diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-github/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-github/action.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 1d1d4f75d9b3e..0000000000000
--- a/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-github/action.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
-name: 'GitHub Node.js Build Setup for Github Hosted Runners'
-description: 'Configures Node.js with pnpm, installs dependencies, enables Turborepo caching, and builds the project or an optional command.'
-
-inputs:
-  node-version:
-    description: 'Node.js version to use. Uses latest 22.x by default.'
-    required: false
-    default: '22.x'
-  build-command:
-    description: 'Command to execute for building the project or an optional command. Leave empty to skip build step.'
-    required: false
-    default: 'pnpm build'
-    type: string
-
-runs:
-  using: 'composite'
-  steps:
-    - name: Setup Node.js
-      uses: actions/setup-node@49933ea5288caeca8642d1e84afbd3f7d6820020 # v4.4.0
-      with:
-        node-version: ${{ inputs.node-version }}
-
-    - name: Setup pnpm and Install Dependencies
-      uses: pnpm/action-setup@a7487c7e89a18df4991f7f222e4898a00d66ddda # v4.1.0
-      with:
-        run_install: true
-
-    - name: Configure Turborepo Cache
-      uses: rharkor/caching-for-turbo@2b4b5b14a8d16b8556a58993a8ac331d56d8906d # v2.3.2
-
-    - name: Build Project
-      run: ${{ inputs.build-command }}
-      shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith/action.yml b/.github/actions/setup-nodejs/action.yml
similarity index 56%
rename from .github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith/action.yml
rename to .github/actions/setup-nodejs/action.yml
index f4df26107e819..d3172ea993edd 100644
--- a/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/setup-nodejs/action.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
-name: 'Blacksmith Node.js Build Setup'
+# This action works transparently on both Blacksmith and GitHub-hosted runners.
+# Blacksmith runners benefit from transparent caching and optional Docker layer caching.
+# GitHub-hosted runners use standard GitHub Actions caching.
+
+name: 'Node.js Build Setup'
 description: 'Configures Node.js with pnpm, installs dependencies, enables Turborepo caching, (optional) sets up Docker layer caching, and builds the project or an optional command.'
 
 inputs:
@@ -7,7 +11,7 @@ inputs:
     required: false
     default: '22.x'
   enable-docker-cache:
-    description: 'Whether to set up Blacksmith Buildx for Docker layer caching.'
+    description: 'Whether to set up Blacksmith Buildx for Docker layer caching (Blacksmith runners only).'
     required: false
     default: 'false'
     type: boolean
@@ -20,22 +24,25 @@ inputs:
 runs:
   using: 'composite'
   steps:
+    - name: Setup pnpm
+      uses: pnpm/action-setup@41ff72655975bd51cab0327fa583b6e92b6d3061 # v4.2.0
+
     - name: Setup Node.js
-      uses: useblacksmith/setup-node@65c6ca86fdeb0ab3d85e78f57e4f6a7e4780b391 # v5.0.4
+      uses: actions/setup-node@395ad3262231945c25e8478fd5baf05154b1d79f # v6.1.0
       with:
         node-version: ${{ inputs.node-version }}
+        cache: 'pnpm'
 
-    - name: Setup pnpm and Install Dependencies
-      uses: pnpm/action-setup@fe02b34f77f8bc703788d5817da081398fad5dd2 # v4.0.0
-      with:
-        run_install: true
+    - name: Install Dependencies
+      run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
+      shell: bash
 
     - name: Configure Turborepo Cache
-      uses: useblacksmith/caching-for-turbo@bafb57e7ebdbf1185762286ec94d24648cd3938a # v1
+      uses: rharkor/caching-for-turbo@cda201ff2b32699a2ae9f59704db029e3dde4fbd # v2.3.5
 
     - name: Setup Docker Builder for Docker Cache
       if: ${{ inputs.enable-docker-cache == 'true' }}
-      uses: useblacksmith/setup-docker-builder@0b434dfbb431f4e3a2bcee7a773a56bd363184c5 # v1
+      uses: useblacksmith/setup-docker-builder@53647ab5afe8827af5623b35bd4302eabd41619f # v1.2.0
 
