diff --git a/.binny.yaml b/.binny.yaml
index 15e848809..9b118d2d0 100644
--- a/.binny.yaml
+++ b/.binny.yaml
@@ -1,67 +1,11 @@
 # only pull in version updates that were released more than a week ago (low-pass filter for quickly-retracted releases)
 cooldown: 7d
 
+# Most tools (binny, chronicle, cosign, golangci-lint, goreleaser, gosimports,
+# bouncer, quill, syft, task, gh) are inherited from anchore/go-make's embedded
+# .binny.yaml — see https://github.com/anchore/go-make. Only syft-specific tools
+# or version overrides should live here.
 tools:
-  ## internal tools ############################################################################
-
-  # we want to use a pinned version of binny to manage the toolchain (so binny manages itself!)
-  - name: binny
-    version:
-      want: v0.13.0
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: anchore/binny
-
-  # used to produce SBOMs during release
-  - name: syft
-    version:
-      want: v1.42.3
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: anchore/syft
-
-  # used to sign mac binaries at release
-  - name: quill
-    version:
-      want: v0.7.1
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: anchore/quill
-
-  # used at release to generate the changelog
-  - name: chronicle
-    version:
-      want: v0.8.0
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: anchore/chronicle
-
-  ## external tools ############################################################################
-
-  # used for linting
-  - name: golangci-lint
-    version:
-      want: v2.11.4
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: golangci/golangci-lint
-
-  # used for showing the changelog at release
-  - name: glow
-    version:
-      want: v2.1.1
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: charmbracelet/glow
-
-  # used for signing the checksums file at release
-  - name: cosign
-    version:
-      want: v3.0.5
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: sigstore/cosign
-
   # used in integration tests to verify JSON schemas
   - name: yajsv
     version:
@@ -70,46 +14,6 @@ tools:
     with:
       repo: neilpa/yajsv
 
-  # used to release all artifacts
-  - name: goreleaser
-    version:
-      want: v2.15.2
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: goreleaser/goreleaser
-
-  # used for organizing imports during static analysis
-  - name: gosimports
-    version:
-      want: v0.3.8
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: rinchsan/gosimports
-
-  # used during static analysis for license compliance
-  - name: bouncer
-    version:
-      want: v0.4.0
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: wagoodman/go-bouncer
-
-  # used for running all local and CI tasks
-  - name: task
-    version:
-      want: v3.49.1
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: go-task/task
-
-  # used for triggering a release
-  - name: gh
-    version:
-      want: v2.89.0
-    method: github-release
-    with:
-      repo: cli/cli
-
   # used to upload test fixture cache
   - name: oras
     version:
@@ -118,7 +22,7 @@ tools:
     with:
       repo: oras-project/oras
 
-  # used to upload test fixture cache
+  # used to parse JSON/YAML annotations on the fixture cache image
   - name: yq
     version:
       want: v4.52.5
diff --git a/.github/actions/bootstrap/action.yaml b/.github/actions/bootstrap/action.yaml
index 9d047394b..67717b789 100644
--- a/.github/actions/bootstrap/action.yaml
+++ b/.github/actions/bootstrap/action.yaml
@@ -1,55 +1,45 @@
 name: "Bootstrap"
-description: "Bootstrap all tools and dependencies"
+description: "Bootstrap all syft tools and dependencies on top of go-make's setup action"
+
+# This action is a thin wrapper around anchore/go-make/.github/actions/setup which
+# already handles checkout, setup-go, restore-only build/mod cache, and tool cache.
+# We add the syft-specific extras here: apt packages and the test fixture cache.
+
 inputs:
   go-version:
-    description: "Go version to install"
+    description: "Go version to install (passed to go-make/setup)"
     required: true
     default: "1.26.2"
-  go-dependencies:
-    description: "Download go dependencies"
+  cache-key-prefix:
+    description: "Prefix all cache keys with this value (passed to go-make/setup)"
+    required: true
+    default: "v1"
+  cache-enabled:
+    description: "Enable build/mod and tool caching (passed to go-make/setup)"
     required: true
     default: "true"
-  cache-key-prefix:
-    description: "Prefix all cache keys with this value"
-    required: true
-    default: "53ac821810"
   download-test-fixture-cache:
     description: "Download test fixture cache from OCI and github actions"
     required: true
     default: "false"
-  tools:
-    description: "whether to install tools"
-    default: "true"
   bootstrap-apt-packages:
     description: "Space delimited list of tools to install via apt"
     default: "libxml2-utils"
+
 runs:
   using: "composite"
   steps:
-    # note: go mod and build is automatically cached on default with v4+
-    - uses: actions/setup-go@4a3601121dd01d1626a1e23e37211e3254c1c06c # v6.4.0
-      if: inputs.go-version != ''
+    - name: Setup go + go-make tooling
+      uses: anchore/go-make/.github/actions/setup@88c36505984649108439f13fb35dcaea4ce61d94 # v0.4.0
       with:
         go-version: ${{ inputs.go-version }}
-        check-latest: true
-    - name: Restore tool cache
-      if: inputs.tools == 'true'
-      id: tool-cache
-      uses: actions/cache@27d5ce7f107fe9357f9df03efb73ab90386fccae # v5.0.5
-      with:
-        path: ${{ github.workspace }}/.tool
-        key: ${{ inputs.cache-key-prefix }}-${{ runner.os }}-tool-${{ hashFiles('.binny.yaml') }}
-    - name: Install project tools
+        cache-key-prefix: ${{ inputs.cache-key-prefix }}
+        cache-enabled: ${{ inputs.cache-enabled }}
+
+    - name: Install binny-managed tools
       shell: bash
-      if: inputs.tools == 'true'
-      run: |
-        make tools
-        .tool/binny list
-        .tool/binny check
-    - name: Install go dependencies
-      if: inputs.go-dependencies == 'true'
-      shell: bash
-      run: make ci-bootstrap-go
+      run: make binny:install
+
     - name: Install apt packages
       if: inputs.bootstrap-apt-packages != ''
       shell: bash
@@ -58,12 +48,14 @@ runs:
       run: |
         IFS=' ' read -ra packages <<< "$APT_PACKAGES"
         DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive sudo apt update && sudo -E apt install -y "${packages[@]}"
+
     - name: Restore ORAS cache from github actions
       if: inputs.download-test-fixture-cache == 'true'
       uses: actions/cache@27d5ce7f107fe9357f9df03efb73ab90386fccae # v5.0.5
       with:
         path: ${{ github.workspace }}/.tmp/oras-cache
         key: ${{ inputs.cache-key-prefix }}-oras-cache
+
     - name: Download test fixture cache
       if: inputs.download-test-fixture-cache == 'true'
       shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
index fc3b7bd6d..c7097b2b8 100644
--- a/.github/dependabot.yml
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ version: 2
 updates:
 
