diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 415efc4d..72bb6e4b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -7,10 +7,11 @@ on:
     branches: [ main ]
 
 jobs:
-  no-ros:
-    name: ROS-independent Test
+  nix-matrix:
+    name: Generate Nix CI Matrix
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-
+    outputs:
+      matrix: ${{ steps.set-matrix.outputs.matrix }}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -23,63 +24,22 @@ jobs:
             experimental-features = nix-command flakes
             accept-flake-config = true
 
-      - name: Setup sccache
-        if: env.ACT != 'true'
-        uses: mozilla-actions/sccache-action@v0.0.9
-
-      - name: Check Nix formatting
-        run: |
-          nix fmt -- --check flake.nix
-
-      - name: Check Markdown formatting
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c markdownlint '**/*.md'
-
-      - name: Check Rust formatting
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo fmt --all -- --check
-
-      - name: Clippy (default workspace)
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo clippy --lib --bins --tests -- -D warnings
-
-      - name: Check default workspace
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo check
-
-      - name: Build default workspace
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo build
-
-      - name: Build examples without ROS dependencies
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo build --example z_custom_message
-
-      - name: Run tests
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo test
-
-      - name: Check ros-z-msgs with bundled messages (no ROS required)
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo check -p ros-z-msgs
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features bundled_msgs
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features common_interfaces
+      - name: Setup Magic Nix Cache
+        uses: DeterminateSystems/magic-nix-cache-action@v8
 
-      - name: Build ros-z-msgs with individual bundled packages
+      - name: Generate CI matrix from flake
+        id: set-matrix
         run: |
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo build -p ros-z-msgs --no-default-features --features std_msgs
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo build -p ros-z-msgs --no-default-features --features geometry_msgs
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo build -p ros-z-msgs --no-default-features --features sensor_msgs
-          nix develop '.#noRos-ci' -c cargo build -p ros-z-msgs --no-default-features --features nav_msgs
+          set -euo pipefail
+          matrix="$(nix eval --json '.#githubActions.matrix')"
+          echo "matrix=$matrix" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
-  with-ros:
-    name: ROS-dependent Test (${{ matrix.distro }})
+  nix-build:
+    name: ${{ matrix.attr }}
+    needs: nix-matrix
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
-      matrix:
-        distro: [jazzy]
-        # distro: [jazzy, rolling]  # Uncomment to test rolling when stable
-
+      matrix: ${{fromJSON(needs.nix-matrix.outputs.matrix)}}
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -99,50 +59,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           name: ros
           authToken: '${{ secrets.CACHIX_AUTH_TOKEN }}'
-          skipPush: true
-
-      - name: Setup sccache
-        if: env.ACT != 'true'
-        uses: mozilla-actions/sccache-action@v0.0.9
-
-      - name: Check rcl-z
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo check -p rcl-z
-
-      - name: Check ros-z-msgs (default bundled features)
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo check -p ros-z-msgs
-
-      - name: Check ros-z-msgs with external messages
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features external_msgs
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features example_interfaces
+          # Push build outputs to cachix for reuse
+          skipPush: false
 
-      - name: Check ros-z-msgs with all messages (bundled + external)
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features all_msgs
-
-      - name: Check with protobuf feature
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo check -p ros-z -p ros-z-msgs --features ros-z/protobuf,ros-z-msgs/protobuf
-
-      - name: Check ros-z (with rcl-z feature)
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo check -p ros-z --features rcl-z
-
-      - name: Build ROS message examples
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo build -p ros-z-msgs
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo build --example twist_pub
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo build --example battery_state_sub
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo build --example laser_scan
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo build --example z_srvcli --features external_msgs
-
-      - name: Build protobuf demo
-        run: |
-          nix develop '.#${{ matrix.distro }}-ci' -c cargo build -p protobuf_demo
+      - name: Setup Magic Nix Cache
+        uses: DeterminateSystems/magic-nix-cache-action@v8
 
