diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 8e2cd69b604..c34af3836b5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -277,11 +277,17 @@ jobs:
         env:
           XWIN_ARCH: x86_64
         run: |
+          set -ex
           sudo apt-get install -y mingw-w64 llvm
           rustup target add x86_64-pc-windows-gnu x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
           python -m pip install cargo-xwin
+          # abi3
           cargo build --manifest-path examples/maturin-starter/Cargo.toml --features abi3 --target x86_64-pc-windows-gnu
           cargo xwin build --manifest-path examples/maturin-starter/Cargo.toml --features abi3 --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
+          # non-abi3
+          export PYO3_CROSS_PYTHON_VERSION=3.9
+          cargo build --manifest-path examples/maturin-starter/Cargo.toml --features generate-import-lib --target x86_64-pc-windows-gnu
+          cargo xwin build --manifest-path examples/maturin-starter/Cargo.toml --features generate-import-lib --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
       - name: Test cross compile to Windows with maturin
         if: ${{ matrix.platform.os == 'ubuntu-latest' && matrix.python-version == '3.8' }}
         uses: messense/maturin-action@v1
diff --git a/examples/maturin-starter/Cargo.toml b/examples/maturin-starter/Cargo.toml
index 64318dcfe87..c7e3d23353f 100644
--- a/examples/maturin-starter/Cargo.toml
+++ b/examples/maturin-starter/Cargo.toml
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ crate-type = ["cdylib"]
 pyo3 = { path = "../../", features = ["extension-module"] }
 
 [features]
-abi3 = ["pyo3/abi3-py37", "pyo3/generate-import-lib"]
+abi3 = ["pyo3/abi3-py37", "generate-import-lib"]
+generate-import-lib = ["pyo3/generate-import-lib"]
 
 [workspace]