diff --git a/.github/workflows/server-32bit.yml b/.github/workflows/server-32bit.yml
index 2f3130e23c9..f851a378e19 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/server-32bit.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/server-32bit.yml
@@ -38,6 +38,14 @@ jobs:
     # note: we're linting on 32-bit because atomicalign analyzer only works on 32-bit architecture
     - name: lint
       run: docker run --rm -v $PWD/:/rdk ghcr.io/viamrobotics/viam-server:armv7 make lint-32bit
+    - id: changed-files
+      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v39
+      with:
+        # note: this doesn't provide perfect coverage, but it's a compromise between running all the time + never running
+        since_last_remote_commit: true
+    - name: vendorlint
+      if: contains(steps.changed-files.outputs.modified_files, 'go.sum')
+      run: docker run --rm -v $PWD/:/rdk ghcr.io/viamrobotics/viam-server:armv7 make vendorlint
   test:
     needs: [docker]
     runs-on: buildjet-4vcpu-ubuntu-2204-arm
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index eb99eb094f6..9adee1a1e3b 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@ lint-go: tool-install
 
 lint-32bit: tool-install
 	$(TOOL_BIN)/golangci-lint run -v --build-tags no_tflite,no_pigpio --tests=false --disable-all --enable staticcheck --timeout 30m
+
+vendorlint: tool-install
 	go mod vendor
 	# parallelism is 1 for now because golangci-lint detects parallel runs and complains
 	etc/vendorlint.py all --linter $(abspath $(TOOL_BIN)/golangci-lint) --parallel 1 --out vendorlint.json