diff --git a/.github/workflows/dependabot-auto-merge.yml b/.github/workflows/dependabot-auto-merge.yml
index eaf09aa2..88cc0c7e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dependabot-auto-merge.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dependabot-auto-merge.yml
@@ -5,6 +5,13 @@ on:
 
 permissions: 'read-all'
 
+env:
+  # Lockfile directories pinned to versions that still support an old
+  # interpreter. They have no `directory:` entry in `.github/dependabot.yml`,
+  # but Dependabot security updates ignore that allowlist, so a bump against
+  # one can still show up here. Empty in repositories without lockfiles.
+  FROZEN_LOCKFILES: '[]'
+
 jobs:
   auto-merge:
     runs-on: 'ubuntu-latest'
@@ -17,17 +24,36 @@ jobs:
       - uses: 'dependabot/fetch-metadata@25dd0e34f4fe68f24cc83900b1fe3fe149efef98' # v3.1.0
         id: 'meta'
 
+      # A bump against a frozen lockfile is left open for a human. Dependabot
+      # does not honour `Requires-Python`, so it may propose a version that
+      # drops the interpreter the lockfile exists for (py39 -> RHEL 8, RHEL 9,
+      # Debian 11; py310 -> Ubuntu 22.04). It may equally propose a security
+      # fix that still supports it. Only a human can tell the two apart, so
+      # the pull request is neither merged nor closed. Regenerate the lockfile
+      # with `pip-compile` on a matching Python host once the bump is accepted.
       - if: >-
-          steps.meta.outputs.update-type == 'version-update:semver-patch'
-          || steps.meta.outputs.update-type == 'version-update:semver-minor'
-        # `gh pr merge --auto` is refused while the pull request sits in clean or
-        # unstable state, which is exactly where a freshly opened Dependabot pull
-        # request lands once the required checks pass while the optional ones are
-        # still running. The direct merge is a safe fallback: branch protection
-        # keeps enforcing the required checks server-side, so a pull request that
-        # is not ready is still rejected.
+          contains(fromJSON(env.FROZEN_LOCKFILES), steps.meta.outputs.directory)
+          && github.event.action == 'opened'
         run: |
-          gh pr merge --auto --squash "$PR_URL" || gh pr merge --squash "$PR_URL"
+          gh pr comment "$PR_URL" --body "Not auto-merged: \`${DIRECTORY}\` is frozen because Dependabot does not honour \`Requires-Python\`. Check whether \`${DEPENDENCY}\` still supports that lockfile's interpreter. If it does, regenerate the lockfile with \`pip-compile\` on a matching Python host. Either way, close this PR afterwards."
         env:
+          DEPENDENCY: '${{ steps.meta.outputs.dependency-names }}'
+          DIRECTORY: '${{ steps.meta.outputs.directory }}'
+          GH_TOKEN: '${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}'
           PR_URL: '${{ github.event.pull_request.html_url }}'
+
+      # `gh pr merge --auto` is refused while the pull request sits in clean or
+      # unstable state, which is exactly where a freshly opened Dependabot pull
+      # request lands once the required checks pass while the optional ones are
+      # still running. The direct merge is a safe fallback: branch protection
+      # keeps enforcing the required checks server-side, so a pull request that
+      # is not ready is still rejected.
+      - if: >-
+          !contains(fromJSON(env.FROZEN_LOCKFILES), steps.meta.outputs.directory)
+          && (steps.meta.outputs.update-type == 'version-update:semver-patch'
+              || steps.meta.outputs.update-type == 'version-update:semver-minor')
+        run: |
+          gh pr merge --auto --squash "$PR_URL" || gh pr merge --squash "$PR_URL"
+        env:
           GH_TOKEN: '${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}'
+          PR_URL: '${{ github.event.pull_request.html_url }}'