     - name: Build Project
       run: ${{ inputs.build-command }}
diff --git a/.github/scripts/docker/docker-config.mjs b/.github/scripts/docker/docker-config.mjs
index cbd35faff7d82..972631c9e5f75 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/docker/docker-config.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/docker/docker-config.mjs
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ class BuildContext {
 				case 'pull_request':
 					context.version = `pr-${pr}`;
 					context.release_type = 'dev';
-					context.push_to_ghcr = false;
+					context.platforms = ['linux/amd64'];
 					break;
 
 				case 'workflow_dispatch':
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-windows.yml b/.github/workflows/build-windows.yml
index c549c5a31585e..fb56db5e8d4c3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-windows.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
 
       - name: Setup Node.js and Build
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-github
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: pnpm build
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-documentation-urls.yml b/.github/workflows/check-documentation-urls.yml
index 97fc6c8fbf51c..6d1f1330cd49e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-documentation-urls.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-documentation-urls.yml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11 # v4.1.1
 
       - name: Setup Node.js
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: turbo build --filter=*nodes*
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/chromatic.yml b/.github/workflows/chromatic.yml
index a99932c2f53ac..8d2042c65a85f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/chromatic.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/chromatic.yml
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0
 
       - name: Setup Node.js
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: pnpm run build --filter=@n8n/utils --filter=@n8n/vitest-config --filter=@n8n/design-system
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-evals.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-evals.yml
index a2d8f4688b989..2af1bea9c4b27 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-evals.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-evals.yml
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "LANGSMITH_DATASET_NAME=$DATASET" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@d9e0f98d3fc6adb07d1e3d37f3043649ddad06a1 # 6.5.0
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-manual-build-unit-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-manual-build-unit-tests.yml
index dcacc0b9b11f0..abdf103afd8d2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-manual-build-unit-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-manual-build-unit-tests.yml
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Run format check
         run: pnpm format:check
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-master.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-master.yml
index c9d782cc0fe7e..f2c7203584fbd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-master.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-master.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-github
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
   unit-test:
     name: Unit tests
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-postgres-mysql.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-postgres-mysql.yml
index 39324e8d43902..3b569979e63e8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-postgres-mysql.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-postgres-mysql.yml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ on:
 
 concurrency:
   group: db-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.ref }}
-  cancel-in-progress: false
+  cancel-in-progress: true
 
 env:
   NODE_OPTIONS: '--max-old-space-size=3072'
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11 # v4.1.1
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
   sqlite-pooled:
     name: SQLite Pooled
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11 # v4.1.1
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Test SQLite Pooled
         working-directory: packages/cli
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11 # v4.1.1
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Start MariaDB
         uses: isbang/compose-action@802a148945af6399a338c7906c267331b39a71af # v2.0.0
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11 # v4.1.1
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Start MySQL
         uses: isbang/compose-action@802a148945af6399a338c7906c267331b39a71af # v2.0.0
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@b4ffde65f46336ab88eb53be808477a3936bae11 # v4.1.1
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Start Postgres
         uses: isbang/compose-action@802a148945af6399a338c7906c267331b39a71af # v2.0.0
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-pull-requests.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-pull-requests.yml
index b7734e1181fbc..c97655c79b9ae 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci-pull-requests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-pull-requests.yml
@@ -2,9 +2,10 @@ name: Build, unit test and lint branch
 
 on:
   pull_request:
+  merge_group:
 
 concurrency:
-  group: ci-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.ref }}
+  group: ci-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.event.merge_group.head_sha || github.ref }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 env:
@@ -19,10 +20,16 @@ jobs:
     outputs:
       frontend_changed: ${{ steps.paths-filter.outputs.frontend == 'true' }}
       non_python_changed: ${{ steps.paths-filter.outputs.non-python == 'true' }}
+      commit_sha: ${{ steps.commit-sha.outputs.sha }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
         with:
-          ref: refs/pull/${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}/merge
+          # Use merge_group SHA when in merge queue, otherwise PR merge ref
+          ref: ${{ github.event_name == 'merge_group' && github.event.merge_group.head_sha || format('refs/pull/{0}/merge', github.event.pull_request.number) }}
+
+      - name: Capture commit SHA for cache consistency
+        id: commit-sha
+        run: echo "sha=$(git rev-parse HEAD)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
       - name: Check for frontend changes
         uses: dorny/paths-filter@de90cc6fb38fc0963ad72b210f1f284cd68cea36 # v3.0.2
@@ -41,7 +48,7 @@ jobs:
               - '!packages/@n8n/task-runner-python/**'
       - name: Setup and Build
         if: steps.paths-filter.outputs.non-python == 'true'
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Run format check
         if: steps.paths-filter.outputs.non-python == 'true'
@@ -63,16 +70,16 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
         with:
-          ref: refs/pull/${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}/merge
+          ref: ${{ needs.install-and-build.outputs.commit_sha }}
 
       - name: Setup pnpm CLI
-        uses: pnpm/action-setup@a7487c7e89a18df4991f7f222e4898a00d66ddda # v4.1.0
+        uses: pnpm/action-setup@41ff72655975bd51cab0327fa583b6e92b6d3061 # v4.2.0
 
       - name: Setup Node.js
-        uses: actions/setup-node@49933ea5288caeca8642d1e84afbd3f7d6820020 # v4.4.0
+        uses: actions/setup-node@395ad3262231945c25e8478fd5baf05154b1d79f # v6.1.0
         with:
           node-version: '22.x'
-          cache: pnpm
+          cache: 'pnpm'
 
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
@@ -92,7 +99,7 @@ jobs:
     uses: ./.github/workflows/units-tests-reusable.yml
     needs: install-and-build
     with:
-      ref: refs/pull/${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}/merge
+      ref: ${{ needs.install-and-build.outputs.commit_sha }}
       collectCoverage: true
     secrets:
       CODECOV_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}
@@ -105,10 +112,10 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
         with:
-          ref: refs/pull/${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}/merge
+          ref: ${{ needs.install-and-build.outputs.commit_sha }}
 
       - name: Setup Node.js
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: pnpm typecheck
 
@@ -118,13 +125,15 @@ jobs:
     uses: ./.github/workflows/linting-reusable.yml
     needs: install-and-build
     with:
-      ref: refs/pull/${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}/merge
+      ref: ${{ needs.install-and-build.outputs.commit_sha }}
 
   e2e-tests:
     name: E2E Tests
-    needs: [install-and-build]
+    needs: install-and-build
     if: needs.install-and-build.outputs.non_python_changed == 'true'
     uses: ./.github/workflows/playwright-test-ci.yml
+    with:
+      branch: ${{ needs.install-and-build.outputs.commit_sha }}
     secrets: inherit
 
   # This job is required by GitHub branch protection rules.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/data-tooling.yml b/.github/workflows/data-tooling.yml
index 80fa385a9f305..4085715055a99 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/data-tooling.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/data-tooling.yml
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ jobs:
               - packages/cli/**
       - name: Setup, build and export sqlite
         if: steps.paths-filter.outputs.db == 'true'
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: |
             pnpm build
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Setup and Build
         if: steps.paths-filter.outputs.db == 'true'
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Start Postgres
         if: steps.paths-filter.outputs.db == 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-build-push.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-build-push.yml
index 2a5a636fee024..474fcb943de05 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-build-push.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-build-push.yml
@@ -86,9 +86,10 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: pnpm build:n8n
+          enable-docker-cache: 'true'
 
       - name: Determine Docker tags for all images
         id: determine-tags
@@ -104,9 +105,6 @@ jobs:
             echo "${key}: ${value%%,*}..."  # Show first tag for brevity
           done
 
-      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@b5ca514318bd6ebac0fb2aedd5d36ec1b5c232a2 # v3.10.0
-
       - name: Login to GitHub Container Registry
         if: needs.determine-build-context.outputs.push_enabled == 'true'
         uses: docker/login-action@74a5d142397b4f367a81961eba4e8cd7edddf772 # v3.4.0
@@ -125,7 +123,7 @@ jobs:
           password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_PASSWORD }}
 
       - name: Build and push n8n Docker image
-        uses: useblacksmith/build-push-action@574eb0ee0b59c6a687ace24192f0727dfb65d6d7 # v1.2
+        uses: useblacksmith/build-push-action@30c71162f16ea2c27c3e21523255d209b8b538c1 # v2
         with:
           context: .
           file: ./docker/images/n8n/Dockerfile
@@ -140,7 +138,7 @@ jobs:
           tags: ${{ steps.determine-tags.outputs.n8n_tags }}
 
       - name: Build and push task runners Docker image (Alpine)
-        uses: useblacksmith/build-push-action@574eb0ee0b59c6a687ace24192f0727dfb65d6d7 # v1.2
+        uses: useblacksmith/build-push-action@30c71162f16ea2c27c3e21523255d209b8b538c1 # v2
         with:
           context: .
           file: ./docker/images/runners/Dockerfile
@@ -155,7 +153,7 @@ jobs:
           tags: ${{ steps.determine-tags.outputs.runners_tags }}
 
       - name: Build and push task runners Docker image (distroless)
-        uses: useblacksmith/build-push-action@574eb0ee0b59c6a687ace24192f0727dfb65d6d7 # v1.2
+        uses: useblacksmith/build-push-action@30c71162f16ea2c27c3e21523255d209b8b538c1 # v2
         with:
           context: .
           file: ./docker/images/runners/Dockerfile.distroless
diff --git a/.github/workflows/linting-reusable.yml b/.github/workflows/linting-reusable.yml
index 9a069831854d4..6f928e8b00c74 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/linting-reusable.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/linting-reusable.yml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
 
       - name: Build and Test
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: pnpm lint
           node-version: ${{ inputs.nodeVersion }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/playwright-test-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/playwright-test-ci.yml
index b438301908dea..33b5b4129b1fd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/playwright-test-ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/playwright-test-ci.yml
@@ -2,15 +2,23 @@ name: E2E Tests for CI
 
 on:
   workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      branch:
+        description: 'GitHub branch/ref to test'
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: ''
 
 jobs:
   # Multi-main: postgres + redis + caddy + 2 mains + 1 worker
   # Only runs for internal PRs (not community/fork PRs)
+  # Builds Docker images locally per shard for faster parallel execution
   multi-main-ui:
     name: 'Multi-Main: UI'
     if: ${{ !github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork }}
     uses: ./.github/workflows/playwright-test-reusable.yml
     with:
+      branch: ${{ inputs.branch }}
       test-mode: docker-build
       test-command: pnpm --filter=n8n-playwright test:container:multi-main:ui
       shards: '[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]'
@@ -23,6 +31,7 @@ jobs:
     if: ${{ !github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork }}
     uses: ./.github/workflows/playwright-test-reusable.yml
     with:
+      branch: ${{ inputs.branch }}
       test-mode: docker-build
       test-command: pnpm --filter=n8n-playwright test:container:multi-main:isolated
       shards: '[1]'
@@ -37,6 +46,7 @@ jobs:
     if: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork }}
     uses: ./.github/workflows/playwright-test-reusable.yml
     with:
+      branch: ${{ inputs.branch }}
       test-mode: local
       test-command: pnpm --filter=n8n-playwright test:local
       shards: '[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]'
@@ -48,6 +58,7 @@ jobs:
     if: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork }}
     uses: ./.github/workflows/playwright-test-reusable.yml
     with:
+      branch: ${{ inputs.branch }}
       test-mode: local
       test-command: pnpm --filter=n8n-playwright test:local:isolated
       shards: '[1]'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/playwright-test-coverage.yml b/.github/workflows/playwright-test-coverage.yml
index cdcadef6f5da2..a5d1ff261ac81 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/playwright-test-coverage.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/playwright-test-coverage.yml
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ on:
   workflow_dispatch: # Allow manual triggering
 
