diff --git a/.github/workflows/dco-merge-queue.yml b/.github/workflows/dco-merge-queue.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 7a4260de9..000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/dco-merge-queue.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-# Based on https://github.com/hyperledger/besu/pull/5207/files
-name: DCO
-on:
-  merge_group:
-
-# Drop all token permissions: this workflow only runs a local echo command.
-permissions: {}
-
-jobs:
-  DCO:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-slim
-    if: ${{ github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]' }}
-    steps:
-      - run: echo "This DCO job runs on merge_queue event and doesn't check PR contents"
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 309abd372..555fc1ba6 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ Or you can use `nox`:
 nox -R -s pytest -- tests/test_*.py
 ```
 
-The same appliest to `pylint` or `mypy` for example:
+The same applies to `pylint` or `mypy` for example:
 
 ```sh
 nox -R -s pylint -- tests/test_*.py
@@ -121,12 +121,19 @@ These are the steps to create a new release:
 
 1. Get the latest head you want to create a release from.
 
+   If you use milestones, check that the milestone for this release has no open
+   issues left, and move whatever won't make it to a later milestone.
+
 2. Update the `RELEASE_NOTES.md` file if it is not complete, up to date, and
-   remove template comments (`<!-- ... ->`) and empty sections. Submit a pull
+   remove template comments (`<!-- ... -->`) and empty sections. Submit a pull
    request if an update is needed, wait until it is merged, and update the
    latest head you want to create a release from to get the new merged pull
    request.
 
+   This can't be left for later: the notes published with the release are read
+   from the `RELEASE_NOTES.md` committed at the tagged commit, not from the tag
+   message.
+
 3. Create a new signed tag using the release notes and
    a [semver](https://semver.org/) compatible version number with a `v` prefix,
    for example:
@@ -135,6 +142,10 @@ These are the steps to create a new release:
    git tag -s --cleanup=whitespace -F RELEASE_NOTES.md v0.0.1
    ```
 
+   The signature is not optional: the *Protect released tags* ruleset rejects
+   unsigned tags. It also forbids updating or deleting a released tag, so make
+   sure you are tagging the commit you want.
+
 4. Push the new tag.
 
 5. A GitHub action will test the tag and if all goes well it will create
@@ -153,4 +164,7 @@ These are the steps to create a new release:
    Commit the new release notes and create a PR (this step should be automated
    eventually too).
 
-7. Celebrate!
+7. If you use milestones, close the milestone for this release, and create the
+   next one if it doesn't exist yet.
+
+8. Celebrate!
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index fc2df8fb9..038824110 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@
 
 [build-system]
 requires = [
-  "setuptools == 82.0.1",
-  "setuptools_scm[toml] == 10.2.0",
-  "frequenz-repo-config[lib] == 0.18.0",
+  "setuptools == 84.0.0",
+  "setuptools_scm[toml] == 10.2.1",
+  "frequenz-repo-config[lib] == 0.19.0",
 ]
 build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ dev-mkdocs = [
   "mkdocs-material == 9.7.6",
   "mkdocstrings[python] == 1.0.6",
   "mkdocstrings-python == 2.0.5",
-  "frequenz-repo-config[lib] == 0.18.0",
+  "frequenz-repo-config[lib] == 0.19.0",
 ]
 dev-mypy = [
   "mypy == 2.3.0",
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ dev-mypy = [
   # For checking the noxfile, docs/ script, and tests
   "frequenz-sdk[dev-mkdocs,dev-noxfile,dev-pytest]",
 ]
-dev-noxfile = ["nox == 2026.7.11", "frequenz-repo-config[lib] == 0.18.0"]
+dev-noxfile = ["nox == 2026.7.11", "frequenz-repo-config[lib] == 0.19.0"]
 dev-pylint = [
   "pylint == 4.0.6",
   # For checking the noxfile, docs/ script, and tests
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ dev-pylint = [
 ]
 dev-pytest = [
   "pytest == 9.1.1",
-  "frequenz-repo-config[extra-lint-examples] == 0.18.0",
+  "frequenz-repo-config[extra-lint-examples] == 0.19.0",
   "pytest-mock == 3.15.1",
   "pytest-asyncio == 1.4.0",
   "time-machine == 2.16.0",
@@ -167,8 +167,8 @@ disable = [
 max-attributes = 12
 
 [tool.pytest.ini_options]
-addopts = "-vv"
 testpaths = ["tests", "src"]
+asyncio_debug = true
 asyncio_mode = "auto"
 asyncio_default_fixture_loop_scope = "function"
 required_plugins = ["pytest-asyncio", "pytest-mock"]
@@ -193,6 +193,7 @@ filterwarnings = [
 ]
 
 [tool.mypy]
+enable_error_code = ["exhaustive-match"]
 explicit_package_bases = true
 namespace_packages = true
 # This option disables mypy cache, and it is sometimes useful to enable it if