diff --git a/.github/workflows/release_build_tools.yaml b/.github/workflows/release_build_tools.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0801df0f8d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release_build_tools.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+# Builds `//dev/release_artifacts:artifacts_for_release` natively for each
+# platform; see dev/release_artifacts/build.sh.
+#
+# For now, this only verifies that the artifacts build; they aren't attached to
+# releases yet.
+name: "Release: Build Tools"
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      ref:
+        description: "The git ref (e.g. release tag) to build"
+        required: true
+        type: string
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      ref:
+        description: "The git ref (e.g. release tag) to build. Defaults to the selected ref."
+        required: false
+        type: string
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+defaults:
+  run:
+    shell: bash
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    name: Build ${{ matrix.triple }}
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.runner }}
+    strategy:
+      # Report the result of every platform instead of stopping at the first
+      # failure.
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - triple: aarch64-apple-darwin
+            runner: macos-15
+          - triple: aarch64-pc-windows-msvc
+            runner: windows-11-arm
+          - triple: aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu
+            runner: ubuntu-24.04-arm
+          - triple: x86_64-apple-darwin
+            runner: macos-15-intel
+          - triple: x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
+            runner: windows-2022
+          - triple: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
+            runner: ubuntu-24.04
+    env:
+      REF: ${{ inputs.ref || github.ref_name }}
+      TRIPLE: ${{ matrix.triple }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v7
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Setup Bazel
+        uses: bazel-contrib/setup-bazel@0.19.0
+        with:
+          # Windows images also have a fixed-version `bazel` on PATH. 1.20.0,
+          # used by the other workflows, has no windows-arm64 build.
+          bazelisk-version: 1.29.0
+
+      # Release commands run main's workflows, even for patch releases of older
+      # release branches, which don't have the script; skip those.
+      - name: Build artifacts
+        id: build
+        if: hashFiles('dev/release_artifacts/build.sh') != ''
+        run: dev/release_artifacts/build.sh "$REF"
+
+      # build.sh only sets `files` if the build succeeded. Otherwise, it adds a
+      # warning instead of failing, since releases don't use the files yet.
+      - name: Verify artifacts
+        if: steps.build.outputs.files != ''
+        run: dev/release_artifacts/verify.sh "$TRIPLE"
+
+      # Stores the files with this workflow run so they can be downloaded from
+      # the run's page. Nothing is added to the GitHub release.
+      - name: Upload artifacts
+        if: steps.build.outputs.files != ''
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
+        with:
+          name: release-tools-${{ matrix.triple }}
+          path: ${{ steps.build.outputs.files }}
+          if-no-files-found: error
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release_publish.yaml b/.github/workflows/release_publish.yaml
index eedf653fc1..cfa34cca7e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release_publish.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release_publish.yaml
@@ -46,6 +46,15 @@ on:
         default: true
 
 jobs:
+  build_tools:
+    # For now, this only verifies that the tools build. They aren't attached
+    # to the release, so no other job waits on this one. A failed build only
+    # adds a warning to this run; a failed check of the built files fails it.
+    name: Build tools
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/release_build_tools.yaml
+    with:
+      ref: ${{ inputs.tag_name || github.ref_name }}
+
   release:
     name: Release
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/RELEASING.md b/RELEASING.md
index 2f94fde3b6..29251e0215 100644
--- a/RELEASING.md
+++ b/RELEASING.md
@@ -67,6 +67,12 @@ you can set the `publish_to_pypi` input to `false`:
 gh workflow run release_publish.yaml --ref <TAG> -f publish_to_pypi=false
 ```
 
+### Prebuilt tools
+
+The release workflow also builds `//dev/release_artifacts:artifacts_for_release`
+for each platform to verify it builds. For now, the files aren't attached to
+the release.
