diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/tests-pr.yml
index 5e35457511..0a805cf8a7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests-pr.yml
@@ -316,3 +316,17 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           echo '::error::Breaking changes detected. See the sticky comment on the PR for details.'
           exit 1
+
+  ci-gate-sync:
+    name: 'CI gate manifest'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 5
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: ${{ env.DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION }}
+      - name: Test the gate checker
+        run: node --test bin/check-ci-gates.test.js
+      - name: Check the CI gate manifest matches this workflow
+        run: node bin/check-ci-gates.js
diff --git a/bin/check-ci-gates.js b/bin/check-ci-gates.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fd90781721
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/check-ci-gates.js
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+// Drift guard: fails if the local CI-gate manifest (bin/ci-gates.js) falls out of
+// sync with .github/workflows/tests-pr.yml, or if the pinned tool versions in
+// dev.yml and tests-pr.yml disagree. Kept dependency-free (no YAML library) so the
+// CI job can run on bare Node; the parsing below is hardened for the formats these
+// two files actually use.
+import {readFileSync} from 'node:fs'
+import {fileURLToPath, pathToFileURL} from 'node:url'
+import {dirname, join} from 'node:path'
+
+import {MANIFEST_JOB_IDS} from './ci-gates.js'
+
+// Job ids are the keys directly under `jobs:`. Bound the search to the jobs block
+// (up to the next top-level key) and allow a trailing comment after the id. Job
+// keys are always bare (their mapping is on following lines), so nested keys —
+// indented deeper than 2 spaces — and `key: value` anchors are naturally excluded.
+export function parseJobIds(workflowText) {
+  const workflow = workflowText.replace(/\r\n/g, '\n')
+  const jobsAt = workflow.search(/^jobs:/m)
+  if (jobsAt === -1) return []
+  const afterHeader = workflow.slice(jobsAt).replace(/^jobs:.*\n/, '')
+  const nextTopLevel = afterHeader.search(/^\S/m)
+  const block = nextTopLevel === -1 ? afterHeader : afterHeader.slice(0, nextTopLevel)
+  return [...block.matchAll(/^ {2}([A-Za-z0-9_-]+):[ \t]*(?:#.*)?$/gm)].map((match) => match[1])
+}
+
+// Pure and testable: given the two YAML texts and the manifest job ids, return the
+// list of human-readable problems (empty when everything is in sync).
+export function findProblems({workflow: workflowText, devYml: devYmlText, manifestJobIds}) {
+  const problems = []
+
+  // Normalize line endings so the parsing below is robust to CRLF working trees.
+  const workflow = workflowText.replace(/\r\n/g, '\n')
+  const devYml = devYmlText.replace(/\r\n/g, '\n')
+
+  const workflowJobIds = parseJobIds(workflow)
+  const manifestSet = new Set(manifestJobIds)
+  const workflowSet = new Set(workflowJobIds)
+  const missingFromManifest = workflowJobIds.filter((id) => !manifestSet.has(id))
+  const staleInManifest = manifestJobIds.filter((id) => !workflowSet.has(id))
+
+  if (missingFromManifest.length > 0) {
+    problems.push(
+      `Workflow jobs not classified in bin/ci-gates.js: ${missingFromManifest.join(', ')}.\n` +
+        `  Add each to CI_GATES as a 'pre-ci' gate (with a local command) or 'ci-only' (with a reason).`,
+    )
+  }
+  if (staleInManifest.length > 0) {
+    problems.push(`bin/ci-gates.js lists jobs absent from tests-pr.yml: ${staleInManifest.join(', ')}.`)
+  }
+
+  const pick = (source, regex, label) => {
+    const match = source.match(regex)
+    if (!match) problems.push(`Could not read ${label}.`)
+    return match ? match[1] : undefined
+  }
+  const ciNode = pick(workflow, /DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION:\s*['"]?([0-9][\w.-]*)/, 'DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION from tests-pr.yml')
+  const ciPnpm = pick(workflow, /PNPM_VERSION:\s*['"]?([0-9][\w.-]*)/, 'PNPM_VERSION from tests-pr.yml')
+  // dev.yml pins these on the `version:`/`package_manager:` lines under the `node:` step.