   - package-ecosystem: gomod
-    directory: "/"
+    directories:
+      - "/"
+      - "/.make"
     cooldown:
       default-days: 7
     schedule:
diff --git a/.github/scripts/ci-check.sh b/.github/scripts/ci-check.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 0ab83a318..000000000
--- a/.github/scripts/ci-check.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-
-red=$(tput setaf 1)
-bold=$(tput bold)
-normal=$(tput sgr0)
-
-# assert we are running in CI (or die!)
-if [[ -z "$CI" ]]; then
-    echo "${bold}${red}This step should ONLY be run in CI. Exiting...${normal}"
-    exit 1
-fi
diff --git a/.github/scripts/coverage.py b/.github/scripts/coverage.py
deleted file mode 100755
index db14135cd..000000000
--- a/.github/scripts/coverage.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,36 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python3
-import subprocess
-import sys
-import shlex
-
-
-class bcolors:
-    HEADER = '\033[95m'
-    OKBLUE = '\033[94m'
-    OKCYAN = '\033[96m'
-    OKGREEN = '\033[92m'
-    WARNING = '\033[93m'
-    FAIL = '\033[91m'
-    ENDC = '\033[0m'
-    BOLD = '\033[1m'
-    UNDERLINE = '\033[4m'
-
-
-if len(sys.argv) < 3:
-    print("Usage: coverage.py [threshold] [go-coverage-report]")
-    sys.exit(1)
-
-
-threshold = float(sys.argv[1])
-report = sys.argv[2]
-
-
-args = shlex.split(f"go tool cover -func {report}")
-p = subprocess.run(args, capture_output=True, text=True)
-
-percent_coverage = float(p.stdout.splitlines()[-1].split()[-1].replace("%", ""))
-print(f"{bcolors.BOLD}Coverage: {percent_coverage}%{bcolors.ENDC}")
-
-if percent_coverage < threshold:
-    print(f"{bcolors.BOLD}{bcolors.FAIL}Coverage below threshold of {threshold}%{bcolors.ENDC}")
-    sys.exit(1)
diff --git a/.github/scripts/find_cache_paths.py b/.github/scripts/find_cache_paths.py
index 5d66ae589..9dc25481e 100755
--- a/.github/scripts/find_cache_paths.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/find_cache_paths.py
@@ -1,35 +1,45 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-import os
 import glob
-import sys
-import json
 import hashlib
-
+import json
+import os
+import sys
 
 IGNORED_PREFIXES = []
 
 
 def find_fingerprints_and_check_dirs(base_dir):
-    all_fingerprints = set(glob.glob(os.path.join(base_dir, '**', 'test*', '**', '*.fingerprint'), recursive=True))
+    all_fingerprints = set(
+        glob.glob(
+            os.path.join(base_dir, "**", "test*", "**", "*.fingerprint"), recursive=True
+        )
+    )
 
-    all_fingerprints = {os.path.relpath(fp) for fp in all_fingerprints
-                        if not any(fp.startswith(prefix) for prefix in IGNORED_PREFIXES)}
+    all_fingerprints = {
+        os.path.relpath(fp)
+        for fp in all_fingerprints
+        if not any(fp.startswith(prefix) for prefix in IGNORED_PREFIXES)
+    }
 
     if not all_fingerprints:
         show("No .fingerprint files or cache directories found.")
         exit(1)
 
-    missing_content = []
+    orphan_fingerprints = []
+    empty_content = []
     valid_paths = set()
     fingerprint_contents = []
 
     for fingerprint in all_fingerprints:
-        path = fingerprint.replace('.fingerprint', '')
+        path = fingerprint.replace(".fingerprint", "")
 
         if not os.path.exists(path):
-            missing_content.append(path)
+            # paired content path is entirely missing — the .fingerprint is likely
+            # leftover from a moved/deleted source (testdata trees are git-ignored,
+            # so they persist locally across rename refactors)
+            orphan_fingerprints.append(fingerprint)
             continue
 
         if not os.path.isdir(path):
@@ -39,13 +49,13 @@ def find_fingerprints_and_check_dirs(base_dir):
         if os.listdir(path):
             valid_paths.add(path)
         else:
-            missing_content.append(path)
+            empty_content.append(path)
 
-        with open(fingerprint, 'r') as f:
+        with open(fingerprint, "r") as f:
             content = f.read().strip()
             fingerprint_contents.append((fingerprint, content))
 
-    return sorted(valid_paths), missing_content, fingerprint_contents
+    return sorted(valid_paths), empty_content, orphan_fingerprints, fingerprint_contents
 
 
 def parse_fingerprint_contents(fingerprint_content):
@@ -59,7 +69,9 @@ def parse_fingerprint_contents(fingerprint_content):
 def calculate_sha256(fingerprint_contents):
     sorted_fingerprint_contents = sorted(fingerprint_contents, key=lambda x: x[0])
 
-    concatenated_contents = ''.join(content for _, content in sorted_fingerprint_contents)
+    concatenated_contents = "".join(
+        content for _, content in sorted_fingerprint_contents
+    )
 
     sha256_hash = hashlib.sha256(concatenated_contents.encode()).hexdigest()
 
@@ -68,7 +80,7 @@ def calculate_sha256(fingerprint_contents):
 
 def calculate_file_sha256(file_path):
     sha256_hash = hashlib.sha256()
-    with open(file_path, 'rb') as f:
+    with open(file_path, "rb") as f:
         for byte_block in iter(lambda: f.read(4096), b""):
             sha256_hash.update(byte_block)
     return sha256_hash.hexdigest()
@@ -79,17 +91,28 @@ def show(*s: str):
 
 
 def main(file_path: str | None):
-    base_dir = '.'
-    valid_paths, missing_content, fingerprint_contents = find_fingerprints_and_check_dirs(base_dir)
+    base_dir = "."
+    valid_paths, empty_content, orphan_fingerprints, fingerprint_contents = (
+        find_fingerprints_and_check_dirs(base_dir)
+    )
 
-    if missing_content:
-        show("The following paths are missing or have no content, but have corresponding .fingerprint files:")
-        for path in sorted(missing_content):
+    if empty_content:
+        show(
+            "The following paths exist but are empty, and have corresponding .fingerprint files:"
+        )
+        for path in sorted(empty_content):
             show(f"- {path}")
         # when adding new cache directories there is a time where it is not possible to have this directory without
         # running the tests first... but this step is a prerequisite for running the tests. We should not block on this.
-        # show("Please ensure these paths exist and have content if they are directories.")
-        # exit(1)
+
+    if orphan_fingerprints:
+        show(
+            "The following .fingerprint files reference paths that no longer exist "
+            "(likely leftover from a moved/deleted cataloger — safe to delete, "
+            "or run `task prune-orphan-fingerprints`):"
+        )
+        for fp in sorted(orphan_fingerprints):
+            show(f"- {fp}")
 
     sha256_hash = calculate_sha256(fingerprint_contents)
 
@@ -101,30 +124,24 @@ def main(file_path: str | None):
                 file_digest = calculate_file_sha256(fingerprint_file)
 
                 # Parse the fingerprint file to get the digest/path tuples
-                with open(fingerprint_file, 'r') as f:
+                with open(fingerprint_file, "r") as f:
                     fingerprint_content = f.read().strip()
                     input_map = parse_fingerprint_contents(fingerprint_content)
 
-                paths_with_digests.append({
-                    "path": path,
-                    "digest": file_digest,
-                    "input": input_map
-                })
+                paths_with_digests.append(
+                    {"path": path, "digest": file_digest, "input": input_map}
+                )
 
         except Exception as e:
             show(f"Error processing {fingerprint_file}: {e}")
             raise e
 
