diff --git a/.github/actions/push-container-image/action.yml b/.github/actions/push-container-image/action.yml
index ccd21226..2846fde4 100644
--- a/.github/actions/push-container-image/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/push-container-image/action.yml
@@ -328,23 +328,6 @@ runs:
         name: ${{ steps.globals.outputs.bom-artifact-name }}
         path: ${{ inputs.PATH }}
 
-    - name: Enable buildkit cache
-      uses: actions/cache@v5.0.5
-      if: inputs.enable-buildkit-cache == 'true'
-      with:
-        path: /tmp/buildkit-cache/buildkit-state.tar
-        key: ${{ runner.os }}-buildkit-${{ github.sha }}
-        restore-keys: |
-          ${{ runner.os }}-buildkit-
-
-    - name: Load buildkit state from cache
-      uses: dashevo/gh-action-cache-buildkit-state@v1.0.3
-      if: inputs.enable-buildkit-cache == 'true'
-      with:
-        builder: buildx_buildkit_${{ steps.buildx.outputs.name }}0
-        cache-path: /tmp/buildkit-cache
-        cache-max-size: 3g
-
     - name: Configure AWS credentials from main account
       id: aws-login
       # Only run if dry run is explicitly set to 'false'
@@ -382,6 +365,25 @@ runs:
       id: buildx
       uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v4.0.0
 
+    - name: Enable buildkit cache
+      # Must run after buildx setup: the loader below needs the builder container to exist
+      # and resolves its name from the buildx step's outputs
+      uses: actions/cache@v5.0.5
+      if: inputs.enable-buildkit-cache == 'true'
+      with:
+        path: /tmp/buildkit-cache/buildkit-state.tar
+        key: ${{ runner.os }}-buildkit-${{ github.sha }}
+        restore-keys: |
+          ${{ runner.os }}-buildkit-
+
+    - name: Load buildkit state from cache
+      uses: dashevo/gh-action-cache-buildkit-state@v1.0.3
+      if: inputs.enable-buildkit-cache == 'true'
+      with:
+        builder: buildx_buildkit_${{ steps.buildx.outputs.name }}0
+        cache-path: /tmp/buildkit-cache
+        cache-max-size: 3g
+
     - name: Prepare Docker image names and tags
       id: meta
       uses: docker/metadata-action@v6.0.0
@@ -419,9 +421,12 @@ runs:
       env:
         DOCKER_METADATA: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.json}}
 
-    - name: Build, tag, and push container image
-      # Only run if dry run is explicitly set to 'false'
-      id: build-images
+    - name: Build container image
+      # Only run if dry run is explicitly set to 'false'.
+      # Builds the multi-platform image WITHOUT pushing it, so that the image scans below can
+      # gate the push. The 'Push container image' step re-runs this build as a pure cache hit
+      # (same builder, same inputs), so nothing is rebuilt when the image is eventually pushed.
+      id: build-image
       uses: docker/build-push-action@v7.1.0
       if: inputs.dry-run == 'false'
       env:
@@ -429,32 +434,30 @@ runs:
       with:
         builder: ${{ steps.buildx.outputs.name }}
         platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
-        # Dependabot triggered PRs don't have access to Quay credentials to push images
-        push: ${{ ! (inputs.registry == 'quay' && github.actor == 'dependabot[bot]') }}
+        push: false
         cache-from: type=gha
         cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
         context: ${{ inputs.path }}
         file: ${{ inputs.path }}/${{ inputs.dockerfile }}
-        provenance: mode=max
         tags: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
         target: ${{ inputs.target }}
-        sbom: true
         secrets: |
           ${{ inputs.package-pat && inputs.package-pat || '' }}
           ${{ inputs.font-awesome-key && inputs.font-awesome-key || '' }}
         build-args: |
           ${{ inputs.build-args }}
 
