diff --git a/.github/workflows/node-server-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/node-server-tests.yml
index 2b0669a8421..17537203820 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/node-server-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/node-server-tests.yml
@@ -563,12 +563,11 @@ jobs:
 
   # Design D2: the desktop ships every target's addons, merged from the lanes that qualified them.
   desktop_template:
-    needs: [persistence, mobile_web_bundle, linux_glibc_floor, linux_glibc217_compat, linux_musl]
-    if: >-
-      ${{ !cancelled() && inputs.build_template &&
-      needs.persistence.result == 'success' && needs.mobile_web_bundle.result == 'success' &&
-      needs.linux_glibc_floor.result == 'success' &&
-      needs.linux_glibc217_compat.result == 'success' && needs.linux_musl.result == 'success' }}
+    needs: changes
+    if: ${{ !cancelled() && inputs.build_template }}
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      actions: read
     runs-on: ${{ inputs.fast_runners && 'blacksmith-4vcpu-ubuntu-2404' || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
     timeout-minutes: 30
     steps:
@@ -577,6 +576,45 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
           persist-credentials: false
       - uses: ./.github/actions/install-node-dependencies
+      - name: Wait for every template qualification lane
+        uses: actions/github-script@v8
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const deadline = Date.now() + 25 * 60_000
+            const expected = {
+              persistence: 6,
+              mobile_web_bundle: 1,
+              linux_glibc_floor: 2,
+              linux_glibc217_compat: 1,
+              linux_musl: 2
+            }
+            while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+              const jobs = await github.paginate(github.rest.actions.listJobsForWorkflowRun, {
+                ...context.repo, run_id: context.runId, filter: 'latest', per_page: 100
+              })
+              const assemblers = jobs.filter(job =>
+                job.name === 'desktop_template' || job.name.endsWith(' / desktop_template'))
+              if (assemblers.length > 1) throw new Error('Ambiguous desktop template qualification')
+              if (assemblers.length === 1) {
+                const prefix = assemblers[0].name.slice(0, -'desktop_template'.length)
+                let ready = true
+                for (const [name, count] of Object.entries(expected)) {
+                  const lanes = jobs.filter(job => job.name === `${prefix}${name}` ||
+                    job.name.startsWith(`${prefix}${name} (`))
+                  if (lanes.length > count) throw new Error(`Unexpected qualification lanes: ${name}`)
+                  for (const lane of lanes) {
+                    if (lane.status === 'completed' && lane.conclusion !== 'success') {
+                      throw new Error(`Template qualification did not succeed: ${lane.name} (${lane.conclusion})`)
+                    }
+                  }
+                  if (lanes.length !== count || lanes.some(lane => lane.status !== 'completed')) ready = false
+                }
+                if (ready) return
+              }
+              await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 15_000))
+            }
+            throw new Error('Timed out waiting for every template qualification lane')
+
       - name: Collect every lane's slot
         uses: actions/download-artifact@v8
         with:
diff --git a/config/scripts/node-server-release-parallelism.test.mjs b/config/scripts/node-server-release-parallelism.test.mjs
index 6546ed7bc31..ce63ba332d7 100644
--- a/config/scripts/node-server-release-parallelism.test.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/node-server-release-parallelism.test.mjs
@@ -73,28 +73,23 @@ it('starts independent Linux qualification without waiting for another platform'
   }
 })
 
-it('requires every platform and compatibility result before publishing a desktop template', () => {
+it('prepares template dependencies before waiting for every qualification lane', () => {
