diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/pr-checks.yml b/.gitea/workflows/pr-checks.yml
index 8917e43..b26a2b7 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/pr-checks.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/pr-checks.yml
@@ -65,7 +65,11 @@ jobs:
 
       # chmod defensively: this runner's checkout doesn't preserve the git
       # executable bit, so `./gradlew` alone fails with "Permission denied".
+      # Debug-variant-only gate: unit tests, lint, and the debug APK. Scoping to
+      # the debug variant (vs. the aggregate `test`/`lint`) avoids compiling and
+      # linting the release variant in parallel, which halves peak memory on the
+      # runner and keeps lint's report phase from GC-thrashing (see gradle.properties).
       - name: Lint, test, assemble debug
         run: |
           chmod +x ./gradlew
-          ./gradlew --no-daemon lint test assembleDebug
+          ./gradlew --no-daemon testDebugUnitTest lintDebug assembleDebug
diff --git a/gradle.properties b/gradle.properties
index 2bbd399..e190010 100644
--- a/gradle.properties
+++ b/gradle.properties
@@ -1,5 +1,9 @@
 # Project-wide Gradle settings.
-org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx2048m -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8
+# Heap raised from 2048m: Android lint's report phase (lintReportDebug) needs
+# more than 2 GB on the full app codebase and GC-thrashes to a hang below that
+# on the CI runner (it passed at 2 GB only while the M0 scaffold was trivial).
+# Metaspace is capped so the larger heap doesn't crowd container RAM.
+org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx3g -XX:MaxMetaspaceSize=1g -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8
 org.gradle.caching=true
 org.gradle.configuration-cache=true