diff --git a/.github/.env.base b/.github/.env.base
index 01d60c2..53fed8b 100644
--- a/.github/.env.base
+++ b/.github/.env.base
@@ -36,6 +36,11 @@ GO_PRIMARY_VERSION=1.24.x
 # Set to same as primary to test with single version only
 GO_SECONDARY_VERSION=1.24.x
 
+# Govulncheck-specific Go version for vulnerability scanning
+# Uses newer Go version for accurate standard library vulnerability detection
+# Override this in .env.custom if needed for compatibility
+GOVULNCHECK_GO_VERSION=1.25.x
+
 # ================================================================================================
 # 📦 GO MODULE CONFIGURATION
 # ================================================================================================
@@ -73,6 +78,7 @@ PREFERRED_GITHUB_TOKEN=GH_PAT_TOKEN
 
 # Core Features
 ENABLE_BENCHMARKS=true                 # Run benchmark tests
+ENABLE_CACHE_WARMING=true              # Warm Go module and build caches
 ENABLE_CODE_COVERAGE=true              # Generate coverage reports via go-coverage
 ENABLE_FUZZ_TESTING=true               # Run fuzz tests (Go 1.18+)
 ENABLE_RACE_DETECTION=true             # Enable Go race detector
@@ -225,14 +231,15 @@ REDIS_CACHE_FORCE_PULL=false           # Force pull Redis images even when cache
 # 🪄 MAGE-X CONFIGURATION
 # ================================================================================================
 
-MAGE_X_VERSION=v1.7.6                                         # https://github.com/mrz1836/mage-x/releases
+MAGE_X_VERSION=v1.7.9                                         # https://github.com/mrz1836/mage-x/releases
+MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL=false                                        # Use local version for development
 MAGE_X_AUTO_DISCOVER_BUILD_TAGS=true                          # Enable auto-discovery of build tags
 MAGE_X_AUTO_DISCOVER_BUILD_TAGS_EXCLUDE=race,custom           # Comma-separated list of tags to exclude
 MAGE_X_FORMAT_EXCLUDE_PATHS=vendor,node_modules,.git,.idea    # Format exclusion paths (comma-separated directories to exclude from formatting)
 MAGE_X_GITLEAKS_VERSION=8.28.0                                # https://github.com/gitleaks/gitleaks/releases
 MAGE_X_GOFUMPT_VERSION=v0.9.1                                 # https://github.com/mvdan/gofumpt/releases
 MAGE_X_GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION=v2.5.0                           # https://github.com/golangci/golangci-lint/releases
-MAGE_X_GORELEASER_VERSION=v2.12.2                             # https://github.com/goreleaser/goreleaser/releases
+MAGE_X_GORELEASER_VERSION=v2.12.7                             # https://github.com/goreleaser/goreleaser/releases
 MAGE_X_GOVULNCHECK_VERSION=v1.1.4                             # https://pkg.go.dev/golang.org/x/vuln
 MAGE_X_GO_SECONDARY_VERSION=1.24.x                            # Secondary Go version for MAGE-X (also our secondary)
 MAGE_X_GO_VERSION=1.24.x                                      # Primary Go version for MAGE-X (also our primary)
diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-magex/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-magex/action.yml
index 68f9646..9f002d5 100644
--- a/.github/actions/setup-magex/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/setup-magex/action.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@ inputs:
   runner-os:
     description: "Runner OS for cache key (e.g., ubuntu-latest, windows-latest)"
     required: true
+  use-local:
+    description: "Build from local source instead of downloading release"
+    required: false
+    default: 'false'
 
 outputs:
   cache-hit:
@@ -48,6 +52,7 @@ runs:
     # --------------------------------------------------------------------
     - name: 💾 Restore magex binary cache
       id: magex-cache
+      if: inputs.use-local != 'true'
       uses: actions/cache@0400d5f644dc74513175e3cd8d07132dd4860809 # v4.2.4
       with:
         path: |
@@ -55,30 +60,57 @@ runs:
         key: ${{ inputs.runner-os }}-magex-${{ inputs.magex-version }}
 
     # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Make cached magex usable by copying to GOPATH/bin and adding to PATH
+    # Install cached binary to PATH when remote cache hits
     # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-    - name: 🛠️ Make cached magex usable
+    - name: 📦 Install cached MAGE-X to PATH (remote mode)
+      if: inputs.use-local != 'true' && steps.magex-cache.outputs.cache-hit == 'true'
       shell: bash
       run: |
-        set -euo pipefail
-        BIN_DIR="$HOME/.cache/magex-bin"
-        MAGEX_BIN="$BIN_DIR/magex"
-
-        # If we restored a cache, copy/link it into GOPATH/bin.
-        if [[ -f "$MAGEX_BIN" ]]; then
-          echo "✅ Using cached magex binary"
-          mkdir -p "$(go env GOPATH)/bin"
-          cp "$MAGEX_BIN" "$(go env GOPATH)/bin/"
-        fi
+        echo "📦 Installing cached MAGE-X binary to PATH..."
 
