diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml
index fed5443..632b4b1 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -134,6 +134,10 @@ jobs:
             -lssl -lcrypto -lcurl -lpthread -lm \
             -o dist/neuron
 
+          # Strip debug symbols and non-essential symbol table entries.
+          # -s removes the symbol table + relocation info (max size reduction).
+          # Keeps the binary functional; debuggability is preserved via source + CI logs.
+          strip -s dist/neuron
           ls -lh dist/neuron
 
       - name: Smoke test