 env:
-  PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH: packages/testing/playwright/ms-playwright-cache
   NODE_OPTIONS: --max-old-space-size=16384
   TESTCONTAINERS_RYUK_DISABLED: true
   PLAYWRIGHT_WORKERS: 4
+  PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH: packages/testing/playwright/.playwright-browsers
 
 jobs:
   coverage:
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@08eba0b27e820071cde6df949e0beb9ba4906955 # v4.3.0
 
       - name: Setup Environment
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         env:
           INCLUDE_TEST_CONTROLLER: 'true'
 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ jobs:
           INCLUDE_TEST_CONTROLLER: 'true'
 
       - name: Install Browsers
-        run: pnpm turbo install-browsers:ci
+        run: pnpm turbo run install-browsers --filter=n8n-playwright
 
       - name: Run Container Coverage Tests
         id: coverage-tests
diff --git a/.github/workflows/playwright-test-reusable.yml b/.github/workflows/playwright-test-reusable.yml
index d51a4534b906e..526e4097b83cb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/playwright-test-reusable.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/playwright-test-reusable.yml
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ on:
         default: '[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]'
         type: string
       docker-image:
-        description: 'Docker image to use (for docker-pull mode)'
+        description: 'Docker image to use (for docker-pull mode). The runners image is derived automatically from the n8n image.'
         required: false
         default: 'n8nio/n8n:nightly'
         type: string
@@ -53,13 +53,16 @@ on:
         required: false
 
 env:
-  PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH: packages/testing/playwright/ms-playwright-cache
-  NODE_OPTIONS: --max-old-space-size=3072
+  NODE_OPTIONS: ${{ contains(inputs.runner, '2vcpu') && '--max-old-space-size=6144' || '' }}
   # Disable Ryuk to avoid issues with Docker since it needs privileged access, containers are cleaned on teardown anyway
   TESTCONTAINERS_RYUK_DISABLED: true
-  PLAYWRIGHT_WORKERS: ${{ inputs.workers || '2' }} # Configurable workers, defaults to 2 to reduce resource contention
+  PLAYWRIGHT_WORKERS: ${{ inputs.workers != '' && inputs.workers || '2' }}
   # Must match CI's COVERAGE_ENABLED to ensure Turbo cache hits (it's a globalEnv in turbo.json)
   COVERAGE_ENABLED: 'true'
+  # Browser cache location - must match install-browsers script
+  PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH: packages/testing/playwright/.playwright-browsers
+  N8N_DOCKER_IMAGE: ${{ inputs.test-mode == 'docker-build' && 'n8nio/n8n:local' || inputs.docker-image }}
+  N8N_SKIP_LICENSES: 'true'
 
 jobs:
   test:
@@ -79,28 +82,24 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.branch || github.ref }}
 
       - name: Setup Environment
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
-          build-command: ${{ inputs.test-mode == 'docker-build' && 'pnpm build:docker' || 'pnpm turbo build:playwright' }}
-          enable-docker-cache: ${{ inputs.test-mode != 'local' }}
+          # docker-build: build app + docker image locally
+          # docker-pull: no build needed, image is pre-built
+          # local: build app for local server
+          build-command: ${{ inputs.test-mode == 'docker-build' && 'pnpm build:docker' || (inputs.test-mode == 'local' && 'pnpm build' || '') }}
+          enable-docker-cache: ${{ inputs.test-mode == 'docker-build' }}
         env:
           INCLUDE_TEST_CONTROLLER: ${{ inputs.test-mode == 'docker-build' && 'true' || '' }}
 
       - name: Install Browsers
-        if: inputs.test-mode == 'docker-build'
-        run: pnpm turbo install-browsers:ci
+        run: pnpm turbo run install-browsers --filter=n8n-playwright
 
