diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-backend-code-checks.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-backend-code-checks.yml
index daf48f4c391..37073dc28c4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-backend-code-checks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-backend-code-checks.yml
@@ -21,8 +21,13 @@ jobs:
       - name: Setup Go
         uses: actions/setup-go@v5
         with:
-          go-version: '1.23.7'
+          go-version-file: go.mod
           cache: true
+
+      - name: Verify code generation
+        run: |
+          CODEGEN_VERIFY=1 make gen-cue
+          CODEGEN_VERIFY=1 make gen-jsonnet
       
       - name: Validate go.mod
         run: go run scripts/modowners/modowners.go check go.mod
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-backend-unit-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-backend-unit-tests.yml
index 1bbb0d7aa7a..99ec9b0ea49 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-backend-unit-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-backend-unit-tests.yml
@@ -41,11 +41,6 @@ jobs:
           sudo apt-get install -y build-essential shared-mime-info
           go install github.com/mfridman/tparse@c1754a1f484ac5cd422697b0fec635177ddc8507 # v0.17.0
 
-      - name: Verify code generation
-        run: |
-          CODEGEN_VERIFY=1 make gen-cue
-          CODEGEN_VERIFY=1 make gen-jsonnet
-
       - name: Generate Go code
         run: make gen-go