+
 ### Manually publishing to PyPI
 
 If PyPI publishing failed or was skipped during the main release, the PyPI
diff --git a/dev/release_artifacts/BUILD.bazel b/dev/release_artifacts/BUILD.bazel
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d44628da4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/release_artifacts/BUILD.bazel
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+load("@bazel_skylib//:bzl_library.bzl", "bzl_library")
+load("//python/private:bzlmod_enabled.bzl", "BZLMOD_ENABLED")  # buildifier: disable=bzl-visibility
+load(":release_files.bzl", "release_files")
+
+package(default_visibility = ["//:__subpackages__"])
+
+# Files that the release workflow builds for each platform; see build.sh.
+release_files(
+    name = "artifacts_for_release",
+    srcs = ["//crates/exe_zip_maker"],
+    # Under WORKSPACE, rules_rust is a stub without the rustc flags setting
+    # that release_files sets, so building this would fail.
+    tags = [] if BZLMOD_ENABLED else ["manual"],
+)
+
+bzl_library(
+    name = "release_files",
+    srcs = ["release_files.bzl"],
+    deps = ["//python/private:common_labels"],
+)
diff --git a/dev/release_artifacts/build.sh b/dev/release_artifacts/build.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..1460a34722
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/release_artifacts/build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Builds //dev/release_artifacts:artifacts_for_release for the host platform.
+# The target applies the release settings; see release_files.bzl. In GitHub
+# Actions, the paths of the built files, relative to the workspace root, are
+# set as the step's `files` output, one per line.
+#
+# Usage: dev/release_artifacts/build.sh EMBED_LABEL
+set -euo pipefail
+
+embed_label="$1"
+
+# The paths below are relative to the workspace root.
+cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.."
+
+# Keep Git Bash on Windows from rewriting `//foo` labels into paths.
+export MSYS_NO_PATHCONV=1 MSYS2_ARG_CONV_EXCL="*"
+
+if ! bazel build --verbose_failures --compilation_mode=opt --stamp \
+    --embed_label="$embed_label" //dev/release_artifacts:artifacts_for_release; then
+  # Releases don't use the files yet, so don't fail the release over them.
+  echo "::warning::Building the release artifacts failed. Releases don't use them yet."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# The target lists the paths of its files in a manifest; see release_files.bzl.
+if [[ -n "${GITHUB_OUTPUT:-}" ]]; then
+  {
+    echo "files<<EOF"
+    cat bazel-bin/dev/release_artifacts/artifacts_for_release.txt
+    echo "EOF"
+  } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+fi
diff --git a/dev/release_artifacts/release_files.bzl b/dev/release_artifacts/release_files.bzl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7bd3662306
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/release_artifacts/release_files.bzl
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+"""Macro to build the files for a release and list where they are."""
+
+load("//python/private:common_labels.bzl", "labels")  # buildifier: disable=bzl-visibility
+
+_FEATURES = "//command_line_option:features"
+_RUSTC_FLAGS = "@rules_rust//rust/settings:extra_rustc_flags"
+
+def _release_transition_impl(settings, attr):
+    features = []
+    rustc_flags = []
+    if attr.target_os == "linux":
+        # Rust links glibc dynamically, so the files would require at least
+        # the build machine's glibc version. Link it statically so they run on
+        # older distros too. The gold linker can't link static glibc, so use
+        # bfd.
+        rustc_flags = [
+            "-Ctarget-feature=+crt-static",
+            "-Clink-arg=-fuse-ld=bfd",
+        ]
+    elif attr.target_os == "windows":
+        # Statically link the C runtime so that the VC++ redistributable isn't
+        # required.
+        features = ["static_link_msvcrt"]
+        rustc_flags = ["-Ctarget-feature=+crt-static"]
+    return {
+        "//command_line_option:compilation_mode": "opt",
+        # Only affects macOS. Without it, the minimum OS version is the build
+        # machine's SDK version.
