diff --git a/.github/config/labels.json b/.github/config/labels.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d935edb97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/config/labels.json
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+[
+	{
+		"name": "skip-changelog",
+		"color": "ededed",
+		"description": "Exclude this PR from the automated changelog update."
+	},
+	{
+		"name": "auto version bump",
+		"color": "bfd4f2",
+		"description": "Automated version bump PRs created by the release workflow."
+	}
+]
diff --git a/.github/scripts/check-changelog-exclusions.mjs b/.github/scripts/check-changelog-exclusions.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a4f55a2ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/check-changelog-exclusions.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+/**
+ * Checks if a PR should be excluded from the changelog
+ * Used by the changelog-ci workflow to determine early if processing should continue
+ */
+
+import { INCLUDED_TYPES } from "./update-changelog.mjs";
+
+/**
+ * Labels that should exclude PRs from the changelog
+ */
+const EXCLUDED_LABELS = [
+	"skip-changelog",
+	"no-changelog",
+	"dependencies",
+	"dependabot",
+	"auto version bump",
+	"release",
+];
+
+/**
+ * Commit types that should exclude PRs from the changelog
+ */
+const EXCLUDED_TYPES = [
+	"build",
+	"chore",
+	"ci",
+	"docs",
+	"image",
+	"style",
+	"test",
+];
+
+/**
+ * All valid commit types (included + excluded)
+ * Included types are derived from TYPE_TO_SECTION
+ */
+const ALL_COMMIT_TYPES = [...INCLUDED_TYPES, ...EXCLUDED_TYPES];
+
+/**
+ * Regex to match conventional commit type prefix in PR titles,
+ * including both included and excluded types.
+ */
+const typeRegex = new RegExp(
+	`^(${ALL_COMMIT_TYPES.join("|")})(\\(.+?\\))?!?:`,
+	"i",
+);
+
+/**
+ * Checks if the PR has any labels that are in the EXCLUDED_LABELS list.
+ * The PR should be excluded from the changelog update process if any excluded label is found.
+ *
+ * @param {string[]} labels - Array of PR labels
+ * @returns {boolean} - True if any label is excluded
+ */
+function hasExcludedLabel(labels) {
+	return labels.some((label) =>
+		EXCLUDED_LABELS.includes(label.name.toLowerCase()),
+	);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets the name of the excluded label, if any.
+ * @param {string[]} labels - Array of PR labels
+ * @returns {string|undefined} - The name of the excluded label, if any
+ */
+function getExcludedLabel(labels) {
+	return labels.find((label) =>
+		EXCLUDED_LABELS.includes(label.name.toLowerCase()),
+	)?.name;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Checks if a PR should be excluded from the changelog
+ */
+export default async function checkExclusions({ pr, core }) {
+	try {
+		const prTitle = pr.title;
+
+		console.log(`🔍 Checking exclusions for PR #${pr.number}: ${prTitle}`);
+
+		let shouldSkip = false;
+		let skipReason = "";
+
+		// Check for excluded labels
+		if (hasExcludedLabel(pr.labels)) {
+			const excludedLabel = getExcludedLabel(pr.labels);
+			console.log(`⏭️  PR has excluded label "${excludedLabel}". Should skip.`);
+			shouldSkip = true;
+			skipReason = `excluded label: ${excludedLabel}`;
+		}
+		// Check for conventional commit type
+		else {
+			// Match the PR title against the regex to extract the commit type.
+			const match = prTitle.match(typeRegex);
+
+			// If no conventional commit type is found, skip the PR.
+			if (!match) {
+				console.log(
+					"⚠️  No conventional commit type found in PR title. Should skip.",
+				);
+				shouldSkip = true;
+				skipReason = "no conventional commit type";
+			}
+			// If a commit type is found, check if it's in the excluded types list.
+			else {
+				// Extract the commit type from the matched regex and
+				// convert it to lowercase for comparison.
+				const type = match[1].toLowerCase();
+
+				// If the commit type is in the EXCLUDED_TYPES list, skip the PR.
+				if (EXCLUDED_TYPES.includes(type)) {
+					console.log(
+						`⚠️  Conventional commit type "${type}" is excluded. Should skip.`,
+					);
+					shouldSkip = true;
+					skipReason = `excluded type: ${type}`;
+				}
+				// If the commit type is NOT in the EXCLUDED_TYPES list, include the PR.