   const template = workflow.jobs.desktop_template
-  const required = [
-    'persistence',
-    'mobile_web_bundle',
-    'linux_glibc_floor',
-    'linux_glibc217_compat',
-    'linux_musl'
-  ]
-  expect(template.needs).toEqual(required)
-  const evaluate = compileAggregateExpression(template.if, ['needs', 'inputs'])
-  const needs = Object.fromEntries(required.map((name) => [name, { result: 'success' }]))
-  const ctx = { needs, inputs: { build_template: true } }
-  expect(evaluate(ctx).coerceString()).toBe('true')
-  expect(evaluate(ctx, true).coerceString()).toBe('false')
-  for (const name of required) {
-    for (const result of ['failure', 'cancelled', 'skipped']) {
-      expect(evaluate({ ...ctx, needs: { ...needs, [name]: { result } } }).coerceString()).toBe(
-        'false'
-      )
-    }
-  }
+  expect(template.needs).toBe('changes')
+  expect(template.permissions).toEqual({ contents: 'read', actions: 'read' })
+  const evaluate = compileAggregateExpression(template.if, ['inputs'])
+  expect(evaluate({ inputs: { build_template: true } }).coerceString()).toBe('true')
+  expect(evaluate({ inputs: { build_template: false } }).coerceString()).toBe('false')
+  expect(evaluate({ inputs: { build_template: true } }, true).coerceString()).toBe('false')
+  const wait = template.steps.findIndex(
+    (step) => step.name === 'Wait for every template qualification lane'
+  )
+  expect(
+    template.steps.findIndex((step) => step.uses?.includes('install-node-dependencies'))
+  ).toBeLessThan(wait)
+  expect(
+    template.steps.findIndex((step) => step.name === "Collect every lane's slot")
+  ).toBeGreaterThan(wait)
 })
 
 it('avoids template download-cache transfers while retaining native and verification caches', () => {
@@ -106,7 +101,11 @@ it('avoids template download-cache transfers while retaining native and verifica
   for (const os of ['Linux', 'macOS', 'Windows']) {
     for (const buildTemplate of [true, false]) {
       expect(
-        runInNewContext(source, { inputs: { build_template: buildTemplate }, runner: { os } })
+        runInNewContext(source, {
+          inputs: { build_template: buildTemplate, fast_runners: false },
+          matrix: { os: '' },
+          runner: { os }
+        })
       ).toBe(!buildTemplate && os !== 'Windows')
     }
   }
diff --git a/config/scripts/orcad-mobile-web-bundle.test.mjs b/config/scripts/orcad-mobile-web-bundle.test.mjs
index 44a5c417013..f1a0e8b76e7 100644
--- a/config/scripts/orcad-mobile-web-bundle.test.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/orcad-mobile-web-bundle.test.mjs
@@ -65,8 +65,13 @@ it('ships the page the qualification lanes tested in the release template', () =
     readFileSync(new URL('../../.github/workflows/node-server-tests.yml', import.meta.url), 'utf8')
   )
   const template = workflow.jobs.desktop_template
-  expect(template.needs).toContain('mobile_web_bundle')
-  expect(template.if).toContain("needs.mobile_web_bundle.result == 'success'")
+  const wait = template.steps.findIndex(
+    (step) => step.name === 'Wait for every template qualification lane'
+  )
+  expect(template.steps[wait].with.script).toContain('mobile_web_bundle: 1')
+  expect(wait).toBeLessThan(
+    template.steps.findIndex((step) => step.with?.name === 'orcad-mobile-web-bundle')
+  )
   expect(template.steps.some((step) => step.with?.name === 'orcad-mobile-web-bundle')).toBe(true)
   expect(template.steps.some((step) => step.uses?.includes('build-mobile-web-bundle'))).toBe(false)
 })
diff --git a/config/scripts/release-cut-token-permissions.test.mjs b/config/scripts/release-cut-token-permissions.test.mjs
index 498fd9b01ac..4df557d73ea 100644
--- a/config/scripts/release-cut-token-permissions.test.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/release-cut-token-permissions.test.mjs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ const EXPECTED_MATRIX = {
       'persistence'
     ].map((job) => [
       `.github/workflows/release-mac-build.yml#qualification-template -> .github/workflows/qualified-orcad-template.yml#qualify -> .github/workflows/node-server-tests.yml#${job}`,