+        "//command_line_option:macos_minimum_os": "11.0",
+        _FEATURES: settings[_FEATURES] + features,
+        _RUSTC_FLAGS: settings[_RUSTC_FLAGS] + rustc_flags,
+    }
+
+_release_transition = transition(
+    implementation = _release_transition_impl,
+    inputs = [_FEATURES, _RUSTC_FLAGS],
+    outputs = [
+        "//command_line_option:compilation_mode",
+        "//command_line_option:macos_minimum_os",
+        _FEATURES,
+        _RUSTC_FLAGS,
+    ],
+)
+
+def _release_files_impl(ctx):
+    manifest = ctx.actions.declare_file(ctx.label.name + ".txt")
+    ctx.actions.write(
+        output = manifest,
+        # End every line with "\n", including the last: `while read` loops skip
+        # an unterminated last line, and build.sh adds a line after the paths.
+        content = "".join([file.path + "\n" for file in ctx.files.srcs]),
+    )
+    return [DefaultInfo(files = depset([manifest] + ctx.files.srcs))]
+
+_release_files = rule(
+    implementation = _release_files_impl,
+    attrs = {
+        "srcs": attr.label_list(
+            allow_files = True,
+            cfg = _release_transition,
+            doc = "The files to build and list.",
+        ),
+        "target_os": attr.string(
+            doc = "The OS that the files are built for. Set by the macro.",
+        ),
+    },
+)
+
+def release_files(name, srcs, **kwargs):
+    """Builds files for a release and writes their paths to `<name>.txt`.
+
+    The files are built with release settings: optimized, and linked so that
+    they run on older OS versions than the build machine's, without extra
+    runtime libraries.
+
+    The paths, one per line, are relative to the execroot, e.g.
+    `bazel-out/k8-opt-ST-1234/bin/foo/foo`. Paths of generated files also
+    resolve from the workspace root through the `bazel-out` convenience
+    symlink. This lets scripts find the files without running `bazel cquery`,
+    which re-analyzes the build.
+
+    Args:
+        name: The target name.
+        srcs: The files to build and list.
+        **kwargs: Additional attributes for the rule.
+    """
+    _release_files(
+        name = name,
+        srcs = srcs,
+        target_os = select({
+            Label("@platforms//os:linux"): "linux",
+            labels.PLATFORMS_OS_WINDOWS: "windows",
+            "//conditions:default": "",
+        }),
+        **kwargs
+    )
diff --git a/dev/release_artifacts/verify.sh b/dev/release_artifacts/verify.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..8982e6f937
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/release_artifacts/verify.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Checks that the files built by build.sh don't require a newer OS than users
+# may have. Only Linux and macOS files are checked.
+#
+# Usage: dev/release_artifacts/verify.sh TRIPLE
+set -euo pipefail
+
+triple="$1"
+
+# The paths below are relative to the workspace root.
+cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.."
+
+# The target lists the paths of its files in a manifest; see release_files.bzl.
+while IFS= read -r bin; do
+  case "$triple" in
+    *-linux-gnu)
+      linkage="$(file "$bin")"
+      if [[ "$linkage" != *"statically linked"* &&
+            "$linkage" != *"static-pie linked"* ]]; then
+        echo "::error::$bin isn't statically linked: $linkage"
+        exit 1
+      fi
+      ;;
+    *-apple-darwin)
+      minos="$(otool -l "$bin" | awk '
+        $2 == "LC_BUILD_VERSION" || $2 == "LC_VERSION_MIN_MACOSX" { found = 1 }
+        found && minos == "" && ($1 == "minos" || $1 == "version") { minos = $2 }
+        END { print minos }
+      ')"
+      if [[ -z "$minos" || "${minos%%.*}" -gt 11 ]]; then
+        echo "::error::$bin requires macOS ${minos:-<unknown>}; expected 11 or lower"
+        exit 1
+      fi
+      ;;
+  esac
+done < bazel-bin/dev/release_artifacts/artifacts_for_release.txt