diff --git a/.github/workflows/conan.yml b/.github/workflows/conan.yml
index dd37a985d..78431f553 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/conan.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/conan.yml
@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
 name: Test conan packages
 
 on:
-  # Run weekdays at 11:15pm UTC, and specify below to only run if there's been new commits
+  # Runs for PRs that directly change conan code, and weekdays at 11:15pm UTC.
+  # Additional logic in the prepare job below makes it so scheduled builds only run
+  # on new commits.
   schedule:
     - cron: "15 11 * * 1-5"
   workflow_dispatch:
+  pull_request:
+    paths:
+      - conanfile.py
+      - test_package/conanfile.py
 
 jobs:
   prepare:
@@ -13,17 +19,24 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout Code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Get new commit count
-        id: new_commit_count
-        shell: bash
-        run: echo "commit_count=$(git log --oneline --since '24 hours ago' | wc -l)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - name: Cancelling scheduled build with no new commits
-        uses: andymckay/cancel-action@0.2
+      - name: Get current git info
+        if: github.event_name == 'schedule'
+        id: git_info
+        run: |
+          echo "current_commit=$(git rev-parse HEAD)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "current_branch=$(git branch --show-current)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+      - name: Get last successful commit
+        if: github.event_name == 'schedule'
+        id: last_successful_commit
+        uses: nrwl/last-successful-commit-action@v1
+        with:
+          branch: ${{ steps.git_info.outputs.current_branch }}
+          workflow_id: conan.yml
+      - name: Cancel scheduled build with no new commits
+        uses: nrwl/last-successful-commit-action@v1
         if: |
-          steps.new_commit_count.outputs.commit_count == '0' &&
-          github.event_name == 'schedule'
+          github.event_name == 'schedule' &&
+          steps.git_info.outputs.current_commit == steps.last_successful_commit.outputs.commit_hash
 
   build_macos:
     if: github.repository_owner == 'viamrobotics'
diff --git a/conanfile.py b/conanfile.py
index 98fe462cc..b388f67db 100644
--- a/conanfile.py
+++ b/conanfile.py
@@ -32,14 +32,15 @@ def set_version(self):
         self.version = re.search("set\(CMAKE_PROJECT_VERSION (.+)\)", content).group(1).strip()
 
     def configure(self):
-        # If we're building static then build the world as static, otherwise
-        # stuff will probably break.
-        # If you want your shared build to also build the world as shared, you
-        # can invoke conan with -o "&:shared=False" -o "*:shared=False",
-        # possibly with --build=missing or --build=cascade as desired,
-        # but this is probably not necessary.
-        if not self.options.shared:
-            self.options["*"].shared = False
+        if self.options.shared:
+            # See https://github.com/conan-io/conan-center-index/issues/25107
+            self.options["grpc"].secure = True
+
+            # From some experiments it seems that the shared-ness of these packages
+            # should match that of the SDK recipe. Failure to do so can cause linker
+            # errors while compiling, or static initialization errors at runtime for modules.
+            for lib in ["grpc", "protobuf", "abseil"]:
+                self.options[lib].shared = True
 
     def requirements(self):
         self.requires('boost/[>=1.74.0]', transitive_headers=True)
@@ -49,8 +50,8 @@ def requirements(self):
         self.requires('grpc/[>=1.48.4]', transitive_headers=True)
         self.requires('protobuf/[>=3.17.1]', transitive_headers=True)
 
-        self.requires('xtensor/[>=0.24.3]', transitive_headers=True)
-        self.requires('abseil/[>=20230125.3]')
+        self.requires('xtensor/[>=0.24.3]')
+        self.requires('abseil/[>=20230125.3]', transitive_libs=True)
 
     def build_requirements(self):
         if self.options.offline_proto_generation:
@@ -83,13 +84,13 @@ def package(self):
 
     def package_info(self):
         self.cpp_info.components["viam_rust_utils"].libs = ["viam_rust_utils"]
-        
+
         self.cpp_info.components["viamsdk"].libs = ["viamsdk"]
 
         for component in ["viamsdk", "viamapi"]:
            self.cpp_info.components[component].set_property("cmake_target_name", "viam-cpp-sdk::{}".format(component))
            self.cpp_info.components[component].set_property("pkg_config_name", "viam-cpp-sdk-lib{}".format(component))
-           self.cpp_info.components[component].requires = ["grpc::grpc++", "protobuf::libprotobuf"]
+           self.cpp_info.components[component].requires = ["grpc::grpc++"]
            if self.settings.os in ["Linux", "FreeBSD"]:
             self.cpp_info.components[component].system_libs = ["pthread"]
 
@@ -114,11 +115,12 @@ def package_info(self):
             "viamapi",
             "boost::headers",
             "boost::log",
+            "grpc::grpc++_reflection",
+            "protobuf::libprotobuf",
             "xtensor::xtensor",
 
             "viam_rust_utils",
             "abseil::absl_strings",
-            "grpc::grpc++_reflection"
         ])
 
         self.cpp_info.components["viamsdk"].frameworks = ["Security"]
diff --git a/test_package/conanfile.py b/test_package/conanfile.py
index d3627813a..ef3274f7f 100644
--- a/test_package/conanfile.py
+++ b/test_package/conanfile.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 from conan.errors import ConanException
 from conan.tools.cmake import CMake, cmake_layout
 from conan.tools.build import can_run
+from conan.tools.env import VirtualRunEnv
 
 class viamCppSdkTest(ConanFile):
     settings = "os", "compiler", "build_type", "arch"
@@ -25,11 +26,14 @@ def test(self):
         if can_run(self):
             sock = "fake-socket-path"
 
-            cmd = os.path.join(self.cpp.build.bindir, f"example_module {sock}")
+            cmd = os.path.join(self.cpp.build.bindir, "example_module")
 
             # the ConanFile run method is a wrapper around Popen, but it only returns the retcode.
             # A properly intialized module waits indefinitely on a signal, so we have to use Popen manually.
-            proc = subprocess.Popen(cmd, shell=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, text=True)
+            # Use VirtualRunEnv to perform the equivalent of passing env="conanrun" to self.run, so that
+            # shared builds have a properly set LD_LIBRARY_PATH among other things.
+            env = VirtualRunEnv(self).vars()
+            proc = subprocess.Popen([cmd, sock], stdout=subprocess.PIPE, text=True, env=env)
 
             out = None