diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index f72a70f5..f125b54a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -32,6 +32,18 @@ jobs:
           node-version: "22"
           cache: pnpm
 
+      - name: Cache static tool outputs
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: |
+            .cache/eslint
+            .cache/tsc
+            .cache/vite
+            .cache/vitest-unit
+          key: static-tools-${{ runner.os }}-node-22-${{ hashFiles('pnpm-lock.yaml', 'package.json', 'tsconfig.json', 'eslint.config.mjs', 'vite.config.ts', 'vitest.unit.config.ts') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            static-tools-${{ runner.os }}-node-22-
+
       - name: Install Node dependencies
         run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
 
@@ -48,22 +60,29 @@ jobs:
       KERIPY_REF: cbbf700fa8091587b96b5475c5f50d1d8bf3ca40
       KERIA_BRANCH: main
       KERIA_REF: aba457cab3813078bfedb65a7d819f48d86974b8
+      VLEI_BRANCH: main
+      VLEI_REF: f514b9431c5f965b5f7f64a8693e19df2f181564
       PUPPETEER_CACHE_DIR: /home/runner/.cache/puppeteer
+      PYTHON_VERSION: "3.12.8"
       VITE_OPERATION_TIMEOUT_MS: "45000"
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: Cache apt packages
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: .ci/apt
+          key: apt-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-libsodium-dev-v1
+
       - name: Install system dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get install -y libsodium-dev
+        run: scripts/ci/install-system-deps.sh
 
       - name: Set up Python
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: "3.12.8"
+          python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
           cache: pip
           cache-dependency-path: .github/ci/keria-runtime-requirements.txt
 
@@ -83,7 +102,23 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
           path: .ci/deps
-          key: keri-repos-${{ runner.os }}-${{ env.KERIPY_REF }}-${{ env.KERIA_REF }}
+          key: keri-repos-${{ runner.os }}-${{ env.KERIPY_REF }}-${{ env.KERIA_REF }}-${{ env.VLEI_REF }}
+
+      - name: Cache pinned KERI wheels
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: .ci/wheels
+          key: keri-wheels-${{ runner.os }}-python-${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}-${{ hashFiles('.github/ci/keria-runtime-requirements.txt', 'scripts/ci/install-keri-stack.sh') }}-${{ env.KERIPY_REF }}-${{ env.KERIA_REF }}-${{ env.VLEI_REF }}
+
+      - name: Cache live tool outputs
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: |
+            .cache/vite
+            .cache/vitest
+          key: live-tools-${{ runner.os }}-node-22-${{ hashFiles('pnpm-lock.yaml', 'package.json', 'vite.config.ts', 'vitest.config.ts') }}
+          restore-keys: |
+            live-tools-${{ runner.os }}-node-22-
 
       - name: Cache Puppeteer browser
         uses: actions/cache@v4
@@ -99,7 +134,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install Puppeteer browser
         run: pnpm exec puppeteer browsers install chrome
 
-      - name: Install pinned KERIpy and KERIA
+      - name: Install pinned KERIpy, KERIA, and vLEI
         run: scripts/ci/install-keri-stack.sh
 
       - name: Start KERIA and demo witnesses
diff --git a/docs/ci.md b/docs/ci.md
index 7b1417dc..71b6ab2d 100644
--- a/docs/ci.md
+++ b/docs/ci.md
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ The live KERIA job:
 3. sets up Node.js and pnpm,
 4. installs Node dependencies from `pnpm-lock.yaml`,
 5. installs a Puppeteer browser,
-6. installs pinned KERIpy and KERIA from GitHub commits,
+6. installs pinned KERIpy, KERIA, and vLEI from GitHub commits,
 7. starts local KERI demo witnesses,
 8. starts local KERIA,
 9. runs `pnpm ci:live`,
@@ -78,10 +78,11 @@ immutable SHAs, not floating branches.
 
 CI installs these exact repositories:
 
-| Project | Branch | Commit | Version |
-| --- | --- | --- | --- |
-| KERIpy | `v1.2.13` | `cbbf700fa8091587b96b5475c5f50d1d8bf3ca40` | `keri==1.2.13` |
-| KERIA | `main` | `aba457cab3813078bfedb65a7d819f48d86974b8` | `keria==0.4.0` |
+| Project | Branch    | Commit                                     | Version        |
+|---------|-----------|--------------------------------------------|----------------|
+| KERIpy  | `v1.2.13` | `cbbf700fa8091587b96b5475c5f50d1d8bf3ca40` | `keri==1.2.13` |
+| KERIA   | `main`    | `aba457cab3813078bfedb65a7d819f48d86974b8` | `keria==0.4.0` |
+| vLEI    | `main`    | `f514b9431c5f965b5f7f64a8693e19df2f181564` | `vlei==1.0.2`  |
 
 The install script is `scripts/ci/install-keri-stack.sh`.
 
