diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b2db0ea..1400609 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -30,4 +30,17 @@ The pipeline uploads `$(PROJECT)-$(VERSION).html.zip` to the droparea,
 then triggers
 `/update?platform=ebitengine&name=$(PROJECT)&version=$(VERSION)`.
 
+## Builder image
+
+`builder.Dockerfile` bakes the pipeline's build-step dependencies
+(Go + git/make/zip/curl) into
+`git.teletype.hu/internal/ebitengine-builder`, so the build step
+no longer runs `apk add` on every run:
+
+```sh
+docker build --platform linux/amd64 -f builder.Dockerfile \
+  -t git.teletype.hu/internal/ebitengine-builder:latest .
+docker push git.teletype.hu/internal/ebitengine-builder:latest
+```
+
 Detailed documentation lives on the wiki: `/development/ebitengine`.
diff --git a/builder.Dockerfile b/builder.Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..44fb9fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/builder.Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# CI builder image for Ebitengine projects: Go toolchain + packaging tools.
+# Used by the `build` step in example-woodpecker.yaml instead of installing
+# zip/make/curl on every pipeline run.
+#
+# Build & push (the CI runner is linux/amd64):
+#   docker build --platform linux/amd64 -f builder.Dockerfile \
+#     -t git.teletype.hu/internal/ebitengine-builder:latest .
+#   docker push git.teletype.hu/internal/ebitengine-builder:latest
+
+# 1.26 covers every current game repo's go.mod directive (1.25.x, 1.26.x).
+FROM golang:1.26-alpine
+
+RUN apk add --no-cache git make zip curl
+
+WORKDIR /workspace
+
+CMD ["/bin/sh"]
diff --git a/example-woodpecker.yaml b/example-woodpecker.yaml
index 72c4f02..ba4c8c9 100644
--- a/example-woodpecker.yaml
+++ b/example-woodpecker.yaml
@@ -6,9 +6,8 @@ steps:
       - make ci-version
 
   - name: build
-    image: golang:1.25.6-alpine
+    image: git.teletype.hu/internal/ebitengine-builder:latest
     commands:
-      - apk add --no-cache zip make curl
       - make ci-export
 
   - name: artifact