diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 678bbbd..50bc8a3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         python-version: [3.12] # penultimate supported
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v5
       with: {fetch-depth: 0, submodules: recursive}
     - id: reqs
       name: set requirements
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
         python-version: ['3.10', 3.13] # min & max supported
         os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest]
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v5
       with: {fetch-depth: 0, submodules: recursive}
     - uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
       with:
@@ -68,68 +68,76 @@ jobs:
       run: PYTHONPATH=./src/Python python -m unittest discover -v -s ./test
   conda-build:
     defaults: {run: {shell: 'bash -el {0}'}}
-    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}-${{ matrix.os == 'windows' && '2022' || 'latest' }}
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: ['3.10', 3.11, 3.12] # parallelise conda_build_config.yaml
         os: [ubuntu, windows]
-        include:
-        - {python-version: 3.13, os: ubuntu}
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v5
       with: {fetch-depth: 0, submodules: recursive}
-    - if: matrix.os == 'windows'
-      uses: ilammy/msvc-dev-cmd@v1
     - uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
       with:
-        python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
-        mamba-version: "*"
+        python-version: 3.12
         channels: conda-forge
         conda-remove-defaults: "true"
+    - run: conda install 'conda-build>=25.3' conda-verify
     - name: conda build
-      run: |
-        if test ${{ matrix.python-version }} = 3.13; then
-          BUILD_DEP=conda-build
-          BUILD_CMD="conda build"
-        else
-          BUILD_DEP=boa
-          BUILD_CMD="conda mambabuild"
-        fi
-        conda install $BUILD_DEP conda-verify
-        $BUILD_CMD -c conda-forge --override-channels --output-folder dist recipe --python=${{ matrix.python-version }} --no-test
-        $BUILD_CMD -c conda-forge --override-channels --test dist/*/ccpi-regulariser-*-cpu_*.tar.bz2
+      run: conda build -c conda-forge --override-channels --output-folder dist recipe --no-test
     - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
       with:
-        name: ccpi-regulariser-py${{ matrix.python-version}}-${{ matrix.os }}
-        path: dist/*/ccpi-regulariser-*.tar.bz2
+        name: ccpi-regulariser-${{ matrix.os }}
+        path: dist/*/ccpi-regulariser-*
+  conda-test:
+    defaults: {run: {shell: 'bash -el {0}'}}
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}-latest
+    needs: conda-build
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        python-version: ['3.10', 3.12] # min & max supported
+        os: [ubuntu, windows]
+        include:
+        - {python-version: 3.13, os: ubuntu}
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+    - uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
+      with:
+        python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+        channels: conda-forge
+        conda-remove-defaults: "true"
+    - uses: actions/download-artifact@v5
+      with:
+        name: ccpi-regulariser-${{ matrix.os }}
+        path: dist
+    - run: conda install conda-build
+    - name: conda test
+      run: conda build -c conda-forge --override-channels --test dist/*/ccpi-regulariser-*-cpu_* --python=${{ matrix.python-version }}
   conda-upload:
     if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags')
     defaults: {run: {shell: 'bash -el {0}', working-directory: dist}}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: conda-build
+    needs: conda-test
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v5
     - uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
       with:
-        mamba-version: "*"
         channels: conda-forge
         conda-remove-defaults: "true"