-
-    output = {
-        "digest": sha256_hash,
-        "paths": paths_with_digests
-    }
+    output = {"digest": sha256_hash, "paths": paths_with_digests}
 
     content = json.dumps(output, indent=2, sort_keys=True)
 
     if file_path:
-        with open(file_path, 'w') as f:
+        with open(file_path, "w") as f:
             f.write(content)
 
     print(content)
diff --git a/.github/scripts/go-mod-tidy-check.sh b/.github/scripts/go-mod-tidy-check.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 28f22fcdc..000000000
--- a/.github/scripts/go-mod-tidy-check.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-set -eu
-
-ORIGINAL_STATE_DIR=$(mktemp -d "TEMP-original-state-XXXXXXXXX")
-TIDY_STATE_DIR=$(mktemp -d "TEMP-tidy-state-XXXXXXXXX")
-
-trap "cp -p ${ORIGINAL_STATE_DIR}/* ./ && git update-index -q --refresh && rm -fR ${ORIGINAL_STATE_DIR} ${TIDY_STATE_DIR}" EXIT
-
-# capturing original state of files...
-cp go.mod go.sum "${ORIGINAL_STATE_DIR}"
-
-# capturing state of go.mod and go.sum after running go mod tidy...
-go mod tidy
-cp go.mod go.sum "${TIDY_STATE_DIR}"
-
-set +e
-
-# detect difference between the git HEAD state and the go mod tidy state
-DIFF_MOD=$(diff -u "${ORIGINAL_STATE_DIR}/go.mod" "${TIDY_STATE_DIR}/go.mod")
-DIFF_SUM=$(diff -u "${ORIGINAL_STATE_DIR}/go.sum" "${TIDY_STATE_DIR}/go.sum")
-
-if [[ -n "${DIFF_MOD}" || -n "${DIFF_SUM}" ]]; then
-    echo "go.mod diff:"
-    echo "${DIFF_MOD}"
-    echo "go.sum diff:"
-    echo "${DIFF_SUM}"
-    echo ""
-    printf "FAILED! go.mod and/or go.sum are NOT tidy; please run 'go mod tidy'.\n\n"
-    exit 1
-fi
diff --git a/.github/scripts/prune_orphan_fingerprints.py b/.github/scripts/prune_orphan_fingerprints.py
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..1825a2904
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/prune_orphan_fingerprints.py
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Remove orphan *.fingerprint files left behind by moved/deleted catalogers.
+
+A fingerprint is considered orphaned when:
+  1. its paired content path (the fingerprint path with `.fingerprint` stripped)
+     does not exist, AND
+  2. the nearest ancestor `testdata/` directory has no `Makefile` claiming
+     responsibility for generating that path.
+
+The second condition is the safety check: if there is a Makefile, the
+fingerprint is "live" and might just be waiting for fixtures to be built —
+leave it alone. Without a Makefile, nothing in-repo will ever regenerate
+the content, so the fingerprint is dead weight that triggers spurious
+"missing path" warnings.
+
+Empty parent directories are also pruned after removing the fingerprint.
+
+Use --dry-run to preview without deleting.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import glob
+import os
+import sys
+
+
+def find_ancestor_testdata(path: str) -> str | None:
+    d = os.path.dirname(path)
+    while d and d not in (".", os.sep):
+        if os.path.basename(d) == "testdata":
+            return d
+        d = os.path.dirname(d)
+    return None
+
+
+def is_orphan(fingerprint: str) -> bool:
+    paired = fingerprint[: -len(".fingerprint")]
+    if os.path.exists(paired):
+        return False
+
+    testdata_dir = find_ancestor_testdata(fingerprint)
+    if testdata_dir and os.path.isfile(os.path.join(testdata_dir, "Makefile")):
+        # a Makefile exists that may regenerate this — not safe to prune
+        return False
+
+    return True
+
+
+def prune_empty_parents(start: str, stop_at: str = ".") -> list[str]:
+    removed = []
+    d = os.path.dirname(start)
+    stop_at = os.path.abspath(stop_at)
+    while d and os.path.abspath(d) != stop_at:
+        try:
+            if not os.listdir(d):
+                os.rmdir(d)
+                removed.append(d)
+                d = os.path.dirname(d)
+            else:
+                break
+        except OSError:
+            break
+    return removed
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--dry-run",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Show what would be removed without deleting anything",
+    )
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    all_fingerprints = glob.glob("**/test*/**/*.fingerprint", recursive=True)
+    orphans = sorted(fp for fp in all_fingerprints if is_orphan(fp))
+
+    if not orphans:
+        print("no orphan fingerprints found")
+        return 0
+
+    verb = "would remove" if args.dry_run else "removing"
+    print(f"{verb} {len(orphans)} orphan fingerprint(s):")
+    for fp in orphans:
+        print(f"- {fp}")
+        if args.dry_run:
+            continue
+        try:
+            os.remove(fp)
+        except OSError as e:
+            print(f"  ! failed to remove: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+            continue
+        for d in prune_empty_parents(fp):
+            print(f"  (also removed empty dir {d})")
+
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/.github/scripts/trigger-release.sh b/.github/scripts/trigger-release.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 8684585b7..000000000
--- a/.github/scripts/trigger-release.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,57 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-set -eu
-
-bold=$(tput bold)
-normal=$(tput sgr0)
-
-GH_CLI=.tool/gh
-
-if ! [ -x "$(command -v $GH_CLI)" ]; then
-    echo "The GitHub CLI could not be found. run: make bootstrap"
-    exit 1
-fi
-
-$GH_CLI auth status
-
-# set the default repo in cases where multiple remotes are defined
-$GH_CLI repo set-default anchore/syft
-
-export GITHUB_TOKEN="${GITHUB_TOKEN-"$($GH_CLI auth token)"}"
-
-# we need all of the git state to determine the next version. Since tagging is done by
-# the release pipeline it is possible to not have all of the tags from previous releases.
-git fetch --tags
-
-# populates the CHANGELOG.md and VERSION files
-echo "${bold}Generating changelog...${normal}"
-make changelog 2> /dev/null
-
-NEXT_VERSION=$(cat VERSION)
-
-if [[ "$NEXT_VERSION" == "" ||  "${NEXT_VERSION}" == "(Unreleased)" ]]; then
-    echo "Could not determine the next version to release. Exiting..."
-    exit 1
-fi
-
-while true; do
-    read -p "${bold}Do you want to trigger a release for version '${NEXT_VERSION}'?${normal} [y/n] " yn
-    case $yn in
-        [Yy]* ) echo; break;;
-        [Nn]* ) echo; echo "Cancelling release..."; exit;;
-        * ) echo "Please answer yes or no.";;
-    esac
-done
-
-echo "${bold}Kicking off release for ${NEXT_VERSION}${normal}..."
-echo
-$GH_CLI workflow run release.yaml -f version=${NEXT_VERSION}
-
-echo
-echo "${bold}Waiting for release to start...${normal}"
-sleep 10
-
-set +e
-
-echo "${bold}Head to the release workflow to monitor the release:${normal} $($GH_CLI run list --workflow=release.yaml --limit=1 --json url --jq '.[].url')"
-id=$($GH_CLI run list --workflow=release.yaml --limit=1 --json databaseId --jq '.[].databaseId')
-$GH_CLI run watch $id --exit-status || (echo ; echo "${bold}Logs of failed step:${normal}" && GH_PAGER="" $GH_CLI run view $id --log-failed)
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
index 2eb2738bf..db3b2ed2a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -23,9 +23,10 @@ on:
           - "install-script-only"
 
 jobs:
-
   version-available:
     if: ${{ github.event.inputs.phase == 'all' }}
+    permissions:
+      contents: read # required for fetching tags
     uses: anchore/workflows/.github/workflows/check-version-available.yaml@8b2b1caf40e03933c6807e03b99e883e2ceb5ac8 # v0.4.0
     with:
       version: ${{ github.event.inputs.version }}
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
   check-gate:
     if: ${{ github.event.inputs.phase == 'all' }}
     permissions:
-      checks: read   # required for getting the status of specific check names
+      checks: read # required for getting the status of specific check names
     uses: anchore/workflows/.github/workflows/check-gate.yaml@8b2b1caf40e03933c6807e03b99e883e2ceb5ac8 # v0.4.0
     with:
       # these are checks that should be run on pull-request and merges to main.
@@ -42,8 +43,9 @@ jobs:
       checks: '["Acceptance tests (Linux)", "Acceptance tests (Mac)", "Build snapshot artifacts", "CLI tests (Linux)", "Integration tests", "Static analysis", "Unit tests"]'
 
