diff --git a/.github/CODEOWNERS b/.github/CODEOWNERS
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff2c165
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/CODEOWNERS
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+/.github/CODEOWNERS @neo4j/drivers
+/.github/workflows/ @neo4j/drivers
diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a47f72b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+version: 2
+updates:
+  - package-ecosystem: "github-actions"
+    directory: "/"
+    schedule:
+      interval: daily
+    cooldown:
+      default-days: 3
+    open-pull-requests-limit: 5
+    labels:
+      - "no changelog"
+    assignees:
+      - "robsdedude"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/changelog_entry.yaml b/.github/workflows/changelog_entry.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea04737
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/changelog_entry.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+name: Changelog Entry
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, labeled, unlabeled]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: read
+
+jobs:
+  check:
+    name: Check changelog entry
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+      - name: Verify changelog entry or "no changelog" label
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+          LABELS: ${{ toJson(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name) }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          if echo "$LABELS" | jq -e 'index("no changelog")' > /dev/null; then
+            echo "PR is labeled 'no changelog' - skipping check."
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          expected="^changelog\\.d/${PR_NUMBER}\\.[^/]+\\.md$"
+          matching=$(gh api "repos/$REPO/pulls/$PR_NUMBER/files" --paginate \
+            | jq -r '.[] | select(.status == "added") | .filename' \
+            | grep -E "$expected" \
+            || true)
+          if [ -z "$matching" ]; then
+            echo "::error::PR must add a file named 'changelog.d/${PR_NUMBER}.<type>.md' or carry the 'no changelog' label."
+            echo "See changelog.d/README.md for how to create an entry."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "Found new changelog entry/entries:"
+          echo "$matching"
+          echo "Checking changelog entries contain '<ISSUES_LIST>' placeholder on the first line..."
+          missing=()
+          while IFS= read -r file; do
+            if ! head -n 1 "$file" | grep -qF '<ISSUES_LIST>'; then
+              missing+=("$file")
+            fi
+          done <<< "$matching"
+          if [ ${#missing[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+            echo "::error::The following changelog entries must contain '<ISSUES_LIST>' on the first line:"
+            for f in "${missing[@]}"; do
+              echo "  - $f"
+            done
+            echo "See changelog.d/README.md for the expected format."
+            exit 1
+          fi
diff --git a/changelog.d/README.md b/changelog.d/README.md
index 21b1f4e..9b30479 100644
--- a/changelog.d/README.md
+++ b/changelog.d/README.md
@@ -1,13 +1,17 @@
+# How To Changelog
+
 To create a new entry, you can run:
+
 ```bash
 towncrier create "<PR number>.<type>"
 ```
+
 This will create a new file in the `changelog.d/` directory for you to fill in.
 If there is no issue or PR number, you can use `+.<type>` instead.
 The `<type>` determines how the entry will be grouped in the changelog.
 For available types, see the `[[tool.towncrier.type]]` entries in the `pyproject.toml` file.
 
-You can include `<ISSUES_LIST>` in the entry to determine where the list of PR/issue links goes.
+The entry's first line must include `<ISSUES_LIST>.` to determine where the list of PR/issue links goes.
 Usually, the entries will look like this:
 
 ```markdown
@@ -15,6 +19,7 @@ Some summary of the change<ISSUES_LIST>.
 ```
 
 or if there's more to say (note the trailing spaces after the first line):
+
 ```markdown
 Some summary of the change<ISSUES_LIST>.  
 Some more details. Feel free to use markdown features like