-    - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+    - uses: actions/download-artifact@v5
       with: {pattern: ccpi-regulariser-*, path: dist, merge-multiple: true}
-    - run: mamba install anaconda-client
+    - run: conda install anaconda-client
     - name: anaconda upload -c ccpi
       run: >
         anaconda -v -t ${{ secrets.CCPI_CONDA_TOKEN }} upload --force
-        --label ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags') && 'main' || 'dev' }} */ccpi-regulariser-*.tar.bz2
+        --label ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags') && 'main' || 'dev' }} */ccpi-regulariser-*
     - if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags')
       name: conda upload -c tomography.stfc.ac.uk/conda
       run: |
         echo '${{ secrets.STFC_SSH_KEY }}' > ./key
         chmod 600 ./key
-        rsync -e 'ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -i ./key' -R */ccpi-regulariser-*.tar.bz2 '${{ secrets.STFC_SSH_HOST }}:${{ secrets.STFC_SSH_CONDA_DIR }}'
+        rsync -e 'ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -i ./key' -R */ccpi-regulariser-* '${{ secrets.STFC_SSH_HOST }}:${{ secrets.STFC_SSH_CONDA_DIR }}'
         ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -i ./key ${{ secrets.STFC_SSH_HOST }} \
           'bash -lic "conda index --bz2 --zst --run-exports --channeldata --rss -n ccpi ${{ secrets.STFC_SSH_CONDA_DIR }}"'
   pass:
-    needs: [test-cuda, test, conda-build]
+    needs: [test-cuda, test, conda-test]
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps: [{run: echo success}]
diff --git a/recipe/conda_build_config.yaml b/recipe/conda_build_config.yaml
index bd6b93c..176d25d 100644
--- a/recipe/conda_build_config.yaml
+++ b/recipe/conda_build_config.yaml
@@ -1,8 +1,3 @@
-python:
-  - 3.10
-  - 3.11
-  - 3.12
-  - 3.13
 cuda_compiler_version:
   - None
   - 12.9
diff --git a/recipe/meta.yaml b/recipe/meta.yaml
index 1fb6e61..72fcbe4 100644
--- a/recipe/meta.yaml
+++ b/recipe/meta.yaml
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda-build/en/stable/resources/define-metadata.html#loading-data-from-other-files
 # TODO: use scikit-build-core & setuptools_scm instead
 {% set project = load_file_data('../src/Python/pyproject.toml', from_recipe_dir=True).get('project', {}) %}
+{% set python_min = "3.10" %}
 {% set build_number = environ.get('GIT_DESCRIBE_NUMBER', 0) | int %}
 {% if cuda_compiler_version != "None" %}
 {% set build_number = build_number + 200 %}
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ package:
 build:
   preserve_egg_dir: False
   number: {{ build_number }}
+  python_version_independent: true
   run_exports:
     - {{ pin_subpackage(project.get('name'), max_pin='x.x') }}
     - {{ project.get('name') }} =*=cuda* # [cuda_compiler_version != "None"]
@@ -24,8 +26,8 @@ build:
   script_env:
     - BUILD_CUDA=ON  # [cuda_compiler_version != "None"]
     - BUILD_CUDA=OFF # [cuda_compiler_version == "None"]
-  string: cuda{{ cuda_compiler_version | replace('.', '') }}_py{{ py }}h{{ PKG_HASH }}_{{ PKG_BUILDNUM }} # [cuda_compiler_version != "None"]
-  string: cpu_py{{ py }}h{{ PKG_HASH }}_{{ PKG_BUILDNUM }} # [cuda_compiler_version == "None"]
+  string: cuda{{ cuda_compiler_version | replace('.', '') }}_h{{ PKG_HASH }}_{{ PKG_BUILDNUM }} # [cuda_compiler_version != "None"]
+  string: cpu_h{{ PKG_HASH }}_{{ PKG_BUILDNUM }} # [cuda_compiler_version == "None"]
 
 source:
   path: ..
@@ -43,14 +45,14 @@ requirements:
     #- {{ compiler('cuda') }} # [cuda_compiler_version != "None"]
     - cuda-compiler ~={{ cuda_compiler_version }} # [cuda_compiler_version != "None"]
   host:
-    - python
+    - python {{ python_min }}
     - llvm-openmp
     - setuptools
     - pip
     - cuda-cccl # [cuda_compiler_version != "None"]
     - cuda-version {{ cuda_compiler_version }} # [cuda_compiler_version != "None"]
   run:
-    - {{ pin_compatible('python', min_pin='x.x', max_pin='x') }}
+    - python >={{ python_min }}
     {% for dep in project.get("dependencies") %}
     - {{ dep.lower() }}
     {% endfor %}