   release:
-    needs: [ check-gate, version-available ]
+    needs: [check-gate, version-available]
     if: ${{ github.event.inputs.phase == 'all' }}
+    environment: release
     # runs-on.com: compute instances for parallel builds
     #   spot disabled: reliability for build workflows (used for releases too)
     #   goreleaser uses parallelism of 12, so we need more CPUs
@@ -51,10 +53,9 @@ jobs:
     #   tmpfs: faster io-intensive workflows
     runs-on: runs-on=${{ github.run_id }}/cpu=16+32/ram=32+128/family=c5+c6+c7+c8/spot=false/extras=s3-cache+tmpfs
     permissions:
-      contents: write
-      packages: write
-      # required for goreleaser signs section with cosign
-      id-token: write
+      contents: write # required for creating the GitHub release and pushing the version tag
+      packages: write # required for publishing release artifacts to GitHub packages
+      id-token: write # required for keyless signing (cosign/sigstore OIDC)
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd #v6.0.2
         with:
@@ -65,31 +66,24 @@ jobs:
         uses: ./.github/actions/bootstrap
 
       - name: Login to Docker Hub
-        uses: docker/login-action@4907a6ddec9925e35a0a9e82d7399ccc52663121  #v4.1.0
+        uses: docker/login-action@4907a6ddec9925e35a0a9e82d7399ccc52663121 #v4.1.0
         with:
           username: ${{ secrets.ANCHOREOSSWRITE_DH_USERNAME }}
           password: ${{ secrets.ANCHOREOSSWRITE_DH_PAT }}
 
       - name: Login to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@4907a6ddec9925e35a0a9e82d7399ccc52663121  #v4.1.0
+        uses: docker/login-action@4907a6ddec9925e35a0a9e82d7399ccc52663121 #v4.1.0
         with:
           registry: ghcr.io
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
           password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
-      - name: Tag release
-        run: |
-          git config --global user.name "anchoreci"
-          git config --global user.email "anchoreci@users.noreply.github.com"
-          git tag -a "$VERSION" -m "Release $VERSION"
-          git push origin --tags
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          VERSION: ${{ github.event.inputs.version }}
-
       - name: Build & publish release artifacts
         run: make ci-release
         env:
+          # used for pushing tags
+          DEPLOY_KEY: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_KEY }}
+          RELEASE_VERSION: ${{ github.event.inputs.version }}
           # for mac signing and notarization...
           QUILL_SIGN_P12: ${{ secrets.ANCHORE_APPLE_DEVELOPER_ID_CERT_CHAIN }}
           QUILL_SIGN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.ANCHORE_APPLE_DEVELOPER_ID_CERT_PASS }}
@@ -128,9 +122,11 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ success() }}
 
   release-install-script:
-    needs: [ release ]
+    needs: [release]
     if: ${{ always() && (needs.release.result == 'success' || github.event.inputs.phase == 'install-script-only') }}
-    uses: "anchore/workflows/.github/workflows/release-install-script.yaml@main"
+    permissions:
+      contents: read # required for the reusable workflow to check out the repo and publish the install script
+    uses: anchore/workflows/.github/workflows/release-install-script.yaml@8b2b1caf40e03933c6807e03b99e883e2ceb5ac8 # v0.4.0
     with:
       tag: ${{ github.event.inputs.version }}
     secrets:
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 7fafb7faf..907f14e2d 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ go.work
 go.work.sum
 .tool-versions
 .python-version
+.mise.toml
+.env
 
