diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index a8943cc0094..b705bbc79a7 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -137,8 +137,8 @@ jobs:
       - run:
           name: Check Qt
           command: |
-            set -x
-            ./tools/check_qt_import.sh ${MNE_QT_BACKEND}
+            curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mne-tools/mne-tools/main/tools/check_qt_import.sh -o check_qt_import.sh
+            bash check_qt_import.sh $MNE_QT_BACKEND
       # Load tiny cache so that ~/.mne does not need to be created below
       - restore_cache:
           keys:
diff --git a/.extended_metadata.yaml b/.extended_metadata.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4ca55a54eca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.extended_metadata.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# This file contains additional metadata about MNE-Python, beyond what is contained in `pyproject.toml`.
+# This information is used by the actions in MNE-Tools to generate `CITATION.cff` and `codemeta.json`.
+package_name: MNE-Python
+date_created: '2010-12-26'
+date_published: '2014-08-04'
+application_category: Neuroscience
+code_doi: 10.5281/zenodo.592483
+compound_surnames:
+  - García Alanis
+  - van Vliet
+  - De Santis
+  - Dupré la Tour
+  - de la Torre
+  - de Jong
+  - de Montalivet
+  - van den Bosch
+  - Van den Bossche
+  - Van Der Donckt
+  - van der Meer
+  - van Harmelen
+  - Visconti di Oleggio Castello
+  - van Es
+preferred_citation:
+  title: MEG and EEG Data Analysis with MNE-Python
+  journal: Frontiers in Neuroscience
+  type: article
+  year: 2013
+  volume: 7
+  issue: 267
+  start: 1
+  end: 13
+  doi: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00267
+  authors:
+    - family-names: Gramfort
+      given-names: Alexandre
+    - family-names: Luessi
+      given-names: Martin
+    - family-names: Larson
+      given-names: Eric
+    - family-names: Engemann
+      given-names: Denis A.
+    - family-names: Strohmeier
+      given-names: Daniel
+    - family-names: Brodbeck
+      given-names: Christian
+    - family-names: Goj
+      given-names: Roman
+    - family-names: Jas
+      given-names: Mainak
+    - family-names: Brooks
+      given-names: Teon
+    - family-names: Parkkonen
+      given-names: Lauri
+    - family-names: Hämäläinen
+      given-names: Matti S.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/autofix.yml b/.github/workflows/autofix.yml
index 79daf7e789c..dad0968b5ca 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/autofix.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/autofix.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ permissions:
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  autofix:
+  autofix-changelog-headers:
     name: Autofix and style
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
@@ -24,3 +24,48 @@ jobs:
       - uses: j178/prek-action@v2.0.5
       - uses: autofix-ci/action@c5b2d67aa2274e7b5a18224e8171550871fc7e4a
         if: success() || failure()
+  autofix-dependencies:
+    name: Autoupdate 'old' CI lockfile, README dependencies, and environment file
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7.0.0
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v8.2.0
+        with:
+          version: ">=0.9"
+          activate-environment: true
+          enable-cache: false
+          python-version: "3.12"
+      - name: Update 'old' CI lockfile
+        # uv pip compile requires setting the python version for the environment explicitly in the command :(
+        run: |
+          uv pip compile pyproject.toml \
+          --python "3.10" --python-platform "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu" \
+          --group test --group lockfile_extras \
+          --resolution lowest-direct \
+          --format pylock.toml --output-file tools/pylock.ci-old.toml \
+          --no-cache
+      - name: Validate 'old' CI lockfile
+        uses: tsbinns/mne-tools/actions/check-lockfile@tools-actions
+        with:
+          project-root: ${{ github.workspace }}
+          lockfile-path: tools/pylock.ci-old.toml
+          groups: lockfile_extras
+      - name: Sync dependencies to README