+				else {
+					console.log(`✅ PR will be included in changelog (type: ${type})`);
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Set outputs
+		core.setOutput("should-skip", shouldSkip.toString());
+		// If skipping, provide the reason.
+		if (shouldSkip) {
+			core.setOutput("skip-reason", skipReason);
+		}
+	} catch (error) {
+		console.error("❌ Error checking exclusions:", error);
+		core.setFailed(`Failed to check exclusions: ${error.message}`);
+	}
+}
diff --git a/.github/scripts/update-changelog.mjs b/.github/scripts/update-changelog.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd3cc2ac5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/update-changelog.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,382 @@
+/**
+ * Updates CHANGELOG.md with merged PR information
+ * Categorises PRs based on conventional commit types
+ * Used by the changelog-ci workflow
+ *
+ * Note: Exclusion checks (labels, commit types) are handled by check-changelog-exclusions.mjs
+ * before this script is called, so we can assume the PR should be included.
+ */
+
+import { readFileSync, writeFileSync } from "fs";
+
+/**
+ * Maps conventional commit types to changelog sections
+ */
+const TYPE_TO_SECTION = {
+	feat: "Added",
+	fix: "Fixed",
+	refactor: "Changed",
+	perf: "Changed",
+	revert: "Changed",
+	remove: "Removed",
+	security: "Security",
+	change: "Changed",
+	deprecate: "Deprecated",
+};
+
+/**
+ * Maps commit types to custom display prefixes in changelog entries.
+ * When a type is listed here, its capitalised name is used as the prefix
+ * instead of the section name. Add new types here to override the default.
+ */
+const TYPE_TO_PREFIX = {
+	revert: "Reverted",
+	refactor: "Refactored",
+};
+
+/**
+ * Indentation used for PR description lines nested under a changelog list item — 2 spaces.
+ */
+const DESCRIPTION_INDENT = "  ";
+
+/**
+ * Array of included commit types derived from the keys of TYPE_TO_SECTION object
+ */
+export const INCLUDED_TYPES = Object.keys(TYPE_TO_SECTION);
+
+/**
+ * Build regex pattern to match conventional commit type prefix
+ * Matches: type(scope)?: or type!: with optional whitespace after colon
+ */
+const COMMIT_TYPE_REGEX = new RegExp(
+	`^(${INCLUDED_TYPES.join("|")})(\\(.+?\\))?!?:\\s*`,
+	"i",
+);
+
+/**
+ * Extracts the conventional commit type from a PR title
+ * @param {string} title - PR title
+ * @returns {string|null} - The type or null if not found
+ */
+function extractType(title) {
+	const match = title.match(COMMIT_TYPE_REGEX);
+	return match ? match[1].toLowerCase() : null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Strips the conventional commit type prefix from a PR title
+ * @param {string} title - PR title
+ * @returns {string} - Cleaned title
+ */
+function cleanTitle(title) {
+	// Remove the type prefix (e.g., "feat: ", "fix(scope): ")
+	const cleaned = title.replace(COMMIT_TYPE_REGEX, "");
+
+	if (cleaned.length === 0) return title; // Fallback to original if something went wrong
+	return cleaned;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets or creates the Unreleased section in the changelog
+ * @param {string} changelog - Current changelog content
+ * @returns {object} - { hasUnreleased, lines, unreleasedIndex }
+ */
+function findOrCreateUnreleased(changelog) {
+	const lines = changelog.split("\n");
+
+	// Find if Unreleased section exists — handles both plain "## [Unreleased]"
+	// and the URL-bearing variant "## [Unreleased](url)"
+	const unreleasedIndex = lines.findIndex((line) =>
+		line.match(/^## \[?Unreleased\]?/i),
+	);
+
+	if (unreleasedIndex !== -1) {
+		return { hasUnreleased: true, lines, unreleasedIndex };
+	}
+
+	// Create Unreleased section — find first release section to insert before it
+	let insertIndex = -1;
+
+	// Look for the first release section (## [version])
+	for (let i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
+		if (lines[i].match(/^## \[.+\]/)) {
+			insertIndex = i;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	// If no release found, append to the end of the document (fallback behaviour)
+	if (insertIndex === -1) {
+		insertIndex = lines.length;
+	}
+
+	// Insert Unreleased section
+	const unreleasedSection = ["", "## [Unreleased]", ""];
+
+	lines.splice(insertIndex, 0, ...unreleasedSection);
+
+	return { hasUnreleased: false, lines, unreleasedIndex: insertIndex + 1 };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Checks if a PR entry already exists in the Unreleased section
