diff --git a/.github/workflows/apply_dependabot_license_update.yml b/.github/workflows/apply_dependabot_license_update.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cbcc4daa6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/apply_dependabot_license_update.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,247 @@
+name: Apply Dependabot License Update
+
+on:
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows: ["Generate Dependabot License Update"]
+    types: [completed]
+
+# The built-in token validates the triggering run, artifact, and pull request.
+# Only validated updates mint a current-repository-only vectordotdev-bot token.
+# This requires the GH_APP_VECTORDOTDEV_BOT_CLIENT_ID and
+# GH_APP_VECTORDOTDEV_BOT_APP_PRIVATE_KEY Actions secrets.
+permissions:
+  actions: read
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: read
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch || github.event.workflow_run.id }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  apply:
+    name: Apply license update
+    if: >
+      github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success'
+      && github.event.workflow_run.event == 'pull_request'
+      && github.event.workflow_run.head_repository.full_name == github.repository
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    timeout-minutes: 5
+    steps:
+      - name: Find update artifact
+        id: artifact
+        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const artifacts = await github.paginate(
+              github.rest.actions.listWorkflowRunArtifacts,
+              {
+                owner: context.repo.owner,
+                repo: context.repo.repo,
+                run_id: context.payload.workflow_run.id,
+                per_page: 100,
+              },
+            );
+            const matches = artifacts.filter(
+              artifact => artifact.name === 'dependabot-license-update',
+            );
+
+            if (matches.length === 0) {
+              core.notice('No license update was generated.');
+              core.setOutput('present', 'false');
+              return;
+            }
+            if (matches.length !== 1) {
+              core.setFailed(`Expected one update artifact, found ${matches.length}.`);
+              return;
+            }
+            if (matches[0].expired) {
+              core.setFailed('The license update artifact has expired.');
+              return;
+            }
+
+            core.setOutput('present', 'true');
+
+      - name: Download update artifact
+        if: steps.artifact.outputs.present == 'true'
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8.0.1
+        with:
+          name: dependabot-license-update
+          path: dependabot-license-update
+          run-id: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.id }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
+
+      # Do not check out or execute pull request code here. The downloaded files
+      # are treated only as untrusted data.
+      - name: Validate update
+        if: steps.artifact.outputs.present == 'true'
+        id: validation
+        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const fs = require('fs');
+            const path = require('path');
+
+            const fail = message => {
+              throw new Error(message);
+            };
+            const artifactDir = path.resolve('dependabot-license-update');
+            const expectedFiles = ['LICENSE-3rdparty.csv', 'metadata.json'];
+
+            const entries = fs.readdirSync(artifactDir, { withFileTypes: true });
+            for (const entry of entries) {
+              if (!entry.isFile()) {
+                fail(`Artifact entry is not a regular file: ${entry.name}`);
+              }
+            }
+            const files = entries.map(entry => entry.name).sort();
+            if (JSON.stringify(files) !== JSON.stringify(expectedFiles)) {
+              fail(`Unexpected artifact contents: ${files.join(', ')}`);
+            }
+
+            const metadataPath = path.join(artifactDir, 'metadata.json');
+            const metadataStat = fs.statSync(metadataPath);
+            if (metadataStat.size === 0 || metadataStat.size > 4096) {
+              fail(`Invalid metadata size: ${metadataStat.size}`);
+            }
+
+            let metadata;
+            try {
+              metadata = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(metadataPath, 'utf8'));
+            } catch (error) {
+              fail(`Invalid metadata JSON: ${error.message}`);
+            }
+
+            const metadataKeys = Object.keys(metadata).sort();
+            const expectedMetadataKeys = [
+              'head_ref',
+              'head_sha',
+              'pull_request',
+              'version',
+            ];
+            if (JSON.stringify(metadataKeys) !== JSON.stringify(expectedMetadataKeys)) {
+              fail(`Unexpected metadata fields: ${metadataKeys.join(', ')}`);
+            }
+
+            if (metadata.version !== 1) {
+              fail(`Unsupported metadata version: ${metadata.version}`);
+            }
+
+            const { data: pr } = await github.rest.pulls.get({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              pull_number: metadata.pull_request,
+            });
+
+            if (pr.state !== 'open') {
+              core.notice(`Pull request #${metadata.pull_request} is no longer open.`);
+              return;
+            }
+            if (pr.head.ref !== metadata.head_ref) {
+              fail(`Pull request head ref does not match artifact: ${pr.head.ref}`);
+            }
+            if (pr.head.sha !== metadata.head_sha) {
+              core.notice('The pull request advanced after license generation; ignoring stale artifact.');
+              return;
+            }
+
+            const csvPath = path.join(artifactDir, 'LICENSE-3rdparty.csv');
+            const csv = fs.readFileSync(csvPath);
+
+            const { data: currentFile } = await github.rest.repos.getContent({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              path: 'LICENSE-3rdparty.csv',
+              ref: metadata.head_sha,
+            });
+            if (Array.isArray(currentFile) || currentFile.type !== 'file'
+                || currentFile.encoding !== 'base64') {
+              fail('Unable to read the current license inventory as a file.');
+            }
+            const current = Buffer.from(currentFile.content.replace(/\s/g, ''), 'base64');
+            if (current.equals(csv)) {
+              core.notice('The pull request already contains the generated license inventory.');
+              return;
+            }
+
+            core.setOutput('apply', 'true');
+
+      - name: Create vectordotdev-bot token
+        if: steps.validation.outputs.apply == 'true'
+        id: app-token
+        uses: actions/create-github-app-token@bcd2ba49218906704ab6c1aa796996da409d3eb1 # v3.2.0
+        with:
+          # With no owner/repositories input, the token is scoped to this repo.
