diff --git a/dist/index.js b/dist/index.js
index 61dafb8..7033946 100644
--- a/dist/index.js
+++ b/dist/index.js
@@ -35718,7 +35718,14 @@ async function run(inputs) {
         await core.group(`Preparing ghcup environment`, async () => {
             // Andreas Abel, 2026-01-01, https://github.com/haskell-actions/setup/issues/78
             // Add ghcup vanilla and prereleases channels by default.
-            await (0, installer_1.addGhcupReleaseChannel)('vanilla', os, arch);
+            // Andreas Abel, 2026-01-11, https://github.com/haskell-actions/setup/issues/136
+            // There are reasons not to include the vanilla channel by default:
+            // mpickering write:
+            // the "vanilla" channel is the bindists "as released by GHC upstream",
+            // which is a change from the default, which provides curated bindists.
+            // In particular on the cabal repo this meant a 9.0.2 bindist without
+            // profiling libraries was downloaded by CI and caused a test to fail.
+            // await addGhcupReleaseChannel('vanilla', os, arch);
             await (0, installer_1.addGhcupReleaseChannel)('prereleases', os, arch);
             if (opts.ghcup.releaseChannel)
                 await (0, installer_1.addGhcupReleaseChannel)(opts.ghcup.releaseChannel.toString(), os, arch);
diff --git a/lib/setup-haskell.js b/lib/setup-haskell.js
index ce6318f..100984a 100644
--- a/lib/setup-haskell.js
+++ b/lib/setup-haskell.js
@@ -76,7 +76,14 @@ async function run(inputs) {
         await core.group(`Preparing ghcup environment`, async () => {
             // Andreas Abel, 2026-01-01, https://github.com/haskell-actions/setup/issues/78
             // Add ghcup vanilla and prereleases channels by default.
-            await (0, installer_1.addGhcupReleaseChannel)('vanilla', os, arch);
+            // Andreas Abel, 2026-01-11, https://github.com/haskell-actions/setup/issues/136
+            // There are reasons not to include the vanilla channel by default:
+            // mpickering write:
+            // the "vanilla" channel is the bindists "as released by GHC upstream",
+            // which is a change from the default, which provides curated bindists.
+            // In particular on the cabal repo this meant a 9.0.2 bindist without
+            // profiling libraries was downloaded by CI and caused a test to fail.
+            // await addGhcupReleaseChannel('vanilla', os, arch);
             await (0, installer_1.addGhcupReleaseChannel)('prereleases', os, arch);
             if (opts.ghcup.releaseChannel)
                 await (0, installer_1.addGhcupReleaseChannel)(opts.ghcup.releaseChannel.toString(), os, arch);
diff --git a/src/setup-haskell.ts b/src/setup-haskell.ts
index 734efbc..4a68e03 100644
--- a/src/setup-haskell.ts
+++ b/src/setup-haskell.ts
@@ -43,7 +43,14 @@ export default async function run(
     await core.group(`Preparing ghcup environment`, async () => {
       // Andreas Abel, 2026-01-01, https://github.com/haskell-actions/setup/issues/78
       // Add ghcup vanilla and prereleases channels by default.
-      await addGhcupReleaseChannel('vanilla', os, arch);
+      // Andreas Abel, 2026-01-11, https://github.com/haskell-actions/setup/issues/136
+      // There are reasons not to include the vanilla channel by default:
+      // mpickering write:
+      // the "vanilla" channel is the bindists "as released by GHC upstream",
+      // which is a change from the default, which provides curated bindists.
+      // In particular on the cabal repo this meant a 9.0.2 bindist without
+      // profiling libraries was downloaded by CI and caused a test to fail.
+      // await addGhcupReleaseChannel('vanilla', os, arch);
       await addGhcupReleaseChannel('prereleases', os, arch);
       if (opts.ghcup.releaseChannel)
         await addGhcupReleaseChannel(