diff --git a/.github/workflows/validations.yaml b/.github/workflows/validations.yaml
index c019e7ee6090..2ed621fa493f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validations.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validations.yaml
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Restore Java test-fixture cache
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
-          path: syft/pkg/cataloger/java/test-fixtures/java-builds/packages
-          key: ${{ runner.os }}-unit-java-cache-${{ hashFiles( 'syft/pkg/cataloger/java/test-fixtures/java-builds/packages.fingerprint' ) }}
+          path: syft/pkg/cataloger/java/test-fixtures/java-builds
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-unit-java-cache-${{ hashFiles( 'syft/pkg/cataloger/java/test-fixtures/java-builds/cache.fingerprint' ) }}
 
       - name: Restore RPM test-fixture cache
         uses: actions/cache@v3
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 700d07fb440b..9e027f3404fc 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ fingerprints:
 
 	# for JAVA BUILD test fixtures
 	cd syft/pkg/cataloger/java/test-fixtures/java-builds && \
-		make packages.fingerprint
+		make cache.fingerprint
 
 	# for GO BINARY test fixtures
 	cd syft/pkg/cataloger/golang/test-fixtures/archs && \
diff --git a/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/test-fixtures/java-builds/Makefile b/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/test-fixtures/java-builds/Makefile
index 0cac25471433..17c42ea11daf 100644
--- a/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/test-fixtures/java-builds/Makefile
+++ b/syft/pkg/cataloger/java/test-fixtures/java-builds/Makefile
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ $(PKGSDIR)/gcc-amd64-darwin-exec-debug:
 	./build-example-macho-binary.sh $(PKGSDIR)
 
 # we need a way to determine if CI should bust the test cache based on the source material
-$(PKGSDIR).fingerprint: clean-examples
-	mkdir -p $(PKGSDIR)
-	find example-* build-* Makefile -type f -exec sha256sum {} \; | sort | tee /dev/stderr | tee $(PKGSDIR).fingerprint
-	sha256sum $(PKGSDIR).fingerprint
+.PHONY: cache.fingerprint
+cache.fingerprint:
+	find example-* build-* Makefile -type f -exec sha256sum {} \; | sort | tee /dev/stderr | tee cache.fingerprint
+	sha256sum cache.fingerprint