diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cce4a88d5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+version: 2
+updates:
+  - package-ecosystem: "github-actions" # See documentation for possible values
+    directory: "/" # Location of package manifests
+    schedule:
+      interval: "weekly"
+
diff --git a/.github/release-drafts/increasing-minor-version.yml b/.github/release-drafts/increasing-minor-version.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7abc12ecb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/release-drafts/increasing-minor-version.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+_extends: .github:.github/release-drafts/increasing-minor-version.yml
+template: |
+  # :mega: Play $NEXT_MINOR_VERSION Released
+  
+  The Play Team is proud to announce the release of Play $NEXT_MINOR_VERSION. This release adds many new features and continues our efforts to make Play more modular, flexible, and secure. Play $NEXT_MINOR_VERSION is the result of more than **X months** of relentless work from our fantastic community, comprehending **more than a thousand (TODO?) changes** made from **X contributors**.
+  
+  ## :green_book: What is new?
+  
+  The highlights in Play $NEXT_MINOR_VERSION include, but are not limited by:
+   
+  To get started with Play, follow the instructions in our [Getting Started page](https://www.playframework.com/documentation/1.5.x/home#started). 
+
+  ## Full Changelog
+  
+  Following pull requests got merged for this release:
+  <details>
+    <summary>Following pull requests got merged for this release (click to expand)</summary>
+  
+    $CHANGES
+  </details>
+  
+  For more details see the [full list of changes](https://github.com/playframework/play1/compare/$PREVIOUS_TAG...$NEXT_MINOR_VERSION/) and the [$NEXT_MINOR_VERSION milestone](https://github.com/playframework/play1/issues?page=1&q=milestone%3A%22$NEXT_MINOR_VERSION%22).
+
+  ## 🙇 Thanks to our contributors
+
+  Finally, thanks to the community for their help with detailed bug reports, discussions about new features and pull request reviews. This project is only possible due to the help we had from amazing contributors.
+  Special thanks to all code contributors who helped with this particular release (they are listed below)!
+
+
+categories:
+  - title: '🚀 Features'
+    labels:
+      - 'feature'
+      - 'refactoring'
+  - title: '🐛 Bug Fixes'
+    label: 'bug'
+  - title: 📦 Dependency updates
+    label: 'dependencies'
+  - title: 📖 Documentation
+    label: 'documentation'
diff --git a/.github/release-drafts/release-drafter.yml b/.github/release-drafts/release-drafter.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..21e8ed9f96
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/release-drafts/release-drafter.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+name: Release Drafter
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - master
+
+permissions: {}
+jobs:
+  update_release_draft:
+    permissions:
+      pull-requests: write # to add label to PR (release-drafter/release-drafter)
+      contents: write # to create a github release (release-drafter/release-drafter)
+
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: release-drafter/release-drafter@v6
+        with:
+          name: "Play $RESOLVED_VERSION"
+          config-name: release-drafts/increasing-minor-version.yml # located in .github/ in the default branch within this or the .github repo
+          commitish: ${{ env.GITHUB_REF_NAME }}
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeql.yml b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e700197237
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeql.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+name: "CodeQL"
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ "master" ]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ "master" ]
+  schedule:
+    - cron: '15 1 * * 6'
+
+jobs:
+  analyze:
+    name: Analyze
+    # Runner size impacts CodeQL analysis time. To learn more, please see:
+    #   - https://gh.io/recommended-hardware-resources-for-running-codeql
+    #   - https://gh.io/supported-runners-and-hardware-resources
+    #   - https://gh.io/using-larger-runners
+    # Consider using larger runners for possible analysis time improvements.
+    runs-on: ${{ (matrix.language == 'swift' && 'macos-latest') || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
+    timeout-minutes: ${{ (matrix.language == 'swift' && 120) || 360 }}
+    permissions:
+      # required for all workflows
+      security-events: write
+
+      # only required for workflows in private repositories
+      actions: read
+      contents: read
+
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        language: [ 'java-kotlin', 'javascript-typescript', 'python' ]
+
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout repository
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+    # Initializes the CodeQL tools for scanning.
+    - name: Initialize CodeQL
+      uses: github/codeql-action/init@v3
+      with:
+        languages: ${{ matrix.language }}
+        # If you wish to specify custom queries, you can do so here or in a config file.
+        # By default, queries listed here will override any specified in a config file.
+        # Prefix the list here with "+" to use these queries and those in the config file.
+
+        # For more details on CodeQL's query packs, refer to: https://docs.github.com/en/code-security/code-scanning/automatically-scanning-your-code-for-vulnerabilities-and-errors/configuring-code-scanning#using-queries-in-ql-packs
+        # queries: security-extended,security-and-quality
+
+    - name: Build with Ant
+      if: ${{ matrix.language }} == 'java-kotlin'
+      working-directory: ./framework
+      run: ant jar
+
+    - name: Perform CodeQL Analysis
+      uses: github/codeql-action/analyze@v3
+      with:
+        category: "/language:${{matrix.language}}"