diff --git a/tests/project/test_actions_helper_2047.py b/tests/project/test_actions_helper_2047.py
index c6c0d6936f..b19a4a6fe1 100644
--- a/tests/project/test_actions_helper_2047.py
+++ b/tests/project/test_actions_helper_2047.py
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@
 ROOT = pathlib.Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
 HELPER = ROOT / 'util' / '_actions.py'
 #: The scripts that import the helper.
-SCRIPTS = ('apt_packages', 'classify_changes', 'codeql_report', 'coverage_report', 'leg_summary', 'pip_install',
-           'regenerate_samples', 'vendor_code_changed')
+SCRIPTS = ('apt_packages', 'ci_timing', 'classify_changes', 'codeql_report', 'coverage_report', 'leg_summary',
+           'pip_install', 'regenerate_samples', 'vendor_code_changed', 'vendor_test_gate')
 #: The top-level modules the helper may import, each in Python 3.7's standard
 #: library: the running interpreter's :data:`sys.stdlib_module_names` would
 #: pass ``tomllib``, which 3.7 lacks.
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
 #: A trivial run of each script, ``(arguments, environment)``, that gets past its imports.
 RUNS = {
     'apt_packages': (['--help'], {}),
+    'ci_timing': (['--help'], {}),
     'classify_changes': ([], {'OWN_PR': 'false'}),
     'codeql_report': (['--help'], {}),
     'coverage_report': (['--help'], {}),
@@ -56,6 +57,7 @@
     'pip_install': (['--help'], {}),
     'regenerate_samples': (['--help'], {}),
     'vendor_code_changed': (['--help'], {}),
+    'vendor_test_gate': (['--help'], {}),
 }
 #: ``-X importtime``'s line for a module, by its name.
 IMPORT_TIME = re.compile(r'^import time:.*\|\s*(\S+)\s*$', re.M)
diff --git a/util/ci_timing.py b/util/ci_timing.py
index 4e9a1c4da1..e28a383fbb 100644
--- a/util/ci_timing.py
+++ b/util/ci_timing.py
@@ -89,6 +89,11 @@
 
 import requests
 
+try:  # #2047: run as `python util/<script>.py`, with util/ first on sys.path
+    import _actions
+except ImportError:  # imported as util.<script>, or loaded by path, from the repository root
+    from util import _actions
+
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from typing import Any, Callable, Iterable, Iterator, Optional
 
@@ -1365,8 +1370,8 @@ def main(argv: 'Optional[list[str]]' = None, *, transport: 'Optional[Transport]'
 
     token = os.environ.get('GH_TOKEN') or os.environ.get('GITHUB_TOKEN')
     if not args.repo or not (token or transport):
-        print('::error title=CI timing::Needs --repo (or $GITHUB_REPOSITORY) and a token in '
-              '$GH_TOKEN or $GITHUB_TOKEN.')
+        _actions.annotate('error', 'Needs --repo (or $GITHUB_REPOSITORY) and a token in $GH_TOKEN or $GITHUB_TOKEN.',
+                          title='CI timing')
         return EXIT_API
 
     client = Client(token or '', transport=transport, max_calls=args.max_calls)
@@ -1381,13 +1386,13 @@ def main(argv: 'Optional[list[str]]' = None, *, transport: 'Optional[Transport]'
                            budget=args.budget_minutes * 60, clock=clock,
                            progress=lambda line: print(line, file=sys.stderr, flush=True))
         except (BudgetExceeded, OSError) as error:
-            print(f'::error title=CI timing could not read the API::{error}. '
-                  'No threshold was evaluated.')
+            _actions.annotate('error', f'{error}. No threshold was evaluated.',
+                              title='CI timing could not read the API', escape=False)
             return EXIT_API
         return _report(args, client, data)
     except Exception:  # pylint: disable=broad-except
         traceback.print_exc()
-        print('::error title=CI timing crashed::See the traceback above. No threshold was evaluated.')
+        _actions.annotate('error', 'See the traceback above. No threshold was evaluated.', title='CI timing crashed')
         return EXIT_CRASH
 
 
@@ -1415,11 +1420,11 @@ def _report(args: 'argparse.Namespace', client: 'Client', data: 'dict[str, Any]'
             file.write(text)
     print(text)
     if data.get('stopped'):
-        print(f"::warning title=CI timing stopped early::{data['stopped']}")
+        _actions.annotate('warning', data['stopped'], title='CI timing stopped early', escape=False)
     for item in findings:
         kind = 'error' if item['level'] == 'hard' else 'warning'
         message = item['message'].replace('`', '').replace('%', '%25')
-        print(f'::{kind} title=CI timing {item["id"]}::{message}')
+        _actions.annotate(kind, message, title=f'CI timing {item["id"]}', escape=False)
     return EXIT_HARD if any(item['level'] == 'hard' for item in findings) else 0
 
 
diff --git a/util/vendor_test_gate.py b/util/vendor_test_gate.py
index 6e561e1503..423ccd1c5c 100644
--- a/util/vendor_test_gate.py
+++ b/util/vendor_test_gate.py
@@ -73,6 +73,11 @@
 import time
 from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, NamedTuple
 
+try:  # #2047: run as `python util/<script>.py`, with util/ first on sys.path
+    import _actions
+except ImportError:  # imported as util.<script>, or loaded by path, from the repository root
+    from util import _actions
+
 try:
     import psutil
 except ImportError:  # the test extra installs it on CPython only
@@ -218,11 +223,6 @@ def _ps_group_rss(pgid: 'int') -> 'Optional[int]':
     return total
 
 
-def escape(text: 'str') -> 'str':
-    """``text`` as the data of a workflow command."""
-    return text.replace('%', '%25').replace('\r', '%0D').replace('\n', '%0A')
-
-
 class Gate:
     """The test command, run on some of ``changes`` at a time."""
 