-      # FIXME: This requires the installation of rmw_zenoh_cpp triggering a build from source...
-      # - name: Run unit tests
-      #   run: |
-      #     nix develop .#ci -c cargo test --all-features
+      - name: Run check
+        run: nix build -L '.#${{ matrix.attr }}'
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index af3c34af..915e1fe6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -108,13 +108,12 @@ nix develop .#noRos-ci
 
 **Note on `ros-z-msgs`:** This package can build without ROS installed! When
 ROS is not available, it automatically falls back to using bundled message
-definitions from the roslibrust repository. The build system searches for ROS
-packages in this order:
+definitions from the roslibrust git dependency. The build system searches for
+ROS packages in this order:
 
 1. System ROS installation (via `AMENT_PREFIX_PATH` or `CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH`)
 2. Common ROS installation paths (`/opt/ros/{rolling,jazzy,iron,humble}`)
-3. Local roslibrust checkout (`../../roslibrust/assets/`)
-4. Roslibrust git dependency (`~/.cargo/git/checkouts/roslibrust-*/assets/`)
+3. Roslibrust git dependency (`~/.cargo/git/checkouts/roslibrust-*/assets/`)
 
 This allows `ros-z-msgs` to generate message types even in environments without
 ROS 2 installed. The default `common_interfaces` feature includes `std_msgs`,
diff --git a/ci.nix b/ci.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a9940a12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+# CI checks module
+# This module defines all CI checks for ros-z project
+{
+  pkgs,
+  self,
+  commonBuildInputs,
+  mkRosEnv,
+  exportEnvVars,
+}:
+let
+  # Vendor Cargo dependencies for sandboxed builds
+  cargoVendorDir = pkgs.rustPlatform.importCargoLock {
+    lockFile = ./Cargo.lock;
+    outputHashes = {
+      "cdr-encoding-0.10.2" = "sha256-bpo8Fu3Qp5TapzFFAvyRJdSiO50G3YBBTSJNV/cNa4Y=";
+      "roslibrust-0.16.0" = "sha256-qi4h1ksC/iLwK1uiUs6LU9CX3RDYVOd6E4SRdUAbqZo=";
+    };
+  };
+
+  # Fetch roslibrust git repo for assets directory (with submodules for ros2_common_interfaces)
+  roslibrustSrc = pkgs.fetchgit {
+    url = "https://github.com/YuanYuYuan/roslibrust";
+    rev = "f08547babb04c3b19a77af9a55a10b8148908e55"; # dev/ros-z branch
+    hash = "sha256-qi4h1ksC/iLwK1uiUs6LU9CX3RDYVOd6E4SRdUAbqZo=";
+    fetchSubmodules = true;
+  };
+in
+let
+  # Create a cargo check that runs in sandbox with vendored dependencies
+  mkCargoCheck =
+    {
+      name,
+      packages,
+      rosEnv ? null,
+      script,
+      extraAttrs ? { },
+    }:
+    pkgs.stdenv.mkDerivation (
+      {
+        name = "check-${name}";
+        src = self;
+        nativeBuildInputs = packages ++ [ pkgs.nixfmt-rfc-style ]; # For format checks
+        buildInputs = pkgs.lib.optional (rosEnv != null) rosEnv;
+
+        # Disable ROS setup hooks that interfere with Cargo builds
+        dontUseCmakeConfigure = true;
+        dontUseColconBuildSetup = true;
+
+        buildPhase = ''
+          # Export environment variables
+          ${exportEnvVars}
+
+          # Disable sccache in sandbox (no HOME directory)
+          unset RUSTC_WRAPPER
+
+          # Setup ROS environment if provided
+          ${pkgs.lib.optionalString (rosEnv != null) ''
+            export AMENT_PREFIX_PATH="${rosEnv}"
+            export CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH="${rosEnv}"
+          ''}
+
+          # Setup vendored cargo dependencies
+          export CARGO_HOME=$(pwd)/.cargo
+          mkdir -p .cargo
+          cat > .cargo/config.toml <<EOF
+          [source.crates-io]
+          replace-with = "vendored-sources"
+
+          [source."https://github.com/YuanYuYuan/cdr-encoding"]
+          git = "https://github.com/YuanYuYuan/cdr-encoding"
+          branch = "feat/byte-buf"
+          replace-with = "vendored-sources"
+
+          [source."https://github.com/YuanYuYuan/roslibrust"]
+          git = "https://github.com/YuanYuYuan/roslibrust"
+          branch = "dev/ros-z"
+          replace-with = "vendored-sources"
+
+          [source.vendored-sources]
+          directory = "${cargoVendorDir}"
+          EOF
+
+          # Point build.rs to roslibrust assets from fetched git repo
+          export ROSLIBRUST_ASSETS_DIR="${roslibrustSrc}/assets"
+
+          # Run checks