+          client-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_VECTORDOTDEV_BOT_CLIENT_ID }}
+          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_VECTORDOTDEV_BOT_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+          permission-contents: write
+          permission-pull-requests: read
+
+      # Re-check mutable PR state after minting the token, then change one fixed
+      # path with a non-forcing ref update.
+      - name: Apply validated update
+        if: steps.validation.outputs.apply == 'true'
+        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
+        with:
+          github-token: ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}
+          script: |
+            const fs = require('fs');
+            const path = require('path');
+
+            const artifactDir = path.resolve('dependabot-license-update');
+            const metadata = JSON.parse(
+              fs.readFileSync(path.join(artifactDir, 'metadata.json'), 'utf8'),
+            );
+            const csv = fs.readFileSync(path.join(artifactDir, 'LICENSE-3rdparty.csv'));
+
+            // Re-check the live head immediately before constructing the commit.
+            const { data: freshPr } = await github.rest.pulls.get({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              pull_number: metadata.pull_request,
+            });
+            if (freshPr.state !== 'open' || freshPr.head.sha !== metadata.head_sha) {
+              core.notice('The pull request changed during validation; no update was applied.');
+              return;
+            }
+
+            const { data: parent } = await github.rest.git.getCommit({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              commit_sha: metadata.head_sha,
+            });
+            const { data: blob } = await github.rest.git.createBlob({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              content: csv.toString('base64'),
+              encoding: 'base64',
+            });
+            const { data: tree } = await github.rest.git.createTree({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              base_tree: parent.tree.sha,
+              tree: [{
+                path: 'LICENSE-3rdparty.csv',
+                mode: '100644',
+                type: 'blob',
+                sha: blob.sha,
+              }],
+            });
+            const { data: commit } = await github.rest.git.createCommit({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              message: 'chore(deps): update licenses',
+              tree: tree.sha,
+              parents: [metadata.head_sha],
+            });
+
+            // force:false makes a concurrent Dependabot rebase or maintainer push
+            // fail rather than replacing the newer branch head.
+            await github.rest.git.updateRef({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              ref: `heads/${metadata.head_ref}`,
+              sha: commit.sha,
+              force: false,
+            });
+            core.notice(`Updated licenses in commit ${commit.sha}.`);
diff --git a/.github/workflows/generate_dependabot_license_update.yml b/.github/workflows/generate_dependabot_license_update.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dbcd87f4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/generate_dependabot_license_update.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+name: Generate Dependabot License Update
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types: [opened, reopened, synchronize]
+    paths:
+      - "Cargo.lock"
+      - "Cargo.toml"
+      - "**/Cargo.toml"
+
+# This workflow executes pull-request-controlled code. Keep it read-only and do
+# not add secrets. The generated artifact is untrusted input to the updater.
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  generate:
+    name: Generate license update
+    if: >
+      github.event.pull_request.user.login == 'dependabot[bot]'
+      && github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository
+      && startsWith(github.event.pull_request.head.ref, 'dependabot/cargo/')
+      && github.event.pull_request.base.ref == 'main'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    timeout-minutes: 10
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Generate license inventory
+        run: make write-licenses
+
+      - name: Verify generated file scope
+        run: |
+          if ! git diff --quiet HEAD -- . ':(exclude)LICENSE-3rdparty.csv'; then
+            echo "License generation modified unexpected tracked files:"
+            git status --short
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          if [[ -n "$(git ls-files --others --exclude-standard)" ]]; then
+            echo "License generation created unexpected files:"
+            git status --short
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - name: Check for a license update
+        id: changes
+        run: |
+          if git diff --quiet HEAD -- LICENSE-3rdparty.csv; then
+            echo "changed=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "changed=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
+      - name: Prepare update artifact
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.changed == 'true'
+        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const fs = require('fs');
+            const path = require('path');
+
+            const artifactDir = 'dependabot-license-update';
+            fs.mkdirSync(artifactDir, { recursive: false });
+            fs.copyFileSync(
+              'LICENSE-3rdparty.csv',
+              path.join(artifactDir, 'LICENSE-3rdparty.csv'),
+            );
+
+            const metadata = {
+              version: 1,
+              pull_request: context.payload.pull_request.number,
+              head_ref: context.payload.pull_request.head.ref,
+              head_sha: context.payload.pull_request.head.sha,
+            };
+            fs.writeFileSync(
+              path.join(artifactDir, 'metadata.json'),
+              `${JSON.stringify(metadata, null, 2)}\n`,
+              { encoding: 'utf8', flag: 'wx' },
+            );
+
+      - name: Upload update artifact
+        if: steps.changes.outputs.changed == 'true'
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          name: dependabot-license-update
+          path: dependabot-license-update/
+          if-no-files-found: error
+          retention-days: 1