diff --git a/.github/workflows/jobs-java.yml b/.github/workflows/jobs-java.yml
index e9399e405fe..a3a95565b6a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/jobs-java.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/jobs-java.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 name: facebook/rocksdb/jobs-java
 on: [push, pull_request]
+syntax-error: foo
 jobs:
   build-linux-java:
     runs-on:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/jobs-linux-no-test-run.yml b/.github/workflows/jobs-linux-no-test-run.yml
index 217dbcb2ea6..267491b1658 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/jobs-linux-no-test-run.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/jobs-linux-no-test-run.yml
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ name: facebook/rocksdb/jobs-linux-no-test-run
 on: [push, pull_request]
 jobs:
   build-linux-release:
+    syntax-error: foo
     runs-on:
       labels: 16-core-ubuntu
     container:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/jobs-linux-other-checks.yml b/.github/workflows/jobs-linux-other-checks.yml
index 61d90ea09f6..8f85ef52569 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/jobs-linux-other-checks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/jobs-linux-other-checks.yml
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ jobs:
     - run: apt-get update -y && apt-get install -y libgflags-dev
     - name: Unity build
       run: make V=1 -j8 unity_test
+      syntax-error: foo
     - run: make V=1 -j8 -k check-headers
     - uses: "./.github/actions/post-steps"
   build-linux-mini-crashtest:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/jobs-windows.yml b/.github/workflows/jobs-windows.yml
index cbe9d98a176..4f452a2c48f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/jobs-windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/jobs-windows.yml
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ env:
 jobs:
   # NOTE: some windows jobs are in "nightly" to save resources
   build-windows-vs2019:
+    syntax-error: foo
     runs-on: windows-2019
     env:
       CMAKE_GENERATOR: Visual Studio 16 2019
diff --git a/.github/workflows/nightly.yml b/.github/workflows/nightly.yml
index 49fa74f5d8b..cfdd3d85d5e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nightly.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nightly.yml
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ jobs:
         tools/check_format_compatible.sh
     - uses: "./.github/actions/post-steps"
   build-linux-arm-test-full:
+    syntax-error: blah
     runs-on:
       group: arm64large
     container: