diff --git a/.github/actions/buildcdeps/action.yaml b/.github/actions/buildcdeps/action.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9d775dd12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/buildcdeps/action.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+name: CDEPS build and cache
+description: 'Build the CDEPS library'
+inputs:
+  cdeps_version:
+    description: 'Tag in the CDEPS repository to use'
+    default: main
+    required: False
+    type: string
+  pio_path:
+    description: 'Path to the installed parallelio code root'
+    default: $HOME/pio
+    required: False
+    type: string
+  esmfmkfile:
+    description: 'Path to the installed ESMF library mkfile'
+    default: $HOME/ESMF/lib/libg/Linux.gfortran.64.openmpi.default/esmf.mk 
+    required: False
+    type: string
+  src_root:
+    description: 'Path to cdeps source'
+    default: $GITHUB_WORKSPACE
+    required: False
+    type: string
+  cmake_flags:
+    description: 'Extra flags for cmake command'
+    default: -Wno-dev
+    required: False
+    type: string
+  install_prefix:
+    description: 'Install path of cdeps'
+    default: $HOME/cdeps
+    required: False
+    type: string
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - id : Build-CDEPS
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        mkdir build-cdeps
+        pushd build-cdeps
+        export ESMFMKFILE=${{ inputs.esmfmkfile }}
+        export PIO=${{ inputs.pio_path }}
+        cmake ${{ inputs.cmake_flags }} ${{ inputs.src_root }}
+        make VERBOSE=1
+        popd
diff --git a/.github/workflows/extbuild.yml b/.github/workflows/extbuild.yml
index c3a54360e..b2127bdc5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/extbuild.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/extbuild.yml
@@ -93,12 +93,14 @@ jobs:
           pnetcdf_path: /usr
           parallelio_path: $HOME/pio
       - name: Build CDEPS
+        uses: ./.github/actions/buildcdeps
+        with:
+          esmfmkfile: $HOME/ESMF/lib/libg/Linux.gfortran.64.openmpi.default/esmf.mk
+          pio_path: $HOME/pio
+          src_root: $GITHUB_WORKSPACE
+          cmake_flags: " -Wno-dev -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=DEBUG -DWERROR=ON  -DCMAKE_Fortran_FLAGS=\"-DCPRGNU -g -Wall \
+          -ffree-form -ffree-line-length-none -fallow-argument-mismatch \""
+      - name: Test CDEPS
         run: |
-          export ESMFMKFILE=$HOME/ESMF/lib/libg/Linux.gfortran.64.openmpi.default/esmf.mk
-          export PIO=$HOME/pio
-          export SRC_ROOT=
-          mkdir build-cdeps
-          pushd build-cdeps
-          cmake -Wno-dev -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=DEBUG -DCMAKE_Fortran_FLAGS="-DCPRGNU -g -Wall -ffree-form -ffree-line-length-none -fallow-argument-mismatch " -DWERROR=ON ../
+          cd build-cdeps
           make VERBOSE=1
-          popd