+ * @param {array} lines - Changelog lines
+ * @param {number} unreleasedIndex - Index of Unreleased header
+ * @param {number} prNumber - PR number to check
+ * @returns {boolean} - True if PR already exists
+ */
+function isDuplicateEntry(lines, unreleasedIndex, prNumber) {
+	// Find the next version header (##) or end of file
+	let nextSectionIndex = lines.length;
+	for (let i = unreleasedIndex + 1; i < lines.length; i++) {
+		if (lines[i].startsWith("## ")) {
+			nextSectionIndex = i;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Check all lines in the Unreleased section for this PR number
+	const prPattern = new RegExp(`\\[#${prNumber}\\]\\(`);
+	for (let i = unreleasedIndex + 1; i < nextSectionIndex; i++) {
+		if (prPattern.test(lines[i])) {
+			return true;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return false;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Adds a PR entry to the appropriate section within Unreleased
+ * @param {array} lines - Changelog lines
+ * @param {number} unreleasedIndex - Index of Unreleased header
+ * @param {string} section - Section name (Added, Fixed, etc.)
+ * @param {string} entry - PR entry to add
+ * @returns {array} - Updated lines
+ */
+function addEntryToSection(lines, unreleasedIndex, section, entry) {
+	// Find the next version header (##) or end of file
+	let nextSectionIndex = lines.length;
+	for (let i = unreleasedIndex + 1; i < lines.length; i++) {
+		if (lines[i].startsWith("## ")) {
+			nextSectionIndex = i;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Look for the section header within Unreleased
+	let sectionIndex = -1;
+	for (let i = unreleasedIndex + 1; i < nextSectionIndex; i++) {
+		if (lines[i].startsWith(`### ${section}`)) {
+			sectionIndex = i;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+
+	if (sectionIndex === -1) {
+		// Section doesn't exist, create it
+		let insertIndex = unreleasedIndex + 1;
+
+		// Skip blank lines
+		while (insertIndex < nextSectionIndex && lines[insertIndex].trim() === "") {
+			insertIndex++;
+		}
+
+		// Skip all existing sections to add new section at the end
+		while (
+			insertIndex < nextSectionIndex &&
+			lines[insertIndex].startsWith("### ")
+		) {
+			// Skip section header
+			insertIndex++;
+
+			// Skip all content until the next section header or end of Unreleased
+			while (
+				insertIndex < nextSectionIndex &&
+				!lines[insertIndex].startsWith("### ")
+			) {
+				insertIndex++;
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Insert new section
+		lines.splice(insertIndex, 0, `### ${section}`, "", entry, "");
+	} else {
+		// Section exists, add entry to it
+		let insertIndex = sectionIndex + 1;
+
+		// Skip blank lines after section header
+		while (insertIndex < nextSectionIndex && lines[insertIndex].trim() === "") {
+			insertIndex++;
+		}
+
+		// Skip existing entries using <!-- end --> markers as definitive boundaries.
+		// For entries without a marker (backward compatibility), stop at the next
+		// entry title ("- ") or section header ("### ").
+		while (
+			insertIndex < nextSectionIndex &&
+			lines[insertIndex].startsWith("- ")
+		) {
+			insertIndex++; // skip the entry title line
+			// Advance past description lines/blank lines up to the <!-- end --> marker
+			while (
+				insertIndex < nextSectionIndex &&
+				lines[insertIndex] !== "<!-- end -->" &&
+				!lines[insertIndex].startsWith("- ") &&
+				!lines[insertIndex].startsWith("### ")
+			) {
+				insertIndex++;
+			}
+			// Skip the <!-- end --> marker if present
+			if (
+				insertIndex < nextSectionIndex &&
+				lines[insertIndex] === "<!-- end -->"
+			) {
+				insertIndex++;
+			}
+			// Skip any blank lines between entries
+			while (insertIndex < nextSectionIndex && lines[insertIndex] === "") {
+				insertIndex++;
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Insert entry
+		lines.splice(insertIndex, 0, entry);
+	}
+
+	return lines;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Formats the PR description with indentation for nesting under a list item
+ * @param {string|null} prBody - PR description/body text
+ * @returns {string} - Formatted description string (empty if no body)
+ */
+function formatPRDescription(prBody) {
+	if (!prBody || prBody.trim() === "") {
+		return "";
+	}
+
+	// Convert markdown headings to bold text
+	const withoutHeadings = prBody.replace(/^#{1,6}\s+(.+)$/gm, "**$1**");
+
+	// Indent each line with 2 spaces to nest under the list item.
