diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index a556257bebb..b116dd17bab 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -127,4 +127,12 @@ jobs:
     - name: Test Docker image
       run: |
         docker run --rm ${{ github.sha }}:latest ./run.sh --version
+
+    # Regression test for https://github.com/actions/runner/issues/4591.
+    # Node.js 25+ links against libatomic.so.1, which the dotnet/runtime-deps base image does not ship,
+    # so actions/setup-node with a modern Node version breaks unless the image installs libatomic1.
+    - name: Test Docker image provides Node.js 25+ runtime dependencies
+      run: |
+        docker run --rm ${{ github.sha }}:latest \
+          bash -c 'set -euo pipefail; "$(command -v ldconfig || echo /sbin/ldconfig)" -p | grep -F -- "libatomic.so.1"'
   
diff --git a/docs/start/envlinux.md b/docs/start/envlinux.md
index 86f1416118f..360a69fe621 100644
--- a/docs/start/envlinux.md
+++ b/docs/start/envlinux.md
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ Debian based OS (Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint)
 - zlib1g
 - libssl3t64, libssl3, libssl1.1, libssl1.0.2 or libssl1.0.0
 - libicu80, libicu79, ..., libicu66, libicu65, libicu63, libicu60, libicu57, libicu55, or libicu52
+- libatomic1 (see [Node.js dependencies](#nodejs-dependencies))
 
 Fedora based OS (Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Oracle Linux 7)
 
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ Fedora based OS (Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, CentOS, Oracle Linux 7)
 - krb5-libs
 - zlib
 - libicu
+- libatomic (see [Node.js dependencies](#nodejs-dependencies))
 
 SUSE based OS (OpenSUSE, SUSE Enterprise)
 
@@ -46,5 +48,23 @@ SUSE based OS (OpenSUSE, SUSE Enterprise)
 - krb5
 - zlib
 - libicu60_2
+- libatomic1 (see [Node.js dependencies](#nodejs-dependencies))
+
+## Node.js dependencies
+
+The runner ships its own Node.js under `<runner_root>/externals/`, and workflows commonly install additional
+Node.js versions into the tool cache with [actions/setup-node](https://github.com/actions/setup-node).
+
+The official Node.js binaries link against `libatomic.so.1` starting with **Node.js 25**. If that library is
+missing, Node.js exits before running anything:
+
+```
+node: error while loading shared libraries: libatomic.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
+```
+
+`installdependencies.sh` installs this library on a best-effort basis (`libatomic1` on Debian/SUSE based
+distributions, `libatomic` on Fedora based ones). It is treated as best effort rather than a hard requirement
+because the runner itself starts fine without it — only Node.js 25+ needs it — so a distribution that does not
+package it still configures successfully, with a warning.
 
 ## [More .Net Core Prerequisites Information](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/linux-prerequisites?tabs=netcore2x)
diff --git a/images/Dockerfile b/images/Dockerfile
index 0abdf3e052b..5493440eba1 100644
--- a/images/Dockerfile
+++ b/images/Dockerfile
@@ -43,9 +43,21 @@ ENV RUNNER_MANUALLY_TRAP_SIG=1
 ENV ACTIONS_RUNNER_PRINT_LOG_TO_STDOUT=1
 ENV ImageOS=ubuntu24
 
-# 'gpg-agent' and 'software-properties-common' are needed for the 'add-apt-repository' command that follows
+# 'gpg-agent' and 'software-properties-common' are needed for the 'add-apt-repository' command that follows.
+#
+# 'libatomic1' provides libatomic.so.1, which the official Node.js binaries link against starting with
+# Node.js 25 (verified with `readelf -d bin/node`: absent in v24.x, present in v25.x and v26.x on both
+# linux-x64 and linux-arm64). It is not part of the dotnet/runtime-deps base image, so a job that
+# provisions Node with actions/setup-node fails at exec time with
+#   node: error while loading shared libraries: libatomic.so.1: cannot open shared object file
+# See https://github.com/actions/runner/issues/4591.
+#
+# It is installed from Ubuntu 'main' (source package gcc-14) in the same apt transaction as the packages
+# above, so it introduces no new repository or trust anchor, adds no executables to the image, and costs
+# ~50 kB installed. Installing a compiler toolchain (build-essential/gcc) to obtain the same library would
+# be a far larger attack surface and is deliberately avoided.
 RUN apt update -y \
-    && apt install -y --no-install-recommends sudo lsb-release gpg-agent software-properties-common curl jq unzip \
+    && apt install -y --no-install-recommends sudo lsb-release gpg-agent software-properties-common curl jq unzip libatomic1 \
     && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 # Configure git-core/ppa based on guidance here:  https://git-scm.com/download/linux
diff --git a/src/Misc/layoutbin/installdependencies.sh b/src/Misc/layoutbin/installdependencies.sh
index b58efe3482a..4b64d8f2227 100755
--- a/src/Misc/layoutbin/installdependencies.sh
+++ b/src/Misc/layoutbin/installdependencies.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,16 @@ function print_errormessage()
     echo "https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/linux-prerequisites?tabs=netcore2x"
 }
 
-function print_rhel6message() 
+function print_libatomic_warningmessage()
+{
+    echo "Warning: couldn't install '$1'."
+    echo "The runner will still work, but Node.js 25 and newer won't start without libatomic.so.1,"
+    echo "so actions that provision Node (for example actions/setup-node) may fail with"
+    echo "'error while loading shared libraries: libatomic.so.1'."
+    echo "Please install '$1' manually using your distribution's package manager."
+}
+
+function print_rhel6message()
 {
     echo "We did our best effort to install dotnet core dependencies"
     echo "However, there are some dependencies which require manual installation" 
@@ -117,6 +126,13 @@ then
             print_errormessage
             exit 1
         fi
+
+        # libatomic.so.1 is a runtime dependency of the official Node.js binaries starting with Node.js 25.
+        # The Node.js versions bundled with the runner (externals/node20, externals/node24) do not need it,
+        # but toolchain actions such as actions/setup-node install Node into the tool cache, where it fails
+        # to start without this library. See https://github.com/actions/runner/issues/4591.
+        # Installed best-effort: a distribution without the package must not block runner configuration.
+        $apt_get install -y libatomic1 || print_libatomic_warningmessage libatomic1
     elif [ -e /etc/redhat-release ]
     then
         echo "The current OS is Fedora based"
@@ -137,7 +153,10 @@ then
                     echo "'dnf' failed with exit code '$?'"
                     print_errormessage
                     exit 1
-                fi         
+                fi
+
+                # See the libatomic comment in the Debian branch above.
+                dnf install -y libatomic || print_libatomic_warningmessage libatomic
             else
                 echo "Can not find 'dnf'"
                 print_errormessage
@@ -149,11 +168,14 @@ then
             then
                 yum install -y lttng-ust openssl-libs krb5-libs zlib libicu
                 if [ $? -ne 0 ]
-                then                    
+                then
                     echo "'yum' failed with exit code '$?'"
                     print_errormessage
                     exit 1
                 fi
+
+                # See the libatomic comment in the Debian branch above.
+                yum install -y libatomic || print_libatomic_warningmessage libatomic
             else
                 echo "Can not find 'yum'"
                 print_errormessage
@@ -178,6 +200,9 @@ then
                     print_errormessage
                     exit 1
                 fi
+
+                # See the libatomic comment in the Debian branch above.
+                zypper -n install libatomic1 || print_libatomic_warningmessage libatomic1
             else
                 echo "Can not find 'zypper'"
                 print_errormessage