diff --git a/.github/workflows/smoke.yml b/.github/workflows/smoke.yml
index 7454c26cc0..37d13d09af 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/smoke.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/smoke.yml
@@ -5,12 +5,13 @@ on:
     paths-ignore:
       - 'docs/**'
 
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
 jobs:
   smoke_test:
     runs-on: buildjet-16vcpu-ubuntu-2204
-    concurrency:
-      group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
-      cancel-in-progress: true
     environment: smoke-test
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -39,3 +40,30 @@ jobs:
       - name: Display smoke-test logs
         if: always()
         run: cat deployments/logs/smoke-*.log
+
+  pmonitor-integration:
+    runs-on: buildjet-16vcpu-ubuntu-2204
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          lfs: true
+
+      - name: install nix
+        uses: nixbuild/nix-quick-install-action@v28
+
+      - name: setup nix cache
+        uses: nix-community/cache-nix-action@v5
+        with:
+          primary-key: nix-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/*.nix') }}
+          restore-prefixes-first-match: nix-${{ runner.os }}-
+          backend: buildjet
+
+      - name: Load rust cache
+        uses: astriaorg/buildjet-rust-cache@v2.5.1
+
+      # Confirm that the nix devshell is buildable and runs at all.
+      - name: validate nix env
+        run: nix develop --command echo hello
+
+      - name: run the pmonitor integration tests
+        run: nix develop --command just test-pmonitor
diff --git a/crates/bin/pmonitor/Cargo.toml b/crates/bin/pmonitor/Cargo.toml
index 6d1fe75c8f..71612426ba 100644
--- a/crates/bin/pmonitor/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/bin/pmonitor/Cargo.toml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ colored = "2.1.0"
 directories = {workspace = true}
 futures = {workspace = true}
 indicatif = {workspace = true}
-pcli = { path = "../pcli" }
+pcli = {path = "../pcli", default-features = true}
 penumbra-app = {workspace = true}
 penumbra-asset = {workspace = true, default-features = false}
 penumbra-compact-block = {workspace = true, default-features = false}
diff --git a/crates/bin/pmonitor/tests/common/mod.rs b/crates/bin/pmonitor/tests/common/mod.rs
index 7e8b339683..a1465ee712 100644
--- a/crates/bin/pmonitor/tests/common/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/bin/pmonitor/tests/common/mod.rs
@@ -325,6 +325,7 @@ impl PmonitorTestRunner {
             .spawn()
             .expect("failed to execute devnet start cmd");
         // Sleep a bit, to let network start
+        // TODO: use process-compose API to check for "Running" status on pd.
         std::thread::sleep(Duration::from_secs(8));
         Ok(child)
     }
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
index 4ecc0e9d79..d71bdb3abf 100644
--- a/justfile
+++ b/justfile
@@ -4,11 +4,12 @@ default:
 
 # Run integration tests for pmonitor tool
 test-pmonitor:
-  # warm cache
-  cargo build --release --bin pd
-  cargo run --release --bin pd -- network unsafe-reset-all || true
+  # prebuild cargo binaries required for integration tests
+  cargo -q build --bin pcli --bin pd --bin pmonitor
+  cargo -q run --release --bin pd -- network unsafe-reset-all
   rm -rf /tmp/pmonitor-integration-test
   cargo nextest run -p pmonitor --run-ignored=ignored-only --test-threads 1
+  # cargo test -p pmonitor -- --ignored --test-threads 1 --nocapture
 
 # Creates and runs a local devnet with solo validator. Includes ancillary services
 # like metrics, postgres for storing ABCI events, and pindexer for munging those events.