+	// Skip indentation on empty lines to avoid trailing whitespace.
+	const indented = withoutHeadings
+		.split("\n")
+		.map((line) => (line ? `${DESCRIPTION_INDENT}${line}` : ""))
+		.join("\n");
+
+	// Always separate the description from the entry title with a blank line so
+	// that markdown renders the description on its own line. Strip any leading
+	// newlines from `indented` first to avoid double blank lines when prBody
+	// itself starts with a blank line.
+	return `\n\n${indented.replace(/^\n+/, "")}`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Builds the full changelog entry line for a PR
+ * @param {string} type - Conventional commit type (e.g., "feat", "fix", "revert")
+ * @param {string} section - Section name resolved from TYPE_TO_SECTION
+ * @param {string} cleanedTitle - PR title with the type prefix stripped
+ * @param {number} prNumber - PR number
+ * @param {string} prUrl - PR HTML URL
+ * @param {string} prAuthor - PR author login
+ * @param {string|null} prBody - PR body/description
+ * @returns {string} - Formatted entry line
+ */
+function buildEntry(
+	type,
+	section,
+	cleanedTitle,
+	prNumber,
+	prUrl,
+	prAuthor,
+	prBody,
+) {
+	const prefix = TYPE_TO_PREFIX[type] ?? section;
+	return `- ${prefix} ${cleanedTitle} ([#${prNumber}](${prUrl})) by @${prAuthor}${formatPRDescription(prBody)}\n<!-- end -->`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Main function to update the changelog
+ */
+export default async function updateChangelog({ pr, core }) {
+	try {
+		const prNumber = pr.number;
+		const prTitle = pr.title;
+		const prUrl = pr.html_url;
+		const prAuthor = pr.user.login;
+		const prBody = pr.body;
+
+		console.log(`📝 Processing PR #${prNumber}: ${prTitle}`);
+
+		// Extract type from PR title
+		const type = extractType(prTitle);
+		if (!type) {
+			console.log(
+				`⚠️  No valid conventional commit type found in PR title. Skipping changelog update.`,
+			);
+			return;
+		}
+
+		const section = TYPE_TO_SECTION[type];
+		console.log(`📂 Type: ${type} → Section: ${section}`);
+
+		// Read current changelog
+		const changelogPath = "CHANGELOG.md";
+		let changelog = "";
+		try {
+			changelog = readFileSync(changelogPath, "utf8");
+		} catch (error) {
+			console.log("CHANGELOG.md not found, creating new one");
+			changelog = "# Changelog\n\n";
+		}
+
+		// Get or create Unreleased section
+		const { lines, unreleasedIndex } = findOrCreateUnreleased(changelog);
+
+		// Check if this PR is already in the changelog
+		if (isDuplicateEntry(lines, unreleasedIndex, prNumber)) {
+			console.log(
+				`ℹ️  PR #${prNumber} already exists in the changelog. Skipping.`,
+			);
+			return;
+		}
+
+		// Format PR entry with cleaned title
+		const cleanedTitle = cleanTitle(prTitle);
+		const entry = buildEntry(
+			type,
+			section,
+			cleanedTitle,
+			prNumber,
+			prUrl,
+			prAuthor,
+			prBody,
+		);
+
+		// Add entry to the appropriate section
+		const updatedLines = addEntryToSection(
+			lines,
+			unreleasedIndex,
+			section,
+			entry,
+		);
+
+		// Write updated changelog
+		const updatedChangelog = updatedLines.join("\n");
+		writeFileSync(changelogPath, updatedChangelog);
+
+		console.log(`✅ Updated CHANGELOG.md with PR #${prNumber}`);
+
+		// Set outputs for the workflow to use
+		core.setOutput("changelog-updated", "true");
+		core.setOutput("pr-number", prNumber);
+		core.setOutput("pr-title", cleanedTitle);
+		core.setOutput("pr-author", prAuthor);
+	} catch (error) {
+		console.error("❌ Error updating changelog:", error);
+		core.setFailed(`Failed to update changelog: ${error.message}`);
+	}
+}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/changelog-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/changelog-ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..16d4a7386
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/changelog-ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,183 @@
+name: Changelog CI
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types:
+      - closed
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
+  actions: read
+
+jobs:
+  update_changelog:
+    name: Update Changelog
+    if: github.event.pull_request.merged == true
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Sparse checkout exclusion script
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          sparse-checkout: |
+            .github/scripts/check-changelog-exclusions.mjs
+            .github/scripts/update-changelog.mjs
+          sparse-checkout-cone-mode: false
+
+      - name: Check if PR should be excluded
+        id: check-exclusions
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const { default: checkExclusions } = await import('${{ github.workspace }}/.github/scripts/check-changelog-exclusions.mjs');
+            return await checkExclusions({
+              pr: context.payload.pull_request,
+              core
+            });
+
+      - name: Changelog update skipped
