diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b763555
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+# Dependabot version updates, grouped per ecosystem so one upstream release does not arrive as three
+# pull requests.
+#
+# The five-day cooldown is a supply-chain control, not a convenience. Most malicious npm and PyPI
+# releases in recent memory were detected and yanked within hours, so waiting before adopting a new
+# version neutralises that class of attack without anyone needing to be watching at the right moment.
+# Security updates are unaffected: Dependabot security PRs are driven by advisories and ignore this.
+#
+# Layout note: this repository publishes three packages, and each ecosystem's manifest sits where its
+# packaging rules force it. composer.json and pyproject.toml are at the root; the npm package is in
+# `js/`. See the README.
+
+version: 2
+
+multi-ecosystem-groups:
+  # Everything that ends up in a published artefact or its lockfile.
+  packages:
+    schedule:
+      interval: weekly
+  # Kept separate because a workflow bump changes what runs in the release path, which deserves its own
+  # review rather than being batched with library updates.
+  github-actions:
+    schedule:
+      interval: weekly
+
+updates:
+  - package-ecosystem: npm
+    multi-ecosystem-group: packages
+    directory: /js
+    patterns:
+      - '*'
+    cooldown:
+      default-days: 5
+    labels:
+      - dependencies
+
+  - package-ecosystem: composer
+    multi-ecosystem-group: packages
+    directory: /
+    patterns:
+      - '*'
+    allow:
+      - dependency-type: all
+    cooldown:
+      default-days: 5
+    labels:
+      - dependencies
+
+  - package-ecosystem: pip
+    multi-ecosystem-group: packages
+    directory: /
+    patterns:
+      - '*'
+    cooldown:
+      default-days: 5
+    labels:
+      - dependencies
+
+  # Every action here is pinned to a full commit SHA, and a CI job fails the build if any is not.
+  # Dependabot understands SHA pins and bumps them with the version comment intact, which is the only
+  # sustainable way to keep pinned actions current.
+  - package-ecosystem: github-actions
+    multi-ecosystem-group: github-actions
+    directory: /
+    patterns:
+      - '*'
+    cooldown:
+      default-days: 5
+    labels:
+      - dependencies
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 202fb7d..753a717 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -83,9 +83,11 @@ ecosystems, so a malicious version would run in our CI and on developer machines
   builds install with `--ignore-scripts`.
 - CodeQL (JavaScript, Python, Actions), dependency review with a copyleft denylist, and a weekly
   OpenSSF Scorecard run.
-- The Renovate base sets a five-day `minimumReleaseAge` cooldown. Most malicious releases are detected
-  and yanked within hours, so a cooldown neutralises that class of attack without anyone needing to be
-  watching at the right moment.
+- A five-day dependency cooldown, applied by `.github/dependabot.yml` across npm, Composer, pip and
+  GitHub Actions, with updates grouped per ecosystem. Most malicious releases are detected and yanked
+  within hours, so a cooldown neutralises that class of attack without anyone needing to be watching at
+  the right moment. Security updates are advisory-driven and unaffected. The Renovate presets express
+  the same policy for consumers on Renovate.
 
 `SECURITY.md` documents the controls, the verification commands, and the known gaps — including that
 Composer has no artefact provenance mechanism, so the PHP package's integrity rests on repository
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a29d79c..87b33c3 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -375,10 +375,20 @@ repos:
 
 ---
 
-## Renovate
+## Dependency updates
 
-This repository is also the org-wide Renovate config, extended by name the same way the style presets
-are. In a consuming repository's `renovate.json`:
+This repository's own updates are handled by **Dependabot** (`.github/dependabot.yml`): grouped per
+ecosystem, with a five-day cooldown on every one. The cooldown is a supply-chain control rather than a
+convenience — see `SECURITY.md`.
+
+Note that Renovate is **not installed** on the organisation. Dependabot is what actually runs. The
+presets below are for consumers that adopt Renovate, and express the same policy.
+
+## Renovate presets (optional)
+
+This repository also ships an org-wide Renovate config, extended by name the same way the style presets
+are. Using it requires installing the Renovate GitHub App. In a consuming repository's
+`renovate.json`:
 
 ```json
 {
@@ -403,9 +413,9 @@ polyglot repository would otherwise get three pull requests for one upstream com
 
 Requires Renovate 38 or newer, which is when `matchPackageNames` gained glob support.
 
-**Do not also enable Dependabot version updates.** Dependabot *security* updates are fine alongside
-this and complement it: they only fire on advisories. A `dependabot.yml` with a `schedule` block,
-though, means every bump arrives twice.
+**Pick one tool per repository.** Dependabot *security* updates compose fine with Renovate, because
+they only fire on advisories. Dependabot *version* updates do not: every bump would arrive twice. Our
+repositories use Dependabot, so these presets are only relevant if that changes.
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/SECURITY.md b/SECURITY.md
index 7bf03b5..b82b938 100644
--- a/SECURITY.md
+++ b/SECURITY.md
@@ -92,12 +92,19 @@ Enforced through GitHub settings rather than files:
 
 ### Consuming a compromised upstream
 
-The Renovate presets set a repository-wide `minimumReleaseAge` cooldown, so a dependency version stays
-unadopted for several days after publication. Most malicious npm and PyPI releases in recent memory
-were detected and yanked within hours; a cooldown converts that class of attack into a non-event
-without needing anyone to be paying attention at the right moment.
-
-Linters and formatters additionally never automerge, at any update type.
+`.github/dependabot.yml` sets a **five-day cooldown** on every ecosystem, so a dependency version stays
+unadopted for five days after publication. Most malicious npm and PyPI releases in recent memory were
+detected and yanked within hours; a cooldown converts that class of attack into a non-event without
+needing anyone to be paying attention at the right moment. Security updates are unaffected — those are
+advisory-driven and ignore the cooldown.
+
+Updates are grouped per ecosystem so one upstream release does not arrive as three pull requests, and
+GitHub Actions are grouped separately: a workflow bump changes what runs in the release path and
+deserves its own review.
+
+The Renovate presets this repository also ships (`default.json`, `renovate/*.json`) express the same
+policy for consumers who use Renovate. They are **not active here** — Renovate is not installed on the
+organisation, Dependabot is.
 
 ## Known gaps