@@ -90,10 +91,12 @@ requested KERIpy `1.2.13` commit. To make that explicit, the script:
 
 1. installs KERIA runtime dependencies from
    `.github/ci/keria-runtime-requirements.txt`,
-2. installs KERIpy from the pinned commit,
-3. installs KERIA from the pinned commit with `--no-deps`,
-4. verifies `keri.__version__ == "1.2.13"` and
-   `keria.__version__ == "0.4.0"`.
+2. restores or builds local wheels for the pinned KERIpy, KERIA, and vLEI
+   commits,
+3. installs KERIpy from the pinned wheel,
+4. installs KERIA and vLEI from pinned wheels with `--no-deps`,
+5. verifies `keri.__version__ == "1.2.13"`,
+   `keria.__version__ == "0.4.0"`, and `vlei.__version__ == "1.0.2"`.
 
 Do not replace this with an unconstrained `pip install keria`; that would allow
 the resolver to choose a different KERIpy version.
@@ -133,14 +136,14 @@ WITNESS_LOGLEVEL=DEBUG KERIA_LOGLEVEL=DEBUG scripts/ci/start-keri-stack.sh
 
 Expected ports:
 
-| Service | Port |
-| --- | --- |
+| Service          | Port   |
+|------------------|--------|
 | Wan witness HTTP | `5642` |
 | Wil witness HTTP | `5643` |
 | Wes witness HTTP | `5644` |
-| KERIA admin API | `3901` |
+| KERIA admin API  | `3901` |
 | KERIA router API | `3902` |
-| KERIA boot API | `3903` |
+| KERIA boot API   | `3903` |
 
 The start script waits for all ports before returning. Logs are written under
 `${RUNNER_TEMP}/keri-stack/logs` in GitHub Actions and uploaded as the
@@ -152,17 +155,24 @@ CI uses these caches:
 
 - pnpm dependency cache via `actions/setup-node`.
 - pip cache via `actions/setup-python`.
+- apt package cache for `libsodium-dev` under `.ci/apt`.
+- static tool caches under `.cache/eslint`, `.cache/tsc`, `.cache/vite`, and
+  `.cache/vitest-unit`.
+- live tool caches under `.cache/vite` and `.cache/vitest`.
 - pinned KERI repository clones under `.ci/deps`.
+- pinned KERI wheels under `.ci/wheels`.
 - Puppeteer browser cache under `~/.cache/puppeteer`.
 
-The KERI repository cache key includes the pinned KERIpy and KERIA commits, so
-changing either commit creates a fresh cache.
+The KERI repository and wheel cache keys include the pinned KERIpy, KERIA, and
+vLEI commits, so changing any pinned commit creates a fresh cache. The wheel key
+also includes Python version, the KERIA runtime requirements file, and
+`scripts/ci/install-keri-stack.sh`.
 
 ## Updating Pinned KERI Versions
 
-To update KERIpy or KERIA:
+To update KERIpy, KERIA, or vLEI:
 
-1. update `KERIPY_BRANCH` / `KERIPY_REF` or `KERIA_BRANCH` / `KERIA_REF` in
+1. update the corresponding branch/ref environment variables in
    `.github/workflows/ci.yml`,
 2. update the version assertions in `scripts/ci/install-keri-stack.sh`,
 3. update this document,
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index defb673e..8764e06d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
     "scripts": {
         "dev": "vite",
         "build": "npx tsc && vite build",
-        "lint": "eslint src tests scripts eslint.config.mjs vite.config.ts vitest.config.ts vitest.unit.config.ts --max-warnings 0",
+        "lint": "eslint --cache --cache-location .cache/eslint/eslintcache --cache-strategy content src tests scripts eslint.config.mjs vite.config.ts vitest.config.ts vitest.unit.config.ts --max-warnings 0",
         "preview": "vite preview",
         "keria:smoke": "tsx scripts/keria-smoke.ts",
         "contact:ui-smoke": "tsx tests/contact-oobi-smoke.ts",
diff --git a/scripts/ci/install-keri-stack.sh b/scripts/ci/install-keri-stack.sh
index 2b50acd7..096a1601 100755
--- a/scripts/ci/install-keri-stack.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci/install-keri-stack.sh
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ KERIA_REF="${KERIA_REF:-aba457cab3813078bfedb65a7d819f48d86974b8}"
 VLEI_REPO="${VLEI_REPO:-https://github.com/WebOfTrust/vLEI.git}"
 VLEI_BRANCH="${VLEI_BRANCH:-main}"
 VLEI_REF="${VLEI_REF:-f514b9431c5f965b5f7f64a8693e19df2f181564}"
+WHEEL_DIR="${WHEEL_DIR:-${ROOT_DIR}/.ci/wheels/${KERIPY_REF}-${KERIA_REF}-${VLEI_REF}}"
 
 sync_repo() {
   local dir="$1"
@@ -30,6 +31,17 @@ sync_repo() {
   if [[ ! -d "${dir}/.git" ]]; then
     rm -rf "$dir"
     git clone --no-checkout "$repo" "$dir"
+  else
+    local actual
+    local remote
+    actual="$(git -C "$dir" rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    remote="$(git -C "$dir" remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    if [[ "$actual" == "$ref" && "$remote" == "$repo" ]]; then
+      git -C "$dir" reset --hard "$ref" >/dev/null
+      git -C "$dir" clean -xdf >/dev/null
+      echo "Using cached ${dir} at ${ref}"
+      return
+    fi
   fi
 
   git -C "$dir" remote set-url origin "$repo"
@@ -50,16 +62,50 @@ sync_repo() {
   fi
 }
 