-        # Make sure the binary location is on PATH for *all* subsequent steps.
+        # Copy cached binary to GOPATH and add to PATH
+        mkdir -p "$(go env GOPATH)/bin"
+        cp ~/.cache/magex-bin/magex "$(go env GOPATH)/bin/magex"
+        chmod +x "$(go env GOPATH)/bin/magex"
         echo "$(go env GOPATH)/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
 
+        echo "✅ Cached MAGE-X binary installed to PATH"
+
     # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-    # Detect platform and download MAGE-X binary *only* when the cache was empty.
+    # Restore local build cache (commit-specific for local builds)
     # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-    - name: ✅ Download MAGE-X binary (cache miss)
-      if: steps.magex-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+    - name: 💾 Restore magex binary cache (local)
+      id: magex-local-cache
+      if: inputs.use-local == 'true'
+      uses: actions/cache@0400d5f644dc74513175e3cd8d07132dd4860809 # v4.2.4
+      with:
+        path: |
+          ~/.cache/magex-local
+        key: ${{ inputs.runner-os }}-local-magex-${{ github.sha }}
+        # No restore-keys: local builds are commit-specific only to prevent stale cache issues
+
+    # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Install cached binary to PATH when local cache hits
+    # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+    - name: 📦 Install cached MAGE-X to PATH (local mode)
+      if: inputs.use-local == 'true' && steps.magex-local-cache.outputs.cache-hit == 'true'
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        echo "📦 Installing cached MAGE-X binary to PATH..."
+
+        # Copy cached binary to GOPATH and add to PATH
+        mkdir -p "$(go env GOPATH)/bin"
+        cp ~/.cache/magex-local/magex "$(go env GOPATH)/bin/magex"
+        chmod +x "$(go env GOPATH)/bin/magex"
+        echo "$(go env GOPATH)/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
+
+        echo "✅ Cached MAGE-X binary installed to PATH"
+
+    # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Download MAGE-X binary for remote mode when cache misses
+    # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+    - name: ✅ Download MAGE-X binary (remote mode only)
+      if: inputs.use-local != 'true' && steps.magex-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
       shell: bash
       run: |
         echo "⬇️ Cache miss – downloading MAGE-X binary..."
@@ -142,21 +174,60 @@ runs:
 
         echo "✅ Found magex binary at: $MAGEX_BINARY"
 
-        # Make it executable and copy to GOPATH/bin
+        # Make it executable and copy to cache directory
         chmod +x "$MAGEX_BINARY"
-        mkdir -p "$(go env GOPATH)/bin"
-        cp "$MAGEX_BINARY" "$(go env GOPATH)/bin/magex"
-
-        # Copy to cache directory for future runs
         mkdir -p ~/.cache/magex-bin
         cp "$MAGEX_BINARY" ~/.cache/magex-bin/magex
 
+        # Copy to GOPATH and add to PATH for subsequent steps
+        mkdir -p "$(go env GOPATH)/bin"
+        cp ~/.cache/magex-bin/magex "$(go env GOPATH)/bin/magex"
+        echo "$(go env GOPATH)/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
+
         # Cleanup
         cd /
         rm -rf "$TEMP_DIR"
 
         echo "✅ MAGE-X binary downloaded and cached"
 
+    # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Build MAGE-X from local source (when use-local is true)
+    # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+    - name: 🔨 Build MAGE-X from local source
+      id: build-local
+      if: inputs.use-local == 'true' && steps.magex-local-cache.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        echo "📦 Building local development version of MAGE-X"
+        cd "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE"
+
+        # Check if source directory exists (we're in mage-x repo with full checkout)
+        if [ ! -d "./cmd/magex" ]; then
+          echo "❌ ERROR: ./cmd/magex directory not found"
+          echo "❌ use-local=true requires mage-x repository with full checkout"
+          echo "❌ Either set use-local=false or ensure full repository checkout"
+          exit 1
+        fi
+
+        # Build from local source
+        echo "🔨 Building magex from ./cmd/magex..."
+        go build -v -o /tmp/magex ./cmd/magex
+        chmod +x /tmp/magex
+
+        # Show version for debugging
+        /tmp/magex --version || echo "⚠️  Version check skipped"
+
+        # Copy to local cache for future runs
+        mkdir -p ~/.cache/magex-local
+        cp /tmp/magex ~/.cache/magex-local/magex
+
+        # Add magex to PATH for subsequent steps
+        mkdir -p "$(go env GOPATH)/bin"
+        cp ~/.cache/magex-local/magex "$(go env GOPATH)/bin/magex"
+        echo "$(go env GOPATH)/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
+
+        echo "✅ MAGE-X built from local source and cached"
+
     # --------------------------------------------------------------------
     # Verify MAGE-X installation and set outputs
     # --------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -167,19 +238,29 @@ runs:
         echo "🔍 Verifying MAGE-X installation..."
 