+  const devNode = pick(devYml, /node:\s*\n\s+version:\s*['"]?([0-9][\w.-]*)/, 'the node version from dev.yml')
+  const devPnpm = pick(devYml, /package_manager:\s*['"]?pnpm@([0-9][\w.-]*)/, 'the pnpm version from dev.yml')
+
+  if (ciNode && devNode && ciNode !== devNode) {
+    problems.push(`Node version mismatch: dev.yml ${devNode} vs tests-pr.yml DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION ${ciNode}.`)
+  }
+  if (ciPnpm && devPnpm && ciPnpm !== devPnpm) {
+    problems.push(`pnpm version mismatch: dev.yml ${devPnpm} vs tests-pr.yml PNPM_VERSION ${ciPnpm}.`)
+  }
+
+  return {problems, workflowJobIds, ciNode, ciPnpm}
+}
+
+// Run as a CLI when invoked directly (not when imported by a test).
+if (process.argv[1] && import.meta.url === pathToFileURL(process.argv[1]).href) {
+  const root = join(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '..')
+  const read = (rel) => readFileSync(join(root, rel), 'utf8')
+
+  const {problems, workflowJobIds, ciNode, ciPnpm} = findProblems({
+    workflow: read('.github/workflows/tests-pr.yml'),
+    devYml: read('dev.yml'),
+    manifestJobIds: MANIFEST_JOB_IDS,
+  })
+
+  if (problems.length > 0) {
+    console.error('CI gate manifest is out of sync with the workflow:\n')
+    for (const problem of problems) console.error(`- ${problem}`)
+    process.exit(1)
+  }
+  console.log(
+    `CI gate manifest in sync: ${workflowJobIds.length} workflow jobs classified; tool versions match (node ${ciNode}, pnpm ${ciPnpm}).`,
+  )
+}
diff --git a/bin/check-ci-gates.test.js b/bin/check-ci-gates.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..21df4c48c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/check-ci-gates.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict'
+import test from 'node:test'
+
+import {findProblems, parseJobIds} from './check-ci-gates.js'
+
+// Versions below are arbitrary fixtures, not the repo's real pins — the guard
+// reads those from dev.yml / tests-pr.yml at runtime, never hard-coded.
+const workflow = (jobIds, {node = '1.2.3', pnpm = '4.5.6'} = {}) =>
+  `name: tests\non: pull_request\nenv:\n  DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION: '${node}'\n  PNPM_VERSION: '${pnpm}'\njobs:\n` +
+  jobIds.map((id) => `  ${id}:\n    runs-on: ubuntu-latest\n    steps: []`).join('\n') +
+  '\n'
+
+const devYml = ({node = '1.2.3', pnpm = '4.5.6'} = {}) =>
+  `name: cli\nup:\n  - node:\n      version: ${node}\n      package_manager: pnpm@${pnpm}\n  - packages:\n      - jq\n`
+
+test('in sync: no problems', () => {
+  const {problems} = findProblems({workflow: workflow(['a', 'b']), devYml: devYml(), manifestJobIds: ['a', 'b']})
+  assert.deepEqual(problems, [])
+})
+
+test('workflow job missing from the manifest', () => {
+  const {problems} = findProblems({workflow: workflow(['a', 'b', 'c']), devYml: devYml(), manifestJobIds: ['a', 'b']})
+  assert.match(problems.join('\n'), /not classified.*\bc\b/)
+})
+
+test('manifest lists a job absent from the workflow', () => {
+  const {problems} = findProblems({workflow: workflow(['a']), devYml: devYml(), manifestJobIds: ['a', 'b']})
+  assert.match(problems.join('\n'), /absent from tests-pr\.yml.*\bb\b/)
+})
+
+test('node version mismatch is detected', () => {
+  const {problems} = findProblems({workflow: workflow(['a'], {node: '9.9.9'}), devYml: devYml({node: '1.2.3'}), manifestJobIds: ['a']})
+  assert.match(problems.join('\n'), /Node version mismatch/)
+})
+
+test('pnpm version mismatch is detected', () => {
+  const {problems} = findProblems({workflow: workflow(['a']), devYml: devYml({pnpm: '9.0.0'}), manifestJobIds: ['a']})
+  assert.match(problems.join('\n'), /pnpm version mismatch/)
+})
+
+test('a missing version pin is reported, not silently passed', () => {
+  const noEnv = `name: t\non: pull_request\njobs:\n  a:\n    runs-on: ubuntu-latest\n    steps: []\n`
+  const {problems} = findProblems({workflow: noEnv, devYml: devYml(), manifestJobIds: ['a']})
+  assert.match(problems.join('\n'), /Could not read DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION/)
+})
+
+// Hardening: tolerate a trailing comment after the job id, and ignore deeper-indented
+// keys, blank lines, comment lines, and any top-level section after `jobs:`.