       - name: Pre-pull Test Container Images
         if: ${{ !contains(inputs.test-command, 'test:local') }}
         run: |
           # Pre-pull all test container images to avoid network changes during test execution
           npx tsx packages/testing/containers/pull-test-images.ts || true
-        env:
-          N8N_DOCKER_IMAGE: ${{ inputs.test-mode == 'docker-build' && 'n8nio/n8n:local' || inputs.docker-image }}
-
-      - name: Prepare Test Image
-        if: inputs.test-mode == 'docker-pull'
-        run: pnpm --filter=n8n-playwright prepare-test-image ${{ inputs.docker-image }}
 
       - name: Run Tests
         run: |
@@ -108,7 +107,6 @@ jobs:
             --shard=${{ matrix.shard }}/${{ strategy.job-total }} \
             --workers=${{ env.PLAYWRIGHT_WORKERS }}
         env:
-          N8N_DOCKER_IMAGE: ${{ inputs.test-mode == 'docker-build' && 'n8nio/n8n:local' || inputs.docker-image }}
           CURRENTS_RECORD_KEY: ${{ secrets.CURRENTS_RECORD_KEY }}
           QA_PERFORMANCE_METRICS_WEBHOOK_URL: ${{ secrets.QA_PERFORMANCE_METRICS_WEBHOOK_URL }}
           QA_PERFORMANCE_METRICS_WEBHOOK_USER: ${{ secrets.QA_PERFORMANCE_METRICS_WEBHOOK_USER }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml
index 60e32beb27b08..f26f980eb5e4f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
 
       - name: Setup and Build ARM64
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         env:
           N8N_FAIL_ON_POPULARITY_FETCH_ERROR: true
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-github
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         env:
           N8N_FAIL_ON_POPULARITY_FETCH_ERROR: true
 
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
 
       - name: Restore Turbo Cache
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-github
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Create a frontend release
         uses: getsentry/action-release@e769183448303de84c5a06aaaddf9da7be26d6c7 # v1.7.0
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-standalone-package.yml b/.github/workflows/release-standalone-package.yml
index f5dd2a9db0075..681b92c5b0fdb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-standalone-package.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-standalone-package.yml
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
 
       - name: Setup and Build
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-github
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: 'pnpm turbo build --filter "...${{ github.event.inputs.package }}"'
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/storybook.yml b/.github/workflows/storybook.yml
index 8174a49841d72..e859c37a7accc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/storybook.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/storybook.yml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: Setup Node.js
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: pnpm run build --filter=@n8n/utils --filter=@n8n/vitest-config --filter=@n8n/design-system
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/sync-public-api-docs.yml b/.github/workflows/sync-public-api-docs.yml
index 4ba97452a63a0..b105262730985 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/sync-public-api-docs.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/sync-public-api-docs.yml
@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0 # Fetch all history for git log
 
       - name: Setup PNPM
-        uses: pnpm/action-setup@a7487c7e89a18df4991f7f222e4898a00d66ddda # v4.1.0
+        uses: pnpm/action-setup@41ff72655975bd51cab0327fa583b6e92b6d3061 # v4.2.0
 
       - name: Setup Node.js
-        uses: actions/setup-node@49933ea5288caeca8642d1e84afbd3f7d6820020 # v4.4.0
+        uses: actions/setup-node@395ad3262231945c25e8478fd5baf05154b1d79f # v6.1.0
         with:
           node-version: '22.x'
           cache: 'pnpm'
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ jobs:
 
             # Find all commits between the last success and now that touched the relevant files
             # NOTE: The pathspecs here mirror the workflow's 'paths' trigger for precision
-            RELEVANT_COMMITS=$(git log --pretty=format:"- [%h](https://github.com/${{ github.repository }}/commit/%H) %s" $LAST_SUCCESS_SHA..${{ github.sha }} -- \
+            RELEVANT_COMMITS=$(git log --pretty=format:"- [%h](https://github.com/${{ github.repository }}/commit/%H) %s" "${LAST_SUCCESS_SHA}..${{ github.sha }}" -- \
               'packages/cli/src/public-api/**/*.css' \
               'packages/cli/src/public-api/**/*.yaml' \
               'packages/cli/src/public-api/**/*.yml')
@@ -129,9 +129,11 @@ jobs:
             SOURCE_LINK="Source commit(s):"$'\n'"$RELEVANT_COMMITS"
           fi
 