 # app configuration
 /.syft.yaml
@@ -20,6 +22,8 @@ bin/
 /generate
 /specs
 mise.toml
+.make/.make
+.conductor
 
 # changelog generation
 CHANGELOG.md
@@ -76,5 +80,3 @@ cosign.pub
 __pycache__/
 *.py[cod]
 *$py.class
-
-
diff --git a/.make/go.mod b/.make/go.mod
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..942ddc180
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.make/go.mod
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+module github.com/anchore/syft/.make
+
+go 1.25.8
+
+require (
+	github.com/anchore/go-make v0.4.0
+	github.com/goccy/go-yaml v1.19.2
+)
+
+require (
+	github.com/bmatcuk/doublestar/v4 v4.10.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/mod v0.35.0 // indirect
+	golang.org/x/sys v0.44.0 // indirect
+)
diff --git a/.make/go.sum b/.make/go.sum
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dc48864df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.make/go.sum
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+github.com/anchore/go-make v0.4.0 h1:poFE4PXcHwvix2E8AhdM7YHZ15bMhZb+W02i3+qrP8M=
+github.com/anchore/go-make v0.4.0/go.mod h1:Nc/tkwQHW1d1Vi8+0rtS/vSrH6pxieaUQXLdrctn+8g=
+github.com/bmatcuk/doublestar/v4 v4.10.0 h1:zU9WiOla1YA122oLM6i4EXvGW62DvKZVxIe6TYWexEs=
+github.com/bmatcuk/doublestar/v4 v4.10.0/go.mod h1:xBQ8jztBU6kakFMg+8WGxn0c6z1fTSPVIjEY1Wr7jzc=
+github.com/goccy/go-yaml v1.19.2 h1:PmFC1S6h8ljIz6gMRBopkjP1TVT7xuwrButHID66PoM=
+github.com/goccy/go-yaml v1.19.2/go.mod h1:XBurs7gK8ATbW4ZPGKgcbrY1Br56PdM69F7LkFRi1kA=
+golang.org/x/mod v0.35.0 h1:Ww1D637e6Pg+Zb2KrWfHQUnH2dQRLBQyAtpr/haaJeM=
+golang.org/x/mod v0.35.0/go.mod h1:+GwiRhIInF8wPm+4AoT6L0FA1QWAad3OMdTRx4tFYlU=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.44.0 h1:ildZl3J4uzeKP07r2F++Op7E9B29JRUy+a27EibtBTQ=
+golang.org/x/sys v0.44.0/go.mod h1:4GL1E5IUh+htKOUEOaiffhrAeqysfVGipDYzABqnCmw=
diff --git a/.make/main.go b/.make/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c67dc3424
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.make/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,209 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"runtime"
+
+	"github.com/goccy/go-yaml"
+
+	. "github.com/anchore/go-make"
+	"github.com/anchore/go-make/file"
+	"github.com/anchore/go-make/git"
+	"github.com/anchore/go-make/lang"
+	"github.com/anchore/go-make/run"
+	"github.com/anchore/go-make/tasks/golint"
+	"github.com/anchore/go-make/tasks/goreleaser"
+	"github.com/anchore/go-make/tasks/gotest"
+)
+
+// taskfileDescriptions maps Taskfile.yaml task names to their `desc:` field.
+// Loaded at package init so wrap() can use Taskfile.yaml as the single source
+// of truth for wrapped-task descriptions.
+var taskfileDescriptions = mustReadTaskfileDescriptions()
+
+func main() {
+	Makefile(
+		// shared anchore tasks
+		golint.Tasks(),
+		goreleaser.Tasks(),
+
+		// unit tests: exclude packages under any test/ directory (matches the syft
+		// Taskfile's prior `grep -v` against test paths). Coverage threshold of 62%
+		// preserves the prior coverage gate that used to live in scripts/coverage.py.
+		gotest.Tasks(
+			gotest.Name("unit"),
+			gotest.ExcludeGlob("**/test/**"),
+			gotest.CoverageThreshold(62),
+		),
+
+		// integration tests: native go-make Task. The race-detector smoke against a
+		// real image stays bundled here (RunsOn integration) so `make integration`
+		// behaves like the Taskfile version did.
+		gotest.Tasks(
+			gotest.Name("integration"),
+			gotest.IncludeGlob("./cmd/syft/internal/test/integration/..."),
+			gotest.Verbose(),
+			gotest.NoCoverage(),
+		),
+		Task{
+			Name:        "integration:race-smoke",
+			Description: "exercise the CLI with the race detector",
+			RunsOn:      lang.List("integration"),
+			Run: func() {
+				Run("go run -race cmd/syft/main.go anchore/test_images:grype-quality-dotnet-69f15d2")
+			},
+		},
+
+		// cli tests: native go-make Task. Requires SYFT_BINARY_LOCATION pointing at
+		// an *absolute* path to the snapshot binary. Intentionally does NOT depend
+		// on snapshot: in CI we download a pre-built snapshot artifact and re-running
+		// goreleaser here would both burn ~10m and clobber the downloaded binary.
+		// Locally, the failure message tells you to run `make snapshot` first.
+		Task{
+			Name:        "cli",
+			Description: "Run CLI tests",
+			RunsOn:      lang.List("test"),
+			Run: func() {
+				bin := snapshotBinPath()
+				if !file.Exists(bin) {
+					panic(fmt.Sprintf("snapshot binary not found at %s; run `make snapshot` first", bin))
+				}
+				Log("testing binary: %s", bin)
+				Run(
+					"go test -count=1 -timeout=15m -v ./test/cli",
+					run.Env("SYFT_BINARY_LOCATION", bin),
+				)
+			},
+		},
+
+		// default validation pipeline (replaces Taskfile `default`/`pr-validations`/`validations`).
+		Task{
+			Name:         "default",
+			Description:  "Run all validation tasks",
+			Dependencies: Deps("static-analysis", "test", "install-test"),
+		},
+
+		// --- everything below is implemented in Taskfile.yaml and surfaced here
+		// via wrap(). Descriptions come from Taskfile.yaml (single source of truth).
+
+		// static analysis extras
+		wrap("check-json-schema-drift").RunOn("static-analysis"),
+		wrap("check-capability-drift"),
+		wrap("check-binary-fixture-size").RunOn("static-analysis"),
+
+		// test extras
+		wrap("validate-cyclonedx-schema").RunOn("test"),
+		wrap("test-utils").RunOn("test"),
+		wrap("check-docker-cache").RunOn("test"),
+		wrap("snapshot-smoke-test"),
+
+		// update commands
+		wrap("update-format-golden-files"),
+
+		// fixture cache plumbing (heavy ORAS logic, lives in Taskfile).
+		// refresh-fixtures hooks into "unit" so `make unit` triggers the
+		// stale-cache detection + download just like `task unit` did on main
+		// (its `deps: [tmpdir, fixtures]` is what kept the fixture cache fresh).
+		wrap("fingerprints"),
+		wrap("refresh-fixtures").RunOn("unit"),
+		wrap("fixtures"),
+		wrap("build-fixtures"),
+		wrap("download-test-fixture-cache"),
+		wrap("upload-test-fixture-cache"),
+		wrap("show-test-image-cache"),
+
+		// install-script tests (delegates to test/install/Makefile)
+		wrap("install-test"),
+		wrap("install-test-cache-save"),
+		wrap("install-test-cache-load"),
+		wrap("install-test-ci-mac"),
+
+		// compare tests
+		wrap("generate-compare-file"),
+		wrap("compare-mac"),
+		wrap("compare-linux"),
+		wrap("compare-test-deb-package-install"),
+		wrap("compare-test-rpm-package-install"),
+
+		// code/data generation (umbrella + per-target; each lives in Taskfile)
+		wrap("generate"),
+		wrap("generate-json-schema"),
+		wrap("generate-license-list"),
+		wrap("generate-cpe-dictionary-index"),
+		wrap("generate-capabilities"),
+
+		// cleanup (each hooks into go-make's built-in `clean` label)
+		wrap("clean-snapshot").RunOn("clean"),
+		wrap("clean-docker-cache").RunOn("clean"),
+		wrap("clean-oras-cache").RunOn("clean"),
+		wrap("clean-cache").RunOn("clean"),
+		wrap("clean-test-observations").RunOn("clean"),
+	)
+}
+
+// wrap creates a go-make Task that delegates execution to `task <name>`. The
+// task's description is pulled from Taskfile.yaml's `desc:` field — descriptions
+// for wrapped tasks must always live in Taskfile.yaml, never here.
+func wrap(name string) Task {
+	desc, ok := taskfileDescriptions[name]
+	if !ok || desc == "" {
+		// loud-fail at startup so missing descs can't sneak through review.
+		panic(fmt.Sprintf("Taskfile.yaml task %q is missing a `desc:` field; please add one", name))
+	}
+	return Task{
+		Name:        name,
+		Description: desc,
+		Run:         func() { Run("task " + name) },
+	}
+}
+
+// mustReadTaskfileDescriptions parses Taskfile.yaml at the repo root and returns
+// a map of task name -> desc. Runs at package init time so wrap() can use it.
+func mustReadTaskfileDescriptions() map[string]string {
+	root := git.Root()
+	if root == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	path := filepath.Join(root, "Taskfile.yaml")
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(path) //nolint:gosec // G304: path resolved from git.Root()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	var tf struct {
+		Tasks map[string]struct {
+			Desc    string   `yaml:"desc"`
+			Aliases []string `yaml:"aliases"`
+		} `yaml:"tasks"`
+	}
+	lang.Throw(yaml.Unmarshal(data, &tf))
+	out := make(map[string]string, len(tf.Tasks))
+	for name, t := range tf.Tasks {
+		out[name] = t.Desc
+		// aliases inherit the canonical task's description so wrap() can find them.
+		for _, alias := range t.Aliases {
+			out[alias] = t.Desc
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// snapshotBinPath replicates the SNAPSHOT_BIN computation from the prior Taskfile:
+// <repoRoot>/snapshot/<os>-build_<os>_<arch>/syft, where arch maps amd64->amd64_v1
+// and arm64->arm64_v8.0 to match goreleaser's per-target output directory naming.
+// Returns an absolute path: the cli tests' getSyftBinaryLocation contract requires
+// SYFT_BINARY_LOCATION to be absolute because subtests run with cmd.Dir = t.TempDir().
+func snapshotBinPath() string {
+	osName := runtime.GOOS
+	var arch string
+	switch runtime.GOARCH {
+	case "amd64":
+		arch = "amd64_v1"
+	case "arm64":
+		arch = "arm64_v8.0"
+	default:
+		arch = runtime.GOARCH
+	}
+	return filepath.Join(RootDir(), "snapshot", osName+"-build_"+osName+"_"+arch, "syft")
+}
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 3f7916180..b8b2c6131 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,46 +1,18 @@
-OWNER = anchore
-PROJECT = syft
+# `test` and `snapshot` have matching directory names in this repo, so make would
+# refuse to run them without an explicit .PHONY (Nothing to be done for ...).
+.PHONY: test snapshot
+test:
+	@go run -C .make . test
 
-TOOL_DIR = .tool
-BINNY = $(TOOL_DIR)/binny
-TASK = $(TOOL_DIR)/task
+snapshot:
+	@go run -C .make . snapshot
 
-.DEFAULT_GOAL := make-default
+.PHONY: *
+.DEFAULT_GOAL: make-default
 
-## Bootstrapping targets #################################
+make-default:
+	@go run -C .make .
 
