diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6df0be23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+name: test
+
+on: [ push, pull_request ]
+
+jobs:
+  raku:
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        os: [ macos-latest, windows-latest, ubuntu-latest ]
+        raku-version: [ latest ]
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    env:
+      # Workaround for path length errors during precompilation of longer repo names
+      TMPDIR: /tmp
+      RAKUDO_OPT: --ll-exception
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - uses: Raku/setup-raku@v1
+        with:
+          raku-version: ${{ matrix.raku-version }}
+
+      - name: Ensure TMPDIR exists
+        run: mkdir -p ${{ env.TMPDIR }}
+
+      # Note that we use `raku -I. bin/zef nuke ...` instead of `zef nuke ...` because deleting
+      # the module installation directories on windows can cause an error due to one of those files
+      # being the currently-loaded zef itself.
+      # This used to be the very last CI test, but because we need to delete the already-installed
+      # verison of zef that comes with this github action it has been moved to be one of the first.
+      # We also preload Zef::Utils::FileSystem to get it precompiled to work around some Windows issue.
+      - name: Remove non-core modules included in this github action + Test 'nuke' on repo names
+        run: |
+          raku -I. -MZef::Utils::FileSystem -e exit
+          raku -I. bin/zef nuke site home --/confirm
+
+      # test explicitly via `prove t/*` and `raku t/foo.rakutest && raku t/bar.rakutest`
+      # both should work, since all our CI envs have prove
+      - name: Run unit tests with '--prove'
+        run: raku -I. bin/zef --debug --/tap-harness --prove  --/raku-test test .
+      - name: Run unit tests with '--raku-test'
+        run: raku -I. bin/zef --debug --/tap-harness --/prove --raku-test  test .
+
+      # run xt/ tests
+      - name: Run xt/ tests - repository.rakutest
+        run: raku --ll-exception -I. xt/repository.rakutest
+      - name: Run xt/ tests - install.rakutest
+        run: raku --ll-exception -I. xt/install.rakutest
+        env:
+          RAKUDO_NO_PRECOMPILATION: 1
+
+          # run integration tests pre-install
+      - name: Test (and show for debugging purposes) --version
+        run: raku -I. bin/zef --version
+      - name: Run relative local path test + install
+        run: raku -I. bin/zef --debug install .
+      - name: Test uninstall
+        run: raku -I. bin/zef uninstall zef
+      - name: Run absolute local path test + install
+        run: raku -I. bin/zef install ${{ github.workspace }}
+
+      # run integration tests post-install
+      - name: Test 'update'
+        run: zef update --debug
+      - name: Test --version
+        run: zef --version
+      - name: Test --help
+        run: zef --help
+      - name: Test 'locate' with short-name
+        run: zef locate Zef::CLI
+      - name: Test 'locate' with path name
+        run: zef locate lib/Zef/CLI.rakumod
+      - name: Test 'browse'
+        run: zef browse zef bugtracker --/open
+      - name: Test 'info'
+        run: zef info zef
+      - name: Test 'search'
+        run: zef --debug search Base64
+      - name: Test 'rdepends'
+        run: zef --debug rdepends Base64
+      - name: Test 'depends'
+        run: zef --debug depends Cro::SSL
+      - name: Test 'fetch'
+        run: zef --debug fetch Base64
+      - name: Test installing from what 'fetch' put in ::LocalCache
+        run: zef --debug --/fez --/cpan --/p6c --/rea install Base64
+      - name: Test 'list'
+        run: zef --debug --max=10 list
+      - name: Test 'list --installed'
+        run: zef --debug --installed list
+      - name: Test reinstallation via 'install --force-install'
+        run: zef --debug --force-install install Base64
+
+      # Disable precompilation on windows as there are a couple of issues:
+      # 1) Windows doesn't allow you to delete files that are open. This can naturally
+      #    occur when zef tries to delete itself, such as in one of the next steps where
+      #    we want to delete the existing zef install on the GH image (so we only have the
+      #    zef from whatever branch triggered this) or where we do a --force-install test
+      #    that tries to overwrite a precomp file in use.
+      # 2) Rakudo does not yet work around Windows path length limitations. This is a problem
+      #    due to the precompilation folder structure being fairly long as well as repos that
+      #    get cloned/extracted potentially having longer-ish names.
+      # Note RAKUDO_NO_PRECOMPILATION was added to rakudo as of 2023.08, so we can't test
+      # older versions of rakudo on windows.
+      - name: Disable precompilation on Windows to avoid long path issues
+        if: runner.os == 'Windows'
+        run: echo "RAKUDO_NO_PRECOMPILATION=1" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
+
+
+      - name: Test installing .tar.gz
+        run: zef --debug install https://github.com/ugexe/Raku-PathTools/archive/0434191c56e0f3254ab1d756d90f9191577de5a0.tar.gz
+      - name: Test 'upgrade' on previously installed PathTools .tar.gz
+        run: zef --debug upgrade PathTools
+      - name: Test installing .zip
+        run: zef --debug install https://github.com/ugexe/Raku-Text--Table--Simple/archive/v0.0.3.zip
+      - name: Test remote git repo + tag
+        run: zef --debug install https://github.com/ugexe/Raku-Text--Table--Simple.git@v0.0.4
+      - name: Test self contained installation
+        run: |
+          zef install Distribution::Common --/test
+          zef install Distribution::Common::Remote -to=inst#foo --contained --/test
+          zef uninstall Distribution::Common
+          raku -I inst#foo -M Distribution::Common::Remote::Github -e ""
+      - name: Test 'nuke' on config paths
+        run: zef --/confirm nuke TempDir StoreDir
+      - name: Test single repository update ('cached' should be 0 after previous nuke)
+        run: zef update cached --debug