diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index d95147ae..2e01808e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -134,7 +134,23 @@ jobs:
 
             - name: Cache CI dependencies
               run: |
-                  bin/nix-build-and-cache ci
+                  # attic nix binary cache server is very, very terribly flakey. nothing i can do to fix it other than retry multiple times here
+                  ATTEMPTS=3
+                  SUCCESS=false
+                  while (( ATTEMPTS-- > 0 ))
+                  do
+                    bin/nix-build-and-cache ci
+                    if [[ $? == 0 ]]; then
+                      SUCCESS=true
+                      break
+                    else
+                      sleep 3
+                    fi
+                  done
+
+                  if [[ $SUCCESS == "false" ]]; then
+                    exit 1
+                  fi
 
             # use sccache for Rust
             - name: Run sccache-cache
@@ -271,7 +287,24 @@ jobs:
                   CARGO_DEB_TARGET_TUPLE=$(echo ${{ matrix.target }} | grep -o -E '^([^-]*-){3}[^-]*')
                   SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$(git log -1 --pretty=%ct)
 
-                  bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#static-${{ matrix.target }}-all-features
+                  # attic nix binary cache server is very, very terribly flakey. nothing i can do to fix it other than retry multiple times here
+                  ATTEMPTS=3
+                  SUCCESS=false
+                  while (( ATTEMPTS-- > 0 ))
+                  do
+                    bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#static-${{ matrix.target }}-all-features
+                    if [[ $? == 0 ]]; then
+                      SUCCESS=true
+                      break
+                    else
+                      sleep 3
+                    fi
+                  done
+
+                  if [[ $SUCCESS == "false" ]]; then
+                    exit 1
+                  fi
+
                   mkdir -v -p target/release/
                   mkdir -v -p target/$CARGO_DEB_TARGET_TUPLE/release/
                   cp -v -f result/bin/conduit target/release/conduwuit
@@ -294,7 +327,23 @@ jobs:
                   CARGO_DEB_TARGET_TUPLE=$(echo ${{ matrix.target }} | grep -o -E '^([^-]*-){3}[^-]*')
                   SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH=$(git log -1 --pretty=%ct)
 
-                  bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#static-${{ matrix.target }}-all-features-debug
+                  # attic nix binary cache server is very, very terribly flakey. nothing i can do to fix it other than retry multiple times here
+                  ATTEMPTS=3
+                  SUCCESS=false
+                  while (( ATTEMPTS-- > 0 ))
+                  do
+                    bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#static-${{ matrix.target }}-all-features-debug
+                    if [[ $? == 0 ]]; then
+                      SUCCESS=true
+                      break
+                    else
+                      sleep 3
+                    fi
+                  done
+
+                  if [[ $SUCCESS == "false" ]]; then
+                    exit 1
+                  fi
 
                   # > warning: dev profile is not supported and will be a hard error in the future. cargo-deb is for making releases, and it doesn't make sense to use it with dev profiles.
                   # so we need to coerce cargo-deb into thinking this is a release binary
@@ -357,12 +406,46 @@ jobs:
 
             - name: Build OCI image ${{ matrix.target }}
               run: |
-                  bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#oci-image-${{ matrix.target }}-all-features
+                  # attic nix binary cache server is very, very terribly flakey. nothing i can do to fix it other than retry multiple times here
+                  ATTEMPTS=3
+                  SUCCESS=false
+                  while (( ATTEMPTS-- > 0 ))
+                  do
+                    bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#oci-image-${{ matrix.target }}-all-features
+                    if [[ $? == 0 ]]; then
+                      SUCCESS=true
+                      break
+                    else
+                      sleep 3
+                    fi
+                  done
+
+                  if [[ $SUCCESS == "false" ]]; then
+                    exit 1
+                  fi
+
                   cp -v -f result oci-image-${{ matrix.target }}.tar.gz
 
             - name: Build debug OCI image ${{ matrix.target }}
               run: |
-                  bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#oci-image-${{ matrix.target }}-all-features-debug
+                  # attic nix binary cache server is very, very terribly flakey. nothing i can do to fix it other than retry multiple times here
+                  ATTEMPTS=3
+                  SUCCESS=false
+                  while (( ATTEMPTS-- > 0 ))
+                  do
+                    bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#oci-image-${{ matrix.target }}-all-features-debug
+                    if [[ $? == 0 ]]; then
+                      SUCCESS=true
+                      break
+                    else
+                      sleep 3
+                    fi
+                  done
+
+                  if [[ $SUCCESS == "false" ]]; then
+                    exit 1
+                  fi
+
                   cp -v -f result oci-image-${{ matrix.target }}-debug.tar.gz
 
             - name: Upload OCI image ${{ matrix.target }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/documentation.yml b/.github/workflows/documentation.yml
index c6f9133a..f9e8000b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/documentation.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/documentation.yml
@@ -107,7 +107,23 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Cache CI dependencies
         run: |
-            bin/nix-build-and-cache ci
+            # attic nix binary cache server is very, very terribly flakey. nothing i can do to fix it other than retry multiple times here
+            ATTEMPTS=3
+            SUCCESS=false
+            while (( ATTEMPTS-- > 0 ))
+            do
+              bin/nix-build-and-cache ci
+              if [[ $? == 0 ]]; then
+                SUCCESS=true
+                break
+              else
+                sleep 3
+              fi
+            done
+
+            if [[ $SUCCESS == "false" ]]; then
+              exit 1
+            fi
 
       - name: Run lychee and markdownlint
         run: |
@@ -116,8 +132,26 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build documentation (book)
         run: |
-          ./bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#book
-          cp -r --dereference result public
+            # attic nix binary cache server is very, very terribly flakey. nothing i can do to fix it other than retry multiple times here
+            ATTEMPTS=3
+            SUCCESS=false
+            while (( ATTEMPTS-- > 0 ))
+            do
+              bin/nix-build-and-cache just .#book
+              if [[ $? == 0 ]]; then
+                SUCCESS=true
+                break
+              else
+                sleep 3
+              fi
+            done
+
+            if [[ $SUCCESS == "false" ]]; then
+              exit 1
+            fi
+
+            cp -r --dereference result public
+
       - name: Upload generated documentation (book) as normal artifact
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with: