diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-trusted.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-trusted.yml
index a55c7f597e..edbe655136 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-trusted.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-trusted.yml
@@ -280,6 +280,11 @@ jobs:
             exit 1
           fi
 
+      - name: Setup Node.js for pnpm bootstrap
+        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - name: Setup pnpm
         uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
@@ -373,6 +378,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Setup Node.js for pnpm bootstrap
+        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - name: Setup pnpm
         uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
@@ -464,6 +474,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Setup Node.js for pnpm bootstrap
+        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - name: Setup pnpm
         uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
@@ -546,6 +561,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Setup Node.js for pnpm bootstrap
+        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - name: Setup pnpm
         uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
@@ -615,6 +635,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Setup Node.js for pnpm bootstrap
+        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - name: Setup pnpm
         uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
@@ -656,6 +681,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Setup Node.js for pnpm bootstrap
+        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - name: Setup pnpm
         uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
@@ -738,6 +768,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - name: Setup Node.js for pnpm bootstrap
+        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - name: Setup pnpm
         uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/runner-full-stack-e2e.yml b/.github/workflows/runner-full-stack-e2e.yml
index 177d5d53b5..b7662b4205 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/runner-full-stack-e2e.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/runner-full-stack-e2e.yml
@@ -158,6 +158,10 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ needs.authorize.outputs.target_sha }}
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
           NPM_CONFIG_AUDIT: "false"
@@ -166,10 +170,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           version: 9.15.4
 
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
-        with:
-          node-version: 24
-
       - name: Resolve target lockfile without lifecycle scripts
         id: lock
         run: |
@@ -236,6 +236,10 @@ jobs:
           cp "$lock" pnpm-lock.yaml
           test "$(sha256sum pnpm-lock.yaml | cut -d ' ' -f 1)" = "$EXPECTED_LOCK_SHA256"
 
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
           NPM_CONFIG_AUDIT: "false"
@@ -490,6 +494,10 @@ jobs:
           cp "$lock" pnpm-lock.yaml
           test "$(sha256sum pnpm-lock.yaml | cut -d ' ' -f 1)" = "$EXPECTED_LOCK_SHA256"
 
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
           NPM_CONFIG_AUDIT: "false"
@@ -615,6 +623,11 @@ jobs:
           cp "$lock" pnpm-lock.yaml
           test "$(sha256sum pnpm-lock.yaml | cut -d ' ' -f 1)" = "$EXPECTED_LOCK_SHA256"
 
+      - if: needs.catalog.outputs.needs_remote_provider_pack == 'true'
+        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - if: needs.catalog.outputs.needs_remote_provider_pack == 'true'
         uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
@@ -769,6 +782,10 @@ jobs:
           cp "$lock" pnpm-lock.yaml
           test "$(sha256sum pnpm-lock.yaml | cut -d ' ' -f 1)" = "$EXPECTED_LOCK_SHA256"
 
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
           NPM_CONFIG_AUDIT: "false"
@@ -777,10 +794,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           version: 9.15.4
 
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
-        with:
-          node-version: 24
-
       # This job receives provider credentials only in the final paid-test
       # step. Keep target-selected dependency lifecycle code from running in
       # the protected environment during setup.
@@ -931,6 +944,10 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ github.sha }}
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
           NPM_CONFIG_AUDIT: "false"
@@ -1041,6 +1058,10 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ github.sha }}
           persist-credentials: false
 
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+
       - uses: pnpm/action-setup@0977fd99725f1db4007ccb2928dbb4e90d06cc86 # v6
         env:
           NPM_CONFIG_AUDIT: "false"
@@ -1049,10 +1070,6 @@ jobs:
         with:
           version: 9.15.4
 
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7
-        with:
-          node-version: 24
-
       - run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
 
       - name: Download access-controlled normalized campaign
diff --git a/tests/runner-e2e/workflow-security.test.ts b/tests/runner-e2e/workflow-security.test.ts
index f24646f5a8..74e1c5924a 100644
--- a/tests/runner-e2e/workflow-security.test.ts
+++ b/tests/runner-e2e/workflow-security.test.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,58 @@ describe("public repository paid workflow security", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("installs a modern Node runtime before every trusted pnpm bootstrap", async () => {
+    const workflows = [
+      {
+        name: "runner-full-stack-e2e.yml",
+        expectedCachedSetupNodeSteps: 4,
+      },
+      {
+        name: "pr-trusted.yml",
+        expectedCachedSetupNodeSteps: 7,
+      },
+    ];
+
+    for (const { name, expectedCachedSetupNodeSteps } of workflows) {
+      const workflow = await readFile(
+        path.join(repositoryRoot, ".github/workflows", name),
+        "utf8",
+      );
+      const steps = workflow.split(/\n(?= {6}- )/u);
+      const pnpmSetupStepIndexes = steps.flatMap((step, index) =>
+        step.includes("uses: pnpm/action-setup@") ? [index] : [],
+      );
+
+      expect(pnpmSetupStepIndexes, name).toHaveLength(7);
+      for (const pnpmSetupStepIndex of pnpmSetupStepIndexes) {
+        const pnpmSetupStep = steps[pnpmSetupStepIndex]!;
+        const nodeBootstrapStep = steps[pnpmSetupStepIndex - 1]!;
+        expect(nodeBootstrapStep, name).toContain("uses: actions/setup-node@");
+        expect(nodeBootstrapStep, name).not.toContain("cache: pnpm");
+
+        const nodeVersionMatch = nodeBootstrapStep.match(
+          /^\s*node-version:\s*["']?(\d+)(?:\.(\d+))?/mu,
+        );
+        expect(nodeVersionMatch, name).not.toBeNull();
+        const nodeMajor = Number(nodeVersionMatch![1]);
+        const nodeMinor = Number(nodeVersionMatch![2] ?? 0);
+        expect(
+          nodeMajor > 22 || (nodeMajor === 22 && nodeMinor >= 13),
+          `${name} must install Node >=22.13 before pnpm/action-setup`,
+        ).toBe(true);
+
+        const conditionPattern = /^ {6}- if:\s*(.+)$/mu;
+        expect(nodeBootstrapStep.match(conditionPattern)?.[1] ?? null).toBe(
+          pnpmSetupStep.match(conditionPattern)?.[1] ?? null,
+        );
+      }
+
+      expect(workflow.match(/^\s+cache: pnpm$/gmu), name).toHaveLength(
+        expectedCachedSetupNodeSteps,
+      );
+    }
+  });
+
   it("gates every provider-secret job with stable actor IDs", async () => {
     const workflows = await Promise.all(
       ["runner-full-stack-e2e.yml", "runner-live-evals.yml", "e2e.yml"].map(