-          echo "source_link<<EOF" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          echo "$SOURCE_LINK" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          echo "EOF" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          {
+            echo "source_link<<EOF"
+            echo "$SOURCE_LINK"
+            echo "EOF"
+          } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
       - name: Create PR in Docs Repo
         if: steps.verify_file.outputs.file_exists == 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-workflows-callable.yml b/.github/workflows/test-workflows-callable.yml
index 5748ef647f196..f684b9af0158d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-workflows-callable.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-workflows-callable.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.git_ref }}
 
       - name: Set up Environment
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
 
       - name: Set up Workflow Tests
         run: pnpm --filter=n8n-playwright test:workflows:setup
diff --git a/.github/workflows/units-tests-reusable.yml b/.github/workflows/units-tests-reusable.yml
index 07d12979c9003..c1048a45a8750 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/units-tests-reusable.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/units-tests-reusable.yml
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
 
       - name: Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           node-version: ${{ inputs.nodeVersion }}
 
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
 
       - name: Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           node-version: ${{ inputs.nodeVersion }}
 
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
 
       - name: Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           node-version: ${{ inputs.nodeVersion }}
 
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.ref }}
 
       - name: Build
-        uses: n8n-io/n8n/.github/actions/setup-nodejs-blacksmith@f5fbbbe0a28a886451c886cac6b49192a39b0eea # v1.104.1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           node-version: ${{ inputs.nodeVersion }}
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/update-node-popularity.yml b/.github/workflows/update-node-popularity.yml
index 9f42729310baf..97163b73c19c7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/update-node-popularity.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/update-node-popularity.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
 
       - name: Setup Node.js and Dependencies
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs-github
+        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-nodejs
         with:
           build-command: '' # Skip build, we only need to fetch data
 
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 54b0222a7e943..7cb236a46c029 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ test-results.json
 *.0x
 packages/testing/playwright/playwright-report
 packages/testing/playwright/test-results
-packages/testing/playwright/ms-playwright-cache
+packages/testing/playwright/.playwright-browsers
 test-results/
 compiled_app_output
 trivy_report*
diff --git a/packages/testing/containers/test-containers.ts b/packages/testing/containers/test-containers.ts
index 1a33819812f7b..aafdb5dd94524 100644
--- a/packages/testing/containers/test-containers.ts
+++ b/packages/testing/containers/test-containers.ts
@@ -5,18 +5,15 @@
 // Use N8N_DOCKER_IMAGE env var if set, otherwise default to 'n8nio/n8n:local'
 const n8nImage = process.env.N8N_DOCKER_IMAGE ?? 'n8nio/n8n:local';
 
-// Derive the task runner image from the n8n image tag for consistency
+// Derive the task runner image from the n8n image for consistency
 // e.g., 'n8nio/n8n:local' -> 'n8nio/runners:local'
-// e.g., 'n8nio/n8n:1.50.0' -> 'n8nio/runners:1.50.0'
+// e.g., 'ghcr.io/n8n-io/n8n:pr-123' -> 'ghcr.io/n8n-io/runners:pr-123'
 function getTaskRunnerImage(): string {
 	// Allow explicit override via env var
 	if (process.env.N8N_RUNNERS_IMAGE) {
 		return process.env.N8N_RUNNERS_IMAGE;
 	}
-
-	// Extract the tag from the n8n image and apply it to runners
-	const tag = n8nImage.split(':').at(-1) ?? 'local';
-	return `n8nio/runners:${tag}`;
+	return n8nImage.replace(/\/n8n:/, '/runners:');
 }
 