+          set -euo pipefail
+          ${script}
+        '';
+
+        installPhase = ''
+          touch $out
+        '';
+
+        # Disable hardening for ROS compatibility
+        hardeningDisable = [ "all" ];
+      }
+      // extraAttrs
+    );
+in
+let
+  # Formatting check - runs first and other checks depend on this
+  formatting = mkCargoCheck {
+    name = "formatting";
+    packages = commonBuildInputs;
+    script = ''
+      echo "=== Nix Formatting ==="
+      nixfmt --check flake.nix
+
+      echo "=== Markdown Linting ==="
+      markdownlint '**/*.md'
+
+      echo "=== Rust Formatting ==="
+      cargo fmt --all -- --check
+    '';
+  };
+
+  # ROS-independent checks (linting, build, test)
+  no-ros = mkCargoCheck {
+    name = "no-ros";
+    packages = commonBuildInputs;
+    script = ''
+      # This check depends on formatting passing first
+      # Reference the formatting check to create a build-time dependency
+      echo "Prerequisites: ${formatting}"
+
+      echo "=== Build & Test ==="
+      cargo build --workspace --lib --bins --exclude rcl-z --exclude protobuf_demo
+      cargo test --workspace --lib --bins --exclude rcl-z --exclude protobuf_demo
+
+      echo "=== Lint ==="
+      cargo clippy --workspace --lib --bins --exclude rcl-z -- -D warnings
+
+      echo "=== Message Package Checks ==="
+      cargo check -p ros-z-msgs
+      cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features bundled_msgs
+      cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features common_interfaces
+
+      echo "=== Individual Message Packages ==="
+      cargo build -p ros-z-msgs --no-default-features --features std_msgs
+      cargo build -p ros-z-msgs --no-default-features --features geometry_msgs
+      cargo build -p ros-z-msgs --no-default-features --features sensor_msgs
+      cargo build -p ros-z-msgs --no-default-features --features nav_msgs
+    '';
+  };
+
+  # ROS-dependent checks for Jazzy distribution
+  with-ros-jazzy = mkCargoCheck {
+    name = "with-ros-jazzy";
+    packages = commonBuildInputs;
+    rosEnv = (mkRosEnv "jazzy").build;
+    script = ''
+      # This check depends on formatting passing first
+      # Reference the formatting check to create a build-time dependency
+      echo "Prerequisites: ${formatting}"
+
+      echo "=== RCL Bindings ==="
+      cargo check -p rcl-z
+
+      echo "=== Message Packages ==="
+      cargo check -p ros-z-msgs
+      cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features external_msgs
+      cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features example_interfaces
+      cargo check -p ros-z-msgs --features all_msgs
+
+      echo "=== Feature Checks ==="
+      cargo check -p ros-z -p ros-z-msgs --features ros-z/protobuf,ros-z-msgs/protobuf
+      cargo check -p ros-z --features rcl-z
+
+      echo "=== Build Examples ==="
+      cargo build -p ros-z-msgs
+      cargo build --examples
+      cargo build --example z_srvcli --features external_msgs
+      cargo build -p protobuf_demo
+    '';
+  };
+in
+{
+  # Export all checks
+  inherit formatting no-ros with-ros-jazzy;
+}
diff --git a/flake.lock b/flake.lock
index fb1c6324..ece21728 100644
--- a/flake.lock
+++ b/flake.lock
@@ -18,6 +18,26 @@
         "type": "github"
       }
     },
+    "nix-github-actions": {
+      "inputs": {
+        "nixpkgs": [
+          "nixpkgs"
+        ]
+      },
+      "locked": {
+        "lastModified": 1737420293,
+        "narHash": "sha256-F1G5ifvqTpJq7fdkT34e/Jy9VCyzd5XfJ9TO8fHhJWE=",
+        "owner": "nix-community",
+        "repo": "nix-github-actions",
+        "rev": "f4158fa080ef4503c8f4c820967d946c2af31ec9",
+        "type": "github"
+      },
+      "original": {
+        "owner": "nix-community",
+        "repo": "nix-github-actions",
+        "type": "github"
+      }
+    },
     "nix-ros-overlay": {
       "inputs": {
         "flake-utils": "flake-utils",
@@ -71,6 +91,7 @@
     },
     "root": {
       "inputs": {
+        "nix-github-actions": "nix-github-actions",
         "nix-ros-overlay": "nix-ros-overlay",
         "nixpkgs": [
           "nix-ros-overlay",
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 2bd7cdc7..aaf1e7bb 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -2,55 +2,72 @@
   description = "ros-z: Native Rust ROS 2 implementation using Zenoh";
 
