diff --git a/.github/scripts/check-pr-security.mjs b/.github/scripts/check-pr-security.mjs
index 8d3ac9ab..dd2ea53f 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/check-pr-security.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/check-pr-security.mjs
@@ -225,10 +225,14 @@ export async function syncDraftAdvisory(fetchImpl, token, repo, prNumber, prTitl
       throw new Error(`Existing advisory for PR #${prNumber} is missing both ghsa_id and id.`);
     }
 
+    // PATCH rejects `vulnerabilities: []` with 422 ("Advisory must have at least one vulnerability").
+    // The field is only valid on POST when creating the draft; updates must omit it.
+    const { vulnerabilities, ...patchPayload } = payload;
+
     return fetchImpl(`/repos/${repo}/security-advisories/${advisoryId}`, token, {
       method: 'PATCH',
       headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
-      body: JSON.stringify(payload),
+      body: JSON.stringify(patchPayload),
     });
   }
 
@@ -266,10 +270,16 @@ export async function postSecurityCheckRun(fetchImpl, token, repo, headSha, hasF
     body: JSON.stringify(hasFlags ? {
       name: 'security-review',
       head_sha: headSha,
-      status: 'in_progress',
+      // `completed/neutral` instead of `in_progress` so the check doesn't put
+      // the PR in `mergeStateStatus: BLOCKED`. The draft advisory is the
+      // durable signal for maintainers; there is no completion path that
+      // could ever flip an `in_progress` check-run back to completed on the
+      // same head SHA, so it would hang forever.
+      status: 'completed',
+      conclusion: 'neutral',
       output: {
-        title: 'Security Review Pending',
-        summary: 'This PR has been flagged for manual security review by a maintainer. No action needed from you.',
+        title: 'Security Review Recommended',
+        summary: 'Draft advisory filed for maintainer review. Not a merge block — review the advisory at your leisure.',
       },
     } : {
       name: 'security-review',
diff --git a/.github/scripts/tests/check-pr-security.test.mjs b/.github/scripts/tests/check-pr-security.test.mjs
index d1283333..26667750 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/tests/check-pr-security.test.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/tests/check-pr-security.test.mjs
@@ -161,7 +161,10 @@ test('syncDraftAdvisory: patches an existing advisory with the latest flags', as
   assert.equal(calls.length, 2);
   assert.equal(calls[1].path, '/repos/paperclipai/paperclip/security-advisories/GHSA-test-1234');
   assert.equal(calls[1].options.method, 'PATCH');
-  assert.deepEqual(JSON.parse(calls[1].options.body), buildAdvisoryPayload(6469, 'My PR', flags));
+  const patchBody = JSON.parse(calls[1].options.body);
+  const { vulnerabilities, ...expectedPatch } = buildAdvisoryPayload(6469, 'My PR', flags);
+  assert.deepEqual(patchBody, expectedPatch);
+  assert.ok(!('vulnerabilities' in patchBody), 'PATCH must omit vulnerabilities (GitHub rejects empty array with 422)');
 });
 
 test('syncDraftAdvisory: creates a new advisory when none exists', async () => {
@@ -196,10 +199,11 @@ test('postSecurityCheckRun: uses the injected fetch implementation', async () =>
   assert.deepEqual(JSON.parse(calls[0].options.body), {
     name: 'security-review',
     head_sha: 'deadbeef',
-    status: 'in_progress',
+    status: 'completed',
+    conclusion: 'neutral',
     output: {
-      title: 'Security Review Pending',
-      summary: 'This PR has been flagged for manual security review by a maintainer. No action needed from you.',
+      title: 'Security Review Recommended',
+      summary: 'Draft advisory filed for maintainer review. Not a merge block — review the advisory at your leisure.',
     },
   });
 });
diff --git a/.github/workflows/commitperclip-review.yml b/.github/workflows/commitperclip-review.yml
index 2e385d1f..371e9ee9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/commitperclip-review.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/commitperclip-review.yml
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Run quality gates
         id: quality
+        if: github.event.pull_request.user.login != 'dependabot[bot]'
         run: node .github/scripts/run-quality-gates.mjs
         continue-on-error: true
         env:
@@ -63,7 +64,9 @@ jobs:
           PR_AUTHOR: ${{ github.event.pull_request.user.login }}
 
       - name: Fail if quality gates failed
-        if: steps.quality.outcome == 'failure'
+        if: >-
+          github.event.pull_request.user.login != 'dependabot[bot]' &&
+          steps.quality.outcome == 'failure'
         run: |
           echo "One or more quality gates failed. See commitperclip comment on the PR for details."
           exit 1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr.yml b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
index 4878c308..b6051aac 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0
 
       - name: Block manual lockfile edits
-        if: github.head_ref != 'chore/refresh-lockfile'
+        if: >-
+          github.head_ref != 'chore/refresh-lockfile' &&
+          github.event.pull_request.user.login != 'dependabot[bot]'
         run: |
           # Diff the PR branch against its merge base so recent base-branch commits
           # do not masquerade as changes made by the PR itself.