diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_wasm_postgres.yml b/.github/workflows/build_wasm_postgres.yml
index 29e4e18c..468c383f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_wasm_postgres.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_wasm_postgres.yml
@@ -33,13 +33,14 @@ jobs:
             /tmp/sdk/postgres-*.tar.gz
             postgres
             postgresql-*
-          key: build-cache-${{ hashFiles('cibuild.sh', 'cibuild/**', 'patches/*.c', 'patches/**/*.diff') }}
+          key: build-cache-${{ hashFiles('cibuild.sh', 'package.json', 'cibuild/**', 'patches/*.c', 'patches/**/*.diff') }}
 
       - name: Install python-wasm-sdk for emsdk/wasi+prebuilts
         if: steps.cache-restore.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
         working-directory: /
         run: |
           sudo apt-get install -y lz4 wget pv bash
+          sudo rm $(which node) $(which npm)
           echo https://github.com/pygame-web/python-wasm-sdk/releases/download/$SDK_VERSION/$SDK_ARCHIVE
           curl -sL --retry 5 https://github.com/pygame-web/python-wasm-sdk/releases/download/$SDK_VERSION/$SDK_ARCHIVE | tar xvP --use-compress-program=lz4 | pv -p -l -s 24400 >/dev/null
 
diff --git a/cibuild.sh b/cibuild.sh
index 3bc7365e..2fa734a7 100755
--- a/cibuild.sh
+++ b/cibuild.sh
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ else
 END
 fi
 
+# TESTING: removed node / npm from CI
 # make sure CI pnpm will be in the path
 if which pnpm
 then
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 481bb14e..35bfe6f0 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@
     }
   },
   "engines": {
-    "node": ">=20",
-    "pnpm": ">=9"
+    "node": ">=18",
+    "pnpm": ">=8"
   },
   "packageManager": "pnpm@9.7.0",
   "private": true,