-    - name: Build container image tarball (dry run)
-      # Only run if dry run is set to anything other than 'false', indicating that this is a dry run
-      id: build-images-dry-run
+    - name: Build container image tarball for scanning
+      # Only run if this is a dry run or at least one image scan is enabled.
+      # The default image store in Docker Engine doesn't support loading multi-platform images,
+      # so a single (native platform) tarball is exported for the local scans. This is a pure
+      # cache hit against the build above.
+      id: build-image-tarball
       uses: docker/build-push-action@v7.1.0
-      if: inputs.dry-run != 'false'
+      if: inputs.dry-run != 'false' || inputs.trivy-scan-image == 'true' || inputs.grype-scan-image == 'true'
       env:
         DOCKER_BUILDKIT: 1
       with:
-        # The default image store in Docker Engine doesn't support loading multi-platform images.
-        # Because of this, the dry run excludes the 'platforms' input.
         builder: ${{ steps.buildx.outputs.name }}
         push: false
         cache-from: type=gha
@@ -468,40 +471,17 @@ runs:
           ${{ inputs.font-awesome-key && inputs.font-awesome-key || '' }}
         build-args: |
           ${{ inputs.build-args }}
-        # Filename must match the `scan-name` the Trivy/Grype steps derive below, since they download the
-        # artifact and `docker load` it by that exact name. Include `-<dockerfile>` to keep them aligned.
         outputs: type=docker,dest=/tmp/${{ inputs.app-name-prefix }}${{ inputs.app-name }}${{ inputs.image-suffix }}-${{ inputs.dockerfile }}.tar
 
-    - name: Install CoSign
-      # Only run if dry run is explicitly set to 'false' and the image is being pushed to 'quay'.
-      if: inputs.dry-run == 'false' && inputs.registry == 'quay'
-      uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@v3
-    - name: Sign charts on Quay.io
-      # Only run if dry run is explicitly set to 'false' and the image is being pushed to 'quay'.
-      if: inputs.dry-run == 'false' && inputs.registry == 'quay'
-      shell: bash
-      env:
-        DIGEST: ${{ steps.build-images.outputs.digest }}
-        TAGS: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
-      run: |
-        images=""
-        for tag in ${TAGS}; do
-          images+="${tag}@${DIGEST} "
-        done
-        cosign sign --yes ${images}
-
     - name: Upload container image tarball artefact
-      # Only run if dry run is set to anything other than 'false', indicating that this is a dry run
+      # The artefact name must match '<scan-name>.tar' as the scan actions download it by that name
       id: upload-image-artefact
       uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
-      if: inputs.dry-run != 'false'
+      if: inputs.dry-run != 'false' || inputs.trivy-scan-image == 'true' || inputs.grype-scan-image == 'true'
       with:
-        # Name and path must match the dry-run build dest above and the `scan-name` used by the Trivy/Grype
-        # steps. These previously used `APP_NAME_PREFIX`-style refs (underscores), which do not resolve to the
-        # hyphenated inputs and silently evaluated to empty, so nothing was uploaded and the scans failed to
-        # download the tarball.
         name: ${{ inputs.app-name-prefix }}${{ inputs.app-name }}${{ inputs.image-suffix }}-${{ inputs.dockerfile }}.tar
         path: /tmp/${{ inputs.app-name-prefix }}${{ inputs.app-name }}${{ inputs.image-suffix }}-${{ inputs.dockerfile }}.tar
+        if-no-files-found: error
 
     - name: Capture built container image tags
       id: capture-tags
@@ -525,13 +505,13 @@ runs:
         scan-name: ${{ inputs.app-name-prefix }}${{ inputs.app-name }}${{ inputs.image-suffix }}-${{ inputs.dockerfile }}
 
