diff --git a/plugins/woo-ai/bin/build-zip.sh b/plugins/woo-ai/bin/build-zip.sh
index b3c3a8334c9..58f3b85d114 100755
--- a/plugins/woo-ai/bin/build-zip.sh
+++ b/plugins/woo-ai/bin/build-zip.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ rsync -rc --exclude-from="$PROJECT_PATH/.distignore" "$PROJECT_PATH/" "$DEST_PAT
 
 echo "Generating zip file..."
 cd "$BUILD_PATH" || exit
-zip -q -r "${PLUGIN_SLUG}.zip" "$PLUGIN_SLUG/"
+zip -q -r -9 "${PLUGIN_SLUG}.zip" "$PLUGIN_SLUG/"
 
 cd "$PROJECT_PATH" || exit
 mv "$BUILD_PATH/${PLUGIN_SLUG}.zip" "$PROJECT_PATH"
diff --git a/plugins/woo-ai/changelog/dev-tune-up-zip-generation b/plugins/woo-ai/changelog/dev-tune-up-zip-generation
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..76c199f300f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/woo-ai/changelog/dev-tune-up-zip-generation
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+Significance: patch
+Type: dev
+
+Minor tooling tweaks (zip compression level, composer invocation)
diff --git a/plugins/woo-ai/package.json b/plugins/woo-ai/package.json
index 303bc2c0aac..c7f29f8585a 100644
--- a/plugins/woo-ai/package.json
+++ b/plugins/woo-ai/package.json
@@ -44,11 +44,11 @@
 		"build:project": "pnpm --if-present '/^build:project:.*$/'",
 		"build:project:wp-scripts": "wireit",
 		"build:zip": "./bin/build-zip.sh",
-		"changelog": "composer install && composer exec -- changelogger",
+		"changelog": "XDEBUG_MODE=off composer install --quiet && composer exec -- changelogger",
 		"check-engines": "wp-scripts check-engines",
 		"check-licenses": "wp-scripts check-licenses",
 		"format:js": "wp-scripts format-js",
-		"postinstall": "composer install",
+		"postinstall": "XDEBUG_MODE=off composer install --quiet",
 		"lint": "pnpm --if-present '/^lint:lang:.*$/'",
 		"lint:fix": "pnpm --if-present '/^lint:fix:lang:.*$/'",
 		"lint:fix:lang:css": "wp-scripts lint-style --fix",
diff --git a/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/bin/build-zip.sh b/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/bin/build-zip.sh
index bfc53ef34bb..76656aced28 100755
--- a/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/bin/build-zip.sh
+++ b/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/bin/build-zip.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ rsync -rc --exclude-from="$PROJECT_PATH/.distignore" "$PROJECT_PATH/" "$DEST_PAT
 
 echo "Generating zip file..."
 cd "$BUILD_PATH" || exit
-zip -q -r "${PLUGIN_SLUG}.zip" "$PLUGIN_SLUG/"
+zip -q -r -9 "${PLUGIN_SLUG}.zip" "$PLUGIN_SLUG/"
 
 cd "$PROJECT_PATH" || exit
 mv "$BUILD_PATH/${PLUGIN_SLUG}.zip" "$PROJECT_PATH"
diff --git a/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/changelog/dev-tune-up-zip-generation b/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/changelog/dev-tune-up-zip-generation
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..76c199f300f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/changelog/dev-tune-up-zip-generation
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+Significance: patch
+Type: dev
+
+Minor tooling tweaks (zip compression level, composer invocation)
diff --git a/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/package.json b/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/package.json
index 7edebad7f4b..a33af188e41 100644
--- a/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/package.json
+++ b/plugins/woocommerce-beta-tester/package.json
@@ -67,11 +67,11 @@
 		"build:admin": "wp-scripts build",
 		"build:dev": "pnpm lint:js && pnpm build",
 		"build:zip": "./bin/build-zip.sh",
-		"changelog": "composer install && composer exec -- changelogger",
+		"changelog": "XDEBUG_MODE=off composer install --quiet && composer exec -- changelogger",
 		"check-engines": "wp-scripts check-engines",
 		"check-licenses": "wp-scripts check-licenses",
 		"format:js": "wp-scripts format-js",
-		"postinstall": "composer install",
+		"postinstall": "XDEBUG_MODE=off composer install --quiet",
 		"lint:css": "wp-scripts lint-style",
 		"lint:css:fix": "wp-scripts lint-style --fix",
 		"lint:js": "wp-scripts lint-js",
diff --git a/plugins/woocommerce/bin/build-zip.sh b/plugins/woocommerce/bin/build-zip.sh
index aff500a017e..1e3f2050f21 100755
--- a/plugins/woocommerce/bin/build-zip.sh
+++ b/plugins/woocommerce/bin/build-zip.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ PLUGIN_SLUG="woocommerce"
 PROJECT_PATH=$(pwd)
 BUILD_PATH="${PROJECT_PATH}/build"
 DEST_PATH="$BUILD_PATH/$PLUGIN_SLUG"
+XDEBUG_MODE=off
 
