diff --git a/.github/workflows/README.md b/.github/workflows/README.md
index 8d395343a..d731ede62 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/README.md
+++ b/.github/workflows/README.md
@@ -121,19 +121,19 @@ deployments remain serialized to GitHub Pages.
 
 ### `codspeed.yml` — CodSpeed
 
-Builds the divan benchmark targets with `cargo codspeed` and measures them
-under CodSpeed's CPU simulation instrument on pull requests to `main`, pushes
-to `main`, and manual dispatch. It reports performance deltas against the base
-commit as evidence. It is not part of the `CI Gate` aggregate, but its external
-check must still be resolved for the PR to reach the required `CLEAN` state.
-Its Cargo build stays a diagnostic path next to authoritative Bazel
-compilation. Comparable-run and measurement-floor triage is documented in
+Runs once nightly against the exact latest `main` SHA, plus explicit manual
+dispatch. Pull requests and pushes do not trigger CodSpeed. The latest
+successful scheduled workflow SHA skips all nightly benchmark runners when
+`main` has not changed; missing or unsuccessful prior evidence fails closed to
+running the suite. Its Cargo
+build stays a diagnostic path next to authoritative Bazel compilation.
+Comparable-run and measurement-floor triage is documented in
 [`docs/development/benchmarking.md`](../../docs/development/benchmarking.md).
 M6 pure kernels use simulation on the ordinary pinned CI runner; durable
 open/recovery/commit/GC/compaction use CodSpeed's isolated bare-metal
-`codspeed-macro` ARM64 runner. Weekly/manual runs
-also retain exact-SHA replay and compaction peak-RSS artifacts while CodSpeed
-memory mode is unavailable for this project.
+`codspeed-macro` ARM64 runner. Manual runs also retain exact-SHA replay and
+compaction peak-RSS artifacts while CodSpeed memory mode is unavailable for
+this project.
 
 ### `binding-release-candidate.yml`
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codspeed.yml b/.github/workflows/codspeed.yml
index dc6d23d76..09be7da83 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codspeed.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codspeed.yml
@@ -1,37 +1,80 @@
 name: CodSpeed
 
-# Continuous performance measurement for the Rust surface. Benchmarks are
+# Nightly performance measurement for the Rust surface. Benchmarks are
 # divan targets built through `cargo codspeed` and measured with CodSpeed's
 # CPU simulation instrument for pure kernels and CodSpeed Macro Runners for
 # durable I/O walltime. Cargo builds here are diagnostics-only: Bazel remains
 # the authoritative compile/test surface (see .github/workflows/README.md).
 on:
-  push:
-    branches: ["main"]
-  pull_request:
-    branches: ["main"]
-  # Lets CodSpeed trigger a backtest run to seed the baseline.
   workflow_dispatch:
   schedule:
-    - cron: "17 7 * * 1"
+    - cron: "17 7 * * *"
 
 permissions:
+  actions: read
   contents: read
   # OpenID Connect authentication with CodSpeed (no long-lived token).
   id-token: write
 
 concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.ref }}
-  cancel-in-progress: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-main
+  cancel-in-progress: false
 
 jobs:
+  nightly:
+    name: Check Latest Main
+    runs-on: blacksmith-4vcpu-ubuntu-2404
+    timeout-minutes: 10
+    outputs:
+      sha: ${{ steps.main.outputs.sha }}
+      should-run: ${{ steps.decision.outputs.should-run }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout latest main
+        uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: main
+      - name: Resolve latest main SHA
+        id: main
+        shell: bash
+        run: echo "sha=$(git rev-parse HEAD)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+      - name: Find latest successful nightly SHA
+        id: previous
+        shell: bash
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          previous=""
+          if curl --fail --silent --show-error \
+            --header "Authorization: Bearer $GH_TOKEN" \
+            --header "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
+            "https://api.github.com/repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/actions/workflows/codspeed.yml/runs?branch=main&event=schedule&status=success&per_page=1" \
+            --output nightly-runs.json; then
+            previous="$(python3 -c 'import json; data=json.load(open("nightly-runs.json", encoding="utf-8")); runs=data.get("workflow_runs", []); print(runs[0]["head_sha"] if runs else "")')"
+          fi
+          echo "sha=$previous" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+      - name: Decide whether benchmarks are needed
+        id: decision
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          should_run=true
+          if [[ "${{ github.event_name }}" == "schedule" && "${{ steps.previous.outputs.sha }}" == "${{ steps.main.outputs.sha }}" ]]; then
+            should_run=false
+          fi
+          echo "should-run=$should_run" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
   benchmarks:
     name: Rust Benchmarks
+    needs: nightly
+    if: needs.nightly.outputs.should-run == 'true'
     runs-on: blacksmith-4vcpu-ubuntu-2404
     timeout-minutes: 60
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.nightly.outputs.sha }}
 