@@ -278,21 +278,20 @@ def cap() -> None:
 
         cache = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix='vendor-test-gate-')
         env['PYTHONPYCACHEPREFIX'] = cache
-        print(f'::group::{label}', flush=True)
         try:
-            child = subprocess.Popen(self.command, env=env,  # nosec B603
-                                     start_new_session=True, preexec_fn=cap)
-            try:
-                stopped = self._watch(child)
-            finally:
-                # Whatever the run left running in its session goes with it,
-                # and the run itself is reaped, however this was left.
-                with contextlib.suppress(ProcessLookupError, PermissionError):
-                    os.killpg(child.pid, signal.SIGKILL)
-                with contextlib.suppress(subprocess.TimeoutExpired):
-                    child.wait(timeout=GRACE)
+            with _actions.group(label):
+                child = subprocess.Popen(self.command, env=env,  # nosec B603
+                                         start_new_session=True, preexec_fn=cap)
+                try:
+                    stopped = self._watch(child)
+                finally:
+                    # Whatever the run left running in its session goes with it,
+                    # and the run itself is reaped, however this was left.
+                    with contextlib.suppress(ProcessLookupError, PermissionError):
+                        os.killpg(child.pid, signal.SIGKILL)
+                    with contextlib.suppress(subprocess.TimeoutExpired):
+                        child.wait(timeout=GRACE)
         finally:
-            print('::endgroup::', flush=True)
             shutil.rmtree(cache, ignore_errors=True)
         if stopped:
             return stopped
@@ -374,15 +373,15 @@ def report(changes: 'Sequence[Change]', kept: 'FrozenSet[str]', reason: 'str', g
                     "HEAD's copy of it stays, as #872 does for a sub-vendor that raised. The other "
                     'regenerated modules passed and go on to be committed.')
             for path in discarded:
-                print(f'::warning title=Vendor test gate discarded a module::{escape(path)}: '
-                      f"{escape(command)} fails with it on top of HEAD's tree, so HEAD's copy is kept "
-                      'and the rest of the regeneration is committed; see the step summary')
+                _actions.annotate('warning', f"{path}: {command} fails with it on top of HEAD's tree, so "
+                                  "HEAD's copy is kept and the rest of the regeneration is committed; "
+                                  'see the step summary', title='Vendor test gate discarded a module')
         else:
             heading = 'discarded every regenerated module'
             body = (f"{reason}. HEAD's copy of every module is kept, so nothing from this crawl is "
                     f'committed. The tests are `{command}`.')
-            print(f'::warning title=Vendor test gate discarded every regenerated module::'
-                  f'{escape(reason)}; see the step summary')
+            _actions.annotate('warning', f'{reason}; see the step summary',
+                              title='Vendor test gate discarded every regenerated module')
         lines = [f'### :warning: Vendor test gate {heading}', '', body, '',
                  '| Module | Kept |', '| --- | --- |']
         lines.extend(f'| `{change.path}` | {"yes" if change.path in kept else "no"} |' for change in changes)
@@ -390,20 +389,14 @@ def report(changes: 'Sequence[Change]', kept: 'FrozenSet[str]', reason: 'str', g
         lines.extend(f'| {run.number} | {run.modules} of {len(changes)} | {run.result} | {run.seconds:.0f} |'
                      for run in gate.runs)
     if gate.unsampled:
-        print(f'::warning title=Vendor test gate could not sample memory::{SAMPLER} could not read '
-              "the run's memory, so the memory cap was not enforced on every sample")
-    summary = os.environ.get('GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY')
-    if summary:
-        with open(summary, 'a', encoding='utf-8') as file:
-            print('\n'.join(lines), file=file)
+        _actions.annotate('warning', f"{SAMPLER} could not read the run's memory, so the memory cap "
+                          'was not enforced on every sample', title='Vendor test gate could not sample memory')
+    _actions.summary(*lines, required=False)
     return verdict
 
 
 def write_verdict(verdict: 'str') -> None:
-    output = os.environ.get('GITHUB_OUTPUT')
-    if output:
-        with open(output, 'a', encoding='utf-8') as file:
-            print(f'verdict={verdict}', file=file)
+    _actions.set_output('verdict', verdict, required=False)
 
 
 def _terminate(signum: 'int', frame: 'object') -> 'NoReturn':  # pylint: disable=unused-argument
@@ -452,8 +445,8 @@ def main(argv: 'Optional[list[str]]' = None) -> int:
         strays = [path for path in changed_modules() if path not in set(paths)]
         apply(snapshot(strays), frozenset())
         for path in strays:
-            print(f'::warning title=Vendor test gate restored a module::{escape(path)} changed '
-                  'during the test runs, so it is put back as HEAD has it')
+            _actions.annotate('warning', f'{path} changed during the test runs, so it is put back as HEAD has it',
+                              title='Vendor test gate restored a module')
     except BaseException:
         apply(changes, frozenset())
         raise