diff --git a/.github/workflows/smoke-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/smoke-tests.yml
index b1bb21f99..f70625152 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/smoke-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/smoke-tests.yml
@@ -40,7 +40,39 @@ on:
         required: true
 
 jobs:
+  build-c-client:
+    outputs:
+      c-client-sha: ${{ steps.get-c-client-sha.outputs.sha }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      with:
+        submodules: recursive
+        sparse-checkout: |
+          aerospike-client-c
+
+    - id: get-c-client-sha
+      run: echo sha=$(git rev-parse HEAD) >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+      working-directory: aerospike-client-c
+
+    - uses: actions/cache@v5
+      id: download-c-client
+      with:
+        key: c-client-${{ steps.get-c-client-sha.outputs.sha }}
+        path: ./libaerospike.a
+        lookup-only: true
+
+    - name: Install C client build dependencies
+      if: ${{ steps.download-c-client.outputs.cache-hit != 'true' }}
+      run: |
+        sudo apt-get update &&
+        sudo apt-get install -y libc6-dev libssl-dev autoconf automake libtool g++ zlib1g-dev ncurses-dev &&
+        make build &&
+        mv ./target/Linux-x86_64/lib/libaerospike.a ..
+      working-directory: aerospike-client-c
+
   build:
+    needs: build-c-client
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
     strategy:
       matrix:
@@ -64,6 +96,12 @@ jobs:
         submodules: recursive
         fetch-depth: 0
 
+    - uses: actions/cache/restore@v5
+      with:
+        key: c-client-${{ needs.build-c-client.outputs.c-client-sha }}
+        path: ./libaerospike.a
+        fail-on-cache-miss: true
+
     - uses: actions/setup-python@83679a892e2d95755f2dac6acb0bfd1e9ac5d548 # v6.1.0
       with:
         python-version: ${{ matrix.py-version }}
@@ -83,6 +121,7 @@ jobs:
       run: python3 -m build
       env:
         CFLAGS: '-Werror'
+        C_CLIENT_SHARED_PATH: ./libaerospike.a
 
     - run: echo WHEEL_GH_ARTIFACT_NAME=wheel-${{ matrix.py-version }} >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 4298d9e30..9d6e75d92 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 import io
 import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
 import glob
+from pathlib import Path
 
 ################################################################################
 # ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
@@ -64,6 +65,7 @@
 ################################################################################
 
 include_dirs = ['src/include'] + \
+    [f'{AEROSPIKE_C_HOME}/src/include'] + \
     [x for x in os.getenv('CPATH', '').split(':') if len(x) > 0] + \
     ['/usr/local/opt/openssl/include'] + \
     ['aerospike-client-c/modules/common/src/include']
@@ -177,11 +179,23 @@
     '/usr/local/opt/openssl/include',
 
 ]
+
+C_CLIENT_SHARED_PATH = os.getenv("C_CLIENT_SHARED_PATH")
+
 if not WINDOWS:
-    include_dirs.append(AEROSPIKE_C_TARGET + '/include')
-    extra_objects = extra_objects + [
-        AEROSPIKE_C_TARGET + '/lib/libaerospike.a'
-    ]
+    if C_CLIENT_SHARED_PATH:
+        # In this case, no headers will be installed in target directory.
+        include_dirs.append(AEROSPIKE_C_HOME + '/src/include')
+        extra_objects.append(C_CLIENT_SHARED_PATH)
+        # The C client isn't included in the sdist, so we need to explicitly tell linker to find it
+        # outside of the isolated build environment created by pypa/build
+        dir_containing_c_client_static_lib = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(C_CLIENT_SHARED_PATH))
+        library_dirs.append(dir_containing_c_client_static_lib)
+    else:
+        include_dirs.append(AEROSPIKE_C_TARGET + '/src/include')
+        extra_objects = extra_objects + [
+            AEROSPIKE_C_TARGET + '/lib/libaerospike.a'
+        ]
 else:
     include_dirs.append(AEROSPIKE_C_TARGET + '/src/include')
     library_dirs.append(f"{AEROSPIKE_C_TARGET}/vs/packages/aerospike-client-c-dependencies.{c_client_dependencies_version}/build/native/lib/x64/Release")
@@ -249,7 +263,8 @@ def compile():
             print(cmd, library_dirs, libraries)
             call(cmd, cwd=CCLIENT_PATH)
 
-        self.execute(compile, [], 'Compiling core aerospike-client-c')
+        if not C_CLIENT_SHARED_PATH:
+            self.execute(compile, [], 'Compiling core aerospike-client-c')
         # run original c-extension build code
         build.run(self)