-# note: we need to assume that binny and task have not already been installed
-$(BINNY):
-	@mkdir -p $(TOOL_DIR)
-	@curl -sSfL https://get.anchore.io/binny | sh -s -- -b $(TOOL_DIR)
-
-# note: we need to assume that binny and task have not already been installed
-.PHONY: task
-$(TASK) task: $(BINNY)
-	@$(BINNY) install task -q
-
-.PHONY: ci-bootstrap-go
-ci-bootstrap-go:
-	go mod download
-
-# this is a bootstrapping catch-all, where if the target doesn't exist, we'll ensure the tools are installed and then try again
+.DEFAULT:
 %:
-	@make --silent $(TASK)
-	@$(TASK) $@
-
-## Shim targets #################################
-
-.PHONY: make-default
-make-default: $(TASK)
-	@# run the default task in the taskfile
-	@$(TASK)
-
-# for those of us that can't seem to kick the habit of typing `make ...` lets wrap the superior `task` tool
-TASKS := $(shell bash -c "test -f $(TASK) && NO_COLOR=1 $(TASK) -l | grep '^\* ' | cut -d' ' -f2 | tr -d ':' | tr '\n' ' '" ) $(shell bash -c "test -f $(TASK) && NO_COLOR=1 $(TASK) -l | grep 'aliases:' | cut -d ':' -f 3 | tr '\n' ' ' | tr -d ','")
-
-.PHONY: $(TASKS)
-$(TASKS): $(TASK)
-	@$(TASK) $@
-
-help: $(TASK)
-	@$(TASK) -l
+	@go run -C .make . $@
diff --git a/Taskfile.yaml b/Taskfile.yaml
index e16b59054..18cd532b8 100644
--- a/Taskfile.yaml
+++ b/Taskfile.yaml
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
-
 version: "3"
 
+# NOTE: most generic tasks (static-analysis, format, lint, unit, snapshot, release,
+# changelog, ci-release, etc.) are now provided natively by anchore/go-make and
+# defined in .make/main.go. This file holds the syft-specific tasks that go-make
+# wraps via `wrap("<name>")` calls — keep descriptions (`desc:`) populated so they
+# show up in `make help`.
+
 includes:
   generate:cpe-index: ./task.d/generate/cpe-index.yaml
 
@@ -25,11 +30,7 @@ vars:
   YQ: "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/yq"
   TASK: "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/task"
 
-  # used for changelog generation
-  CHANGELOG: CHANGELOG.md
-  NEXT_VERSION: VERSION
-
-  # used for snapshot builds
+  # used for snapshot bin discovery in compare/install tasks
   OS:
     sh: uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]'
   ARCH:
@@ -42,11 +43,6 @@ vars:
   # e.g. when installing snapshot debs from a local path, ./ forces the deb to be installed in the current working directory instead of referencing a package name
   SNAPSHOT_DIR: ./snapshot
   SNAPSHOT_BIN: "{{ .PROJECT_ROOT }}/{{ .SNAPSHOT_DIR }}/{{ .OS }}-build_{{ .OS }}_{{ .ARCH }}/{{ .PROJECT }}"
-  SNAPSHOT_CMD: "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/goreleaser release --config {{ .TMP_DIR }}/goreleaser.yaml --clean --snapshot --skip=publish --skip=sign"
-  BUILD_CMD:    "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/goreleaser build   --config {{ .TMP_DIR }}/goreleaser.yaml --clean --snapshot --single-target"
-  RELEASE_CMD:  "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/goreleaser release --clean --release-notes {{ .CHANGELOG }}"
-  VERSION:
-    sh: git describe --dirty --always --tags
 
   # used for install and acceptance testing
   COMPARE_DIR: ./test/compare
@@ -57,43 +53,10 @@ env:
 
 tasks:
 
-  ## High-level tasks #################################
-
-  default:
-    desc: Run all validation tasks
-    aliases:
-      - pr-validations
-      - validations
-    cmds:
-      - task: static-analysis
-      - task: test
-      - task: install-test
-
-  static-analysis:
-    desc: Run all static analysis tasks
-    cmds:
-      - task: check-go-mod-tidy
-      - task: check-licenses
-      - task: lint
-      - task: check-json-schema-drift
-      - task: check-binary-fixture-size
-
-  test:
-    desc: Run all levels of test
-    cmds:
-      - task: unit
-      - task: integration
-      - task: validate-cyclonedx-schema
-      - task: test-utils
-      - task: snapshot
-      - task: cli
-      - task: check-docker-cache
-
-  ## Bootstrap tasks #################################
+  ## Bootstrap (internal helpers used by other Taskfile tasks) ###############
 
   binny:
     internal: true
-    # desc: Get the binny tool
     generates:
       - "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/binny"
     status:
@@ -102,10 +65,8 @@ tasks:
     silent: true
 
   tools:
-    desc: Install all tools needed for CI and local development
+    internal: true
     deps: [binny]
-    aliases:
-      - bootstrap
     generates:
       - ".binny.yaml"
       - "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/*"
@@ -114,79 +75,14 @@ tasks:
     cmd: "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/binny install -v"
     silent: true
 
-  update-tools:
-    desc: Update pinned versions of all tools to their latest available versions
-    deps: [binny]
-    generates:
-      - ".binny.yaml"
-      - "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/*"
-    cmd: "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/binny update -v"
-    silent: true
-
-  list-tools:
-    desc: List all tools needed for CI and local development
-    deps: [binny]
-    cmd: "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/binny list"
-    silent: true
-
-  list-tool-updates:
-    desc: List all tools that are not up to date relative to the binny config
-    deps: [binny]
-    cmd: "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/binny list --updates"
-    silent: true
-
   tmpdir:
+    internal: true
     silent: true
     generates:
       - "{{ .TMP_DIR }}"
     cmd: "mkdir -p {{ .TMP_DIR }}"
 
-  ## Static analysis tasks #################################
-
-  format:
-    desc: Auto-format all source code
-    deps: [tools]
-    cmds:
-      - gofmt -w -s .
-      - "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/gosimports -local github.com/anchore -w ."
-      - go mod tidy
-
-  lint-fix:
-    desc: Auto-format all source code + run golangci lint fixers
-    deps: [tools]
-    cmds:
-      - task: format
-      - "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/golangci-lint run --tests=false --fix"
-
-  lint:
-    desc: Run gofmt + golangci lint checks
-    vars:
-      BAD_FMT_FILES:
-        sh: gofmt -l -s .
-      BAD_FILE_NAMES:
-        sh: "find . | grep -e ':' || true"
-    deps: [tools]
-    cmds:
-      # ensure there are no go fmt differences
-      - cmd: 'test -z "{{ .BAD_FMT_FILES }}" || (echo "files with gofmt issues: [{{ .BAD_FMT_FILES }}]"; exit 1)'
-        silent: true
-      # ensure there are no files with ":" in it (a known back case in the go ecosystem)
-      - cmd: 'test -z "{{ .BAD_FILE_NAMES }}" || (echo "files with bad names: [{{ .BAD_FILE_NAMES }}]"; exit 1)'
-        silent: true
-      # run linting
-      - "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/golangci-lint run --tests=false"
-
-
-  check-licenses:
-    # desc: Ensure transitive dependencies are compliant with the current license policy
-    deps: [tools]
-    cmd: "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/bouncer check ./..."
-
-  check-go-mod-tidy:
-    # desc: Ensure go.mod and go.sum are up to date
-    cmds:
-      - cmd: .github/scripts/go-mod-tidy-check.sh && echo "go.mod and go.sum are tidy!"
-        silent: true
+  ## Static analysis extras #################################################
 
   check-json-schema-drift:
     desc: Ensure there is no drift between the JSON schema and the code
@@ -203,8 +99,8 @@ tasks:
     cmds:
       - .github/scripts/check_binary_fixture_size.sh syft/pkg/cataloger/binary/testdata/classifiers/snippets
 
