diff --git a/.clj-kondo/imports/taoensso/encore/config.edn b/.clj-kondo/imports/taoensso/encore/config.edn
index 487e233..975c943 100644
--- a/.clj-kondo/imports/taoensso/encore/config.edn
+++ b/.clj-kondo/imports/taoensso/encore/config.edn
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@
   {taoensso.encore/defalias    taoensso.encore-hooks/defalias
    taoensso.encore/defaliases  taoensso.encore-hooks/defaliases
    taoensso.encore/defn-cached taoensso.encore-hooks/defn-cached
-   taoensso.encore/defonce     taoensso.encore-hooks/defonce}}}
+   taoensso.encore/defonce     taoensso.encore-hooks/defonce
+   taoensso.encore/def*        taoensso.encore-hooks/def*}}}
diff --git a/.clj-kondo/imports/taoensso/encore/taoensso/encore_hooks.clj b/.clj-kondo/imports/taoensso/encore/taoensso/encore_hooks.clj
index a574107..d133f73 100644
--- a/.clj-kondo/imports/taoensso/encore/taoensso/encore_hooks.clj
+++ b/.clj-kondo/imports/taoensso/encore/taoensso/encore_hooks.clj
@@ -64,8 +64,8 @@
              binding-vec
              body))))}))
 
-(defn defonce
-  [{:keys [node]}]
+(defn -def-impl
+  [{:keys [node]} core-macro-sym]
   ;; args = [sym doc-string? attr-map? init-expr]
   (let [[sym & args] (rest (:children node))
         [doc-string args]    (if (and (hooks/string-node? (first args)) (next args)) [(hooks/sexpr (first args)) (next  args)] [nil        args])
@@ -73,10 +73,16 @@
 
         attr-map (if doc-string (assoc attr-map :doc doc-string) attr-map)
         sym+meta (if attr-map (with-meta sym attr-map) sym)
+
         rewritten
         (hooks/list-node
-          [(hooks/token-node 'clojure.core/defonce)
+          [(hooks/token-node core-macro-sym)
            sym+meta
            init-expr])]
 
+    #_(println "old node:" node)
+    #_(println "new node:" rewritten)
     {:node rewritten}))
+
+(defn def*    [arg] (-def-impl arg 'def))
+(defn defonce [arg] (-def-impl arg 'clojure.core/defonce))
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index be2d5cc..dffa939 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ jobs:
           - { name: 'graalvm', short-name: 'graal' }
           - { name: 'graalvm-community', short-name: 'graalce' }
         java-version:
-          - '24'
+          - '25'
         clojure-version: [ '1.12' ]
 
     name: ${{matrix.os.name}} ${{matrix.distribution.short-name}} jdk${{matrix.java-version}} clj${{ matrix.clojure-version }}
diff --git a/deps.edn b/deps.edn
index f1e0d3d..fc0b3d3 100644
--- a/deps.edn
+++ b/deps.edn
@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@
   {:extra-paths ["build"]
    :deps {io.github.clojure/tools.build {:mvn/version "0.10.10"}
           slipset/deps-deploy {:mvn/version "0.2.2"}
-          babashka/fs {:mvn/version "0.5.26"}}
+          babashka/fs {:mvn/version "0.5.27"}}
    :ns-default build}
   ;; for consistent linting we use a specific version of clj-kondo through the jvm
-  :clj-kondo {:extra-deps {clj-kondo/clj-kondo {:mvn/version "2025.07.28"}}
+  :clj-kondo {:extra-deps {clj-kondo/clj-kondo {:mvn/version "2025.09.19"}}
               :override-deps {org.clojure/clojure {:mvn/version "1.12.2"}}
               :main-opts ["-m" "clj-kondo.main"]}
   :eastwood {:extra-deps {jonase/eastwood {:mvn/version "1.4.3"}}