+test('parseJobIds tolerates comments and ignores non-job lines', () => {
+  const wf = `env:\n  DEFAULT_NODE_VERSION: '1.2.3'\njobs:\n  build: # freshness gate\n    runs-on: ubuntu-latest\n    env:\n      NESTED: 1\n\n  # a comment line\n  test-job:\n    steps: []\nconcurrency:\n  group: x\n`
+  assert.deepEqual(parseJobIds(wf), ['build', 'test-job'])
+})
+
+test('parseJobIds returns empty when there is no jobs block', () => {
+  assert.deepEqual(parseJobIds('name: t\non: push\n'), [])
+})
+
+test('CRLF line endings are handled', () => {
+  const wf = workflow(['a', 'b']).replace(/\n/g, '\r\n')
+  assert.deepEqual(parseJobIds(wf), ['a', 'b'])
+  const {problems} = findProblems({workflow: wf, devYml: devYml().replace(/\n/g, '\r\n'), manifestJobIds: ['a', 'b']})
+  assert.deepEqual(problems, [])
+})
diff --git a/bin/ci-gates.js b/bin/ci-gates.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..715f50f29a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/ci-gates.js
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+// Single source of truth mapping every job in .github/workflows/tests-pr.yml to
+// either a local `pre-ci` command (run-what-CI-runs) or an explicit reason it is
+// CI-only. `bin/pre-ci.js` runs the pre-ci gates; `bin/check-ci-gates.js` asserts
+// this list stays in sync with the workflow so the two cannot silently drift.
+//
+// `job` is the workflow job id (the key under `jobs:`), which is stable, unlike
+// the rendered display name (matrix jobs interpolate `${{ ... }}`).
+
+export const CI_GATES = [
+  // --- gates a contributor can reproduce locally before pushing ---
+  // Ordered as pre-ci should run them: build precedes the oclif codegen check,
+  // and the graphql check precedes the oclif check (their whole-repo `git status`
+  // asserts otherwise cross-contaminate in a single working tree).
+  {job: 'type-check', kind: 'pre-ci', command: 'pnpm type-check'},
+  {job: 'lint', kind: 'pre-ci', command: 'pnpm lint'},
+  {job: 'bundle', kind: 'pre-ci', command: 'pnpm build'},
+  {job: 'knip', kind: 'pre-ci', command: 'pnpm knip'},
+  {job: 'graphql-schema', kind: 'pre-ci', command: 'pnpm codegen:check:graphql'},
+  {job: 'oclif-checks', kind: 'pre-ci', command: 'pnpm codegen:check:oclif'},
+  {job: 'unit-tests', kind: 'pre-ci', command: 'pnpm test'},
+
+  // --- CI-only jobs, with the reason they are not part of pre-ci ---
+  {
+    job: 'unit-tests-gate',
+    kind: 'ci-only',
+    reason: 'Aggregation gate that only collects the unit-tests matrix results; nothing to run locally.',
+  },
+  {
+    job: 'e2e-tests',
+    kind: 'ci-only',
+    reason: 'Needs Playwright browsers and real test stores/credentials; too slow and credentialed for a pre-push check.',
+  },
+  {
+    job: 'type-diff',
+    kind: 'ci-only',
+    reason: 'Diffs the public type surface against the main branch; needs a base checkout, not a single local working tree.',
+  },
+  {
+    job: 'major-change-check',
+    kind: 'ci-only',
+    reason: 'Breaking-change detection against the PR base; advisory and diff-based, not reproducible from one local tree.',
+  },
+  {
+    job: 'ci-gate-sync',
+    kind: 'ci-only',
+    reason: 'Meta gate: runs `pnpm check-ci-gates` to keep this manifest in sync with tests-pr.yml. pre-ci runs the same check locally.',
+  },
+]
+
+export const PRE_CI_GATES = CI_GATES.filter((gate) => gate.kind === 'pre-ci')
+export const CI_ONLY_GATES = CI_GATES.filter((gate) => gate.kind === 'ci-only')
+export const MANIFEST_JOB_IDS = CI_GATES.map((gate) => gate.job)
diff --git a/bin/pre-ci.js b/bin/pre-ci.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e148a35d30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/pre-ci.js
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+// Runs the local subset of PR CI gates ("run what CI runs") so contributors can
+// catch failures before pushing. The gate list and its parity with the workflow
+// are defined in bin/ci-gates.js and enforced by bin/check-ci-gates.js.
