diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-doxygen/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-doxygen/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f6a62181c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/setup-doxygen/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+name: Set up doxygen
+description: |
+  Download, build, and install doxygen.
+
+runs:
+  using: "composite"
+  steps:
+    - name: Install apt dependencies for doxygen
+      run: |
+        sudo apt-get update \
+          && sudo apt-get install -y \
+              bison \
+              ragel \
+              graphviz \
+              texlive-latex-extra
+      shell: bash
+
+    - name: Download and build doxygen
+      run: sudo scripts/downloadAndBuildDoxygen.sh
+      shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_doc.yml b/.github/workflows/test_doc.yml
index 98c023ba79..64dc0b301d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_doc.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_doc.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ on:
 jobs:
   doxygen:
     name: Test Doxygen
-
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
 
     strategy:
@@ -32,26 +31,14 @@ jobs:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v3
     - run: git fetch --prune --unshallow
 
-    - name: apt
-      run: |
-        sudo apt-get update \
-          && sudo apt-get install -y \
-          bison \
-          ragel \
-          graphviz \
-          texlive-latex-extra
-
-    - name: Build doxygen
-      run: |
-        sudo scripts/downloadAndBuildDoxygen.sh
+    - name: Set up doxygen
+      uses: ./.github/actions/setup-doxygen
 
     - name: Run doxygen
-      run: |
-        scripts/run-doxygen.sh
+      run: scripts/run-doxygen.sh
 
   sphinx:
     name: Test Sphinx
-
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
 
     strategy:
@@ -70,9 +57,8 @@ jobs:
       - run: echo "AMICI_DIR=$(pwd)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - run: echo "SWIG=${AMICI_DIR}/ThirdParty/swig-4.1.1/install/bin/swig" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
-      - name: Build doxygen
-        run: |
-          sudo scripts/downloadAndBuildDoxygen.sh
+      - name: Set up doxygen
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-doxygen
 
       # install amici dependencies
       - name: apt
@@ -90,5 +76,4 @@ jobs:
           sudo scripts/downloadAndBuildSwig.sh
 
       - name: sphinx
-        run: |
-          scripts/run-sphinx.sh
+        run: scripts/run-sphinx.sh
diff --git a/scripts/downloadAndBuildDoxygen.sh b/scripts/downloadAndBuildDoxygen.sh
index c51c05c599..19d86be5a1 100755
--- a/scripts/downloadAndBuildDoxygen.sh
+++ b/scripts/downloadAndBuildDoxygen.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # Download and build Doxygen (in case apt or homebrew version is buggy again)
-set -e
+set -euo pipefail
 
 SCRIPT_PATH=$(dirname "$BASH_SOURCE")
 AMICI_PATH=$(cd "$SCRIPT_PATH"/.. && pwd)
@@ -8,8 +8,11 @@ AMICI_PATH=$(cd "$SCRIPT_PATH"/.. && pwd)
 DOXYGEN_DIR="${AMICI_PATH}"/ThirdParty/doxygen
 cd "${AMICI_PATH}"/ThirdParty
 if [[ ! -d ${DOXYGEN_DIR} ]]; then
-  # git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/doxygen/doxygen.git "${DOXYGEN_DIR}"
-  git clone --single-branch --branch Release_1_9_7 --depth 1 https://github.com/doxygen/doxygen.git "${DOXYGEN_DIR}"
+  git clone --single-branch \
+            --branch Release_1_9_7 \
+            --depth 1 \
+            -c advice.detachedHead=false \
+            https://github.com/doxygen/doxygen.git "${DOXYGEN_DIR}"
 fi
 
 cd "${DOXYGEN_DIR}"