-      { contents: 'read' }
+      job === 'desktop_template' ? { actions: 'read', contents: 'read' } : { contents: 'read' }
     ])
   ),
   ...Object.fromEntries(
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ const EXPECTED_MATRIX = {
     },
   [`${RELEASE_WORKFLOW}#orcad-template -> .github/workflows/qualified-orcad-template.yml#qualify -> .github/workflows/node-server-tests.yml#desktop_template`]:
     {
+      actions: 'read',
       contents: 'read'
     },
   [`${RELEASE_WORKFLOW}#orcad-template -> .github/workflows/qualified-orcad-template.yml#qualify -> .github/workflows/node-server-tests.yml#linux_glibc217_compat`]:
diff --git a/config/scripts/template-qualification-wait.test.mjs b/config/scripts/template-qualification-wait.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..23b506cf8fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/scripts/template-qualification-wait.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { parse } from 'yaml'
+
+const { jobs } = parse(readFileSync('.github/workflows/node-server-tests.yml', 'utf8'))
+const step = jobs.desktop_template.steps.find(
+  (item) => item.name === 'Wait for every template qualification lane'
+)
+const AsyncFunction = Object.getPrototypeOf(async () => {}).constructor
+function lanes(prefix = 'orcad-template / qualify / ') {
+  return [
+    { name: `${prefix}desktop_template`, status: 'in_progress' },
+    ...Object.entries({
+      persistence: 6,
+      mobile_web_bundle: 1,
+      linux_glibc_floor: 2,
+      linux_glibc217_compat: 1,
+      linux_musl: 2
+    }).flatMap(([name, count]) =>
+      Array.from({ length: count }, (_, i) => ({
+        name: `${prefix}${name}${count > 1 ? ` (platform-${i})` : ''}`,
+        status: 'completed',
+        conclusion: 'success'
+      }))
+    )
+  ]
+}
+function execute(snapshots) {
+  let now = 0
+  let index = 0
+  const calls = []
+  const github = {
+    rest: { actions: { listJobsForWorkflowRun: 'jobs' } },
+    async paginate(endpoint, input) {
+      calls.push({ endpoint, input })
+      return snapshots[Math.min(index, snapshots.length - 1)]
+    }
+  }
+  return {
+    calls,
+    result: new AsyncFunction('github', 'context', 'Date', 'setTimeout', step.with.script)(
+      github,
+      { repo: { owner: 'owner', repo: 'repo' }, runId: 42 },
+      { now: () => now },
+      (resolve) => {
+        now += 5000
+        index++
+        resolve()
+      }
+    )
+  }
+}
+
+describe('early template assembly qualification gate', () => {
+  it.each(['', 'orcad-template / qualify / '])(
+    'waits for all current-attempt jobs with prefix %s',
+    async (prefix) => {
+      const incomplete = lanes(prefix)
+      incomplete[1] = { ...incomplete[1], status: 'in_progress', conclusion: null }
+      const { calls, result } = execute([incomplete, lanes(prefix)])
+      await result
+      expect(calls).toHaveLength(2)
+      expect(calls.every(({ input }) => input.filter === 'latest' && input.run_id === 42)).toBe(
+        true
+      )
+    }
+  )
+  it.each(['failure', 'cancelled', 'skipped', 'timed_out', 'action_required', 'startup_failure'])(
+    'rejects %s from any lane',
+    async (conclusion) => {
+      for (let i = 1; i < lanes().length; i++) {
+        const input = lanes()
+        input[i].conclusion = conclusion
+        await expect(execute([input]).result).rejects.toThrow('qualification did not succeed')
+      }
+    }
+  )
+  it('fails closed for missing, extra, ambiguous and unrelated jobs', async () => {
+    await expect(execute([lanes().slice(0, -1)]).result).rejects.toThrow('Timed out')
+    await expect(
+      execute([[...lanes(), { ...lanes()[1], name: `${lanes()[1].name}-extra` }]]).result
+    ).rejects.toThrow('Unexpected')
+    await expect(execute([[...lanes(), ...lanes('other / ')]]).result).rejects.toThrow('Ambiguous')
+    await expect(
+      execute([
+        [{ name: 'desktop_template', status: 'in_progress' }, ...lanes('unrelated / ').slice(1)]
+      ]).result
+    ).rejects.toThrow('Timed out')
+  })
+})