diff --git a/.github/workflows/actions.yml b/.github/workflows/actions.yml
index 5957a62ea31..d862bab7533 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/actions.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/actions.yml
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ jobs:
               ./mill -i -k __.ivyDepsTree
               ./mill -i -k __.ivyDepsTree --withRuntime
 
-
     uses: ./.github/workflows/run-mill-action.yml
     with:
       java-version: ${{ matrix.java-version }}
@@ -86,11 +85,19 @@ jobs:
           - java-version: 17
             millargs: docs.githubPages
 
+
     uses: ./.github/workflows/run-mill-action.yml
     with:
       java-version: ${{ matrix.java-version }}
       millargs: ${{ matrix.millargs }}
 
+  compiler-bridge:
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/run-mill-action.yml
+    with:
+      java-version: '8'
+      millargs: bridge.__.publishLocal
+      env-bridge-versions: 'essential'
+
   format-check:
     uses: ./.github/workflows/run-mill-action.yml
     with:
@@ -145,7 +152,7 @@ jobs:
   publish-sonatype:
     # when in master repo, publish all tags and manual runs on main
     if: github.repository == 'com-lihaoyi/mill' && (startsWith( github.ref, 'refs/tags/') || (github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' ) )
-    needs: [linux, windows, format-check, bincompat-check, scalafix-check, itest]
+    needs: [linux, windows, compiler-bridge, format-check, bincompat-check, scalafix-check, itest]
 
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run-mill-action.yml b/.github/workflows/run-mill-action.yml
index 40e4d787dce..91b8ad2e724 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/run-mill-action.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/run-mill-action.yml
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ on:
       timeout-minutes:
         default: 90
         type: number
+      env-bridge-versions:
+        default: 'none'
+        type: string
 
 jobs:
   build:
@@ -28,6 +31,8 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ${{ inputs.os }}
     continue-on-error: ${{ inputs.continue-on-error }}
     timeout-minutes: ${{ inputs.timeout-minutes }}
+    env:
+      MILL_COMPILER_BRIDGE_VERSIONS: ${{ inputs.env-bridge-versions }}
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
diff --git a/build.sc b/build.sc
index fd99044b7a2..c95245469ab 100644
--- a/build.sc
+++ b/build.sc
@@ -192,7 +192,6 @@ object Deps {
   val jarjarabrams = ivy"com.eed3si9n.jarjarabrams::jarjar-abrams-core:1.14.0"
   val requests = ivy"com.lihaoyi::requests:0.8.2"
 
-
   /** Used to manage transitive versions. */
   val transitiveDeps = Seq(
     ivy"org.apache.ant:ant:1.10.14",
@@ -236,10 +235,13 @@ def millBinPlatform: T[String] = T {
 
 def baseDir = build.millSourcePath
 
+val essentialBridgeScalaVersions =
+  Seq(Deps.scalaVersion, Deps.scalaVersionForScoverageWorker1, Deps.workerScalaVersion212)
+// published compiler bridges
 val bridgeScalaVersions = Seq(
   // Our version of Zinc doesn't work with Scala 2.12.0 and 2.12.4 compiler
   // bridges. We skip 2.12.1 because it's so old not to matter, and we need a
-  // non-supported scala versionm for testing purposes. We skip 2.13.0-2 because
+  // non-supported scala version for testing purposes. We skip 2.13.0-2 because
   // scaladoc fails on windows
   /*"2.12.0",*/ /*2.12.1",*/ "2.12.2",
   "2.12.3", /*"2.12.4",*/ "2.12.5",
@@ -257,7 +259,8 @@ val bridgeScalaVersions = Seq(
   "2.12.17",
   "2.12.18",
   "2.12.19",
-  /*"2.13.0", "2.13.1", "2.13.2",*/ "2.13.3",
+  /*"2.13.0", "2.13.1", "2.13.2",*/
+  "2.13.3",
   "2.13.4",
   "2.13.5",
   "2.13.6",
@@ -277,9 +280,10 @@ val bridgeScalaVersions = Seq(
 // if given.
 val compilerBridgeScalaVersions =
   interp.watchValue(sys.env.get("MILL_COMPILER_BRIDGE_VERSIONS")) match {
-    case None => Seq.empty[String]
-    case Some("all") => bridgeScalaVersions
-    case Some(versions) => versions.split(',').map(_.trim).toSeq
+    case None | Some("") | Some("none") => Seq.empty[String]
+    case Some("all") => (essentialBridgeScalaVersions ++ bridgeScalaVersions).distinct
+    case Some("essential") => essentialBridgeScalaVersions
+    case Some(versions) => versions.split(',').map(_.trim()).filterNot(_.isEmpty).toSeq
   }
 val bridgeVersion = "0.0.1"
 
@@ -525,7 +529,8 @@ trait BridgeModule extends MillPublishJavaModule with CrossScalaModule {
   def pomSettings = commonPomSettings(artifactName())
   def crossFullScalaVersion = true
   def ivyDeps = Agg(
-    ivy"org.scala-sbt:compiler-interface:${Versions.zinc}",
+    ivy"org.scala-sbt:compiler-interface:${Deps.zinc.version}",
+    ivy"org.scala-sbt:util-interface:${Deps.zinc.version}",
     ivy"org.scala-lang:scala-compiler:${crossScalaVersion}"
   )
 
@@ -534,23 +539,21 @@ trait BridgeModule extends MillPublishJavaModule with CrossScalaModule {
     Seq(PathRef(T.dest))
   }
 
-  def generatedSources = T {
-    import mill.scalalib.api.ZincWorkerUtil.{grepJar, scalaBinaryVersion}
-    val resolvedJars = resolveDeps(
-      T.task {
-        Agg(ivy"org.scala-sbt::compiler-bridge:${Deps.zinc.dep.version}").map(bindDependency())
-      },
+  def compilerBridgeIvyDeps: T[Agg[Dep]] = Agg(
+    ivy"org.scala-sbt::compiler-bridge:${Deps.zinc.version}".exclude("*" -> "*")
+  )
+
+  def compilerBridgeSourceJars: T[Agg[PathRef]] = T {
+    resolveDeps(
+      T.task { compilerBridgeIvyDeps().map(bindDependency()) },
       sources = true
     )()
+  }
 
-    val bridgeJar = grepJar(
-      resolvedJars,
-      s"compiler-bridge_${scalaBinaryVersion(scalaVersion())}",
-      Deps.zinc.dep.version,
-      true
-    )
-
-    mill.api.IO.unpackZip(bridgeJar.path, os.rel)
+  def generatedSources = T {
+    compilerBridgeSourceJars().foreach { jar =>
+      mill.api.IO.unpackZip(jar.path, os.rel)
+    }
 
     Seq(PathRef(T.dest))
   }