diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index a8687216feba9..e7b0093184cd3 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ variables:
   NEXTEST_SUCCESS_OUTPUT: final
   ZOMBIENET_IMAGE: "docker.io/paritytech/zombienet:v1.3.43"
 
-.shared-default: &shared-default
+default:
   retry:
     max: 2
     when:
@@ -66,21 +66,7 @@ variables:
       - unknown_failure
       - api_failure
   cache: {}
-
-.default-pipeline-definitions:
-  default:
-    <<: *shared-default
-    interruptible: true
-
-.crate-publishing-pipeline-definitions:
-  default:
-    <<: *shared-default
-    # The crate-publishing pipeline defaults to `interruptible: false` so that we'll be able to
-    # reach and run the publishing jobs despite the "Auto-cancel redundant pipelines" CI setting.
-    # The setting is relevant because the crate-publishing pipeline runs on `master`, thus future
-    # pipelines on `master` (e.g. created for new commits or other schedules) might unintendedly
-    # cancel the publishing jobs or its dependencies before we get to actually publish the crates.
-    interruptible: false
+  interruptible: true
 
 .collect-artifacts:
   artifacts:
@@ -291,6 +277,23 @@ check-crates-publishing-pipeline:
       /~https://github.com/paritytech/releng-scripts.git
     - ONLY_CHECK_PIPELINE=true ./releng-scripts/publish-crates
 
+# By default our pipelines are interruptible, but some special pipelines shouldn't be interrupted:
+# * multi-project pipelines such as the ones triggered by the scripts repo
+# * the scheduled automatic-crate-publishing pipeline
+#
+# In those cases, we add an uninterruptible .pre job; once that one has started,
+# the entire pipeline becomes uninterruptible
+uninterruptible-pipeline:
+  extends: .kubernetes-env
+  variables:
+    CI_IMAGE: "paritytech/tools:latest"
+  stage: .pre
+  interruptible: false
+  rules:
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "pipeline"
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "schedule" && $PIPELINE == "automatic-crate-publishing"
+  script: "true"
+
 include:
   # check jobs
   - scripts/ci/gitlab/pipeline/check.yml
@@ -311,13 +314,6 @@ include:
   # pipeline is made uninterruptible to ensure that test jobs also get a chance to run to
   # completion, because the publishing jobs depends on them AS INTENDED: crates should not be
   # published before their source code is checked.
-  - local: scripts/ci/gitlab/crate-publishing-pipeline.yml
-    rules:
-      - if: $PIPELINE == "automatic-crate-publishing"
-  # For normal pipelines: run it with defaults + `interruptible: true`
-  - local: scripts/ci/gitlab/default-pipeline.yml
-    rules:
-      - if: $PIPELINE != "automatic-crate-publishing"
   - project: parity/infrastructure/ci_cd/shared
     ref: v0.2
     file: /common/timestamp.yml
diff --git a/scripts/ci/gitlab/crate-publishing-pipeline.yml b/scripts/ci/gitlab/crate-publishing-pipeline.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 9d5303952e6ef..0000000000000
--- a/scripts/ci/gitlab/crate-publishing-pipeline.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-default: !reference [.crate-publishing-pipeline-definitions, default]
diff --git a/scripts/ci/gitlab/default-pipeline.yml b/scripts/ci/gitlab/default-pipeline.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 19f6c320c3c24..0000000000000
--- a/scripts/ci/gitlab/default-pipeline.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-default: !reference [.default-pipeline-definitions, default]