diff --git a/src/west/app/main.py b/src/west/app/main.py
index d55fde96..226c5dda 100755
--- a/src/west/app/main.py
+++ b/src/west/app/main.py
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ class EarlyArgs(NamedTuple):
     version: bool  # True if -V was given
     zephyr_base: str | None  # -z argument value
     verbosity: int  # 0 if not given, otherwise counts
+    color: str | None  # --color argument value ('always', 'never', 'auto')
     command_name: str | None
 
     # Other arguments are appended here.
@@ -106,16 +107,18 @@ def parse_early_args(argv: list[str]) -> EarlyArgs:
     version = False
     zephyr_base = None
     verbosity = 0
+    color = None
     command_name = None
     unexpected_arguments = []
 
     expecting_zephyr_base = False
+    expecting_color = False
 
     def consume_more_args(rest):
         # Handle the 'Vv' portion of 'west -hVv'.
 
-        nonlocal help, version, zephyr_base, verbosity
-        nonlocal expecting_zephyr_base
+        nonlocal help, version, zephyr_base, verbosity, color
+        nonlocal expecting_zephyr_base, expecting_color
 
         if not rest:
             return
@@ -145,6 +148,13 @@ def consume_more_args(rest):
     for arg in argv:
         if expecting_zephyr_base:
             zephyr_base = arg
+            expecting_zephyr_base = False
+        elif expecting_color:
+            if arg in ('always', 'never', 'auto'):
+                color = arg
+            else:
+                unexpected_arguments.append(f'--color={arg}')
+            expecting_color = False
         elif arg.startswith('-h'):
             help = True
             consume_more_args(arg[2:])
@@ -170,13 +180,23 @@ def consume_more_args(rest):
                 zephyr_base = arg[3:]
             else:
                 zephyr_base = arg[2:]
+        elif arg == '--color':
+            expecting_color = True
+        elif arg.startswith('--color='):
+            color_val = arg[8:]
+            if color_val in ('always', 'never', 'auto'):
+                color = color_val
+            else:
+                unexpected_arguments.append(arg)
         elif arg.startswith('-'):
             unexpected_arguments.append(arg)
         else:
             command_name = arg
             break
 
-    return EarlyArgs(help, version, zephyr_base, verbosity, command_name, unexpected_arguments)
+    return EarlyArgs(
+        help, version, zephyr_base, verbosity, color, command_name, unexpected_arguments
+    )
 
 
 class LogFormatter(logging.Formatter):
@@ -222,6 +242,7 @@ def __init__(self):
         self.subparser_gen = None  # an add_subparsers() return value
         self.cmd = None  # west.commands.WestCommand, eventually
         self.queued_io = []  # I/O hooks we want self.cmd to do
+        self.color = None  # 'always', 'never', 'auto', or None
 
         for group, classes in BUILTIN_COMMAND_GROUPS.items():
             lst = [cls() for cls in classes]
@@ -253,9 +274,8 @@ def run(self, argv):
         # Use verbosity to determine west API log levels
         self.setup_west_logging(early_args.verbosity)
 
-        # Makes ANSI color escapes work on Windows, and strips them when
-        # stdout/stderr isn't a terminal
-        colorama.init()
+        # Store color mode for later use
+        self.color = early_args.color
 
         # See if we're in a workspace. It's fine if we're not.
         # Note that this falls back on searching from ZEPHYR_BASE
@@ -273,6 +293,13 @@ def run(self, argv):
         # backwards compatibility.
         self.config._copy_to_configparser(west.configuration.config)
 
+        # Set color preference once.
+        self.color = self.resolve_color()
+        self.colorama_init()
+
+        # Propagate app-level color mode to every command instance.
+        self.queued_io.append(lambda cmd: setattr(cmd, 'color', self.color))
+
         # Set self.manifest and self.extensions.
         self.load_manifest()
         self.load_extension_specs()
@@ -576,6 +603,14 @@ def make_parsers(self):
             help='print the program version and exit',
         )
 
+        parser.add_argument(
+            '--color',
+            choices=['always', 'never', 'auto'],
+            dest='color',
+            default=None,
+            help='when to colorize output (always, never, auto)',
+        )
+
         subparser_gen = parser.add_subparsers(metavar='<command>', dest='command')
 
         return parser, subparser_gen
@@ -739,12 +774,35 @@ def setup_west_logging(self, verbosity):
 
         logger.addHandler(LogHandler())
 