   inputs = {
-    nix-ros-overlay.url = "github:lopsided98/nix-ros-overlay";
     nixpkgs.follows = "nix-ros-overlay/nixpkgs";
+    nix-ros-overlay.url = "github:lopsided98/nix-ros-overlay";
     rust-overlay.url = "github:oxalica/rust-overlay";
+    nix-github-actions.url = "github:nix-community/nix-github-actions";
+    nix-github-actions.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
   };
 
   outputs =
     {
       self,
-      nix-ros-overlay,
       nixpkgs,
+      nix-ros-overlay,
       rust-overlay,
+      nix-github-actions,
     }:
-    nix-ros-overlay.inputs.flake-utils.lib.eachDefaultSystem (
-      system:
-      let
-        # List of supported ROS distros
-        distros = [
-          "jazzy" # default
-          "rolling"
-        ];
+    let
+      systemOutputs = nix-ros-overlay.inputs.flake-utils.lib.eachDefaultSystem (
+        system:
+        let
+          inherit (pkgs.lib)
+            concatStringsSep
+            mapAttrsToList
+            ;
 
-        pkgs = import nixpkgs {
-          inherit system;
-          overlays = [
-            nix-ros-overlay.overlays.default
-            rust-overlay.overlays.default
+          # Supported ROS 2 distributions
+          distros = [
+            "jazzy" # Default - ROS 2 LTS
+            "rolling" # Latest development
           ];
-        };
 
-        rustToolchain = pkgs.rust-bin.stable."1.91.0".default.override {
-          extensions = [
-            "rust-src"
-            "rust-analyzer"
-          ];
-        };
+          # Rust toolchain version
+          rustVersion = "1.91.0";
 
-        # Factory to create environment for a specific ROS distro
-        mkRosEnv =
-          rosDistro:
-          let
-            rosDeps = {
-              rcl = with pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}; [
+          pkgs = import nixpkgs {
+            inherit system;
+            overlays = [
+              nix-ros-overlay.overlays.default
+              rust-overlay.overlays.default
+            ];
+          };
+
+          # Rust toolchain with required extensions
+          rustToolchain = pkgs.rust-bin.stable.${rustVersion}.default.override {
+            extensions = [
+              "rust-src"
+              "rust-analyzer"
+            ];
+          };
+
+          # Create ROS environment for a specific distribution
+          # Returns: { dev, rcl, msgs, build } environments
+          mkRosEnv =
+            rosDistro:
+            let
+              inherit (pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}) buildEnv;
+
+              # Core RCL dependencies for ROS 2 client library
+              rclDeps = with pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}; [
                 rcl
                 rcl-interfaces
                 rclcpp
                 rcutils
               ];
 
