diff --git a/hermes_bootstrap.py b/hermes_bootstrap.py
index d57a9f4c7b..b740702af5 100644
--- a/hermes_bootstrap.py
+++ b/hermes_bootstrap.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Process bootstrap for Hermes entry points: Windows UTF-8 stdio, import-path
+"""Process bootstrap for Hermes entry points: Windows UTF-8 stdio and ANSI console, import-path
 hardening, durable lazy-install target, and dual-stack (Happy Eyeballs) connects.
 
 Windows binds stdio to the console code page (cp1252), so ``print("café")`` raises
@@ -253,6 +253,47 @@ def apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap() -> bool:
     return True
 
 
+_ENABLE_VIRTUAL_TERMINAL_PROCESSING = 0x0004
+
+
+def enable_windows_vt(streams=None) -> bool:
+    """Opt the console behind stdout/stderr in to ANSI escape processing.
+
+    ``hermes_cli.colors`` and the skins emit raw SGR codes whenever stdout is a TTY. A
+    conhost console (PowerShell 5.1, cmd.exe, the installer's ``hermes setup``) prints
+    them as ``←[35m`` until the output handle has ENABLE_VIRTUAL_TERMINAL_PROCESSING, and
+    shells hand native children a console with it off. The mode belongs to the console
+    buffer, so setting it here also covers the relaunched child. Handles that are not a
+    console (pipes, files, NUL, a windowless pythonw) fail GetConsoleMode and are left
+    alone. A console that refuses VT (pre-Windows 10) gets NO_COLOR instead, which
+    ``should_use_color`` and rich honour, so it shows plain text rather than garbage.
+    Returns False only in that fallback case.
+    """
+    if not _IS_WINDOWS:
+        return True
+    import ctypes
+    import msvcrt
+    from ctypes import wintypes
+
+    kernel32 = ctypes.WinDLL("kernel32", use_last_error=True)
+    enabled = True
+    for stream in (sys.stdout, sys.stderr) if streams is None else streams:
+        try:
+            handle = msvcrt.get_osfhandle(stream.fileno())
+        except (AttributeError, OSError, ValueError):
+            continue  # no fd (None under pythonw, StringIO in embedders)
+        mode = wintypes.DWORD()
+        if not kernel32.GetConsoleMode(handle, ctypes.byref(mode)):
+            continue
+        if mode.value & _ENABLE_VIRTUAL_TERMINAL_PROCESSING:
+            continue
+        if not kernel32.SetConsoleMode(handle, mode.value | _ENABLE_VIRTUAL_TERMINAL_PROCESSING):
+            enabled = False
+    if not enabled:
+        os.environ.setdefault("NO_COLOR", "1")
+    return enabled
+
+
 def suppress_platform_ver_console() -> None:
     """Stub ``platform._syscmd_ver`` on Windows — decode-crash + console-flash guard.
 
@@ -432,6 +473,7 @@ def export_scratch_tmp_env() -> None:
 # the very top of their module, before importing anything else.  The
 # import side effect does the right thing.
 apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap()
+enable_windows_vt()
 suppress_platform_ver_console()
 install_never_free_environ()
 
diff --git a/tests/test_hermes_bootstrap.py b/tests/test_hermes_bootstrap.py
index 1018184560..8aaa79271b 100644
--- a/tests/test_hermes_bootstrap.py
+++ b/tests/test_hermes_bootstrap.py
@@ -395,6 +395,49 @@ class TestHardenImportPath:
 
 
 
+class TestEnableWindowsVt:
+    """Hermes prints raw SGR codes; a conhost console renders them only with VT on."""
+
+    @pytest.mark.platforms("windows")
+    def test_turns_vt_on_for_a_console_that_has_it_off(self):
+        # A fresh console via CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE is the installer's situation:
+        # a real conhost whose output handle starts without VT processing.
+        script = textwrap.dedent("""
+            import ctypes, msvcrt, sys
+            from ctypes import wintypes
+            sys.path.insert(0, sys.argv[1])
+            import hermes_bootstrap
+            kernel32 = ctypes.WinDLL("kernel32")
+            handle = msvcrt.get_osfhandle(sys.stdout.fileno())
+            mode = wintypes.DWORD()
+            if not kernel32.GetConsoleMode(handle, ctypes.byref(mode)):
+                sys.exit(4)
+            kernel32.SetConsoleMode(handle, mode.value & ~0x0004)
+            ok = hermes_bootstrap.enable_windows_vt()
+            kernel32.GetConsoleMode(handle, ctypes.byref(mode))
+            sys.exit(0 if ok and mode.value & 0x0004 else 3)
+        """).strip()
+        root = str(Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1])
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            [sys.executable, "-c", script, root],
+            creationflags=subprocess.CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE,
+            timeout=120,
+        )
+        if result.returncode == 4:
+            pytest.skip("this session cannot create a console")
+        assert result.returncode == 0
+
+    @pytest.mark.platforms("windows")
+    def test_leaves_non_console_handles_and_colour_alone(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        # Redirected output must neither fail nor flip Hermes to NO_COLOR.
+        monkeypatch.delenv("NO_COLOR", raising=False)
+        import hermes_bootstrap
+
+        with open(tmp_path / "out.txt", "w", encoding="utf-8") as stream:
+            assert hermes_bootstrap.enable_windows_vt([stream]) is True
+        assert "NO_COLOR" not in os.environ
+
+
 class TestSuppressPlatformVerConsole:
     """suppress_platform_ver_console: stub applied on Windows, no-op on POSIX."""