diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 3d157ef75d4f9c8d86537a044d42469f84b83ec0..35efafcfcd97c0139f8225ce7b15a05946c385ad 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ jobs:
         SCCACHE_BUCKET: sccache-zed
     - name: steps::cargo_nextest
       run: cargo nextest run --workspace --no-fail-fast --no-tests=warn
-    - name: steps::cargo_run_visual_tests
-      run: cargo run -p zed --bin zed_visual_test_runner --features visual-tests
+    - name: steps::cargo_build_visual_tests
+      run: cargo build -p zed --bin zed_visual_test_runner --features visual-tests
     - name: steps::show_sccache_stats
       run: sccache --show-stats || true
     - name: steps::cleanup_cargo_config
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run_tests.yml b/.github/workflows/run_tests.yml
index 7c69034b4270dff67bb5baae414c066872cb558c..13d036b128666700d45ae39013b2dd8f3da5abf9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/run_tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/run_tests.yml
@@ -440,8 +440,8 @@ jobs:
         SCCACHE_BUCKET: sccache-zed
     - name: steps::cargo_nextest
       run: cargo nextest run --workspace --no-fail-fast --no-tests=warn${{ needs.orchestrate.outputs.changed_packages && format(' -E "{0}"', needs.orchestrate.outputs.changed_packages) || '' }}
-    - name: steps::cargo_run_visual_tests
-      run: cargo run -p zed --bin zed_visual_test_runner --features visual-tests
+    - name: steps::cargo_build_visual_tests
+      run: cargo build -p zed --bin zed_visual_test_runner --features visual-tests
     - name: steps::show_sccache_stats
       run: sccache --show-stats || true
     - name: steps::cleanup_cargo_config
diff --git a/tooling/xtask/src/tasks/workflows/run_tests.rs b/tooling/xtask/src/tasks/workflows/run_tests.rs
index 9c0027d6d5db802ae09339718c4643c5f284813c..65b44123c7b76f49e7c349318aab1bc2fb856c1f 100644
--- a/tooling/xtask/src/tasks/workflows/run_tests.rs
+++ b/tooling/xtask/src/tasks/workflows/run_tests.rs
@@ -597,7 +597,7 @@ fn run_platform_tests_impl(platform: Platform, filter_packages: bool) -> NamedJo
                 job.add_step(steps::cargo_nextest(platform))
             })
             .when(platform == Platform::Mac, |job| {
-                job.add_step(steps::cargo_run_visual_tests())
+                job.add_step(steps::cargo_build_visual_tests())
             })
             .add_step(steps::show_sccache_stats(platform))
             .add_step(steps::cleanup_cargo_config(platform)),
diff --git a/tooling/xtask/src/tasks/workflows/steps.rs b/tooling/xtask/src/tasks/workflows/steps.rs
index de4bcfca79c164af74733cd5946fa5c79e63b7e0..435c896e873235134e47f1a058d8b54b1110bbd9 100644
--- a/tooling/xtask/src/tasks/workflows/steps.rs
+++ b/tooling/xtask/src/tasks/workflows/steps.rs
@@ -254,8 +254,8 @@ pub fn setup_sccache(platform: Platform) -> Step<Run> {
         .add_env(("SCCACHE_BUCKET", SCCACHE_R2_BUCKET))
 }
 
-pub fn cargo_run_visual_tests() -> Step<Run> {
-    named::bash("cargo run -p zed --bin zed_visual_test_runner --features visual-tests")
+pub fn cargo_build_visual_tests() -> Step<Run> {
+    named::bash("cargo build -p zed --bin zed_visual_test_runner --features visual-tests")
 }
 
 pub fn show_sccache_stats(platform: Platform) -> Step<Run> {