diff --git a/.github/workflows/mac.yml b/.github/workflows/mac.yml
index 34b468c4d..a9595c92b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/mac.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/mac.yml
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 # Runs on any push to ci-mac, and weekly on master.
-
-# Builds all modules optimised and runs unit/doc/functional tests on mac,
-# using GHC 8.6,
-# and uploads a binaries artifact.
+# Produces optimised mac binaries and runs unit/doc/functional tests,
+# using the GHC version below.
 
 name: mac CI binaries
 
@@ -52,14 +50,6 @@ jobs:
           || ( echo "could not identify commits, not checking them" )
       #   || ( echo "could not identify commits, checking last $NUM instead:"; tools/commitlint -$NUM )
 
-    - name: Skip remaining CI steps if latest commit message begins with ;
-      shell: bash
-      run: |
-        echo "git log -1 --pretty='%s' ${GITHUB_HEAD_REF:+origin/$GITHUB_HEAD_REF} >> $$.gitlog"
-        (git log -1 --pretty='%s' ${GITHUB_HEAD_REF:+origin/$GITHUB_HEAD_REF} >> $$.gitlog \
-          && (grep -qE '^ *;' $$.gitlog || echo "CONTINUE=true" >> $GITHUB_ENV)) \
-          || ( echo "could not identify commit range, continuing CI steps"; echo "CONTINUE=true" >> $GITHUB_ENV )
-
     # things to be cached/restored:
 
     - name: Cache stack global package db
diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows.yml b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
index 8c3dfa9aa..c1f358180 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Runs on any push to ci-windows, and weekly on master.
-
-# Builds all modules optimised on windows,
-# and uploads a binaries artifact.
+# Produces optimised windows binaries,
+# using the default GHC version in stack.yaml.
+# Currently runs no tests.
 
 name: windows CI binaries
 
@@ -45,14 +45,6 @@ jobs:
           || ( echo "could not identify commits, not checking them" )
       #   || ( echo "could not identify commits, checking last $NUM instead:"; tools/commitlint -$NUM )
 
-    - name: Skip remaining CI steps if latest commit message begins with ;
-      shell: bash
-      run: |
-        echo "git log -1 --pretty='%s' ${GITHUB_HEAD_REF:+origin/$GITHUB_HEAD_REF} >> $$.gitlog"
-        (git log -1 --pretty='%s' ${GITHUB_HEAD_REF:+origin/$GITHUB_HEAD_REF} >> $$.gitlog \
-          && (grep -qE '^ *;' $$.gitlog || echo "CONTINUE=true" >> $GITHUB_ENV)) \
-          || ( echo "could not identify commit range, continuing CI steps"; echo "CONTINUE=true" >> $GITHUB_ENV )
-
     # things to be cached/restored:
 
     - name: Cache stack global package db