diff --git a/.github/workflows/periodic_update.yml b/.github/workflows/periodic_update.yml
index e75b9828e01..5621d9a27b8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/periodic_update.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/periodic_update.yml
@@ -86,16 +86,36 @@ jobs:
           sudo apt update
           sudo apt install -y --no-install-recommends --no-install-suggests \
             gettext \
+            libcairo2-dev \
+            libfftw3-dev \
+            libfreetype-dev \
             libgdal-dev \
-            libproj-dev
-      - name: Configure grass with minimal packages
+            libgeos-dev \
+            libgl-dev \
+            libglu1-mesa-dev \
+            libnetcdf-dev \
+            libpq-dev \
+            libproj-dev \
+            libsvm-dev \
+            python3-wxgtk4.0
+      - name: Configure grass with the packages needed for the menu strings
+        # wxPython is needed to generate the menu strings, and the tools
+        # that are not built get a placeholder instead of their description.
+        # Ubuntu 24.04 does not package PDAL or libLAS, so the point cloud
+        # import and export tools still get the placeholder.
         run: |
           ./configure \
+            --with-cairo \
+            --with-fftw \
+            --with-freetype \
+            --with-freetype-includes=/usr/include/freetype2 \
+            --with-geos \
+            --with-libsvm \
+            --with-netcdf \
             --with-nls \
-            --without-cairo \
-            --without-fftw \
-            --without-freetype \
-            --without-opengl \
+            --with-opengl \
+            --with-postgres \
+            --with-postgres-includes=/usr/include/postgresql \
             --without-pdal
       - name: Build grass core
         run: make -j"$(nproc)"
diff --git a/gui/wxpython/Makefile b/gui/wxpython/Makefile
index 343599fe01a..8cf0f87a64f 100644
--- a/gui/wxpython/Makefile
+++ b/gui/wxpython/Makefile
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ include $(MODULE_TOPDIR)/include/Make/Python.make
 
 DSTDIR = $(GUIDIR)/wxpython
 
+# Do not leave a partial menustrings.py or XML file behind when a generator
+# fails (e.g., wxPython is missing), as later steps treat it as complete.
+.DELETE_ON_ERROR:
+
 SRCFILES := $(wildcard icons/*.py xml/*) \
 	$(wildcard animation/*.py core/*.py datacatalog/*.py jupyter_notebook/*.py history/*.py dbmgr/*.py gcp/*.py gmodeler/*.py \
 	gui_core/*.py iclass/*.py lmgr/*.py location_wizard/*.py main_window/*.py mapwin/*.py mapdisp/*.py \