+        uses: tsbinns/mne-tools/actions/sync-dependencies-to-readme@tools-actions
+        with:
+          project-root: ${{ github.workspace }}
+          ignore-upper-pins: numpy
+      - name: Sync dependencies to environment file
+        uses: tsbinns/mne-tools/actions/sync-dependencies-to-environment-file@tools-actions
+        with:
+          project-root: ${{ github.workspace }}
+          extras: full,full-no-qt,hdf5
+          # manually specify extras groups to sync, as logic for recursion into other groups isn't implemented in the action yet
+          # e.g., `full` includes `mne[full-no-qt]`, but the action won't recognise this, so we need to specify `full-no-qt` explicitly
+          additional-dependencies: pip,mamba,conda,nomkl,noqt5
+          pip-dependencies: pymef
+          requirements-overrides: PySide6==6.11.1,vtk==9.6.2
+      - uses: autofix-ci/action@c5b2d67aa2274e7b5a18224e8171550871fc7e4a
+        if: success() || failure()
diff --git a/.github/workflows/spec_zero.yml b/.github/workflows/spec_zero.yml
index 2e97e6f1d43..63aa8b00768 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/spec_zero.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/spec_zero.yml
@@ -41,27 +41,12 @@ jobs:
         timeout-minutes: 10
         with:
           detached: true
-      - uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v8.3.2
-        with:
-          version: ">=0.9"
-          activate-environment: true
-          python-version: "3.12"
+      - name: Setup Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v6.2.0
       - name: Install dependencies
-        run: uv pip install -e . packaging requests tomlkit prek
+        run: pip install --upgrade packaging requests tomlkit
       - name: Update tracked dependencies
         run: python ./tools/dev/spec_zero_update_versions.py
-      - name: Sync updated dependencies to README
-        run: python tools/sync_dependencies.py
-      - name: Create lockfile for old CI
-        # uv pip compile requires setting the python version explicitly in the command :(
-        run: |
-          uv pip compile pyproject.toml \
-            --python "3.10" --python-platform "x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu" \
-            --group test --group lockfile_extras \
-            --resolution lowest-direct \
-            --format pylock.toml --output-file tools/pylock.ci-old.toml
-          python tools/github_actions_check_old_lockfile.py
-      - run: prek auto-update
       - name: check if files changed
         run: |
           git diff && git status --porcelain
@@ -69,8 +54,6 @@ jobs:
             echo "dirty=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           fi
         id: status
-      - uses: j178/prek-action@v2.0.5
-        if: steps.status.outputs.dirty == 'true'
       - name: Create PR
         run: |
           set -xeo pipefail
@@ -85,4 +68,4 @@ jobs:
           git push origin spec_zero
           PR_NUM=$(gh pr create --base main --head spec_zero --title "MAINT: Update dependency specifiers" --body "Created by spec_zero [GitHub action](https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}). <br> <br> *Adjustments may need to be made to shims in \`mne/fixes.py\` and elswhere in this or another PR. \`make -C tools/dev dep\` is a good starting point for finding potential updates.*")
           echo "Opened https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python/pull/${PR_NUM}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-        if: steps.status.outputs.dirty == 'true' && (success() || failure())
+        if: steps.status.outputs.dirty == 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests.yml b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
index 11c903dcc95..cbbc0f03ecb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests.yml
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ jobs:
         if: startswith(matrix.kind, 'pip') && startswith(matrix.os, 'macos')
       # Python (if conda)
       - uses: mamba-org/setup-micromamba@v3
+        id: setup-micromamba
         with:
           environment-file: ${{ env.CONDA_ENV }}
           environment-name: mne
@@ -118,6 +119,9 @@ jobs:
