diff --git a/.github/actions/test-ios-helloworld/action.yml b/.github/actions/test-ios-helloworld/action.yml
index 687a9d24970..092c741898c 100644
--- a/.github/actions/test-ios-helloworld/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/test-ios-helloworld/action.yml
@@ -46,6 +46,14 @@ runs:
       uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1.170.0
       with:
         ruby-version: ${{ inputs.ruby-version }}
+    - name: Download ReactNativeDependencies
+      uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+      with:
+        name: ReactNativeDependencies${{ inputs.flavor }}.xcframework.tar.gz
+        path: /tmp/third-party
+    - name: Print third-party folder
+      shell: bash
+      run: ls -lR /tmp/third-party
     - name: Install iOS dependencies - Configuration ${{ inputs.flavor }}; New Architecture ${{ inputs.architecture }}; JS Engine ${{ inputs.jsengine }}
       shell: bash
       run: |
@@ -77,8 +85,10 @@ runs:
 
           BUILD_TYPE="${{ inputs.flavor }}"
           TARBALL_FILENAME=$(node ../react-native/scripts/hermes/get-tarball-name.js --buildType "$BUILD_TYPE")
-          HERMES_PATH="$HERMES_WS_DIR/hermes-runtime-darwin/$TARBALL_FILENAME"
-          HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH="$HERMES_PATH" yarn bootstrap ios "${args[@]}" | cat
+          export HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH="$HERMES_WS_DIR/hermes-runtime-darwin/$TARBALL_FILENAME"
+          export RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP="/tmp/third-party/ReactNativeDependencies${{ inputs.flavor }}.xcframework.tar.gz"
+
+          yarn bootstrap ios "${args[@]}" | cat
         fi
     - name: Build HelloWorld  project
       shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/actions/test-ios-rntester/action.yml b/.github/actions/test-ios-rntester/action.yml
index 010cf4219b9..80123a9275d 100644
--- a/.github/actions/test-ios-rntester/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/test-ios-rntester/action.yml
@@ -92,6 +92,14 @@ runs:
         else
           echo 'No Hermes tarball found.'
         fi
+    - name: Download ReactNativeDependencies
+      uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+      with:
+        name: ReactNativeDependencies${{ inputs.flavor }}.xcframework.tar.gz
+        path: /tmp/third-party/
+    - name: Print third-party folder
+      shell: bash
+      run: ls -lR /tmp/third-party
     - name: Setup xcode build cache
       uses: ./.github/actions/setup-xcode-build-cache
       with:
@@ -118,6 +126,7 @@ runs:
           export RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=0
         fi
 
+        export RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP="/tmp/third-party/ReactNativeDependencies${{ inputs.flavor }}.xcframework.tar.gz"
         cd packages/rn-tester
 
         bundle install
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-all.yml b/.github/workflows/test-all.yml
index 470ea622b4e..0eb5bc98566 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-all.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-all.yml
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ jobs:
   test_ios_rntester_ruby_3_2_0:
     runs-on: macos-13
     needs:
-      [build_apple_slices_hermes, prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos]
+      [build_apple_slices_hermes, prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos, prebuild_apple_dependencies]
     env:
       HERMES_WS_DIR: /tmp/hermes
       HERMES_TARBALL_ARTIFACTS_DIR: /tmp/hermes/hermes-runtime-darwin
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ jobs:
   test_ios_rntester_dynamic_frameworks:
     runs-on: macos-13
     needs:
-      [build_apple_slices_hermes, prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos]
+      [build_apple_slices_hermes, prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos, prebuild_apple_dependencies]
     env:
       HERMES_WS_DIR: /tmp/hermes
       HERMES_TARBALL_ARTIFACTS_DIR: /tmp/hermes/hermes-runtime-darwin
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ jobs:
   test_ios_rntester:
     runs-on: macos-13-large
     needs:
-      [build_apple_slices_hermes, prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos]
+      [build_apple_slices_hermes, prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos, prebuild_apple_dependencies]
     env:
       HERMES_WS_DIR: /tmp/hermes
       HERMES_TARBALL_ARTIFACTS_DIR: /tmp/hermes/hermes-runtime-darwin
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ jobs:
   test_e2e_ios_templateapp:
     if: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' || contains(github.ref,  'stable') || inputs.run-e2e-tests }}
     runs-on: macos-13-large
-    needs: build_npm_package
+    needs: [build_npm_package, prebuild_apple_dependencies]
     env:
       HERMES_WS_DIR: /tmp/hermes
       HERMES_TARBALL_ARTIFACTS_DIR: /tmp/hermes/hermes-runtime-darwin
@@ -268,6 +268,14 @@ jobs:
           path: /tmp/react-native-tmp
       - name: Print /tmp folder
         run: ls -lR /tmp/react-native-tmp
+      - name: Download ReactNativeDependencies
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: ReactNativeDependencies${{ matrix.flavor }}.xcframework.tar.gz
+          path: /tmp/third-party
+      - name: Print third-party folder
+        shell: bash
+        run: ls -lR /tmp/third-party
       - name: Prepare artifacts
         run: |
           REACT_NATIVE_PKG=$(find /tmp/react-native-tmp -type f -name "*.tgz")
@@ -292,6 +300,8 @@ jobs:
             echo "Disable the New Architecture"
             NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=0
           fi
+
+          export RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP=/tmp/third-party/ReactNativeDependencies${{ matrix.flavor }}.xcframework.tar.gz
           HERMES_ENGINE_TARBALL_PATH=$HERMES_PATH RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED=$NEW_ARCH_ENABLED bundle exec pod install
 
