utils.rs
index 7b84ce37859..9f95122b341 100644
--- a/build_system/utils.rs
+++ b/build_system/utils.rs
@@ -254,14 +254,6 @@ pub(crate) fn copy_dir_recursively(from: &Path, to: &Path) {
     }
 }
 
-pub(crate) fn is_ci() -> bool {
-    env::var("CI").is_ok()
-}
-
-pub(crate) fn is_ci_opt() -> bool {
-    env::var("CI_OPT").is_ok()
-}
-
 static IN_GROUP: AtomicBool = AtomicBool::new(false);
 pub(crate) struct LogGroup {
     is_gha: bool,