+    def resolve_color(self):
+        if self.color is None:
+            try:
+                config_mode = self.config.getboolean('color.ui')
+                if not config_mode:
+                    return 'never'
+                else:
+                    return 'auto'
+
+            except ValueError:
+                return self.config.get('color.ui', 'auto')
+        else:
+            return self.color
+
+    def colorama_init(self):
+        if self.color == 'always':
+            colorama.init(strip=False)
+        elif self.color == 'never':
+            colorama.init(strip=True)
+        else:
+            colorama.init()
+
     def run_builtin(self, args, unknown):
         self.queued_io.append(
             lambda cmd: cmd.dbg('args namespace:', args, level=Verbosity.DBG_EXTREME)
         )
         self.cmd = self.builtins.get(args.command, self.builtins['help'])
         adjust_command_verbosity(self.cmd, args)
+
         if self.mle:
             self.handle_builtin_manifest_load_err(args)
         for io_hook in self.queued_io:
@@ -771,6 +829,7 @@ def run_extension(self, name, argv):
         args, unknown = west_parser.parse_known_args(argv)
 
         adjust_command_verbosity(self.cmd, args)
+
         self.queued_io.append(
             lambda cmd: cmd.dbg('args namespace:', args, level=Verbosity.DBG_EXTREME)
         )
diff --git a/src/west/commands.py b/src/west/commands.py
index 09f13f8e..dcb1d367 100644
--- a/src/west/commands.py
+++ b/src/west/commands.py
@@ -167,6 +167,7 @@ def __init__(
         self.manifest = None
         self.config = None
         self._hooks: list[Callable[[WestCommand], None]] = []
+        self.color: str | None = None
 
     def add_pre_run_hook(self, hook: Callable[['WestCommand'], None]) -> None:
         '''Add a hook which will be called right before do_run().
@@ -202,6 +203,9 @@ def run(
         :param config: `west.configuration.Configuration` or ``None``,
             accessible as ``self.config`` from `WestCommand.do_run`
         '''
+        arg_color = getattr(args, 'color', None)
+        if arg_color is not None:
+            self.color = arg_color
         self.config = config
         if unknown and not self.accepts_unknown_args:
             self.parser.error(f'unexpected arguments: {unknown}')
@@ -543,8 +547,12 @@ def die(self, *args, exit_code: int = 1) -> NoReturn:
 
     @property
     def color_ui(self) -> bool:
-        '''Should we colorize output?'''
-        return self.config.getboolean('color.ui', default=True) if self.has_config else True
+        if self.color == 'never':
+            return False
+        if self.color == 'always':
+            return True
+        # Just to represent auto and None return True
+        return True
 
     #
     # Internal APIs. Not for public consumption.
diff --git a/tests/test_commands.py b/tests/test_commands.py
index 5f38ca99..da196af3 100644
--- a/tests/test_commands.py
+++ b/tests/test_commands.py
@@ -26,6 +26,15 @@ def do_run(self):
 
 cmd = WestCommandImpl(name="x", help="y", description="z")
 
+
+class DummyConfig:
+    def __init__(self, color_ui_value):
+        self.color_ui_value = color_ui_value
+
+    def getboolean(self, _option, default=True):
+        return self.color_ui_value if self.color_ui_value is not None else default
+
+
 TEST_STR = "This is some test string"
 COL_RED = "\x1b[91m"
 COL_YELLOW = "\x1b[93m"
@@ -120,3 +129,28 @@ def test_die(capsys, test_case):
     stderr = captured.err
     assert stderr == exp_err
     assert stdout == exp_out
+
+
+def test_color_ui_uses_color():
+    command = WestCommandImpl(name="x", help="y", description="z")
+    command.color = 'always'
+    assert command.color_ui is True
+
+    command.color = 'never'
+    assert command.color_ui is False
+
+
+def test_color_ui_default_is_enabled_when_mode_is_auto():
+    command = WestCommandImpl(name="x", help="y", description="z")
+    command.color = 'auto'
+    command.config = DummyConfig(False)
+
+    assert command.color_ui is True
+
+
+def test_color_ui_default_without_config():
+    command = WestCommandImpl(name="x", help="y", description="z")
+    command.color = None
+    command.config = None
+
+    assert command.color_ui is True
diff --git a/tests/test_main.py b/tests/test_main.py
index 41fc886c..cad05148 100644
--- a/tests/test_main.py
+++ b/tests/test_main.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 import pytest
 from conftest import cmd, cmd_subprocess
 
+import west.app.main as west_main
 import west.version
 
 
@@ -48,3 +49,18 @@ def test_module_run(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     # check that that the sys.path was correctly inserted
     expected_path = Path(__file__).parents[1] / 'src'
     assert actual_path == [f'{expected_path}', 'initial-path']
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "argv, expected_color, expected_command, expected_unexpected",
+    [
+        (['--color=always', 'help'], 'always', 'help', []),
+        (['--color', 'never', 'status'], 'never', 'status', []),
+        (['--color', 'invalid', 'status'], None, 'status', ['--color=invalid']),
+    ],
+)
+def test_parse_early_args_color(argv, expected_color, expected_command, expected_unexpected):
+    ea = west_main.parse_early_args(argv)
+    assert ea.color == expected_color
+    assert ea.command_name == expected_command
+    assert ea.unexpected_arguments == expected_unexpected