diff --git a/.github/file-filter.yml b/.github/file-filter.yml
index b74b2a4f11..15841240ab 100644
--- a/.github/file-filter.yml
+++ b/.github/file-filter.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ python_src: &python_src
 
 cmakelist: &cmakelist
   - 'CMakeLists.txt'
+  - 'cmake/**'
   - 'toolchain/cmake/**'
 
 tests: &tests
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test.yml b/.github/workflows/test.yml
index 915dad9ff7..282523f526 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test.yml
@@ -117,6 +117,8 @@ jobs:
           - { nvhpc: '26.1',  target: gpu }
           - { nvhpc: '26.3',  target: cpu }
           - { nvhpc: '26.3',  target: gpu }
+          - { nvhpc: '26.9',  target: cpu }
+          - { nvhpc: '26.9',  target: gpu }
 
       fail-fast: false
     continue-on-error: true
diff --git a/cmake/MFCTargets.cmake b/cmake/MFCTargets.cmake
index 13777ccc32..f42eb334bc 100644
--- a/cmake/MFCTargets.cmake
+++ b/cmake/MFCTargets.cmake
@@ -345,8 +345,10 @@ exit 0
             if (TARGET CUDA::nvToolsExt) # CUDA <= 12.8
                 target_link_libraries(${a_target} PRIVATE CUDA::nvToolsExt)
             else() # CUDA >= 12.9
-                target_link_libraries(${a_target} PRIVATE nvhpcwrapnvtx)
+                # -cudalib=nvtx3 lets the NVHPC driver link its NVTX wrapper, whose name changes between releases.
+                # Only nvfortran understands the flag, so it must drive the link.
                 target_link_options(${a_target} PRIVATE "-cudalib=nvtx3")
+                set_target_properties(${a_target} PROPERTIES LINKER_LANGUAGE Fortran)
             endif()
         endif()
     endforeach()
diff --git a/src/common/include/macros.fpp b/src/common/include/macros.fpp
index e0ede31540..d17cc8a4d3 100644
--- a/src/common/include/macros.fpp
+++ b/src/common/include/macros.fpp
@@ -143,6 +143,12 @@
 #endif
 #:enddef
 
+! Whether stress index idx is a shear component. Spelled out because NVHPC 26.9 at -O2 vectorizes any(idx == shear_indices)
+! inside a loop to always true, which doubled the normal-stress elastic energy.
+#:def IS_SHEAR(idx)
+    (${idx}$ == shear_indices(1) .or. ${idx}$ == shear_indices(2) .or. ${idx}$ == shear_indices(3))
+#:enddef
+
 #:def PROHIBIT(condition, message = None)
     if (${condition}$) then
         call s_prohibit_abort("${condition}$", ${message or '""'}$)
diff --git a/src/common/m_variables_conversion.fpp b/src/common/m_variables_conversion.fpp
index 9e1260800b..1b7b39d2a5 100644
--- a/src/common/m_variables_conversion.fpp
+++ b/src/common/m_variables_conversion.fpp
@@ -658,8 +658,7 @@ contains
                         $:GPU_LOOP(parallelism='[seq]')
                         do i = eqn_idx%stress%beg, eqn_idx%stress%end
                             qK_prim_vf(eqn_idx%E)%sf(j, k, l) = qK_prim_vf(eqn_idx%E)%sf(j, k, &
-                                       & l) - f_elastic_energy(real(qK_prim_vf(i)%sf(j, k, l), wp), G_K, &
-                                       & any(i == shear_indices))/gamma_K
+                                       & l) - f_elastic_energy(real(qK_prim_vf(i)%sf(j, k, l), wp), G_K, ${IS_SHEAR('i')}$)/gamma_K
                         end do
                     end if
 
@@ -905,7 +904,7 @@ contains
                                 q_cons_vf(eqn_idx%E)%sf(j, k, l) = q_cons_vf(eqn_idx%E)%sf(j, k, l) + (q_prim_vf(i)%sf(j, k, &
                                           & l)**2._wp)/max(4._wp*G, verysmall)
                                 ! Double for shear stresses
-                                if (any(i == shear_indices)) then
+                                if (${IS_SHEAR('i')}$) then
                                     q_cons_vf(eqn_idx%E)%sf(j, k, l) = q_cons_vf(eqn_idx%E)%sf(j, k, l) + (q_prim_vf(i)%sf(j, k, &
                                               & l)**2._wp)/max(4._wp*G, verysmall)
                                 end if
@@ -1242,7 +1241,7 @@ contains
 
         E_e = 0._wp
         do s = eqn_idx%stress%beg, eqn_idx%stress%end
-            E_e = E_e + f_elastic_energy(real(q_cons_vf(s)%sf(j, k, l), wp)/rho, G, any(s == shear_indices))
+            E_e = E_e + f_elastic_energy(real(q_cons_vf(s)%sf(j, k, l), wp)/rho, G, ${IS_SHEAR('s')}$)
         end do
 
     end function f_hypoelastic_energy
diff --git a/src/simulation/m_riemann_state.fpp b/src/simulation/m_riemann_state.fpp
index 1c589d4f7f..20f7bb1f4b 100644
--- a/src/simulation/m_riemann_state.fpp
+++ b/src/simulation/m_riemann_state.fpp
@@ -1280,14 +1280,14 @@ contains
             if (G_L > verysmall) then
                 E_L = E_L + (tau_e_L(i)*tau_e_L(i))/(4._wp*G_L)
                 ! Double for shear stresses
-                if (any(eqn_idx%stress%beg - 1 + i == shear_indices)) then
+                if (${IS_SHEAR('eqn_idx%stress%beg - 1 + i')}$) then
                     E_L = E_L + (tau_e_L(i)*tau_e_L(i))/(4._wp*G_L)
                 end if
             end if
             if (G_R > verysmall) then
                 E_R = E_R + (tau_e_R(i)*tau_e_R(i))/(4._wp*G_R)
                 ! Double for shear stresses
-                if (any(eqn_idx%stress%beg - 1 + i == shear_indices)) then
+                if (${IS_SHEAR('eqn_idx%stress%beg - 1 + i')}$) then
                     E_R = E_R + (tau_e_R(i)*tau_e_R(i))/(4._wp*G_R)
                 end if
             end if
diff --git a/toolchain/mfc/test/coverage.py b/toolchain/mfc/test/coverage.py
index 2b9574677c..54a46598fd 100644
--- a/toolchain/mfc/test/coverage.py
+++ b/toolchain/mfc/test/coverage.py
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ def save_map(path: Path, entries: dict, *, n_tests: int, git_sha: str, gfortran_
 )
 ALWAYS_RUN_ALL_PREFIXES = (
     "src/common/include/",  # GPU/Fypp macro & include files (CPU map can't line-attribute)
+    "cmake/",  # build system
     "toolchain/cmake/",  # build system
     "toolchain/bootstrap/",  # build/run scripts
 )
diff --git a/toolchain/mfc/test/test_coverage_unit.py b/toolchain/mfc/test/test_coverage_unit.py
index 5bc7e01470..b2099e069f 100644
--- a/toolchain/mfc/test/test_coverage_unit.py
+++ b/toolchain/mfc/test/test_coverage_unit.py
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ def test_macro_file_forces_all():
 def test_cmake_forces_all():
     assert is_always_run_all({"CMakeLists.txt"})
     assert is_always_run_all({"toolchain/cmake/foo.cmake"})
+    assert is_always_run_all({"cmake/MFCTargets.cmake"})
 
 
 def test_param_codegen_forces_all():