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'true'
+        run: |
+          echo "ℹ️  Changelog update skipped: ${{ steps.check-exclusions.outputs.skip-reason }}"
+
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false'
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Disable sparse checkout
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false'
+        run: |
+          git sparse-checkout disable
+
+      - name: Check for existing changelog PR
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false'
+        id: check-existing-changelog-pr
+        run: |
+          BASE_BRANCH="${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}"
+
+          # Find existing changelog PR
+          CHANGELOG_PR=$(gh pr list --base "$BASE_BRANCH" --state open --json number,title,headRefName,body --jq '.[] | select(.title | test("^docs: Update changelog"; "i"))')
+
+          if [ -n "$CHANGELOG_PR" ]; then
+            PR_NUMBER=$(echo "$CHANGELOG_PR" | jq -r '.number')
+            PR_BRANCH_NAME=$(echo "$CHANGELOG_PR" | jq -r '.headRefName')
+            PR_BODY=$(echo "$CHANGELOG_PR" | jq -r '.body')
+
+            echo "📝 Found existing changelog PR #$PR_NUMBER"
+            echo "changelog-pr-exists=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "changelog-pr-branch-name=$PR_BRANCH_NAME" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "changelog-pr-number=$PR_NUMBER" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+            echo "changelog-pr-body<<EOF" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "$PR_BODY" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "EOF" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "✨ No existing changelog PR found"
+            echo "changelog-pr-exists=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "changelog-pr-branch-name=docs/update-changelog" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+
+      - name: Configure Git
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false'
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+
+      - name: Copy changelog script
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false'
+        run: cp "${{ github.workspace }}/.github/scripts/update-changelog.mjs" /tmp/update-changelog.mjs
+
+      - name: Checkout changelog branch
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false'
+        run: |
+          BRANCH_NAME="${{ steps.check-existing-changelog-pr.outputs.changelog-pr-branch-name }}"
+
+          if [ "${{ steps.check-existing-changelog-pr.outputs.changelog-pr-exists }}" = "true" ]; then
+            echo "🔄 Checking out existing branch: $BRANCH_NAME"
+            git fetch origin $BRANCH_NAME
+            git checkout $BRANCH_NAME
+            git pull origin $BRANCH_NAME
+          else
+            echo "✨ Creating new branch: $BRANCH_NAME"
+            git checkout -b $BRANCH_NAME
+          fi
+
+      - name: Update Changelog
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false'
+        id: update-changelog
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const { default: updateChangelog } = await import('/tmp/update-changelog.mjs');
+            return await updateChangelog({
+              pr: context.payload.pull_request,
+              core
+            });
+
+      - name: Prettify Changelog
+        id: prettify-changelog
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false' && steps.update-changelog.outputs.changelog-updated == 'true'
+        run: |
+          npx prettier --write CHANGELOG.md
+          echo "✅ Formatted CHANGELOG.md with Prettier"
+
+      - name: Git Diff
+        id: git-diff
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false' && steps.update-changelog.outputs.changelog-updated == 'true'
+        run: |
+          git diff CHANGELOG.md
+
+      - name: Commit and push changes
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false' && steps.update-changelog.outputs.changelog-updated == 'true'
+        run: |
+          BRANCH_NAME="${{ steps.check-existing-changelog-pr.outputs.changelog-pr-branch-name }}"
+
+          git add CHANGELOG.md
+          git commit -m "docs: update changelog for PR #${{ steps.update-changelog.outputs.pr-number }}"
+
+          if [ "${{ steps.check-existing-changelog-pr.outputs.changelog-pr-exists }}" = "true" ]; then
+            git push origin $BRANCH_NAME
+          else
+            git push -u origin $BRANCH_NAME
+          fi
+
+      - name: Create or update changelog PR
+        if: steps.check-exclusions.outputs.should-skip == 'false' && steps.update-changelog.outputs.changelog-updated == 'true'
+        run: |
+          BASE_BRANCH="${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}"
+          BRANCH_NAME="${{ steps.check-existing-changelog-pr.outputs.changelog-pr-branch-name }}"
+          PR_NUMBER="${{ steps.update-changelog.outputs.pr-number }}"