-              messages = with pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}; [
+              # Message packages for code generation
+              msgDeps = with pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}; [
                 std-msgs
                 geometry-msgs
                 sensor-msgs
@@ -61,7 +78,8 @@
                 rosidl-adapter
               ];
 
-              devExtras = with pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}; [
+              # Development and testing extras
+              devDeps = with pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}; [
                 ament-cmake-core
                 ros-core
                 demo-nodes-cpp
@@ -69,7 +87,7 @@
                 rclpy
                 rmw
                 rmw-implementation
-                rmw-zenoh-cpp
+                rmw-zenoh-cpp # Required for interop tests
                 ament-cmake
                 ament-cmake-gtest
                 ament-lint-auto
@@ -78,232 +96,164 @@
                 launch-testing
                 ros2cli
               ];
+            in
+            {
+              dev = buildEnv { paths = rclDeps ++ msgDeps ++ devDeps; };
+              rcl = buildEnv { paths = rclDeps; };
+              msgs = buildEnv { paths = msgDeps; };
+              build = buildEnv { paths = rclDeps ++ msgDeps; };
             };
-          in
-          {
-            dev = pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}.buildEnv {
-              paths = rosDeps.rcl ++ rosDeps.messages ++ rosDeps.devExtras;
-            };
-            rcl = pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}.buildEnv {
-              paths = rosDeps.rcl;
-            };
-            msgs = pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}.buildEnv {
-              paths = rosDeps.messages;
-            };
-            build = pkgs.rosPackages.${rosDistro}.buildEnv {
-              paths = rosDeps.rcl ++ rosDeps.messages;
-            };
-          };
-
-        # Common build tools
-        commonBuildInputs = with pkgs; [
-          rustToolchain
-          sccache
-          clang
-          llvmPackages.libclang
-          llvmPackages.bintools
-          pkg-config
-          nushell
-          protobuf
-          markdownlint-cli
-        ];
-
-        # Development tools
-        devTools = with pkgs; [
-          cargo-edit
-          cargo-watch
-          clang-tools
-          rust-analyzer
-          nixfmt-rfc-style
-          gdb
-        ];
 
-        # Environment variables for Rust/C++ interop
-        commonEnvVars = {
-          LIBCLANG_PATH = "${pkgs.llvmPackages.libclang.lib}/lib";
-          CLANG_PATH = "${pkgs.llvmPackages.clang}/bin/clang";
-          LD_LIBRARY_PATH = pkgs.lib.makeLibraryPath [ pkgs.stdenv.cc.cc.lib ];
-          RUST_BACKTRACE = "1";
-          RMW_IMPLEMENTATION = "rmw_zenoh_cpp";
-          RUSTC_WRAPPER = "${pkgs.sccache}/bin/sccache";
-        };
+          # Common build tools for all environments
+          commonBuildInputs = with pkgs; [
+            rustToolchain
+            sccache # Rust compilation cache
+            clang # Required for bindgen
+            llvmPackages.libclang
+            llvmPackages.bintools
+            pkg-config
+            nushell # Shell scripting
+            protobuf # Protocol buffers support
+            markdownlint-cli # Documentation linting
+          ];
 
-        # Export environment variables as shell commands
-        exportEnvVars = pkgs.lib.concatStringsSep "\n" (
-          pkgs.lib.mapAttrsToList (name: value: "export ${name}=\"${value}\"") commonEnvVars
-        );
+          # Additional development tools
+          devTools = with pkgs; [
+            cargo-edit # cargo add/rm/upgrade
+            cargo-watch # Auto-rebuild on changes
+            clang-tools # clangd LSP
+            rust-analyzer # Rust LSP
+            nixfmt-rfc-style # Nix formatter
+            gdb # Debugger
+          ];
 