+  ## Test extras ############################################################
 
-  ## Testing tasks #################################
   update-format-golden-files:
     desc: "Update golden (i.e. snapshot) files used by unit tests"
     cmds:
@@ -214,59 +110,32 @@ tasks:
       - go test ./syft/format/cyclonedxjson -update-cyclonedx-json
       - go test ./syft/format/syftjson -update-json
 
-  unit:
-    desc: Run unit tests
-    deps:
-      - tmpdir
-      - fixtures
-    vars:
-      TEST_PKGS:
-        sh: "go list ./... | grep -v {{ .OWNER }}/{{ .PROJECT }}/test | grep -v {{ .OWNER }}/{{ .PROJECT }}/cmd/syft/internal/test | tr '\n' ' '"
-
-      # unit test coverage threshold (in % coverage)
-      COVERAGE_THRESHOLD: 62
-    cmds:
-      - task: clean-test-observations
-      - "go test -coverprofile {{ .TMP_DIR }}/unit-coverage-details.txt {{ .TEST_PKGS }}"
-      - cmd: ".github/scripts/coverage.py {{ .COVERAGE_THRESHOLD }} {{ .TMP_DIR }}/unit-coverage-details.txt"
-        silent: true
-
-  integration:
-    desc: Run integration tests
-    cmds:
-      - "go test -v ./cmd/syft/internal/test/integration"
-      # exercise most of the CLI with the data race detector
-      # we use a larger image to ensure we're using multiple catalogers at a time
-      - "go run -race cmd/syft/main.go anchore/test_images:grype-quality-dotnet-69f15d2"
-
   validate-cyclonedx-schema:
     desc: Validate that Syft produces valid CycloneDX documents
     cmds:
       - "cd schema/cyclonedx && make"
 
-  cli:
-    desc: Run CLI tests
-    deps: [tools]
-    cmds:
-      - cmd: "echo 'testing binary: {{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }}'"
-        silent: true
-      - cmd: "test -f {{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }} || (find {{ .SNAPSHOT_DIR }} && echo '\nno snapshot found for {{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }}' && false)"
-        silent: true
-
-      - "go test -count=1 -timeout=15m -v ./test/cli"
-    env:
-      SYFT_BINARY_LOCATION: "{{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }}"
-
   test-utils:
     desc: Run tests for pipeline utils
     cmds:
       - cmd: .github/scripts/labeler_test.py
 
+  snapshot-smoke-test:
+    desc: Run a smoke test on the snapshot builds + docker images
+    cmds:
+      - cmd: "echo 'testing snapshot binary: {{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }}'"
+        silent: true
+      - cmd: "test -f {{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }} || (find {{ .SNAPSHOT_DIR }} && echo '\nno snapshot found for {{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }}' && false)"
+        silent: true
+      - "{{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }} version"
+      - "{{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }} scan alpine:latest"
+      - docker run --rm anchore/syft:latest version
+      - docker run --rm anchore/syft:latest scan alpine:latest
 
-  ## Test-fixture-related targets #################################
+  ## Test-fixture-related targets ###########################################
 
   fingerprints:
-    desc: Generate fingerprints for all non-docker test fixture
+    desc: Generate fingerprints for all non-docker test fixtures
     silent: true
     # this will look for `testdata/Makefile` and invoke the `fingerprint` target to calculate all cache input fingerprint files
     generates:
@@ -281,16 +150,10 @@ tasks:
         echo -e "${YELLOW}creating fingerprint files for non-docker fixtures...${RESET}"
         for dir in $(find . -type d -name 'testdata'); do
           if [ -f "$dir/Makefile" ]; then
-            # for debugging...
-            #echo -e "${YELLOW}• calculating fingerprints in $dir... ${RESET}"
-
             (make -C "$dir" fingerprint)
           fi
         done
 
-        # for debugging...
-        # echo -e "generated all fixture fingerprints"
-
       - .github/scripts/fingerprint_docker_fixtures.py
       - |
         # if DOWNLOAD_TEST_FIXTURE_CACHE is set to 'false', then we don't need to calculate the fingerprint for the cache
@@ -432,6 +295,7 @@ tasks:
       eval $oras_command
 
   show-test-image-cache:
+    desc: Print the on-disk + docker daemon state of the stereoscope fixture image cache
     silent: true
     cmds:
       - "echo 'Docker daemon cache:'"
@@ -452,28 +316,36 @@ tasks:
         exit 1
       fi
 
-  ## install.sh testing targets #################################
+  ## install.sh testing targets #############################################
 
   install-test:
+    desc: Run install.sh test suite (delegates to test/install/Makefile)
     cmds:
       - "cd test/install && make"
 
   install-test-cache-save:
+    desc: Save the install.sh test image cache (delegates to test/install/Makefile)
     cmds:
       - "cd test/install && make save"
 
   install-test-cache-load:
+    desc: Load the install.sh test image cache (delegates to test/install/Makefile)
     cmds:
       - "cd test/install && make load"
 
   install-test-ci-mac:
+    desc: Run install.sh CI test suite on macOS (delegates to test/install/Makefile)
     cmds:
       - "cd test/install && make ci-test-mac"
 
+  ## Compare-test targets ###################################################
+
   generate-compare-file:
+    desc: Generate the acceptance comparison reference JSON for the current compare image
     cmd: "go run ./cmd/syft {{ .COMPARE_TEST_IMAGE }} -o json > {{ .COMPARE_DIR }}/testdata/acceptance-{{ .COMPARE_TEST_IMAGE }}.json"
 
   compare-mac:
+    desc: Run macOS install + acceptance comparison against the snapshot build
     deps: [tmpdir]
     cmd: |
       {{ .COMPARE_DIR }}/mac.sh \
@@ -483,11 +355,13 @@ tasks:
         {{ .TMP_DIR }}
 
   compare-linux:
+    desc: Run Linux install + acceptance comparison (deb + rpm) against the snapshot build
     cmds:
       - task: compare-test-deb-package-install
       - task: compare-test-rpm-package-install
 
   compare-test-deb-package-install:
+    desc: Run Linux .deb install + acceptance comparison against the snapshot build
     deps: [tmpdir]
     cmd: |
       {{ .COMPARE_DIR }}/deb.sh \
@@ -497,6 +371,7 @@ tasks:
         {{ .TMP_DIR }}
 
   compare-test-rpm-package-install:
+    desc: Run Linux .rpm install + acceptance comparison against the snapshot build
     deps: [tmpdir]
     cmd: |
       {{ .COMPARE_DIR }}/rpm.sh \
@@ -506,7 +381,7 @@ tasks:
         {{ .TMP_DIR }}
 
 
-  ## Code and data generation targets #################################
+  ## Code and data generation targets ######################################
 
   generate:
     desc: Add data generation tasks
@@ -556,104 +431,7 @@ tasks:
       - "SYFT_ENABLE_COMPLETENESS_TESTS=true go test -p 1 ./internal/capabilities/... -count=1"
 