       - name: Install Rust toolchain
         uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@6c977a6ca4077a0ceb28ffbe03f59d46e9ac8772 # master as of 2026-08-05
@@ -59,12 +102,16 @@ jobs:
 
   m6-walltime:
     name: M6 Durable Walltime (CodSpeed Macro ARM64)
+    needs: nightly
+    if: needs.nightly.outputs.should-run == 'true'
     # Walltime comparisons require CodSpeed's isolated bare-metal runner.
     # Shared hosted runners are intentionally not a fallback.
     runs-on: codspeed-macro
     timeout-minutes: 60
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.nightly.outputs.sha }}
       - uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@6c977a6ca4077a0ceb28ffbe03f59d46e9ac8772 # master as of 2026-08-05
         with:
           toolchain: "1.96.0"
@@ -80,11 +127,14 @@ jobs:
 
   m6-memory-fallback:
     name: M6 Scheduled Peak Memory Artifact
-    if: github.event_name == 'schedule' || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch'
+    needs: nightly
+    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && needs.nightly.outputs.should-run == 'true'
     runs-on: blacksmith-4vcpu-ubuntu-2404
     timeout-minutes: 60
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.nightly.outputs.sha }}
       - uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@6c977a6ca4077a0ceb28ffbe03f59d46e9ac8772 # master as of 2026-08-05
         with:
           toolchain: "1.96.0"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 451611e32..91c6fdb57 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Test changed-path classifier
         run: scripts/ci/test-classify-changes.sh
 
+      - name: Test CodSpeed nightly policy
+        run: python3 scripts/ci/test-codspeed-nightly.py
+
       - name: Test Repository Policy suite classifier
         run: scripts/ci/test-classify-policy-suites.sh
 
diff --git a/scripts/ci/test-codspeed-nightly.py b/scripts/ci/test-codspeed-nightly.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2b4d9cc2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/ci/test-codspeed-nightly.py
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Regression tests for the nightly-only CodSpeed workflow."""
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import yaml
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
+WORKFLOW = ROOT / ".github/workflows/codspeed.yml"
+
+workflow = yaml.load(WORKFLOW.read_text(encoding="utf-8"), Loader=yaml.BaseLoader)
+triggers = workflow["on"]
+assert "pull_request" not in triggers
+assert "push" not in triggers
+assert "workflow_dispatch" in triggers
+assert triggers["schedule"] == [{"cron": "17 7 * * *"}]
+
+jobs = workflow["jobs"]
+assert workflow["permissions"]["actions"] == "read"
+nightly = jobs["nightly"]
+assert nightly["outputs"]["sha"] == "${{ steps.main.outputs.sha }}"
+assert nightly["outputs"]["should-run"] == "${{ steps.decision.outputs.should-run }}"
+checkout = nightly["steps"][0]
+assert checkout["with"]["ref"] == "main"
+previous = next(step for step in nightly["steps"] if step.get("id") == "previous")["run"]
+assert "actions/workflows/codspeed.yml/runs" in previous
+assert "event=schedule" in previous
+assert "status=success" in previous
+assert 'previous=""' in previous
+decision = next(step for step in nightly["steps"] if step.get("id") == "decision")["run"]
+assert 'github.event_name }}" == "schedule"' in decision
+assert "steps.previous.outputs.sha" in decision
+assert "steps.main.outputs.sha" in decision
+assert "should_run=true" in decision
+assert "should_run=false" in decision
+
+for job_name in ("benchmarks", "m6-walltime"):
+    job = jobs[job_name]
+    assert job["needs"] == "nightly"
+    assert job["if"] == "needs.nightly.outputs.should-run == 'true'"
+    checkout = next(step for step in job["steps"] if "actions/checkout@" in step.get("uses", ""))
+    assert checkout["with"]["ref"] == "${{ needs.nightly.outputs.sha }}"
+
+memory = jobs["m6-memory-fallback"]
+assert memory["if"] == (
+    "github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && needs.nightly.outputs.should-run == 'true'"
+)
+
+print("CodSpeed nightly-only policy verified")