diff --git a/.github/workflows/development.yaml b/.github/workflows/development.yaml
index 79508a34..93104d03 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/development.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/development.yaml
@@ -4,10 +4,23 @@ on:
     branches:
       - '**' # every branch
       - '!stage*' # exclude branches beginning with stage
+    paths-ignore:
+      - '**.md'
+      - 'docs/**'
+      - '.github/workflows/**'
+      - 'LICENSE*'
+      - '.gitignore'
   pull_request:
     branches:
       - '**' # every branch
       - '!stage*' # exclude branches beginning with stage
+    paths-ignore:
+      - '**.md'
+      - 'docs/**'
+      - '.github/workflows/**'
+      - 'LICENSE*'
+      - '.gitignore'
+
 jobs:
   test:
     if: github.event_name == 'push' || github.event_name == 'pull_request'
@@ -22,7 +35,7 @@ jobs:
         #   - matlab_version: "R2016b"
         #     mysql_version: "5.7"
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - name: Run primary tests
         env:
           MATLAB_UID: "1001"
@@ -36,9 +49,9 @@ jobs:
           DOCKER_CLIENT_TIMEOUT: "120"
           COMPOSE_HTTP_TIMEOUT: "120"
         run: |
-          docker-compose -f LNX-docker-compose.yaml up --build --exit-code-from app
+          docker compose -f LNX-docker-compose.yaml up --build --exit-code-from app
       - name: Add toolbox artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
           name: dj-toolbox-${{matrix.matlab_version}}
           path: DataJoint.mltbx
@@ -53,7 +66,7 @@ jobs:
       DOCKER_CLIENT_TIMEOUT: "120"
       COMPOSE_HTTP_TIMEOUT: "120"
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - name: Deploy docs
         run: |
           export MODE=BUILD
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8bdfd039..ae8fffea 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,11 +2,18 @@
 
 # Welcome to DataJoint for MATLAB!
 
+> ## 📌 Maintenance status: community stewardship
+>
+> DataJoint Inc. has shifted its core development focus to the **Python-centered ecosystem** — [`datajoint-python`](https://github.com/datajoint/datajoint-python), the DataJoint Platform, and related tools. `datajoint-matlab` is now in **community-stewardship mode**: we are no longer proactively developing or supporting it, but we welcome pull requests from the community and will review well-formed, tested contributions on a best-effort basis.
+>
+> If you are starting a new DataJoint project, we recommend the Python-based stack. See **[docs.datajoint.com](https://docs.datajoint.com)** for the current documentation, tools, and platform overview.
+>
+> Existing users: this package remains functional and free to use under its existing license. Issues and PRs may not receive timely responses, but well-formed community contributions are appreciated.
+
+
 DataJoint for MATLAB is a high-level programming interface for relational databases designed to support data processing chains in science labs. DataJoint is built on the foundation of the relational data model and prescribes a consistent method for organizing, populating, and querying data.
 
-For more information, see our
-[general DataJoint docs](https://datajoint.com/docs/) and
-[DataJoint MATLAB docs](https://datajoint.com/docs/additional-resources/).
+For MATLAB-specific documentation, see the [DataJoint MATLAB documentation site](https://datajoint.github.io/datajoint-matlab/) (built from `docs/src/` in this repo).
 
 ## For Developers: Running Tests Locally