diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1705d1bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+version: 2
+updates:
+  - package-ecosystem: "github-actions"
+    directory: "/"
+    schedule:
+      interval: "weekly"
+    open-pull-requests-limit: 10
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index fa5c6847..ee95fb6b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -1,36 +1,58 @@
 name: Build and deploy the Starterkit lessons website.
-on: push
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - master
+  pull_request:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+concurrency:
+  group: lessons-${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
 jobs:
   build:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
+
       - name: Set up Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v2
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v6
         with:
-          python-version: 3.13.1
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: pip install -vv starterkit-ci>=0.1.0
+          python-version: "3.13"
+
+      - name: Install uv
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v7
+
       - name: Build the website
-        run: starterkit_ci build --allow-warnings
+        run: uvx starterkit-ci build --source-dir . --allow-warnings
+
       - name: Check for dead links
-        run: starterkit_ci check --allow-warnings
+        run: uvx starterkit-ci check --source-dir . --allow-warnings
+
       - name: Upload build artifacts
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v6
         with:
           name: build
           path: build/html/
+
   deploy:
-    if: ${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' }}
+    if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: build
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
     steps:
       - name: Download build artifacts
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v7
         with:
           name: build
+
       - name: Deploy
-        uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v3
+        uses: peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v4
         with:
           github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           publish_dir: .
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index fa45fde0..e1bf786a 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -15,34 +15,44 @@ You also agree to abide by our [contributor code of conduct][conduct].
 1.  We use the [fork and pull][gh-fork-pull] model to manage changes.
     More information about [forking a repository][gh-fork] and [making a Pull Request][gh-pull].
 
-2.  To build the lessons please install the [dependencies](#DEPENDENCIES).
+2.  To build and check the lessons locally, follow [Dependencies and local checks](#dependencies-and-local-checks).
 
-2.  For our lessons, you should branch from and submit pull requests against the `master` branch.
+3.  For our lessons, you should branch from and submit pull requests against the `master` branch.
 
-3.  When editing lesson pages, you need only commit changes to the Markdown source files.
+4.  When editing lesson pages, you need only commit changes to the Markdown source files.
 
-4.  If you're looking for things to work on, please see [the list of issues for this repository][issues].
+5.  If you're looking for things to work on, please see [the list of issues for this repository][issues].
     Comments on issues and reviews of pull requests are equally welcome.
 
-## Dependencies
+## Dependencies and local checks
 
-To build the lessons locally, install the following:
+The CI workflow builds and link-checks this repository using `starterkit-ci`.
+Use the same commands locally before opening a PR.
 
-1. [starterkit-ci](https://pypi.org/project/starterkit-ci/)
+### Option A: run without installing (recommended)
 
-Then build the pages:
+```shell
+uvx starterkit-ci build --source-dir . --allow-warnings
+uvx starterkit-ci check --source-dir . --allow-warnings
+```
+
+### Option B: install the tool first
 
 ```shell
-$ starterkit_ci build --allow-warnings
-$ starterkit_ci check --allow-warnings
+pip install starterkit-ci
+starterkit-ci build --source-dir . --allow-warnings
+starterkit-ci check --source-dir . --allow-warnings
 ```
 
-and start a web server to host them:
+Note: `starterkit_ci` (underscore) is still accepted as a legacy alias, but `starterkit-ci` is the preferred command.
+
+To preview the generated docs locally, start a web server:
 
 ```shell
-$ cd build
-$ python -m http.server 8000
+cd build
+uv run python -m http.server 8000
 ```
+
 You can see your local version by using a web-browser to navigate to `http://localhost:8000` or wherever it says it's serving the book.
 
 [conduct]: CONDUCT.md