           xcodebuild \
@@ -580,7 +590,7 @@ jobs:
 
   test_ios_helloworld_with_ruby_3_2_0:
     runs-on: macos-13
-    needs: [prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos] # prepare_hermes_workspace must be there because we need its reference to retrieve a couple of outputs
+    needs: [prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos, prebuild_apple_dependencies] # prepare_hermes_workspace must be there because we need its reference to retrieve a couple of outputs
     env:
       PROJECT_NAME: iOSTemplateProject
       HERMES_WS_DIR: /tmp/hermes
@@ -598,7 +608,7 @@ jobs:
 
   test_ios_helloworld:
     runs-on: macos-13
-    needs: [prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos] # prepare_hermes_workspace must be there because we need its reference to retrieve a couple of outputs
+    needs: [prepare_hermes_workspace, build_hermes_macos, prebuild_apple_dependencies] # prepare_hermes_workspace must be there because we need its reference to retrieve a couple of outputs
     strategy:
       matrix:
         flavor: [Debug, Release]
diff --git a/packages/react-native/scripts/cocoapods/rndependencies.rb b/packages/react-native/scripts/cocoapods/rndependencies.rb
index e95af1040b7..e020c15a7ed 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/scripts/cocoapods/rndependencies.rb
+++ b/packages/react-native/scripts/cocoapods/rndependencies.rb
@@ -86,6 +86,12 @@ class ReactNativeDependenciesUtils
         artifacts_exists = ENV["RCT_USE_RN_DEP"] == "1" && release_artifact_exists(@@react_native_version)
         use_local_xcframework = ENV["RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP"] && File.exist?(ENV["RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP"])
 
+        if ENV["RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP"]
+            if !File.exist?(ENV["RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP"])
+                abort("RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP is set to #{ENV["RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP"]} but the file does not exist!")
+            end
+        end
+
         @@build_from_source = !use_local_xcframework && !artifacts_exists
 
         rndeps_log("Building from source: #{@@build_from_source}")
diff --git a/packages/react-native/third-party-podspecs/ReactNativeDependencies.podspec b/packages/react-native/third-party-podspecs/ReactNativeDependencies.podspec
index 2eb07ec077f..1d1268b9fc4 100644
--- a/packages/react-native/third-party-podspecs/ReactNativeDependencies.podspec
+++ b/packages/react-native/third-party-podspecs/ReactNativeDependencies.podspec
@@ -52,27 +52,31 @@ Pod::Spec.new do |spec|
     find "$CURRENT_PATH" -type d -empty -delete
   CMD
 
-  script_phase = {
-    :name => "[RNDeps] Replace React Native Dependencies for the right configuration, if needed",
-    :execution_position => :before_compile,
-    :script => <<-EOS
-    . "$REACT_NATIVE_PATH/scripts/xcode/with-environment.sh"
+  # If we are passing a local tarball, we don't want to switch between Debug and Release
+  if !ENV["RCT_USE_LOCAL_RN_DEP"]
+    script_phase = {
+      :name => "[RNDeps] Replace React Native Dependencies for the right configuration, if needed",
+      :execution_position => :before_compile,
+      :script => <<-EOS
+      . "$REACT_NATIVE_PATH/scripts/xcode/with-environment.sh"
 
-    CONFIG="Release"
-    if echo $GCC_PREPROCESSOR_DEFINITIONS | grep -q "DEBUG=1"; then
-      CONFIG="Debug"
-    fi
+      CONFIG="Release"
+      if echo $GCC_PREPROCESSOR_DEFINITIONS | grep -q "DEBUG=1"; then
+        CONFIG="Debug"
+      fi
 
-    "$NODE_BINARY" "$REACT_NATIVE_PATH/third-party-podspecs/replace_dependencies_version.js" -c "$CONFIG" -r "#{version}" -p "$PODS_ROOT"
-    EOS
-  }
+      "$NODE_BINARY" "$REACT_NATIVE_PATH/third-party-podspecs/replace_dependencies_version.js" -c "$CONFIG" -r "#{version}" -p "$PODS_ROOT"
+      EOS
+    }
 
-  # :always_out_of_date is only available in CocoaPods 1.13.0 and later
-  if Gem::Version.new(Pod::VERSION) >= Gem::Version.new('1.13.0')
-    # always run the script without warning
-    script_phase[:always_out_of_date] = "1"
+
+    # :always_out_of_date is only available in CocoaPods 1.13.0 and later
+    if Gem::Version.new(Pod::VERSION) >= Gem::Version.new('1.13.0')
+      # always run the script without warning
+      script_phase[:always_out_of_date] = "1"
+    end
+
+    spec.script_phase = script_phase
   end
 
-  spec.script_phase = script_phase
-
 end