diff --git a/.github/actions/install-node-dependencies/action.yml b/.github/actions/install-node-dependencies/action.yml
index 6aecef6e152..146d83debca 100644
--- a/.github/actions/install-node-dependencies/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/install-node-dependencies/action.yml
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ name: Install Node dependencies
 description: Installs the Node toolchain and repository dependencies for CI jobs, with optional Electron archive caching.
 
 inputs:
+  cache-pnpm-verification:
+    description: Restore pnpm's policy-checked lockfile verification record on Linux.
+    required: false
+    default: 'true'
   native-runtime:
     description: Native runtime to prepare after the script-free install (none, node, or electron).
     required: false
@@ -24,6 +28,15 @@ inputs:
     default: 'false'
 
 outputs:
+  verification-cache-hit:
+    description: Whether pnpm's verification record was restored.
+    value: ${{ steps.verification-cache-restore.outputs.cache-hit }}
+  verification-cache-path:
+    description: The small pnpm-owned verification record, without registry metadata.
+    value: ${{ steps.verification-cache.outputs.path }}
+  verification-cache-key:
+    description: Exact verification record key, also used by the isolated PR benchmark.
+    value: ${{ steps.verification-cache.outputs.key }}
   node-version:
     description: Resolved Node.js version used for the install.
     value: ${{ steps.requested-node.outputs.node-version || steps.default-node.outputs.node-version }}
@@ -86,6 +99,25 @@ runs:
         path: ${{ steps.pnpm-store.outputs.path }}
         key: node-cache-${{ runner.os }}-${{ steps.pnpm-store.outputs.arch }}-pnpm-${{ hashFiles(inputs.cache-dependency-path) }}
 
+    - name: Resolve pnpm verification cache
+      id: verification-cache
+      if: runner.os == 'Linux' && inputs.cache-pnpm-verification == 'true'
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        POLICY_HASH: ${{ hashFiles('pnpm-lock.yaml', 'pnpm-workspace.yaml', '.npmrc') }}
+      run: |
+        printf 'path=%s/lockfile-verified.jsonl\n' "$(pnpm cache path)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        printf 'key=pnpm-verification-v1-%s-%s-%s-%s\n' "$RUNNER_OS" "$RUNNER_ARCH" "$(pnpm --version)" "$POLICY_HASH" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+    - name: Restore pnpm verification record
+      id: verification-cache-restore
+      if: steps.verification-cache.outputs.key != ''
+      continue-on-error: true
+      uses: actions/cache/restore@v5
+      with:
+        path: ${{ steps.verification-cache.outputs.path }}
+        key: ${{ steps.verification-cache.outputs.key }}
+
     - name: Validate native runtime
       shell: bash
       env:
@@ -120,6 +152,15 @@ runs:
           git -C "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE" diff --exit-code -- package.json pnpm-lock.yaml pnpm-workspace.yaml
         fi
 
+    # pnpm checks the cached record's policy and validity; never bypass verification.
+    - name: Save pnpm verification record on main
+      if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && github.event_name != 'pull_request' && steps.verification-cache.outputs.key != '' && steps.verification-cache-restore.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+      continue-on-error: true
+      uses: actions/cache/save@v5
+      with:
+        path: ${{ steps.verification-cache.outputs.path }}
+        key: ${{ steps.verification-cache.outputs.key }}
+
     - name: Resolve Electron package cache
       id: electron-package-cache
       if: inputs.native-runtime == 'electron' || inputs.cache-electron-package == 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci-pnpm-verification-pilot.yml b/.github/workflows/ci-pnpm-verification-pilot.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2a35a52fcd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci-pnpm-verification-pilot.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+name: pnpm verification cache pilot
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    paths: ['.github/workflows/ci-pnpm-verification-pilot.yml']
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+concurrency:
+  group: pnpm-verification-pilot-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+env:
+  ORCA_BACKGROUND_LAUNCH: '1'
+
+jobs:
+  seed:
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        runner: [ubuntu-latest, ubuntu-24.04-arm]
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.runner }}
+    timeout-minutes: 15
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-node-dependencies
+        id: deps
+      # PR caches are scoped to the PR merge ref; main never restores them.
+      - uses: actions/cache/save@v5
+        if: steps.deps.outputs.verification-cache-hit != 'true'
+        with:
+          path: ${{ steps.deps.outputs.verification-cache-path }}
+          key: ${{ steps.deps.outputs.verification-cache-key }}
+
+  measure:
+    needs: seed
+    name: measure ${{ matrix.runner }} sample ${{ matrix.sample }} cache ${{ matrix.cache }}
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      max-parallel: 4
+      matrix:
+        runner: [ubuntu-latest, ubuntu-24.04-arm]
+        sample: [1, 2, 3]
+        cache: ['false', 'true']
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.runner }}
+    timeout-minutes: 15
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/install-node-dependencies
+        id: deps
+        with:
+          cache-pnpm-verification: ${{ matrix.cache }}
+      - name: Validate treatment and frozen install
+        env:
+          CACHE_ENABLED: ${{ matrix.cache }}
+          CACHE_HIT: ${{ steps.deps.outputs.verification-cache-hit }}
+        run: |
+          if [ "$CACHE_ENABLED" = true ]; then test "$CACHE_HIT" = true; fi
+          git diff --exit-code -- package.json pnpm-lock.yaml pnpm-workspace.yaml
+          node -e "require.resolve('vitest'); require.resolve('electron')"
diff --git a/config/scripts/ci-dependency-download-cache.test.mjs b/config/scripts/ci-dependency-download-cache.test.mjs
index fad103d8fa6..0f615fd3712 100644
--- a/config/scripts/ci-dependency-download-cache.test.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/ci-dependency-download-cache.test.mjs
@@ -48,7 +48,11 @@ describe('CI dependency download caches', () => {
       action.runs.steps.findIndex((step) => step.name === 'Install dependencies')
     )
     const saves = action.runs.steps.filter((step) => step.uses === 'actions/cache/save@v5')
-    expect(saves).toEqual([])
+    expect(saves).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(saves[0].name).toBe('Save pnpm verification record on main')
+    expect(saves[0].if).toContain("github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'")
+    expect(saves[0].if).toContain("github.event_name != 'pull_request'")
+    expect(saves[0].with.path).toBe('${{ steps.verification-cache.outputs.path }}')
   })
 
   it('restores Windows packaging downloads from the release cache without a PR upload', () => {
diff --git a/config/scripts/mobile-release-shell-switch-workflow.test.mjs b/config/scripts/mobile-release-shell-switch-workflow.test.mjs
index 28b94945cc2..40cc20a95ba 100644
--- a/config/scripts/mobile-release-shell-switch-workflow.test.mjs
+++ b/config/scripts/mobile-release-shell-switch-workflow.test.mjs
@@ -120,6 +120,8 @@ const BUNDLER_CACHE_PATHS = ['metro-cache', '.expo', 'node_modules/.cache']
 const REVIEWED_COMPUTED_PATHS = [
   '${{ steps.electron-package-cache.outputs.cache-root }}',
   '${{ steps.pnpm-store.outputs.path }}',
+  // Only pnpm's lockfile-verified.jsonl record, never Metro transforms.
+  '${{ steps.verification-cache.outputs.path }}',
   "${{ github.event_name != 'pull_request' && 'pnpm' || '' }} store"
 ]