diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 6c6ea676e..580711718 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@
 -   **Build**: `npm run build`
 -   **Dev**: `npm run dev`
 -   **Lint**: `npm run lint`
--   **Check links**: `npm run check-links -- --check-anchors --check-self-links` (CI comments on PRs that break links; see `dev/check-links.mjs`; `next build` runs it without flags, so only dead page links fail a deploy). When moving a page or renaming a heading, update every link to it; a redirect in `src/data/redirects.ts` does not satisfy the check. Link to this site with relative paths (`/admin/config/site-config`), never `https://sourcegraph.com/docs/…` or `https://docs.sourcegraph.com/…`. To also probe the external links you added: `npm run check-links -- --check-anchors --check-self-links --check-external --diff <(git diff -U0 origin/main)`
+-   **Checks**: `npm run check` runs every `dev/check-*.mjs` (links, filenames, images); `npm run build` runs them first, so any finding fails a deploy
+-   **Check links**: `npm run check -- links --check-anchors --check-self-links` (CI comments on PRs that break links; see `dev/check-links.mjs`; the build runs it without flags, so only dead page links fail a deploy). When moving a page or renaming a heading, update every link to it; a redirect in `src/data/redirects.ts` does not satisfy the check. Link to this site with relative paths (`/admin/config/site-config`), never `https://sourcegraph.com/docs/…` or `https://docs.sourcegraph.com/…`. To also probe the external links you added: `npm run check -- links --check-anchors --check-self-links --check-external --diff <(git diff -U0 origin/main)`
 -   **Prove changed links resolve on a deploy**: `node dev/verify-links-live.mjs --site <vercel-preview-url>` prints a Markdown table for the PR description
 
 ## AI Chat Integration
diff --git a/dev/checks.mjs b/dev/checks.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c947a9521
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/checks.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+/**
+ * Runs the docs checks in dev/check-*.mjs. `npm run build` runs them all
+ * before `next build`.
+ *
+ * Usage: node dev/checks.mjs [check ...] [flags]
+ *   node dev/checks.mjs                                 every check
+ *   node dev/checks.mjs links filenames                 only those
+ *   node dev/checks.mjs links --check-anchors           flags go to that one check
+ *
+ * Every check runs even when an earlier one fails; exits 1 if any failed.
+ */
+
+import {spawnSync} from 'child_process';
+import path from 'path';
+import {fileURLToPath} from 'url';
+
+const __dirname = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+
+const CHECKS = {
+	links: 'check-links.mjs',
+	filenames: 'check-filenames.mjs',
+	images: 'check-images.mjs'
+};
+
+const args = process.argv.slice(2);
+const names = [];
+while (args.length > 0 && CHECKS[args[0]]) {
+	names.push(args.shift());
+}
+const flags = args;
+
+if (flags.length > 0 && !flags[0].startsWith('-')) {
+	console.error(
+		`Unknown check "${flags[0]}"; use ${Object.keys(CHECKS).join(', ')}`
+	);
+	process.exit(1);
+}
+if (flags.length > 0 && names.length !== 1) {
+	console.error(
+		`Flags ${flags.join(' ')} need exactly one check to apply to`
+	);
+	process.exit(1);
+}
+
+const failed = [];
+for (const name of names.length > 0 ? names : Object.keys(CHECKS)) {
+	const script = path.join(__dirname, CHECKS[name]);
+	const {status} = spawnSync(process.execPath, [script, ...flags], {
+		stdio: 'inherit'
+	});
+	if (status !== 0) failed.push(name);
+}
+
+if (failed.length > 0) {
+	console.error(`\n❌ Failed checks: ${failed.join(', ')}`);
+	process.exit(1);
+}
diff --git a/next.config.js b/next.config.js
index 8e71169ab..caaefd0a2 100644
--- a/next.config.js
+++ b/next.config.js
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 const {withContentlayer} = require('next-contentlayer');
-const {execSync} = require('child_process');
 /** @type {import('next').NextConfig} */
 
 const nextConfig = {
@@ -18,11 +17,4 @@ const nextConfig = {
 	}
 };
 
-module.exports = async () => {
-	// placing this here so its part of nextjs's build process
-	execSync('node dev/check-links.mjs', {stdio: 'inherit'});
-	execSync('node dev/check-filenames.mjs', {stdio: 'inherit'});
-	execSync('node dev/check-images.mjs', {stdio: 'inherit'});
-	execSync('node dev/generate-mermaid-icons.mjs', {stdio: 'inherit'});
-	return withContentlayer(nextConfig);
-};
+module.exports = withContentlayer(nextConfig);
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 0649e4657..44114c96e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -8,13 +8,11 @@
 	},
 	"scripts": {
 		"dev": "next dev",
-		"build": "next build",
+		"build": "node dev/checks.mjs && node dev/generate-mermaid-icons.mjs && next build",
 		"start": "next start",
 		"lint": "next lint",
-		"check-links": "node dev/check-links.mjs",
-		"check-filenames": "node dev/check-filenames.mjs",
-		"check-images": "node dev/check-images.mjs",
-		"generate-mermaid-logos": "node dev/generate-aws-icons.mjs",
+		"check": "node dev/checks.mjs",
+		"generate-mermaid-logos": "node dev/generate-mermaid-icons.mjs",
 		"format": "prettier --config ./prettier.config.js --cache --cache-strategy metadata --write=true '**/{*.{js?(on),ts?(x),md,mdx,s?css},.*.js?(on)}'"
 	},
 	"browserslist": "defaults, not ie <= 11",