+          CHANGELOG_PR_EXISTS="${{ steps.check-existing-changelog-pr.outputs.changelog-pr-exists }}"
+
+          if [ "$CHANGELOG_PR_EXISTS" = "true" ]; then
+            # Update existing PR
+            EXISTING_PR_NUMBER="${{ steps.check-existing-changelog-pr.outputs.changelog-pr-number }}"
+            EXISTING_BODY="${{ steps.check-existing-changelog-pr.outputs.changelog-pr-body }}"
+            UPDATED_BODY="$EXISTING_BODY
+          - #$PR_NUMBER"
+
+            gh pr edit "$EXISTING_PR_NUMBER" --body "$UPDATED_BODY"
+            echo "✅ Updated changelog PR #$EXISTING_PR_NUMBER"
+          else
+            # Create new PR
+            gh pr create \
+              --base "$BASE_BRANCH" \
+              --head "$BRANCH_NAME" \
+              --title "docs: Update changelog" \
+              --body "This PR updates the changelog with merged PRs.
+
+          This is an automated PR created by the changelog workflow.
+
+          ### Included PRs:
+          - #$PR_NUMBER"
+
+            NEW_PR_NUMBER=$(gh pr view "$BRANCH_NAME" --json number --jq '.number')
+            echo "✅ Created changelog PR #$NEW_PR_NUMBER"
+          fi
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ffaa92b7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,283 @@
+on:
+  release:
+    types: [prereleased, released]
+
+env:
+  TAG_NAME: ${{ github.ref_name }}
+  TARGET_BRANCH: ${{ github.event.release.target_commitish }}
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
+  actions: read
+
+name: Release Version Update
+
+jobs:
+  validate-release-version:
+    name: Validate Release Version
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    if: github.event_name == 'release'
+    outputs:
+      version: ${{ steps.parse-version.outputs.version }}
+      is-valid: ${{ steps.parse-version.outputs.is-valid }}
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Parse and Validate Version
+        id: parse-version
+        run: |
+          TAG_NAME="${{ env.TAG_NAME }}"
+
+          # Remove 'v' prefix if present and validate semver format
+          if [[ $TAG_NAME =~ ^v?([0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(-[a-zA-Z0-9\.-]+)?(\+[a-zA-Z0-9\.-]+)?)$ ]]; then
+            VERSION=${BASH_REMATCH[1]}
+            echo "version=$VERSION" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "is-valid=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "✅ Valid version format: $VERSION"
+          else
+            echo "is-valid=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "❌ Invalid version format: $TAG_NAME"
+            echo "Version must follow semver format (e.g., v1.0.0, 1.0.0, v1.0.0-beta.1)"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+  update-version:
+    name: Update Version
+    needs: validate-release-version
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    if: needs.validate-release-version.outputs.is-valid == 'true'
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Setup Git
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+
+      - name: Update Version in cli/version.php
+        run: |
+          VERSION="${{ needs.validate-release-version.outputs.version }}"
+
+          # If this is a prerelease, remove any prerelease tags to get base version
+          if [ "${{ github.event.action }}" = "prereleased" ]; then
+            BASE_VERSION=$(echo "$VERSION" | sed 's/-.*$//')
+            echo "🔄 Prerelease detected: using base version $BASE_VERSION instead of $VERSION"
+            VERSION="$BASE_VERSION"
+          fi
+
+          CURRENT_VERSION=$(grep -oP "(?<=\\\$version = ')[^']+" cli/version.php)
+
+          if [ "$VERSION" = "$CURRENT_VERSION" ]; then
+            echo "ℹ️  cli/version.php already has version $VERSION, skipping update"
+          else
+            echo "📦 Updating cli/version.php from $CURRENT_VERSION to $VERSION"
+            sed -i "s/\$version = '[^']*';/\$version = '$VERSION';/" cli/version.php
+            echo "✅ Successfully updated version to $VERSION"
+          fi
+
+      - name: Update Changelog Release Heading
+        run: |
+          VERSION="${{ needs.validate-release-version.outputs.version }}"
+          TAG_NAME="${{ env.TAG_NAME }}"
+          REPO="${{ github.repository }}"
+          CURRENT_DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
+
+          # Check if CHANGELOG.md exists
+          if [ ! -f "CHANGELOG.md" ]; then
+            echo "⚠️  CHANGELOG.md not found, skipping changelog update"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          # Check if Unreleased section exists (with or without a trailing URL)
+          if ! grep -qP "^## \[Unreleased\]" CHANGELOG.md; then
+            echo "ℹ️  No [Unreleased] section found in CHANGELOG.md, skipping update"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          # Replace the entire [Unreleased] heading line (including any trailing URL) with
+          # a versioned release heading that links to the tree at the tag.