+//
+// pre-ci mirrors CI's full (`--all`) targets so that green locally implies green
+// in CI. It is intentionally slower than the affected-only `dev check`.
+import {execSync} from 'node:child_process'
+
+import {PRE_CI_GATES, CI_ONLY_GATES} from './ci-gates.js'
+
+const steps = [
+  {label: 'CI gate manifest in sync', command: 'pnpm check-ci-gates'},
+  ...PRE_CI_GATES.map((gate) => ({label: gate.job, command: gate.command})),
+]
+
+const results = []
+for (const step of steps) {
+  process.stdout.write(`\n▶ ${step.label}: ${step.command}\n`)
+  try {
+    execSync(step.command, {stdio: 'inherit'})
+    results.push({...step, ok: true})
+  } catch {
+    results.push({...step, ok: false})
+  }
+}
+
+console.log('\n──────── pre-ci summary ────────')
+for (const result of results) {
+  console.log(`${result.ok ? '✓' : '✗'} ${result.label}`)
+}
+
+console.log('\nNot run locally (CI-only):')
+for (const gate of CI_ONLY_GATES) {
+  console.log(`· ${gate.job} — ${gate.reason}`)
+}
+
+const failed = results.filter((result) => !result.ok)
+if (failed.length > 0) {
+  console.error(`\npre-ci failed: ${failed.map((result) => result.label).join(', ')}`)
+  process.exit(1)
+}
+console.log('\npre-ci passed. Note: codegen checks regenerate files — review `git status` for any uncommitted generated changes.')
diff --git a/dev.yml b/dev.yml
index 6c6bffb6bf..8f64660a55 100644
--- a/dev.yml
+++ b/dev.yml
@@ -66,6 +66,9 @@ commands:
   type-check:
     desc: 'Type-check the project'
     run: pnpm run type-check:affected
+  pre-ci:
+    desc: 'Run the local subset of PR CI gates (run what CI runs) before pushing'
+    run: pnpm run pre-ci
 
 check:
   type-check: pnpm nx affected --target=type-check
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index ab8b564e89..b53670b7e4 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
     "clean": "nx run-many --target=clean --all --skip-nx-cache && nx reset",
     "codegen": "pnpm graphql-codegen:get-graphql-schemas && pnpm graphql-codegen && pnpm refresh-manifests && pnpm refresh-code-documentation && pnpm build-dev-docs",
     "codegen:check:graphql": "pnpm graphql-codegen:get-graphql-schemas && pnpm graphql-codegen && node ./bin/check-codegen-clean.js graphql",
+    "check-ci-gates": "node bin/check-ci-gates.js",
     "codegen:check:oclif": "pnpm refresh-manifests && node ./bin/check-codegen-clean.js oclif:manifests && pnpm refresh-readme && node ./bin/check-codegen-clean.js oclif:readme && pnpm refresh-code-documentation && node ./bin/check-codegen-clean.js oclif:code-docs && pnpm build-dev-docs && node ./bin/check-codegen-clean.js oclif:dev-docs",
     "create-app": "nx build create-app && node packages/create-app/bin/dev.js --package-manager pnpm",
     "deploy-experimental": "node bin/deploy-experimental.js",
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@
     "refresh-readme": "nx run-many --target=refresh-readme --all --skip-nx-cache",
     "release": "./bin/release",
     "post-release": "./bin/post-release",
+    "pre-ci": "node bin/pre-ci.js",
     "update-observe": "node bin/update-observe.js",
     "shopify:run": "node packages/cli/bin/dev.js",
     "shopify": "nx build cli && node packages/cli/bin/dev.js",