         # Test that magex is available and working
-        if command -v magex >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-          MAGEX_VERSION=$(magex --version 2>/dev/null | grep -E '^\s+Version:' | awk '{print $2}' || echo "unknown")
-          echo "✅ MAGE-X is available: $MAGEX_VERSION"
+        if ! command -v magex >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+          echo "❌ ERROR: MAGE-X is not available in PATH" >&2
+          exit 1
+        fi
 
-          # Determine installation method
-          if [[ "${{ steps.magex-cache.outputs.cache-hit }}" == "true" ]]; then
+        MAGEX_VERSION=$(magex --version 2>/dev/null | grep -E '^\s+Version:' | awk '{print $2}' || echo "unknown")
+        echo "✅ MAGE-X $MAGEX_VERSION is available"
+
+        # Determine installation method based on mode and cache status
+        if [[ "${{ inputs.use-local }}" == "true" ]]; then
+          if [[ "${{ steps.magex-local-cache.outputs.cache-hit }}" == "true" ]]; then
             echo "method=cached" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            echo "📋 Installation method: Restored from cache"
+            echo "📋 Installation method: Cached (local build)"
           else
-            echo "method=fresh" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            echo "📋 Installation method: Fresh binary download"
+            echo "method=fresh-build" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "📋 Installation method: Fresh build from source"
           fi
         else
-          echo "❌ ERROR: MAGE-X is not available in PATH" >&2
-          exit 1
+          if [[ "${{ steps.magex-cache.outputs.cache-hit }}" == "true" ]]; then
+            echo "method=cached" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "📋 Installation method: Cached (remote download)"
+          else
+            echo "method=fresh-download" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "📋 Installation method: Fresh download from releases"
+          fi
         fi
diff --git a/.github/actions/warm-cache/action.yml b/.github/actions/warm-cache/action.yml
index 2331e0c..3ffe7c3 100644
--- a/.github/actions/warm-cache/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/warm-cache/action.yml
@@ -223,14 +223,14 @@ runs:
         if [ -n "$GO_MODULE_DIR" ]; then
           echo "🔧 Running build commands from directory: $GO_MODULE_DIR"
           # Use configured parallelism to avoid OOM on GitHub Actions runners
-          (cd "$GO_MODULE_DIR" && magex build:prebuild p="$PARALLEL_JOBS" strategy=smart)
+          (cd "$GO_MODULE_DIR" && magex build:prebuild p="$PARALLEL_JOBS" strategy="${MAGE_X_BUILD_STRATEGY:-smart}" batch_size="${MAGE_X_BUILD_BATCH_SIZE:-20}" batch_delay="${MAGE_X_BUILD_BATCH_DELAY_MS:-0}" exclude="${MAGE_X_BUILD_EXCLUDE_PATTERN:-}")
 
           echo "🏗️ Building stdlib for host platform..."
           (cd "$GO_MODULE_DIR" && magex install:stdlib)
         else
           echo "🔧 Running build commands from repository root"
           # Use configured parallelism to avoid OOM on GitHub Actions runners
-          magex build:prebuild p="$PARALLEL_JOBS" strategy=smart
+          magex build:prebuild p="$PARALLEL_JOBS" strategy="${MAGE_X_BUILD_STRATEGY:-smart}" batch_size="${MAGE_X_BUILD_BATCH_SIZE:-20}" batch_delay="${MAGE_X_BUILD_BATCH_DELAY_MS:-0}" exclude="${MAGE_X_BUILD_EXCLUDE_PATTERN:-}"
 
           echo "🏗️ Building stdlib for host platform..."
           magex install:stdlib
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeql-analysis.yml b/.github/workflows/codeql-analysis.yml
index b7a4441..97724b4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codeql-analysis.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeql-analysis.yml
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ jobs:
 
       # Initializes the CodeQL tools for scanning.
       - name: Initialize CodeQL
-        uses: github/codeql-action/init@4e94bd11f71e507f7f87df81788dff88d1dacbfb # v4.31.0
+        uses: github/codeql-action/init@5fe9434cd24fe243e33e7f3305f8a5b519b70280 # v4.31.1
         with:
           languages: ${{ matrix.language }}
           # If you wish to specify custom queries, you can do so here or in a config file.
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ jobs:
       # Autobuild attempts to build any compiled languages (C/C++, C#, or Java).
       # If this step fails, then you should remove it and run the build manually (see below)
       - name: Autobuild
-        uses: github/codeql-action/autobuild@4e94bd11f71e507f7f87df81788dff88d1dacbfb # v4.31.0
+        uses: github/codeql-action/autobuild@5fe9434cd24fe243e33e7f3305f8a5b519b70280 # v4.31.1
 