-        # Base shell configuration factory
-        mkDevShell =
-          {
-            name,
-            packages,
-            banner ? "",
-          }:
-          pkgs.mkShell {
-            inherit name packages;
-            shellHook = exportEnvVars + (if banner != "" then "\n${banner}" else "");
-            hardeningDisable = [ "all" ];
+          # Common environment variables for Rust/C++ interop
+          commonEnvVars = {
+            LIBCLANG_PATH = "${pkgs.llvmPackages.libclang.lib}/lib";
+            CLANG_PATH = "${pkgs.llvmPackages.clang}/bin/clang";
+            LD_LIBRARY_PATH = pkgs.lib.makeLibraryPath [ pkgs.stdenv.cc.cc.lib ];
+            RUST_BACKTRACE = "1";
+            RMW_IMPLEMENTATION = "rmw_zenoh_cpp";
+            RUSTC_WRAPPER = "${pkgs.sccache}/bin/sccache";
           };
 
-        # Helper to create shells for a specific ROS distro
-        mkRosShells =
-          rosDistro:
-          let
-            rosEnv = mkRosEnv rosDistro;
-          in
-          {
-            default = mkDevShell {
-              name = "ros-z-dev-${rosDistro}";
-              packages = commonBuildInputs ++ devTools ++ [ rosEnv.dev ];
-              banner = ''
-                echo "🦀 ros-z development environment (with ROS)"
-                echo "ROS 2 Distribution: ${rosDistro}"
-                echo "Rust: $(rustc --version)"
-              '';
-            };
+          # Export environment variables as shell commands
+          exportEnvVars = concatStringsSep "\n" (
+            mapAttrsToList (name: value: "export ${name}=\"${value}\"") commonEnvVars
+          );
 
-            ci = mkDevShell {
-              name = "ros-z-ci-${rosDistro}";
-              packages = commonBuildInputs ++ [ rosEnv.build ];
+          # Create a development shell with specified configuration
+          mkDevShell =
+            {
+              name,
+              packages,
+              banner ? "",
+            }:
+            pkgs.mkShell {
+              inherit name packages;
+              shellHook = exportEnvVars + (if banner != "" then "\n${banner}" else "");
+              hardeningDisable = [ "all" ]; # Disable hardening for ROS compatibility
             };
-          };
-
-        # Cargo metadata
-        cargoToml = builtins.fromTOML (builtins.readFile ./Cargo.toml);
 
-        # Helper to create packages for a specific ROS distro
-        mkRosPackages =
-          rosDistro:
-          let
-            rosEnv = mkRosEnv rosDistro;
-          in
-          {
-            "ros-z-${rosDistro}" = mkRustPackage {
-              pname = "ros-z";
-              buildAndTestSubdir = "ros-z";
-              description = "Native Rust ROS 2 implementation using Zenoh - Core";
-            };
+          # Create shells for a specific ROS distribution
+          mkRosShells =
+            rosDistro:
+            let
+              rosEnv = mkRosEnv rosDistro;
+              distroName = "${rosDistro}";
+            in
+            {
+              # Full development environment
+              default = mkDevShell {
+                name = "ros-z-dev-${distroName}";
+                packages = commonBuildInputs ++ devTools ++ [ rosEnv.dev ];
+                banner = ''
+                  echo "🦀 ros-z development environment"
+                  echo "ROS 2 Distribution: ${distroName}"
+                  echo "Rust: $(rustc --version)"
+                '';
+              };
 
-            "rcl-z-${rosDistro}" = mkRustPackage {
-              pname = "rcl-z";
-              buildAndTestSubdir = "rcl-z";
-              rosInputs = [ rosEnv.rcl ];
-              description = "Native Rust ROS 2 implementation using Zenoh - RCL Bindings (${rosDistro})";
+              # Minimal CI environment (no dev tools)
+              ci = mkDevShell {
+                name = "ros-z-ci-${distroName}";
+                packages = commonBuildInputs ++ [ rosEnv.build ];
+              };
             };
 
-            "ros-z-msgs-${rosDistro}" = mkRustPackage {
-              pname = "ros-z-msgs";
-              buildAndTestSubdir = "ros-z-msgs";
-              rosInputs = [ rosEnv.msgs ];
-              description = "Native Rust ROS 2 implementation using Zenoh - Message Definitions (${rosDistro})";
-            };
+          # Generate shells for all supported distributions
+          allDistroShells = builtins.listToAttrs (
+            builtins.map (distro: {
+              name = distro;
+              value = mkRosShells distro;
+            }) distros
+          );
 
