diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-macos.yaml b/.github/workflows/build-macos.yaml
index 61c2ce5d74..6f25b75820 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-macos.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-macos.yaml
@@ -380,10 +380,33 @@ jobs:
           hdiutil detach /Volumes/git-annex/
           echo /Applications/git-annex.app/Contents/MacOS >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
 
+      - name: Set up SSH target
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          # coreutils provides a readlink that supports `-f`
+          brew install coreutils docker docker-machine
+
+          # <https://github.com/actions/virtual-environments/issues/4431>
+          brew uninstall virtualbox
+          cd "$(brew --repo homebrew/cask)"
+          git checkout 8670a72380c57c606d6582b645421e31dad2eee2
+          brew install --cask virtualbox
+
+          mkdir -p ~/.docker/machine/cache
+          wget -O ~/.docker/machine/cache/boot2docker.iso https://github.com/boot2docker/boot2docker/releases/download/v19.03.12/boot2docker.iso
+          docker-machine --native-ssh create --driver virtualbox default
+          eval "$(docker-machine env default)"
+          export PATH="/usr/local/opt/coreutils/libexec/gnubin:$PATH"
+          curl -fSsL \
+            https://raw.githubusercontent.com/datalad/datalad/master/tools/ci/prep-travis-forssh.sh \
+            | bash
+          echo DATALAD_TESTS_SSH=1 >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
 
       - name: Set up environment
         run: |
           brew install exempi  # Needed by python-xmp-toolkit
+          mkdir -p /private/tmp/DLTMP
+          echo TMPDIR=/private/tmp/DLTMP >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           git config --global user.email "test@github.land"
           git config --global user.name "GitHub Almighty"
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-ubuntu.yaml b/.github/workflows/build-ubuntu.yaml
index 70a6aa8cdf..b936c1df67 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-ubuntu.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-ubuntu.yaml
@@ -53,7 +53,6 @@ jobs:
           sudo apt-get update -qq
           sudo apt-get install eatmydata
           sudo eatmydata apt-get install singularity-container gnupg moreutils strace
-          echo "just a touch to trigger workflow"
 
       - name: Determine git-annex ref to build
         run: |
@@ -416,7 +415,6 @@ jobs:
             | bash
           echo DATALAD_TESTS_SSH=1 >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
 
-
       - name: Set up environment
         run: |
           git config --global user.email "test@github.land"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/template/build-{{ostype}}.yaml.j2 b/.github/workflows/template/build-{{ostype}}.yaml.j2
index 35887b5a5d..701596418a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/template/build-{{ostype}}.yaml.j2
+++ b/.github/workflows/template/build-{{ostype}}.yaml.j2
@@ -598,16 +598,23 @@ jobs:
           {{step}}
           {% endfor %}
 
-    {% if ostype == "ubuntu" %}
-    {# TODO: return for macos! https://github.com/datalad/git-annex/issues/42
-      {% if ostype == "ubuntu"  or ostype == "macos" %} #}
+    {% if ostype == "ubuntu"  or ostype == "macos" %}
       - name: Set up SSH target
         shell: bash
         run: |
           {% if ostype == "macos" %}
           # coreutils provides a readlink that supports `-f`
           brew install coreutils docker docker-machine
-          docker-machine --github-api-token="${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}" create --driver virtualbox default
+
+          # <https://github.com/actions/virtual-environments/issues/4431>
+          brew uninstall virtualbox
+          cd "$(brew --repo homebrew/cask)"
+          git checkout 8670a72380c57c606d6582b645421e31dad2eee2
+          brew install --cask virtualbox
+
+          mkdir -p ~/.docker/machine/cache
+          wget -O ~/.docker/machine/cache/boot2docker.iso https://github.com/boot2docker/boot2docker/releases/download/v19.03.12/boot2docker.iso
+          docker-machine --native-ssh create --driver virtualbox default
           eval "$(docker-machine env default)"
           export PATH="/usr/local/opt/coreutils/libexec/gnubin:$PATH"
           {% endif %}
@@ -615,8 +622,7 @@ jobs:
             https://raw.githubusercontent.com/datalad/datalad/master/tools/ci/prep-travis-forssh.sh \
             | bash
           echo DATALAD_TESTS_SSH=1 >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
-
-   {% elif ostype == "windows" %}
+    {% elif ostype == "windows" %}
       - name: Define test host alias
         shell: cmd
         run: |
@@ -675,6 +681,8 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           {% if ostype == "macos" %}
           brew install exempi  # Needed by python-xmp-toolkit
+          mkdir -p /private/tmp/DLTMP
+          echo TMPDIR=/private/tmp/DLTMP >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
           {% endif %}
           git config --global user.email "test@github.land"
           git config --global user.name "GitHub Almighty"