       # ℹ️ Command-line programs to run using the OS shell.
       # 📚 https://git.io/JvXDl
@@ -68,4 +68,4 @@ jobs:
       #    uses a compiled language
 
       - name: Perform CodeQL Analysis
-        uses: github/codeql-action/analyze@4e94bd11f71e507f7f87df81788dff88d1dacbfb # v4.31.0
+        uses: github/codeql-action/analyze@5fe9434cd24fe243e33e7f3305f8a5b519b70280 # v4.31.1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress-benchmarks.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress-benchmarks.yml
index 175540d..cfdaf0a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fortress-benchmarks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress-benchmarks.yml
@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           magex-version: ${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}
           runner-os: ${{ matrix.os }}
+          use-local: ${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Setup Redis service using composite action with caching
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress-code-quality.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress-code-quality.yml
index 3669bff..2b18ef9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fortress-code-quality.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress-code-quality.yml
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           magex-version: ${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}
           runner-os: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}
+          use-local: ${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Run go vet with sequential execution to avoid memory issues
@@ -231,16 +232,6 @@ jobs:
           echo "GOMODCACHE=$HOME/go/pkg/mod"          >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "GOLANGCI_LINT_CACHE=$HOME/.cache/golangci-lint" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      # Extract golangci-lint version (MAGE-X managed)
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      - name: 🔍 Use MAGE-X managed golangci-lint version
-        id: golangci-lint-version
-        run: |
-          # MAGE-X handles golangci-lint version automatically
-          echo "✅ Using MAGE-X managed golangci-lint version"
-          echo "version=${{ env.MAGE_X_GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Setup Go with caching and version management
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -270,6 +261,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           magex-version: ${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}
           runner-os: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}
+          use-local: ${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Restore Cache golangci-lint
@@ -279,7 +271,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/cache@0057852bfaa89a56745cba8c7296529d2fc39830 # v4.3.0
         with:
           path: ${{ env.GOLANGCI_LINT_CACHE }}
-          key: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}-golangci-lint-analysis-${{ hashFiles('.golangci.json', env.GO_SUM_FILE) }}-${{ steps.golangci-lint-version.outputs.version }}
+          key: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}-golangci-lint-analysis-${{ hashFiles('.golangci.json', env.GO_SUM_FILE) }}
 
       - name: 🔍 Debug cache usage
         run: |
@@ -409,6 +401,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           magex-version: ${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}
           runner-os: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}
+          use-local: ${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Get yamlfmt version from MAGE-X
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress-release.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress-release.yml
index 80ef1d7..0f98a46 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fortress-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress-release.yml
@@ -138,6 +138,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           magex-version: ${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}
           runner-os: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}
+          use-local: ${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Extract GoReleaser version from environment
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress-security-scans.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress-security-scans.yml
index 6f7b5c3..afb2ec2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fortress-security-scans.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress-security-scans.yml
@@ -204,12 +204,14 @@ jobs:
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Setup Go with caching and version management
+      # Uses GOVULNCHECK_GO_VERSION if set, otherwise falls back to primary version
+      # This allows govulncheck to use a newer Go version for accurate stdlib vulnerability detection
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       - name: 🏗️ Setup Go with Cache
         id: setup-govulncheck
         uses: ./.github/actions/setup-go-with-cache
         with:
-          go-version: ${{ inputs.go-primary-version }}
+          go-version: ${{ env.GOVULNCHECK_GO_VERSION || inputs.go-primary-version }}
           matrix-os: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}
           go-primary-version: ${{ inputs.go-primary-version }}
           go-secondary-version: ${{ inputs.go-primary-version }}
@@ -231,6 +233,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           magex-version: ${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}
           runner-os: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}
+          use-local: ${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Restore (and later save) a compact cache for the govulncheck binary
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress-setup-config.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress-setup-config.yml
index 156b656..8423089 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fortress-setup-config.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress-setup-config.yml
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ on:
       coverage-provider:
         description: "Coverage service provider (internal or codecov)"
         value: ${{ jobs.setup-config.outputs.coverage-provider }}
+      cache-warming-enabled:
+        description: "Whether cache warming is enabled"
+        value: ${{ jobs.setup-config.outputs.cache-warming-enabled }}
       fuzz-testing-enabled:
         description: "Whether fuzz testing is enabled"
         value: ${{ jobs.setup-config.outputs.fuzz-testing-enabled }}
@@ -179,6 +182,7 @@ jobs:
       benchmark-matrix: ${{ steps.matrix.outputs.matrix }}
       code-coverage-enabled: ${{ steps.config.outputs.code-coverage-enabled }}
       coverage-provider: ${{ steps.config.outputs.coverage-provider }}
+      cache-warming-enabled: ${{ steps.config.outputs.cache-warming-enabled }}
       fuzz-testing-enabled: ${{ steps.config.outputs.fuzz-testing-enabled }}
       go-primary-version: ${{ steps.config.outputs.go-primary-version }}
       go-secondary-version: ${{ steps.config.outputs.go-secondary-version }}
@@ -421,6 +425,7 @@ jobs:
 
           # Feature flags
           echo "benchmarks-enabled=${{ env.ENABLE_BENCHMARKS }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "cache-warming-enabled=${{ env.ENABLE_CACHE_WARMING }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "code-coverage-enabled=${{ env.ENABLE_CODE_COVERAGE }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "coverage-provider=${{ env.GO_COVERAGE_PROVIDER }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
@@ -592,6 +597,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "| Feature | Status | Impact |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "|---------|--------|--------|" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "| **Benchmarks** | $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_BENCHMARKS }}" == "true" ] && echo "✅ Enabled" || echo "❌ Disabled") | Performance benchmarks will $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_BENCHMARKS }}" == "true" ] && echo "run in **${{ env.BENCHMARK_MODE }}** mode" || echo "be skipped") |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "| **Cache Warming** | $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_CACHE_WARMING }}" == "true" ] && echo "✅ Enabled" || echo "❌ Disabled") | Go module and build caches will $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_CACHE_WARMING }}" == "true" ] && echo "be pre-warmed for faster test execution" || echo "not be pre-warmed (saves memory)") |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "| **Code Coverage** | $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_CODE_COVERAGE }}" == "true" ] && echo "✅ Enabled" || echo "❌ Disabled") | Coverage will $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_CODE_COVERAGE }}" == "true" ] && echo "use $([ "${{ env.GO_COVERAGE_PROVIDER }}" == "codecov" ] && echo "**Codecov**" || echo "**go-coverage**") (${{ env.GO_COVERAGE_THRESHOLD }}% threshold)" || echo "be skipped") |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "| **Fuzz Testing** | $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_FUZZ_TESTING }}" == "true" ] && echo "✅ Enabled" || echo "❌ Disabled") | Fuzz tests will $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_FUZZ_TESTING }}" == "true" ] && echo "run in parallel job on Linux with primary Go version" || echo "be skipped") |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "| **Gitleaks (Secret Scan)** | $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_SECURITY_SCAN_GITLEAKS }}" == "true" ] && echo "✅ Enabled" || echo "❌ Disabled") | Gitleaks will $([ "${{ env.ENABLE_SECURITY_SCAN_GITLEAKS }}" == "true" ] && echo "scan for leaked secrets" || echo "be skipped") |" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress-test-fuzz.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress-test-fuzz.yml
index 13b6569..01319a6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fortress-test-fuzz.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress-test-fuzz.yml
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           magex-version: ${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}
           runner-os: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}
+          use-local: ${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Start fuzz test timer
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress-test-magex.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress-test-magex.yml
index 63c0148..99330d2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fortress-test-magex.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress-test-magex.yml
@@ -47,9 +47,18 @@ jobs:
           done
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      # Checkout code (sparse checkout)
+      # Checkout code (conditional: full or sparse based on MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL)
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      - name: 📥 Checkout (sparse)
+      # Full checkout when using local build (needs cmd/magex directory)
+      - name: 📥 Checkout (full - local build)
+        if: env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL == 'true'
+        uses: actions/checkout@08c6903cd8c0fde910a37f88322edcfb5dd907a8 # v5.0.0
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      # Sparse checkout when using remote build (optimization)
+      - name: 📥 Checkout (sparse - remote build)
+        if: env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL == 'false'
         uses: actions/checkout@08c6903cd8c0fde910a37f88322edcfb5dd907a8 # v5.0.0
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0 # Required for sparse checkout
@@ -69,6 +78,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           magex-version: ${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}
           runner-os: ${{ inputs.primary-runner }}
+          use-local: ${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Validate MAGE-X version matches requested version
@@ -81,29 +91,46 @@ jobs:
           # Get the actual version from the binary
           ACTUAL_VERSION=$(magex --version 2>/dev/null | grep -E '^\s+Version:' | awk '{print $2}' || echo "unknown")
           REQUESTED_VERSION="${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}"
+          USE_LOCAL="${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}"
 
+          echo "📋 Build mode: $([ "$USE_LOCAL" == "true" ] && echo "local (development)" || echo "remote (release)")"
           echo "📋 Requested version: $REQUESTED_VERSION"
           echo "📋 Actual version: $ACTUAL_VERSION"
 