-            "ros-z-full-${rosDistro}" = mkRustPackage {
-              pname = "ros-z";
-              rosInputs = [ rosEnv.build ];
-              description = cargoToml.workspace.package.description;
-            };
+          # CI checks - imported from ci.nix module
+          ciChecks = import ./ci.nix {
+            inherit
+              pkgs
+              self
+              commonBuildInputs
+              mkRosEnv
+              exportEnvVars
+              ;
           };
+        in
+        {
+          # Development shells
+          devShells = {
+            # Default: Jazzy with full dev tools
+            default = allDistroShells.${builtins.head distros}.default;
 
-        # Common package attributes factory
-        mkRustPackage =
-          {
-            pname,
-            buildAndTestSubdir ? null,
-            rosInputs ? [ ],
-            description,
-          }:
-          pkgs.rustPlatform.buildRustPackage {
-            inherit pname;
-            version = cargoToml.workspace.package.version;
-            src = ./.;
-            inherit buildAndTestSubdir;
-
-            cargoLock = {
-              lockFile = ./Cargo.lock;
+            # No ROS dependencies (for core library development)
+            noRos = mkDevShell {
+              name = "ros-z-no-ros";
+              packages = commonBuildInputs ++ devTools;
+              banner = ''
+                echo "🦀 ros-z development environment (without ROS)"
+                echo "Rust: $(rustc --version)"
+              '';
             };
 
-            nativeBuildInputs = commonBuildInputs;
-            buildInputs = rosInputs;
-
-            inherit (commonEnvVars) LIBCLANG_PATH CLANG_PATH RUSTC_WRAPPER;
-
-            meta = with pkgs.lib; {
-              inherit description;
-              homepage = cargoToml.workspace.package.homepage;
-              license = licenses.asl20;
-              maintainers = [ ];
+            # No ROS, minimal (for CI)
+            noRos-ci = mkDevShell {
+              name = "ros-z-ci-no-ros";
+              packages = commonBuildInputs;
             };
-          };
-
-        # Generate shells for all distros
-        allDistroShells = builtins.listToAttrs (
-          builtins.map (distro: {
-            name = distro;
-            value = mkRosShells distro;
-          }) distros
-        );
-      in
-      {
-        # Development shells
-        devShells = {
-          # Default: first distro in the list with ROS
-          default = allDistroShells.${builtins.head distros}.default;
+          }
+          # Add per-distro dev shells (jazzy, rolling)
+          // (builtins.listToAttrs (
+            builtins.map (distro: {
+              name = distro;
+              value = allDistroShells.${distro}.default;
+            }) distros
+          ))
+          # Add per-distro CI shells (jazzy-ci, rolling-ci)
+          // (builtins.listToAttrs (
+            builtins.map (distro: {
+              name = "${distro}-ci";
+              value = allDistroShells.${distro}.ci;
+            }) distros
+          ));
 
-          # Without ROS
-          noRos = mkDevShell {
-            name = "ros-z-no-ros";
-            packages = commonBuildInputs ++ devTools;
-            banner = ''
-              echo "🦀 ros-z development environment (without ROS)"
-              echo "Rust: $(rustc --version)"
-            '';
-          };
+          # Formatter for nix files
+          formatter = pkgs.nixfmt-rfc-style;
 