 
-  ## Build-related targets #################################
-
-  build:
-    desc: Build the project
-    deps: [tools, tmpdir]
-    generates:
-      - "{{ .PROJECT }}"
-    cmds:
-      - silent: true
-        cmd: |
-          echo "dist: {{ .SNAPSHOT_DIR }}" > {{ .TMP_DIR }}/goreleaser.yaml
-          cat .goreleaser.yaml >> {{ .TMP_DIR }}/goreleaser.yaml
-
-      - "{{ .BUILD_CMD }}"
-
-  snapshot:
-    desc: Create a snapshot release
-    aliases:
-      - build
-    deps: [tools, tmpdir]
-    sources:
-      - cmd/**/*.go
-      - syft/**/*.go
-      - internal/**/*.go
-    method: checksum
-    generates:
-      - "{{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }}"
-    cmds:
-      - silent: true
-        cmd: |
-          echo "dist: {{ .SNAPSHOT_DIR }}" > {{ .TMP_DIR }}/goreleaser.yaml
-          cat .goreleaser.yaml >> {{ .TMP_DIR }}/goreleaser.yaml
-
-      - "{{ .SNAPSHOT_CMD }}"
-
-  snapshot-smoke-test:
-    desc: Run a smoke test on the snapshot builds + docker images
-    cmds:
-      - cmd: "echo 'testing snapshot binary: {{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }}'"
-        silent: true
-      - cmd: "test -f {{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }} || (find {{ .SNAPSHOT_DIR }} && echo '\nno snapshot found for {{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }}' && false)"
-        silent: true
-      - "{{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }} version"
-      - "{{ .SNAPSHOT_BIN }} scan alpine:latest"
-      - docker run --rm anchore/syft:latest version
-      - docker run --rm anchore/syft:latest scan alpine:latest
-
-  changelog:
-    desc: Generate a changelog
-    deps: [tools]
-    generates:
-      - "{{ .CHANGELOG }}"
-      - "{{ .NEXT_VERSION }}"
-    cmds:
-      - "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/chronicle -vv -n --version-file {{ .NEXT_VERSION }} > {{ .CHANGELOG }}"
-      - "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/glow -w 0 {{ .CHANGELOG }}"
-
-
-  ## Release targets #################################
-
-  release:
-    desc: Create a release
-    interactive: true
-    deps: [tools]
-    cmds:
-      - cmd: .github/scripts/trigger-release.sh
-        silent: true
-
-
-  ## CI-only targets #################################
-
-  ci-check:
-    # desc: "[CI only] Are you in CI?"
-    cmds:
-      - cmd: .github/scripts/ci-check.sh
-        silent: true
-
-  ci-release:
-    # desc: "[CI only] Create a release"
-    deps: [tools]
-    cmds:
-      - task: ci-check
-      - "{{ .TOOL_DIR }}/chronicle -vvv > CHANGELOG.md"
-      - cmd: "cat CHANGELOG.md"
-        silent: true
-      - "{{ .RELEASE_CMD }}"
-
-
-  ## Cleanup targets #################################
-
-  clean:
-    desc: Remove all cache files and old builds
-    cmds:
-      - task: clean-snapshot
-      - task: clean-cache
-      - task: clean-test-observations
-      - task: clean-docker-cache
-      - task: clean-oras-cache
+  ## Cleanup targets ########################################################
 
   clean-snapshot:
     desc: Remove any snapshot builds
@@ -675,6 +453,7 @@ tasks:
     desc: Remove all image docker tar cache, images from the docker daemon, and ephemeral test fixtures
     cmds:
       - task: clean-docker-cache
+      - task: prune-orphan-fingerprints
       - |
         BOLD='\033[1m'
         YELLOW='\033[0;33m'
@@ -690,6 +469,12 @@ tasks:
         echo -e "${BOLD}Deleted all ephemeral test fixtures${RESET}"
       - rm -f {{ .LAST_CACHE_PULL_FILE }} {{ .CACHE_PATHS_FILE }}
 
+  prune-orphan-fingerprints:
+    desc: Remove *.fingerprint files left behind by moved/deleted catalogers
+    silent: true
+    cmds:
+      - .github/scripts/prune_orphan_fingerprints.py
+
   clean-test-observations:
     desc: Remove all test observations (i.e. testdata/test-observations.json)
     cmds:
diff --git a/syft/file/cataloger/executable/testdata/elf/Makefile b/syft/file/cataloger/executable/testdata/elf/Makefile
index 5d859e067..cfc6ff450 100644
--- a/syft/file/cataloger/executable/testdata/elf/Makefile
+++ b/syft/file/cataloger/executable/testdata/elf/Makefile
@@ -15,14 +15,18 @@ fixtures: build verify
 # requirement 2: 'fingerprint' goal to determine if the fixture input that indicates any existing cache should be busted
 fingerprint: $(FINGERPRINT_FILE)
 
-tools-check:
-	@sha256sum -c Dockerfile.sha256 || (echo "Tools Dockerfile has changed" && exit 1)
-
 # for selfrando...
 # docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64 -t $(TOOL_IMAGE) .
 
 tools:
-	@(docker image inspect $(TOOL_IMAGE) > /dev/null 2>&1 && make tools-check) || (docker build -t $(TOOL_IMAGE) . && sha256sum Dockerfile > Dockerfile.sha256)
+	@if docker image inspect $(TOOL_IMAGE) > /dev/null 2>&1 \
+	   && test -f Dockerfile.sha256 \
+	   && sha256sum --quiet -c Dockerfile.sha256 2>/dev/null; then \
+	  : ; \
+	else \
+	  docker build -t $(TOOL_IMAGE) . \
+	  && sha256sum Dockerfile > Dockerfile.sha256; \
+	fi
 
 build: tools
 	mkdir -p $(BIN)
@@ -46,4 +50,4 @@ $(FINGERPRINT_FILE):
 clean:
 	rm -rf $(BIN) Dockerfile.sha256 $(VERIFY_FILE) $(FINGERPRINT_FILE)
 
-.PHONY: tools tools-check build verify debug clean
\ No newline at end of file
+.PHONY: tools build verify debug clean
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/syft/file/cataloger/executable/testdata/shared-info/Makefile b/syft/file/cataloger/executable/testdata/shared-info/Makefile
index cc5b03a77..12ceccc68 100644
--- a/syft/file/cataloger/executable/testdata/shared-info/Makefile
+++ b/syft/file/cataloger/executable/testdata/shared-info/Makefile
@@ -15,11 +15,15 @@ fixtures: build
 # requirement 2: 'fingerprint' goal to determine if the fixture input that indicates any existing cache should be busted
 fingerprint: $(FINGERPRINT_FILE)
 
-tools-check:
-	@sha256sum -c Dockerfile.sha256 || (echo "Tools Dockerfile has changed" && exit 1)
-
 tools:
-	@(docker image inspect $(TOOL_IMAGE) > /dev/null 2>&1 && make tools-check) || (docker build --platform linux/amd64 -t $(TOOL_IMAGE) . && sha256sum Dockerfile > Dockerfile.sha256)
+	@if docker image inspect $(TOOL_IMAGE) > /dev/null 2>&1 \
+	   && test -f Dockerfile.sha256 \
+	   && sha256sum --quiet -c Dockerfile.sha256 2>/dev/null; then \
+	  : ; \
+	else \
+	  docker build --platform linux/amd64 -t $(TOOL_IMAGE) . \
+	  && sha256sum Dockerfile > Dockerfile.sha256; \
+	fi
 
 build: tools
 	@mkdir -p $(BIN)
@@ -38,4 +42,4 @@ $(FINGERPRINT_FILE):
 clean:
 	rm -rf $(BIN) Dockerfile.sha256 $(VERIFY_FILE) $(FINGERPRINT_FILE)
 
-.PHONY: tools tools-check build debug clean
+.PHONY: tools build debug clean