-          # Strip 'v' prefix from both versions for comparison
-          REQUESTED_CLEAN=$(echo "$REQUESTED_VERSION" | sed 's/^v//')
-          ACTUAL_CLEAN=$(echo "$ACTUAL_VERSION" | sed 's/^v//')
-
           if [[ "$ACTUAL_VERSION" == "unknown" ]]; then
             echo "❌ Failed: Could not determine magex version from binary"
             echo "❌ This indicates a problem with version detection or binary corruption"
             echo "validation-result=failed" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
             exit 1
-          elif [[ "$ACTUAL_CLEAN" == "$REQUESTED_CLEAN" ]]; then
-            echo "✅ Version validation passed: $ACTUAL_VERSION matches $REQUESTED_VERSION"
-            echo "validation-result=success" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
+          # Local builds should have "dev" version
+          if [[ "$USE_LOCAL" == "true" ]]; then
+            if [[ "$ACTUAL_VERSION" == "dev" ]]; then
+              echo "✅ Version validation passed: local build has expected 'dev' version"
+              echo "validation-result=success" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            else
+              echo "⚠️  Warning: Local build has version '$ACTUAL_VERSION', expected 'dev'"
+              echo "⚠️  This might indicate the version file hasn't been updated"
+              echo "✅ Accepting anyway since this is a local development build"
+              echo "validation-result=success-with-warning" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            fi
           else
-            echo "❌ Version mismatch detected!"
-            echo "❌ Requested: $REQUESTED_VERSION (clean: $REQUESTED_CLEAN)"
-            echo "❌ Actual: $ACTUAL_VERSION (clean: $ACTUAL_CLEAN)"
-            echo "❌ This indicates a cache corruption or installation failure"
-            echo "validation-result=failed" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            exit 1
+            # Remote builds should match the requested version
+            REQUESTED_CLEAN=$(echo "$REQUESTED_VERSION" | sed 's/^v//')
+            ACTUAL_CLEAN=$(echo "$ACTUAL_VERSION" | sed 's/^v//')
+
+            if [[ "$ACTUAL_CLEAN" == "$REQUESTED_CLEAN" ]]; then
+              echo "✅ Version validation passed: $ACTUAL_VERSION matches $REQUESTED_VERSION"
+              echo "validation-result=success" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            else
+              echo "❌ Version mismatch detected!"
+              echo "❌ Requested: $REQUESTED_VERSION (clean: $REQUESTED_CLEAN)"
+              echo "❌ Actual: $ACTUAL_VERSION (clean: $ACTUAL_CLEAN)"
+              echo "❌ This indicates a cache corruption or installation failure"
+              echo "validation-result=failed" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+              exit 1
+            fi
           fi
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress-test-matrix.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress-test-matrix.yml
index 7249c86..d72efaf 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fortress-test-matrix.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress-test-matrix.yml
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           magex-version: ${{ env.MAGE_X_VERSION }}
           runner-os: ${{ matrix.os }}
+          use-local: ${{ env.MAGE_X_USE_LOCAL }}
 