-          # CI without ROS
-          noRos-ci = mkDevShell {
-            name = "ros-z-ci-no-ros";
-            packages = commonBuildInputs;
-          };
+          # CI checks (sandboxed with vendored cargo)
+          checks = ciChecks;
         }
-        # Add per-distro dev shells (jazzy, rolling, ...)
-        // (builtins.listToAttrs (
-          builtins.map (distro: {
-            name = distro;
-            value = allDistroShells.${distro}.default;
-          }) distros
-        ))
-        # Add per-distro CI shells (jazzy-ci, rolling-ci, ...)
-        // (builtins.listToAttrs (
-          builtins.map (distro: {
-            name = "${distro}-ci";
-            value = allDistroShells.${distro}.ci;
-          }) distros
-        ));
-
-        # Package outputs
-        packages =
-          let
-            basePackage = mkRustPackage {
-              pname = "ros-z";
-              buildAndTestSubdir = "ros-z";
-              description = "Native Rust ROS 2 implementation using Zenoh - Core";
-            };
-
-            # Generate packages for all distros
-            allDistroPackages = builtins.foldl' (acc: distro: acc // (mkRosPackages distro)) { } distros;
-          in
-          {
-            ros-z = basePackage;
-            default = basePackage;
-          }
-          // allDistroPackages;
-
-        formatter = pkgs.nixfmt-rfc-style;
-      }
-    );
+      );
+    in
+    systemOutputs
+    // {
+      # GitHub Actions matrix generation
+      githubActions = nix-github-actions.lib.mkGithubMatrix {
+        checks = nixpkgs.lib.getAttrs [ "x86_64-linux" ] systemOutputs.checks;
+      };
+    };
 
+  # Nix configuration for binary caches
   nixConfig = {
     extra-substituters = [ "https://ros.cachix.org" ];
     extra-trusted-public-keys = [ "ros.cachix.org-1:dSyZxI8geDCJrwgvCOHDoAfOm5sV1wCPjBkKL+38Rvo=" ];
diff --git a/ros-z-msgs/build.rs b/ros-z-msgs/build.rs
index 3f4e3505..20b6b21e 100644
--- a/ros-z-msgs/build.rs
+++ b/ros-z-msgs/build.rs
@@ -215,22 +215,22 @@ fn discover_bundled_packages(bundled_packages: &[&str]) -> Result<Vec<PathBuf>>
     Ok(ros_packages)
 }
 
-/// Find roslibrust assets directory
-/// This works with both git dependencies and local paths
+/// Find roslibrust assets directory from git dependency
 /// Returns the base assets directory (not ros2_common_interfaces subdirectory)
 fn find_roslibrust_assets() -> PathBuf {
-    // First, try the local path (for development)
-    let local_path = PathBuf::from(env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR")).join("../../roslibrust/assets");
-
-    if local_path.exists() {
-        println!(
-            "cargo:warning=Using local roslibrust assets at {}",
-            local_path.display()
-        );
-        return local_path;
+    // 1. Check if ROSLIBRUST_ASSETS_DIR env var is set (for Nix builds with vendored deps)
+    if let Ok(assets_dir) = env::var("ROSLIBRUST_ASSETS_DIR") {
+        let path = PathBuf::from(assets_dir);
+        if path.exists() {
+            println!(
+                "cargo:warning=Using roslibrust assets from ROSLIBRUST_ASSETS_DIR: {}",
+                path.display()
+            );
+            return path;
+        }
     }
 
-    // For git dependencies, search in cargo's git checkout directory
+    // 2. Search in cargo's git checkout directory
     // The path will be something like: ~/.cargo/git/checkouts/roslibrust-{hash}/{commit}/assets
     if let Ok(home) = env::var("CARGO_HOME").or_else(|_| env::var("HOME")) {
         let cargo_git = PathBuf::from(home).join(".cargo/git/checkouts");
@@ -262,7 +262,12 @@ fn find_roslibrust_assets() -> PathBuf {
         }
     }
 
-    // Fallback: return the local path anyway, it will fail gracefully if it doesn't exist
-    println!("cargo:warning=Could not find roslibrust assets, packages may not be available");
-    local_path
+    // Fallback: panic with helpful error message
+    panic!(
+        "Could not find roslibrust assets directory!\n\
+         Make sure roslibrust is specified as a git dependency in Cargo.toml.\n\
+         The build system searches for:\n\
+         1. ROSLIBRUST_ASSETS_DIR environment variable\n\
+         2. ~/.cargo/git/checkouts/roslibrust-*/*/assets/"
+    );
 }