+          RELEASE_URL="${{ github.server_url }}/${REPO}/tree/${TAG_NAME}"
+          NEW_HEADING="## [${VERSION}](${RELEASE_URL}) - ${CURRENT_DATE}"
+
+          sed -i "s|^## \[Unreleased\].*|${NEW_HEADING}|" CHANGELOG.md
+
+          echo "✅ Updated CHANGELOG.md:"
+          echo "   [Unreleased] → [${VERSION}]"
+          echo "   Date: ${CURRENT_DATE}"
+          echo "   URL: ${RELEASE_URL}"
+
+      - name: Check for Changes
+        id: git-check
+        run: |
+          # Check for any modified or untracked files
+          if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
+            echo "changes=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "📝 Changes detected:"
+            git status --porcelain
+          else
+            echo "changes=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "ℹ️  No changes to commit"
+          fi
+
+      - name: Create New Branch
+        if: steps.git-check.outputs.changes == 'true'
+        id: create-branch
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set -e  # Exit on any error
+          BRANCH_NAME="release/${{ env.TAG_NAME }}"
+          echo "branch-name=$BRANCH_NAME" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          # Check if branch already exists remotely
+          if git ls-remote --exit-code --heads origin "$BRANCH_NAME" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "❌ Cannot create $BRANCH_NAME branch as it already exists. This may indicate:"
+            echo "  - A previous workflow run failed partway through"
+            echo "  - The branch was manually created"
+            echo "Please manually delete the branch or check for an existing PR and resolve manually."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          # Create and checkout new branch
+          git checkout -b "$BRANCH_NAME" || {
+            echo "❌ Failed to create branch $BRANCH_NAME"
+            exit 1
+          }
+          echo "✅ Created $BRANCH_NAME branch"
+
+      - name: Commit Changes
+        if: steps.git-check.outputs.changes == 'true'
+        id: commit-changes
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set -e  # Exit on any error
+
+          # Stage and commit changes
+          git add cli/version.php CHANGELOG.md || {
+            echo "❌ Failed to stage files"
+            exit 1
+          }
+
+          git commit -m "chore: version bump and update changelog" || {
+            echo "❌ Failed to commit changes"
+            exit 1
+          }
+          echo "✅ Committed changes"
+
+          # Push to remote
+          BRANCH_NAME="${{ steps.create-branch.outputs.branch-name }}"
+          git push origin "$BRANCH_NAME" || {
+            echo "❌ Failed to push changes to remote"
+            exit 1
+          }
+          echo "✅ Pushed changes to remote on $BRANCH_NAME branch"
+
+      - name: Create Pull Request
+        if: steps.git-check.outputs.changes == 'true'
+        id: create-pr
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set -e  # Exit on any error
+          BRANCH_NAME="${{ steps.create-branch.outputs.branch-name }}"
+
+          echo "Creating pull request on $BRANCH_NAME branch into ${{ env.TARGET_BRANCH }}"
+
+          # Set PR title and body based on release type
+          RELEASE_TYPE="release"
+          if [ "${{ github.event.action }}" = "prereleased" ]; then
+            RELEASE_TYPE="pre-release"
+          fi
+
+          # Define PR details
+          # ^ capitalises the first letter
+          PR_TITLE="${RELEASE_TYPE^} ${{ env.TAG_NAME }}"
+          PR_BODY="Automated version bump for $RELEASE_TYPE ${{ env.TAG_NAME }}."
