diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index 1f47704ca..8a69d2c40 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -73,58 +73,6 @@ jobs:
           name: spin-ubuntu-latest
           path: target/release/spin
 
-  build-rust-static:
-    name: Build Spin static
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-
-      - name: setup dependencies
-        uses: ./.github/actions/spin-ci-dependencies
-        with:
-          rust: true
-          rust-cross: true
-          rust-cache: true
-
-      - name: Cargo Build
-        run: cross build --target x86_64-unknown-linux-musl --release --features openssl/vendored
-        env:
-          CARGO_INCREMENTAL: 0
-          BUILD_SPIN_EXAMPLES: 0
-          RUSTFLAGS: '-C target-feature=+crt-static -C link-self-contained=yes'
-
-      - name: "Archive executable artifact"
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: spin-static-x86_64
-          path: target/x86_64-unknown-linux-musl/release/spin
-
-  build-rust-static-aarch64:
-    name: Build Spin static (aarch64)
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-
-      - name: setup dependencies
-        uses: ./.github/actions/spin-ci-dependencies
-        with:
-          rust: true
-          rust-cross: true
-          rust-cache: true
-
-      - name: Cargo Build
-        run: cross build --target aarch64-unknown-linux-musl --release --features openssl/vendored
-        env:
-          CARGO_INCREMENTAL: 0
-          BUILD_SPIN_EXAMPLES: 0
-          RUSTFLAGS: '-C target-feature=+fp16 -C target-feature=+crt-static -C link-self-contained=yes'
-
-      - name: "Archive executable artifact"
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: spin-static-aarch64
-          path: target/aarch64-unknown-linux-musl/release/spin
-
   build-rust:
     name: Build Spin
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 65c62147a..900eb85bc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ on:
 concurrency: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
 
 env:
-  RUST_VERSION: 1.73
+  RUST_VERSION: 1.71
 
 jobs:
   build-and-sign:
@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ jobs:
   checksums:
     name: generate release checksums
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [build-and-sign, build-spin-static]
+    needs: [build-and-sign]
     steps:
       - name: set the release version (tag)
         if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
@@ -369,108 +369,6 @@ jobs:
           git tag ${{ env.TEMPLATE_TAG }} -f
           git push origin ${{ env.TEMPLATE_TAG }} -f
 
-  ## statically linked spin binaries
-  build-spin-static:
-    name: Build Spin static
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      # cosign uses the GitHub OIDC token
-      id-token: write
-      # needed to upload artifacts to a GH release
-      contents: write
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        config:
-          - {
-              arch: "aarch64",
-              target: "aarch64-unknown-linux-musl",
-              rustflags: '-C target-feature=+fp16 -C target-feature=+crt-static -C link-self-contained=yes'
-            }
-          - {
-              arch: "amd64",
-              target: "x86_64-unknown-linux-musl",
-              rustflags: '-C target-feature=+crt-static -C link-self-contained=yes'
-            }
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-
-      - name: set the release version (tag)
-        if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
-        shell: bash
-        run: echo "RELEASE_VERSION=${GITHUB_REF/refs\/tags\//}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
-      - name: set the release version (main)
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-        shell: bash
-        run: echo "RELEASE_VERSION=canary" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
-      - name: lowercase the runner OS name
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          OS=$(echo "${{ runner.os }}" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
-          echo "RUNNER_OS=$OS" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
-      - name: Check if pre-release
-        id: release-version
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          [[ "${{ env.RELEASE_VERSION }}" =~ ^v[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+$ ]] && \
-            echo "prerelease=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT" || \
-            echo "prerelease=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-
-      - name: setup dependencies
-        uses: ./.github/actions/spin-ci-dependencies
-        with:
-          rust: true
-          rust-cross: true
-          rust-cache: true
-
-      - name: Cargo Build
-        run: cross build --target ${{ matrix.config.target }} --workspace --release --all-targets --features openssl/vendored
-        env:
-          CARGO_INCREMENTAL: 0
-          BUILD_SPIN_EXAMPLES: 0
-          RUSTFLAGS: ${{ matrix.config.rustflags }}
-
-      - name: Install Cosign for signing Spin binary
-        uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@v3.0.1
-        with:
-          cosign-release: v2.0.0
-
-      - name: Sign the binary with GitHub OIDC token
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          cosign sign-blob \
-            --yes \
-            --output-certificate crt.pem \
-            --output-signature spin.sig \
-            target/${{ matrix.config.target }}/release/spin
-
-      - name: package release assets
-        shell: bash
-        run: |
-          mkdir _dist
-          cp crt.pem spin.sig README.md LICENSE target/${{ matrix.config.target }}/release/spin _dist/
-          cd _dist
-          tar czf \
-            spin-${{ env.RELEASE_VERSION }}-static-${{ env.RUNNER_OS }}-${{ matrix.config.arch }}.tar.gz \
-            crt.pem spin.sig README.md LICENSE spin
-
-      - name: upload binary as GitHub artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          name: spin
-          path: _dist/spin-${{ env.RELEASE_VERSION }}-static-${{ env.RUNNER_OS }}-${{ matrix.config.arch }}.tar.gz
-
-      - name: upload binary to Github release
-        if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
-        uses: svenstaro/upload-release-action@v2
-        with:
-          repo_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          file: _dist/spin-${{ env.RELEASE_VERSION }}-static-${{ env.RUNNER_OS }}-${{ matrix.config.arch }}.tar.gz
-          tag: ${{ github.ref }}
-          prerelease: ${{ steps.release-version.outputs.prerelease == 'true' }}
-
   crates:
     name: Publish to crates.io
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest