diff --git a/.github/workflows/unit-buildbot.yml b/.github/workflows/unit-buildbot.yml
index 89e6ed8..1cab807 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unit-buildbot.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unit-buildbot.yml
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ jobs:
       matrix:
         os: [ alpine-3.19, amazonlinux-2, amazonlinux-2023, debian-11, debian-12, fedora-39, freebsd-14, rhel-8, rhel-9, ubuntu-20.04, ubuntu-22.04, ubuntu-23.10 ]
         arch: [ amd64, arm64 ]
+        njs: [ '' ]
         exclude:
           - os: fedora-39 # we don't provide Fedora arm64 runners
             arch: arm64
@@ -145,17 +146,15 @@ jobs:
               ;;
             esac
 
+      - name: Check out njs HEAD
+        if: ${{ matrix.njs == 'HEAD' }}
+          run: |
+            git clone https://github.com/nginx/njs
+
       - name: Check out njs
+        if: ${{ matrix.njs == '' }}
         run: |
-          case "${{ matrix.njs }}" in
-            HEAD)
-              CLONE_SPECIFIC=""
-              ;;
-            *)
-              CLONE_SPECIFIC="-b $(sed \"s/NJS_VERSION := \(.*\)/\1/\" pkg/contrib/src/njs/version)"
-              ;;
-            esac
-          git clone $CLONE_SPECIFIC https://github.com/nginx/njs
+          git clone https://github.com/nginx/njs -b $(sed "s/NJS_VERSION := \(.*\)/\1/" pkg/contrib/src/njs/version)
 
       - name: Configure and make njs
         run: |