 echo "Generating build directory..."
 rm -rf "$BUILD_PATH"
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ if [ -z "${NODE_ENV}" ]; then
 fi
 pnpm --filter='@woocommerce/plugin-woocommerce' build || exit "$?"
 echo "Cleaning up PHP dependencies..."
-composer install --no-dev || exit "$?"
+composer install --no-dev --quiet --optimize-autoloader || exit "$?"
 echo "Run makepot..."
 pnpm --filter=@woocommerce/plugin-woocommerce makepot || exit "$?"
 echo "Syncing files..."
@@ -29,7 +30,7 @@ rsync -rc --exclude-from="$PROJECT_PATH/.distignore" "$PROJECT_PATH/" "$DEST_PAT
 
 echo "Generating zip file..."
 cd "$BUILD_PATH" || exit
-zip -q -r "${PLUGIN_SLUG}.zip" "$PLUGIN_SLUG/"
+zip -q -r -9 "${PLUGIN_SLUG}.zip" "$PLUGIN_SLUG/"
 
 cd "$PROJECT_PATH" || exit
 mv "$BUILD_PATH/${PLUGIN_SLUG}.zip" "$PROJECT_PATH"
diff --git a/plugins/woocommerce/changelog/dev-tune-up-zip-generation b/plugins/woocommerce/changelog/dev-tune-up-zip-generation
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..76c199f300f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugins/woocommerce/changelog/dev-tune-up-zip-generation
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+Significance: patch
+Type: dev
+
+Minor tooling tweaks (zip compression level, composer invocation)
diff --git a/plugins/woocommerce/package.json b/plugins/woocommerce/package.json
index 217107407e2..002ed8fdac4 100644
--- a/plugins/woocommerce/package.json
+++ b/plugins/woocommerce/package.json
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 		"build:project": "pnpm --if-present '/^build:project:.*$/'",
 		"build:project:copy-assets": "wireit",
 		"build:zip": "./bin/build-zip.sh",
-		"changelog": "composer install && composer exec -- changelogger",
+		"changelog": "XDEBUG_MODE=off composer install --quiet && composer exec -- changelogger",
 		"docker:down": "pnpm exec wc-e2e docker:down",
 		"docker:ssh": "pnpm exec wc-e2e docker:ssh",
 		"docker:up": "pnpm exec wc-e2e docker:up",
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 		"env:perf:install-k6": "curl https://github.com/grafana/k6/releases/download/v0.33.0/k6-v0.33.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz -L | tar xvz --strip-components 1",
 		"env:perf": "pnpm env:dev && pnpm env:performance-init && pnpm env:perf:install-k6",
 		"preinstall": "npx only-allow pnpm",
-		"postinstall": "composer install",
+		"postinstall": "XDEBUG_MODE=off composer install --quiet",
 		"lint": "pnpm --if-present '/^lint:lang:.*$/'",
 		"lint:changes:branch": "pnpm '/^lint:changes:branch:.*$/'",
 		"lint:fix": "pnpm --if-present '/^lint:fix:lang:.*$/'",