diff --git a/.github/workflows/core-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/core-ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f8e1751cd83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/core-ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+name: Core CI
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - main
+    # Exclude isolated emitter packages and files already checked by dedicated CI workflows
+    paths-ignore:
+      - ".prettierignore"
+      - ".prettierrc.json"
+      - "cspell.yaml"
+      - "eslint.config.json"
+      - ".chronus/**"
+      - "eng/emitters/**"
+      - "packages/http-client-csharp/**"
+      - "packages/http-client-java/**"
+      - "packages/http-client-python/**"
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - main
+      - "release/*"
+    paths-ignore:
+      - ".prettierignore"
+      - ".prettierrc.json"
+      - "cspell.yaml"
+      - "eslint.config.json"
+      - ".chronus/**"
+      - "eng/emitters/**"
+      - "packages/http-client-csharp/**"
+      - "packages/http-client-java/**"
+      - "packages/http-client-python/**"
+  merge_group:
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    name: Build (${{ matrix.os }}, Node ${{ matrix.node-version }})
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest]
+        node-version: ["20.x", "22.x", "24.x"]
+
+    env:
+      TYPESPEC_VS_CI_BUILD: true
+      TYPESPEC_SKIP_WEBSITE_BUILD: true
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Enable git long paths (Windows)
+        if: runner.os == 'Windows'
+        run: git config --global core.longpaths true
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup
+        with:
+          node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-dotnet@v5
+        with:
+          dotnet-version: 8.0.x
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: pnpm install
+
+      - name: Restore .NET dependencies
+        run: dotnet restore
+        working-directory: packages/typespec-vs
+
+      - name: Build
+        run: pnpm run build
+
+      - name: Test
+        run: pnpm vitest run --coverage --reporter=default --reporter=github-actions
+
+      - name: Upload coverage artifacts
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: always()
+        with:
+          name: coverage-${{ matrix.os }}-node${{ matrix.node-version }}
+          path: packages/*/coverage/
+          retention-days: 5
+
+      - name: Check for changed files
+        run: node eng/common/scripts/check-for-changed-files.js
+
+  website:
+    name: Website
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: pnpm install
+
+      - name: Install Playwright browsers
+        run: npx playwright install --with-deps
+
+      - name: Build website
+        run: pnpm --filter "@typespec/website..." run build
+
+      - name: Check for changed files
+        run: node eng/common/scripts/check-for-changed-files.js
+
+  e2e:
+    name: E2E Tests
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    env:
+      TYPESPEC_VS_CI_BUILD: false
+      TYPESPEC_SKIP_WEBSITE_BUILD: true
+      DISPLAY: ":99"
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/setup
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: pnpm install
+
+      - name: Install Playwright browsers
+        run: |
+          sudo dpkg --configure -a
+          npx playwright install --with-deps
+
+      - name: Start Xvfb
+        run: |
+          /usr/bin/Xvfb :99 -screen 0 1024x768x24 > /dev/null 2>&1 &
+          echo "Started xvfb"
+
+      - name: Build
+        run: pnpm run build
+
+      - name: E2E Tests
+        run: pnpm run test:e2e
+
+      - name: Upload UI test results
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: always()
+        with:
+          name: uitestresults-e2e
+          path: packages/playground-website/test-results/
+          retention-days: 5
+
+      - name: Upload screenshots
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: always()
+        with:
+          name: screenshots
+          path: packages/typespec-vscode/temp/images-linux/
+          retention-days: 5
+
+      - name: Upload trace results
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        if: always()
+        with:
+          name: trace-results
+          path: packages/typespec-vscode/test-results/
+          retention-days: 5
+
+      - name: Check for changed files
+        run: node eng/common/scripts/check-for-changed-files.js
+
+  docker:
+    name: Docker Build
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Build Docker image
+        run: docker build -f ./docker/Dockerfile .
diff --git a/packages/compiler/test/e2e/cli/cli.e2e.ts b/packages/compiler/test/e2e/cli/cli.e2e.ts
index 528aa8b60af..3b63235b4e3 100644
--- a/packages/compiler/test/e2e/cli/cli.e2e.ts
+++ b/packages/compiler/test/e2e/cli/cli.e2e.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,10 @@ interface ExecCliOptions {
 
 async function execCli(args: string[], { cwd }: ExecCliOptions) {
   const node = process.platform === "win32" ? "node.exe" : "node";
-  return execAsync(node, [resolvePath(pkgRoot, "entrypoints/cli.js"), ...args], { cwd });
+  return execAsync(node, [resolvePath(pkgRoot, "entrypoints/cli.js"), ...args], {
+    cwd,
+    env: { ...process.env, NO_COLOR: "1" },
+  });
 }
 async function execCliSuccess(args: string[], { cwd }: ExecCliOptions) {
   const result = await execCli(args, { cwd });