diff --git a/.github/actions/live-tests-shared/action.yml b/.github/actions/live-tests-shared/action.yml
index 15576fbfe5..6dda1b2f85 100644
--- a/.github/actions/live-tests-shared/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/live-tests-shared/action.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ runs:
       env:
         USE_CUSTOM_LOCAL_NETWORK: 'true'
       run: |
-        git submodule update --init --recursive
+        GIT_LFS_SKIP_SMUDGE=1 git submodule update --init --recursive
         npm ci
         npm run build
         touch profiling.md
diff --git a/.github/workflows/benchmarks.yml b/.github/workflows/benchmarks.yml
index b234c94a07..ec1a4d969d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/benchmarks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/benchmarks.yml
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ jobs:
           METRICS_SOURCE_ENVIRONMENT: 'o1js GitHub Actions'
           METRICS_BASE_BRANCH_FOR_COMPARISON: 'main'
         run: |
-          git submodule update --init --recursive
+          GIT_LFS_SKIP_SMUDGE=1 git submodule update --init --recursive
           npm ci
           npm run build
           echo 'Running o1js benchmarks.'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/doc.yml b/.github/workflows/doc.yml
index 1d266fa3c9..6bd4433615 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/doc.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/doc.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ jobs:
           node-version: '18'
       - name: Run typedoc
         run: |
-          git submodule update --init --recursive
+          GIT_LFS_SKIP_SMUDGE=1 git submodule update --init --recursive
           npm ci
           npx typedoc --tsconfig tsconfig.node.json src/index.ts
       - name: Deploy
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pkg-pr-new-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/pkg-pr-new-publish.yml
index 0283567a30..134650eec4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pkg-pr-new-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pkg-pr-new-publish.yml
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ jobs:
           node-version: ${{ matrix.node }}
       - name: Build o1js and mina-signer
         run: |
-          git submodule update --init --recursive
+          GIT_LFS_SKIP_SMUDGE=1 git submodule update --init --recursive
           npm ci
           npm run prepublishOnly
           cd src/mina-signer