+build_wheel() {
+  local dir="$1"
+  local distribution="$2"
+  local wheel
+
+  if wheel="$(find_wheel "$distribution" 2>/dev/null)"; then
+    echo "Using cached wheel ${wheel}"
+    return
+  fi
+
+  python -m pip wheel --no-deps --wheel-dir "$WHEEL_DIR" "$dir"
+}
+
+find_wheel() {
+  local distribution="$1"
+
+  python - "$WHEEL_DIR" "$distribution" <<'PY'
+from pathlib import Path
+import sys
+
+wheel_dir = Path(sys.argv[1])
+distribution = sys.argv[2].replace("-", "_").lower()
+wheels = sorted(wheel_dir.glob(f"{distribution}-*.whl"))
+if not wheels:
+    raise SystemExit(f"No wheel found for {distribution} in {wheel_dir}")
+print(wheels[-1])
+PY
+}
+
 python -m pip install --upgrade pip wheel setuptools
 
 sync_repo "$KERIPY_DIR" "$KERIPY_REPO" "$KERIPY_BRANCH" "$KERIPY_REF"
 sync_repo "$KERIA_DIR" "$KERIA_REPO" "$KERIA_BRANCH" "$KERIA_REF"
 sync_repo "$VLEI_DIR" "$VLEI_REPO" "$VLEI_BRANCH" "$VLEI_REF"
 
+mkdir -p "$WHEEL_DIR"
+build_wheel "$KERIPY_DIR" keri
+build_wheel "$KERIA_DIR" keria
+build_wheel "$VLEI_DIR" vlei
+
 python -m pip install -r "${ROOT_DIR}/.github/ci/keria-runtime-requirements.txt"
-python -m pip install "$KERIPY_DIR"
-python -m pip install --no-deps "$KERIA_DIR"
-python -m pip install --no-deps "$VLEI_DIR"
+python -m pip install "$(find_wheel keri)"
+python -m pip install --no-deps "$(find_wheel keria)"
+python -m pip install --no-deps "$(find_wheel vlei)"
 
 python - <<'PY'
 import keri
diff --git a/scripts/ci/install-system-deps.sh b/scripts/ci/install-system-deps.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..dce27b4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/ci/install-system-deps.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)"
+APT_CACHE_DIR="${APT_CACHE_DIR:-${ROOT_DIR}/.ci/apt}"
+APT_ARCHIVES_DIR="${APT_CACHE_DIR}/archives"
+
+mkdir -p "${APT_ARCHIVES_DIR}/partial"
+
+install_cached_debs() {
+  shopt -s nullglob
+  local debs=("${APT_ARCHIVES_DIR}"/*.deb)
+  shopt -u nullglob
+
+  if (( ${#debs[@]} == 0 )); then
+    return 1
+  fi
+
+  sudo apt-get install -y "${debs[@]}"
+}
+
+if install_cached_debs; then
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+sudo apt-get update
+sudo apt-get -o Dir::Cache="${APT_CACHE_DIR}" install -y libsodium-dev
diff --git a/tsconfig.json b/tsconfig.json
index 7d844120..f64baa0a 100644
--- a/tsconfig.json
+++ b/tsconfig.json
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
         "isolatedModules": true,
         "strict": true,
         "noEmit": true,
+        "incremental": true,
+        "tsBuildInfoFile": ".cache/tsc/tsconfig.tsbuildinfo",
         "jsx": "react-jsx"
     },
     "include": ["src"]
diff --git a/vite.config.ts b/vite.config.ts
index 2e85f147..a0f10d60 100644
--- a/vite.config.ts
+++ b/vite.config.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import wasm from 'vite-plugin-wasm';
 // https://vitejs.dev/config/
 export default defineConfig({
     plugins: [react(), wasm()],
+    cacheDir: '.cache/vite',
     server: {
         host: "127.0.0.1",
         port: 5173,
diff --git a/vitest.config.ts b/vitest.config.ts
index 6ac25375..195e6329 100644
--- a/vitest.config.ts
+++ b/vitest.config.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import wasm from 'vite-plugin-wasm';
 
 export default defineConfig({
   plugins: [wasm()],
+  cacheDir: '.cache/vitest',
   test: {
     environment: 'node',
     fileParallelism: false,
diff --git a/vitest.unit.config.ts b/vitest.unit.config.ts
index a6c3e92a..e27b8a4f 100644
--- a/vitest.unit.config.ts
+++ b/vitest.unit.config.ts
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@ import wasm from 'vite-plugin-wasm';
 
 export default defineConfig({
     plugins: [wasm()],
+    cacheDir: '.cache/vitest-unit',
     test: {
         environment: 'node',
         fileParallelism: true,
-        hookTimeout: 180_000,
-        testTimeout: 180_000,
+        hookTimeout: 10_000,
+        testTimeout: 15_000,
     },
 });