     - name: Trivy image scan
-      # Only run if Trivy image scan is explicitly set to 'true' AND (is a dry run OR (is not a dry run AND user is not dependabot))
-      if: inputs.trivy-scan-image == 'true' && (inputs.dry-run != 'false' || (inputs.dry-run == 'false' && github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'))
+      # Only run if Trivy image scan is explicitly set to 'true'
+      if: inputs.trivy-scan-image == 'true'
       uses: telicent-oss/shared-workflows/.github/actions/trivy-image-scan@main
       with:
         github-token: ${{ inputs.github-token }}
-        # Indicates that the image should be imported from a tarball artefact and scanned locally
-        image-from-artefact: ${{ inputs.dry-run != 'false' }}
+        # The image is always scanned locally from the tarball artefact, before it is pushed
+        image-from-artefact: 'true'
         image-ref: ${{ steps.capture-tags.outputs.image }}
         registry: ${{ inputs.registry }}
         quay-username: ${{ inputs.quay-username }}
@@ -543,13 +523,13 @@ runs:
         uses-java: ${{ inputs.uses-maven }}
 
     - name: Grype image scan
-      # Only run if Grype image scan is explicitly set to 'true' AND (is a dry run OR (is not a dry run AND user is not dependabot))
-      if: inputs.grype-scan-image == 'true' && (inputs.dry-run != 'false' || (inputs.dry-run == 'false' && github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'))
+      # Only run if Grype image scan is explicitly set to 'true'
+      if: inputs.grype-scan-image == 'true'
       uses: telicent-oss/shared-workflows/.github/actions/grype-image-scan@main
       with:
         github-token: ${{ inputs.github-token }}
-        # Indicates that the image should be imported from a tarball artefact and scanned locally
-        image-from-artefact: ${{ inputs.dry-run != 'false' }}
+        # The image is always scanned locally from the tarball artefact, before it is pushed
+        image-from-artefact: 'true'
         image-ref: ${{ steps.capture-tags.outputs.image }}
         registry: ${{ inputs.registry }}
         quay-username: ${{ inputs.quay-username }}
@@ -559,6 +539,51 @@ runs:
         fail-on-unfixed: ${{ inputs.fail-on-unfixed }}
         remote-vex: ${{ inputs.remote-vex }}
 
+    - name: Push container image
+      # Only run if dry run is explicitly set to 'false', and only once the image scans above
+      # have passed. Re-runs the 'Build container image' build as a pure cache hit, so this
+      # step only generates the provenance/SBOM attestations and pushes the already built image.
+      id: build-images
+      uses: docker/build-push-action@v7.1.0
+      if: inputs.dry-run == 'false'
+      env:
+        DOCKER_BUILDKIT: 1
+      with:
+        builder: ${{ steps.buildx.outputs.name }}
+        platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
+        # Dependabot triggered PRs don't have access to Quay credentials to push images
+        push: ${{ ! (inputs.registry == 'quay' && github.actor == 'dependabot[bot]') }}
+        cache-from: type=gha
+        cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
+        context: ${{ inputs.path }}
+        file: ${{ inputs.path }}/${{ inputs.dockerfile }}
+        provenance: mode=max
+        tags: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
+        target: ${{ inputs.target }}
+        sbom: true
+        secrets: |
+          ${{ inputs.package-pat && inputs.package-pat || '' }}
+          ${{ inputs.font-awesome-key && inputs.font-awesome-key || '' }}
+        build-args: |
+          ${{ inputs.build-args }}
+
+    - name: Install CoSign
+      # Only run if dry run is explicitly set to 'false' and the image is being pushed to 'quay'.
+      if: inputs.dry-run == 'false' && inputs.registry == 'quay'
+      uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@v3
+    - name: Sign charts on Quay.io
+      # Only run if dry run is explicitly set to 'false' and the image is being pushed to 'quay'.
+      if: inputs.dry-run == 'false' && inputs.registry == 'quay'
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        DIGEST: ${{ steps.build-images.outputs.digest }}
+        TAGS: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
+      run: |
+          images=""
+          for tag in ${TAGS}; do
+            images+="${tag}@${DIGEST} "
+          done
+          cosign sign --yes ${images}
     - name: SonarQube code health report
       # Only run when actually pushing to Quay, and only when the SonarQube token and report destination are
       # supplied. Dry runs are skipped so that they remain free of side effects.