 export const TEST_CONTAINER_IMAGES = {
diff --git a/packages/testing/playwright/package.json b/packages/testing/playwright/package.json
index 8b32bc83443c0..4fafd7aa435bd 100644
--- a/packages/testing/playwright/package.json
+++ b/packages/testing/playwright/package.json
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@
     "test:workflows:update": "playwright test --project=cli-workflows --update-snapshots",
     "coverage:report": "node scripts/generate-coverage-report.js",
     "coverage:clean": "rm -rf coverage .nyc_output",
-    "install-browsers:local": "playwright install chromium --with-deps",
-    "install-browsers:ci": "PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH=./ms-playwright-cache playwright install chromium --with-deps",
+    "install-browsers": "PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH=./.playwright-browsers playwright install chromium --with-deps",
     "browsers:uninstall": "playwright uninstall --all",
     "prepare-test-image": "node scripts/build-test-image.mjs",
     "lint": "eslint . --quiet",
diff --git a/scripts/build-n8n.mjs b/scripts/build-n8n.mjs
index 1f1d35c4ed12a..531cd462b0522 100755
--- a/scripts/build-n8n.mjs
+++ b/scripts/build-n8n.mjs
@@ -105,16 +105,21 @@ try {
 	buildProcess.pipe(process.stdout);
 	await buildProcess;
 
-	// Generate third-party licenses for production build
-	echo(chalk.yellow('INFO: Generating third-party licenses...'));
-	try {
-		const licenseProcess = $`cd ${config.rootDir} && node scripts/generate-third-party-licenses.mjs`;
-		licenseProcess.pipe(process.stdout);
-		await licenseProcess;
-		echo(chalk.green('✅ Third-party licenses generated successfully'));
-	} catch (error) {
-		echo(chalk.yellow('⚠️  Warning: Third-party license generation failed, continuing build...'));
-		echo(chalk.red(`ERROR: License generation failed: ${error.message}`));
+	// Generate third-party licenses for production builds
+	// Skip with N8N_SKIP_LICENSES=true for CI test builds
+	if (process.env.N8N_SKIP_LICENSES !== 'true') {
+		echo(chalk.yellow('INFO: Generating third-party licenses...'));
+		try {
+			const licenseProcess = $`cd ${config.rootDir} && node scripts/generate-third-party-licenses.mjs`;
+			licenseProcess.pipe(process.stdout);
+			await licenseProcess;
+			echo(chalk.green('✅ Third-party licenses generated successfully'));
+		} catch (error) {
+			echo(chalk.yellow('⚠️  Warning: Third-party license generation failed, continuing build...'));
+			echo(chalk.red(`ERROR: License generation failed: ${error.message}`));
+		}
+	} else {
+		echo(chalk.gray('INFO: Skipping license generation (N8N_SKIP_LICENSES=true)'));
 	}
 
 	echo(chalk.green('✅ pnpm install and build completed'));
diff --git a/turbo.json b/turbo.json
index 6085621b98682..9c8b20fe6e221 100644
--- a/turbo.json
+++ b/turbo.json
@@ -35,21 +35,13 @@
 		},
 		"watch": { "cache": false, "persistent": true },
 		"dev": { "cache": false, "persistent": true },
-		"build:playwright": {
-			"dependsOn": ["install-browsers:ci", "build"]
-		},
-		"install-browsers:ci": {
+		"install-browsers": {
 			"cache": true,
-			"inputs": ["package.json"],
-			"outputs": ["ms-playwright-cache/**"],
+			"inputs": ["$TURBO_DEFAULT$", "../../pnpm-lock.yaml"],
+			"outputs": [".playwright-browsers/**"],
 			"env": ["PLAYWRIGHT_BROWSERS_PATH"]
 		},
-		"install-browsers:local": {
-			"cache": false,
-			"inputs": ["package.json"]
-		},
 		"test:container:standard": {
-			"dependsOn": ["install-browsers:local"],
 			"env": ["E2E_TESTS"],
 			"cache": false
 		}