       # --------------------------------------------------------------------
       # Start test timer
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress-warm-cache.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress-warm-cache.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..902517b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress-warm-cache.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+#  Cache Warming (Reusable Workflow) (GoFortress)
+#
+#  Purpose: Warm Go module and Redis caches across multiple Go versions and operating
+#  systems to optimize subsequent workflow performance.
+#
+#  Maintainer: @mrz1836
+#
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+name: GoFortress (Cache Warming)
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      env-json:
+        description: "JSON string of environment variables"
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      warm-cache-matrix:
+        description: "Cache warming matrix JSON"
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      go-primary-version:
+        description: "Primary Go version"
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      go-secondary-version:
+        description: "Secondary Go version"
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      redis-enabled:
+        description: "Whether Redis service is enabled"
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: "false"
+      redis-version:
+        description: "Redis Docker image version"
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: "7-alpine"
+      redis-cache-force-pull:
+        description: "Force pull Redis image instead of using cache"
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: "false"
+      go-sum-file:
+        description: "Path to go.sum file for dependency verification"
+        required: true
+        type: string
+
+# Security: Restrictive default permissions with job-level overrides for least privilege access
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  # Warm Cache Matrix (Parallel)
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+  warm-cache-matrix:
+    name: 💾 Warm Cache (${{ matrix.name }})
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: true
+      matrix: ${{ fromJSON(inputs.warm-cache-matrix) }}
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    steps:
+      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+      # Parse environment variables
+      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+      - name: 🔧 Parse environment variables
+        env:
+          ENV_JSON: ${{ inputs.env-json }}
+        run: |
+          echo "📋 Setting environment variables..."
+          echo "$ENV_JSON" | jq -r 'to_entries | .[] | "\(.key)=\(.value)"' | while IFS='=' read -r key value; do
+            echo "$key=$value" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          done
+
+      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+      # Checkout code to access local action
+      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+      - name: 📥 Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@08c6903cd8c0fde910a37f88322edcfb5dd907a8 # v5.0.0
+        with:
+          sparse-checkout: |
+            .github/actions/warm-cache
+            .github/actions/warm-redis-cache
+            .github/actions/cache-redis-image
+            .github/.env.base
+            go.mod
+            ${{ env.GO_SUM_FILE }}
+            .mage.yaml
+
+      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+      # Extract verbose flag from env-json
+      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+      - name: 🔁 Extract ENABLE_VERBOSE
+        id: extract
+        run: |
+          echo "enable_verbose=$(echo '${{ inputs.env-json }}' | jq -r '.ENABLE_VERBOSE_TEST_OUTPUT')" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+      # Warm the Go and Redis caches using local action
+      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
+      - name: 🔥 Warm Go and Redis Caches
+        uses: ./.github/actions/warm-cache
+        with:
+          go-version: ${{ matrix.go-version }}
+          matrix-os: ${{ matrix.os }}
+          matrix-name: ${{ matrix.name }}
+          enable-verbose: ${{ steps.extract.outputs.enable_verbose }}
+          go-primary-version: ${{ inputs.go-primary-version }}
+          go-secondary-version: ${{ inputs.go-secondary-version }}
+          env-json: ${{ inputs.env-json }}
+          redis-enabled: ${{ inputs.redis-enabled }}
+          redis-versions: ${{ inputs.redis-version }}
+          redis-cache-force-pull: ${{ inputs.redis-cache-force-pull }}
+          go-sum-file: ${{ inputs.go-sum-file }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/fortress.yml b/.github/workflows/fortress.yml
index bbcfc2c..54b1b84 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/fortress.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/fortress.yml
@@ -126,74 +126,32 @@ jobs:
   # Warm Go Caches
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   warm-cache:
-    name: 💾 Warm Cache (${{ matrix.name }})
+    name: 💾 Warm Cache
     needs: [load-env, setup, test-magex]
+    if: needs.setup.outputs.cache-warming-enabled == 'true'
     permissions:
       contents: read # Read repository content for cache warming
-    strategy:
-      fail-fast: true
-      matrix: ${{ fromJSON(needs.setup.outputs.warm-cache-matrix) }}
-    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
-    steps:
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      # Parse environment variables
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      - name: 🔧 Parse environment variables
-        env:
-          ENV_JSON: ${{ needs.load-env.outputs.env-json }}
-        run: |
-          echo "📋 Setting environment variables..."
-          echo "$ENV_JSON" | jq -r 'to_entries | .[] | "\(.key)=\(.value)"' | while IFS='=' read -r key value; do
-            echo "$key=$value" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          done
-
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      # Checkout code to access local action
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      - name: 📥 Checkout code
-        uses: actions/checkout@08c6903cd8c0fde910a37f88322edcfb5dd907a8 # v5.0.0
-        with:
-          sparse-checkout: |
-            .github/actions/warm-cache
-            .github/actions/warm-redis-cache
-            .github/actions/cache-redis-image
-            .github/.env.base
-            go.mod
-            ${{ env.GO_SUM_FILE }}
-            .mage.yaml
-
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      # Extract verbose flag from env-json
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      - name: 🔁 Extract ENABLE_VERBOSE
-        id: extract
-        run: |
-          echo "enable_verbose=$(echo '${{ needs.load-env.outputs.env-json }}' | jq -r '.ENABLE_VERBOSE_TEST_OUTPUT')" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      # Warm the Go and Redis caches using local action
-      # --------------------------------------------------------------------
-      - name: 🔥 Warm Go and Redis Caches
-        uses: ./.github/actions/warm-cache # Might not resolve as it's a composite action
-        with:
