diff --git a/.github/workflows/foreign.yml b/.github/workflows/foreign.yml
index 91adbf0d1..08dcf30f0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/foreign.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/foreign.yml
@@ -66,11 +66,10 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - uses: vmactions/omnios-vm@v1
         with:
-          # need inotify not installed so libev does not assume __linux
-          # need gcc installed to compile greenlet from source
+          # need gcc: compile greenlet from source
+          # autoconf must pretend inotify unavail: libev FTBFS
           prepare: |
-            pkg uninstall --ignore-missing inotify \
-            && pkg install pip-311 python-311 sqlite-3 nginx gcc13
+            pkg install pip-311 python-311 sqlite-3 nginx gcc13
           usesh: true
           copyback: false
           run: |
@@ -80,6 +79,8 @@ jobs:
             && openssl version \
             && pkg info nginx \
             && gcc -dM -E - </dev/null \
+            && export ac_cv_header_sys_inotify_h=no \
+            && export ac_cv_func_inotify_init=no \
             && python3 -m pip install tox \
             && python3 -m tox --version \
             && python3 -m tox -e run-module \