diff --git a/src/caches.ts b/src/caches.ts
index 04f8d22..47afc64 100644
--- a/src/caches.ts
+++ b/src/caches.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import {logCachingReport, CacheListener} from './cache-reporting'
 import {GradleStateCache} from './cache-base'
 
 const CACHE_RESTORED_VAR = 'GRADLE_BUILD_ACTION_CACHE_RESTORED'
-const GRADLE_USER_HOME = 'GRADLE_USER_HOME'
 const CACHE_LISTENER = 'CACHE_LISTENER'
 
 export async function restore(gradleUserHome: string): Promise<void> {
@@ -34,8 +33,6 @@ export async function restore(gradleUserHome: string): Promise<void> {
     gradleStateCache.init()
     // Mark the state as restored so that post-action will perform save.
     core.saveState(CACHE_RESTORED_VAR, true)
-    // Save the Gradle User Home for the post-action step.
-    core.saveState(GRADLE_USER_HOME, gradleUserHome)
 
     if (isCacheWriteOnly()) {
         core.info('Cache is write-only: will not restore from cache.')
@@ -50,7 +47,7 @@ export async function restore(gradleUserHome: string): Promise<void> {
     })
 }
 
-export async function save(): Promise<void> {
+export async function save(gradleUserHome: string): Promise<void> {
     if (!shouldSaveCaches()) {
         return
     }
@@ -64,7 +61,6 @@ export async function save(): Promise<void> {
     }
 
     await core.group('Caching Gradle state', async () => {
-        const gradleUserHome = core.getState(GRADLE_USER_HOME)
         return new GradleStateCache(gradleUserHome).save(cacheListener)
     })
 
diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index f82d3f2..e62cc6f 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 import * as core from '@actions/core'
 import * as path from 'path'
-import * as os from 'os'
 import {parseArgsStringToArgv} from 'string-argv'
 
-import * as caches from './caches'
+import * as setupGradle from './setup-gradle'
 import * as execution from './execution'
 import * as provision from './provision'
 
@@ -14,9 +13,8 @@ export async function run(): Promise<void> {
     try {
         const workspaceDirectory = process.env[`GITHUB_WORKSPACE`] || ''
         const buildRootDirectory = resolveBuildRootDirectory(workspaceDirectory)
-        const gradleUserHome = determineGradleUserHome(buildRootDirectory)
 
-        await caches.restore(gradleUserHome)
+        await setupGradle.setup(buildRootDirectory)
 
         const executable = await provisionGradle(workspaceDirectory)
         // executable will be undefined if using Gradle wrapper
@@ -60,15 +58,6 @@ function resolveBuildRootDirectory(baseDirectory: string): string {
     return resolvedBuildRootDirectory
 }
 
-function determineGradleUserHome(rootDir: string): string {
-    const customGradleUserHome = process.env['GRADLE_USER_HOME']
-    if (customGradleUserHome) {
-        return path.resolve(rootDir, customGradleUserHome)
-    }
-
-    return path.resolve(os.homedir(), '.gradle')
-}
-
 function parseCommandLineArguments(): string[] {
     const input = core.getInput('arguments')
     return parseArgsStringToArgv(input)
diff --git a/src/post.ts b/src/post.ts
index f9957d1..d81a8ca 100644
--- a/src/post.ts
+++ b/src/post.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import * as core from '@actions/core'
-import * as caches from './caches'
+import * as setupGradle from './setup-gradle'
 
 // Catch and log any unhandled exceptions.  These exceptions can leak out of the uploadChunk method in
 // @actions/toolkit when a failed upload closes the file descriptor causing any in-process reads to
@@ -11,14 +11,14 @@ process.on('uncaughtException', e => handleFailure(e))
  */
 export async function run(): Promise<void> {
     try {
-        await caches.save()
+        await setupGradle.complete()
     } catch (error) {
         handleFailure(error)
     }
 }
 
 function handleFailure(error: unknown): void {
-    core.warning(`Unhandled error saving cache - job will continue: ${error}`)
+    core.warning(`Unhandled error in Gradle post-action - job will continue: ${error}`)
     if (error instanceof Error && error.stack) {
         core.info(error.stack)
     }
diff --git a/src/setup-gradle.ts b/src/setup-gradle.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dc093e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/setup-gradle.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+import * as core from '@actions/core'
+import * as path from 'path'
+import * as os from 'os'
+import * as caches from './caches'
+
+const GRADLE_SETUP_VAR = 'GRADLE_BUILD_ACTION_SETUP_COMPLETED'
+const GRADLE_USER_HOME = 'GRADLE_USER_HOME'
+
+export async function setup(buildRootDirectory: string): Promise<void> {
+    const gradleUserHome = determineGradleUserHome(buildRootDirectory)
+
+    // Bypass setup on all but first action step in workflow.
+    if (process.env[GRADLE_SETUP_VAR]) {
+        core.info('Gradle setup only performed on first gradle-build-action step in workflow.')
+        return
+    }
+    // Record setup complete: visible to all subsequent actions and prevents duplicate setup
+    core.exportVariable(GRADLE_SETUP_VAR, true)
+    // Record setup complete: visible in post-action, to control action completion
+    core.saveState(GRADLE_SETUP_VAR, true)
+
+    // Save the Gradle User Home for use in the post-action step.
+    core.saveState(GRADLE_USER_HOME, gradleUserHome)
+
+    await caches.restore(gradleUserHome)
+}
+
+export async function complete(): Promise<void> {
+    if (!core.getState(GRADLE_SETUP_VAR)) {
+        core.info('Gradle setup post-action only performed for first gradle-build-action step in workflow.')
+        return
+    }
+
+    const gradleUserHome = core.getState(GRADLE_USER_HOME)
+    await caches.save(gradleUserHome)
+}
+
+function determineGradleUserHome(rootDir: string): string {
+    const customGradleUserHome = process.env['GRADLE_USER_HOME']
+    if (customGradleUserHome) {
+        return path.resolve(rootDir, customGradleUserHome)
+    }
+
+    return path.resolve(os.homedir(), '.gradle')
+}