-          go-version: ${{ matrix.go-version }}
-          matrix-os: ${{ matrix.os }}
-          matrix-name: ${{ matrix.name }}
-          enable-verbose: ${{ steps.extract.outputs.enable_verbose }}
-          go-primary-version: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.go-primary-version }}
-          go-secondary-version: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.go-secondary-version }}
-          env-json: ${{ needs.load-env.outputs.env-json }}
-          redis-enabled: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.redis-enabled }}
-          redis-versions: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.redis-version }}
-          redis-cache-force-pull: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.redis-cache-force-pull }}
-          go-sum-file: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.go-sum-file }}
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/fortress-warm-cache.yml
+    with:
+      env-json: ${{ needs.load-env.outputs.env-json }}
+      warm-cache-matrix: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.warm-cache-matrix }}
+      go-primary-version: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.go-primary-version }}
+      go-secondary-version: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.go-secondary-version }}
+      redis-enabled: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.redis-enabled }}
+      redis-version: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.redis-version }}
+      redis-cache-force-pull: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.redis-cache-force-pull }}
+      go-sum-file: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.go-sum-file }}
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   # Security Scans
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   security:
     name: 🔒 Security Scans
-    needs: [load-env, setup, warm-cache, test-magex]
-    if: needs.setup.outputs.security-scans-enabled == 'true'
+    needs: [load-env, setup, test-magex, warm-cache]
+    if: |
+      !cancelled() &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'failure' &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'cancelled' &&
+      needs.setup.outputs.security-scans-enabled == 'true'
     permissions:
       contents: read # Read repository content for security scanning
     uses: ./.github/workflows/fortress-security-scans.yml
@@ -215,7 +173,11 @@ jobs:
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   code-quality:
     name: 📊 Code Quality
-    needs: [load-env, setup, warm-cache, test-magex]
+    needs: [load-env, setup, test-magex, warm-cache]
+    if: |
+      !cancelled() &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'failure' &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'cancelled'
     permissions:
       contents: read # Read repository content for code quality checks
     uses: ./.github/workflows/fortress-code-quality.yml
@@ -234,8 +196,12 @@ jobs:
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   pre-commit:
     name: 🪝 Pre-commit Checks
-    needs: [load-env, setup, warm-cache, test-magex]
-    if: needs.setup.outputs.pre-commit-enabled == 'true'
+    needs: [load-env, setup, test-magex, warm-cache]
+    if: |
+      !cancelled() &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'failure' &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'cancelled' &&
+      needs.setup.outputs.pre-commit-enabled == 'true'
     permissions:
       contents: read # Read repository content for pre-commit checks
     uses: ./.github/workflows/fortress-pre-commit.yml
@@ -250,7 +216,11 @@ jobs:
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   test-suite:
     name: 🧪 Test Suite
-    needs: [load-env, setup, warm-cache, test-magex]
+    needs: [load-env, setup, test-magex, warm-cache]
+    if: |
+      !cancelled() &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'failure' &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'cancelled'
     permissions:
       contents: write # Write repository content and push to gh-pages branch for test execution
       pull-requests: write # Required: Coverage workflow needs to create PR comments
@@ -286,8 +256,12 @@ jobs:
   # ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   benchmarks:
     name: 🏃 Benchmarks
-    needs: [load-env, setup, warm-cache, test-magex]
-    if: needs.setup.outputs.benchmarks-enabled == 'true'
+    needs: [load-env, setup, test-magex, warm-cache]
+    if: |
+      !cancelled() &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'failure' &&
+      needs.warm-cache.result != 'cancelled' &&
+      needs.setup.outputs.benchmarks-enabled == 'true'
     permissions:
       contents: read # Read repository content for benchmarking
     uses: ./.github/workflows/fortress-benchmarks.yml
@@ -315,7 +289,7 @@ jobs:
   status-check:
     name: 🎯 All Tests Passed
     if: ${{ always() }}
-    needs: [setup, test-magex, security, code-quality, pre-commit, test-suite, benchmarks]
+    needs: [setup, test-magex, warm-cache, security, code-quality, pre-commit, test-suite, benchmarks]
     permissions:
       contents: read # Read repository content for status checking
     runs-on: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.primary-runner }}
@@ -332,6 +306,7 @@ jobs:
             echo "|-----------|--------|--------|"
             echo "| 🎯 Setup | ${{ needs.setup.result }} | Required |"
             echo "| 🪄 MAGE-X | ${{ needs.test-magex.result }} | Required |"
+            echo "| 💾 Warm Cache | ${{ needs.warm-cache.result }} | ${{ needs.setup.outputs.cache-warming-enabled == 'true' && 'Optional' || 'Skipped' }} |"
             echo "| 🔒 Security | ${{ needs.security.result }} | Required |"
             echo "| 📊 Code Quality | ${{ needs.code-quality.result }} | Required |"
             echo "| 🪝 Pre-commit | ${{ needs.pre-commit.result }} | ${{ needs.setup.outputs.pre-commit-enabled == 'true' && 'Required' || 'Skipped' }} |"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scorecard.yml b/.github/workflows/scorecard.yml
index a7b6c45..7aec89c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/scorecard.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/scorecard.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ on:
   schedule:
     - cron: "0 8 * * 1" # Every Monday at 08:00 UTC
   push:
-    branches: ["master","main"]
+    branches: ["master", "main"]
 
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.ref }}
@@ -78,6 +78,6 @@ jobs:
       # Upload the results to GitHub's code scanning dashboard (optional).
       # Commenting out will disable the upload of results to your repo's Code Scanning dashboard
       - name: "Upload to code-scanning"
-        uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@4e94bd11f71e507f7f87df81788dff88d1dacbfb # v4.31.0
+        uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@5fe9434cd24fe243e33e7f3305f8a5b519b70280 # v4.31.1
         with:
           sarif_file: results.sarif
diff --git a/codecov.yml b/codecov.yml
index 7de2c61..2fd4ea6 100644
--- a/codecov.yml
+++ b/codecov.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ ignore:
   - ".mage-cache/**"
   - ".vscode/**"
   - "bin/**"
+  - "example/**"
   - "examples/**"
   - "mocks/**"
   - "testing/**"