+          PR_LABELS="auto version bump,release"
+
+          # Create pull request
+          PR_URL=$(gh pr create \
+            --base "${{ env.TARGET_BRANCH }}" \
+            --head "$BRANCH_NAME" \
+            --title "$PR_TITLE" \
+            --body "$PR_BODY" \
+            --label "$PR_LABELS") || {
+            echo "❌ Failed to create pull request"
+            exit 1
+          }
+          echo "✅ Pull request created successfully: $PR_URL"
+
+          # Extract PR number from URL and store as output
+          PR_NUMBER=$(echo "$PR_URL" | grep -oP '\d+$')
+          echo "pr-number=$PR_NUMBER" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "pr-url=$PR_URL" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          # Enable GitHub PR auto-merge
+          gh pr merge "$PR_URL" --auto --squash || {
+            echo "❌ Failed to enable auto-merge"
+            echo "This may be due to:"
+            echo "  - Auto-merge not being enabled in repository settings"
+            echo "  - Required status checks not configured"
+            echo "  - Insufficient permissions"
+            exit 1
+          }
+          echo "✅ Enabled auto-merge for pull request"
+
+      - name: Wait for PR Merge
+        if: steps.git-check.outputs.changes == 'true'
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          PR_NUMBER="${{ steps.create-pr.outputs.pr-number }}"
+
+          echo "⏳ Waiting for pull request #$PR_NUMBER to be merged..."
+
+          # Wait for PR to be merged (timeout after 5 minutes)
+          TIMEOUT=300
+          ELAPSED=0
+          INTERVAL=5
+
+          while [ $ELAPSED -lt $TIMEOUT ]; do
+            # Get PR state and merge status in one call
+            PR_DATA=$(gh pr view "$PR_NUMBER" --json state,mergedAt 2>/dev/null || echo '{"state":"UNKNOWN","mergedAt":null}')
+            PR_STATE=$(echo "$PR_DATA" | jq -r '.state')
+            PR_MERGED_AT=$(echo "$PR_DATA" | jq -r '.mergedAt')
+
+            if [ "$PR_STATE" = "MERGED" ] || [ "$PR_MERGED_AT" != "null" ]; then
+              echo "✅ Pull request successfully merged"
+              break
+            fi
+
+            sleep $INTERVAL
+            ELAPSED=$((ELAPSED + INTERVAL))
+            echo "⏳ Still waiting... (${ELAPSED}s elapsed)"
+          done
+
+          if [ $ELAPSED -ge $TIMEOUT ]; then
+            echo "❌ Timeout waiting for pull request to merge"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - name: Update Tag Reference
+        if: steps.git-check.outputs.changes == 'true'
+        run: |
+          # Fetch the latest changes from target branch
+          git fetch origin ${{ env.TARGET_BRANCH }}
+          git checkout ${{ env.TARGET_BRANCH }}
+          git pull origin ${{ env.TARGET_BRANCH }}
+
+          # Move the existing tag to point to the new commit (preserves GitHub release relationship)
+          git tag ${{ env.TAG_NAME }} -f
+          git push origin ${{ env.TAG_NAME }} -f
+          echo "✅ Updated tag ${{ env.TAG_NAME }} to point to release commit"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/setup-labels.yml b/.github/workflows/setup-labels.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e97ed7e8a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/setup-labels.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+name: Setup Labels
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  push:
+    paths:
+      - ".github/workflows/setup-labels.yml"
+      - ".github/config/labels.json"
+permissions:
+  pull-requests: write
+jobs:
+  sync-labels:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      # Setup (and sync) global labels from the shared profile config
+      - name: Setup global labels
+        uses: julbme/gh-action-manage-label@v1
+        with:
+          from: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/yCodeTech/yCodeTech/refs/heads/master/.github/config/labels.json
+          skip_delete: true
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      # Setup (and sync) repository-specific labels from the local config
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Setup local labels
+        uses: julbme/gh-action-manage-label@v1
+        with:
+          from: .github/config/labels.json
+          skip_delete: true
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}