             -v
         if: matrix.kind == 'conda'
         timeout-minutes: 20
+      - name: Make conda python available to later steps
+        run: echo "${{ steps.setup-micromamba.outputs.environment-path }}/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"  # zizmor: ignore[template-injection]
+        if: matrix.kind == 'conda'
       # Python (if old)
       - uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v8.3.2
         with:
@@ -130,7 +134,11 @@ jobs:
       - run: bash ./tools/github_actions_verify_python.sh "${{ matrix.python }}"
       - run: bash ./tools/github_actions_dependencies.sh
         timeout-minutes: 10
-      - run: python ./tools/github_actions_check_old_env.py
+      - name: Check 'old' CI environment
+        uses: tsbinns/mne-tools/actions/check-environment@tools-actions
+        with:
+          project-root: ${{ github.workspace }}
+          groups: lockfile_extras
         if: matrix.kind == 'old'
       # Minimal commands on Linux (macOS stalls)
       - uses: actions/cache@v6.1.0
@@ -141,8 +149,10 @@ jobs:
       - run: bash ./tools/get_minimal_commands.sh
         if: startswith(matrix.os, 'ubuntu') && matrix.kind != 'minimal' && matrix.kind != 'old' && matrix.kind != 'pip-ft'
       - run: bash ./tools/github_actions_infos.sh
-      # Check Qt
-      - run: bash ./tools/check_qt_import.sh $MNE_QT_BACKEND
+      - name: Check Qt import
+        uses: tsbinns/mne-tools/actions/check-qt-import@tools-actions
+        with:
+          qt-backend: ${{ env.MNE_QT_BACKEND }}
         if: env.MNE_QT_BACKEND != ''
       - name: Run tests with no testing data
         run: MNE_SKIP_TESTING_DATASET_TESTS=true pytest -m "not (ultraslowtest or pgtest)" -n "$PYTEST_XDIST_N" --dist loadscope --timeout=120 --timeout-method=thread -o faulthandler_timeout=110 $COV_ARGS --tb=short -vv -rfE mne/
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 65aea8ac084..58edf88dd13 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -89,15 +89,6 @@ repos:
       - id: toml-sort-fix
         files: pyproject.toml
 
-  # dependencies
-  - repo: local
-    hooks:
-      - id: update-env-file
-        name: Copy dependency changes from pyproject.toml to environment.yml
-        language: python
-        entry: ./tools/hooks/update_environment_file.py
-        files: '^(pyproject.toml|tools/hooks/update_environment_file.py)$'
-
   # zizmor
   - repo: https://github.com/woodruffw/zizmor-pre-commit
     rev: v1.28.0
diff --git a/.yamllint.yml b/.yamllint.yml
index 3b8f96c0e53..50100964bfe 100644
--- a/.yamllint.yml
+++ b/.yamllint.yml
@@ -8,3 +8,5 @@ rules:
   document-start: disable
   new-lines:
     type: platform
+  indentation:
+    indent-sequences: consistent
diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 1daee481884..fae065fb628 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -70,20 +70,21 @@ Dependencies
 
 The minimum required dependencies to run MNE-Python are:
 
-.. ↓↓↓ BEGIN CORE DEPS LIST. DO NOT EDIT! HANDLED BY PRE-COMMIT HOOK ↓↓↓
-
-- `Python <https://www.python.org>`__ ≥ 3.10
-- `NumPy <https://numpy.org>`__ ≥ 2.0
-- `SciPy <https://scipy.org>`__ ≥ 1.14
-- `Matplotlib <https://matplotlib.org>`__ ≥ 3.9
-- `Pooch <https://www.fatiando.org/pooch/latest/>`__ ≥ 1.5
+.. ↓↓↓ BEGIN CORE DEPS LIST. DO NOT EDIT! HANDLED BY MNE-TOOLS ↓↓↓
+
+- `python <https://www.python.org>`__ ≥ 3.10
+- `decorator <https://pypi.org/project/decorator/>`__ ≥ 5.1
+- `jinja2 <https://jinja.palletsprojects.com/>`__ ≥ 3.1
+- `lazy_loader <https://pypi.org/project/lazy-loader/>`__ ≥ 0.3
+- `matplotlib <https://matplotlib.org>`__ ≥ 3.9
+- `numpy <https://numpy.org>`__ ≥ 2.0,
+- `packaging <https://packaging.pypa.io/>`__
+- `pooch <https://www.fatiando.org/pooch>`__ ≥ 1.5
+- `scipy <https://scipy.org/>`__ ≥ 1.14
 - `tqdm <https://tqdm.github.io>`__ ≥ 4.66
-- `Jinja2 <https://palletsprojects.com/p/jinja/>`__ ≥ 3.1
-- `decorator <https://github.com/micheles/decorator>`__ ≥ 5.1
-- `lazy-loader <https://pypi.org/project/lazy_loader>`__ ≥ 0.3
-- `packaging <https://packaging.pypa.io/en/stable/>`__
+- `typing-extensions <https://typing-extensions.readthedocs.io/>`__ ≥ 4.15
 
-.. ↑↑↑ END CORE DEPS LIST. DO NOT EDIT! HANDLED BY PRE-COMMIT HOOK ↑↑↑
+.. ↑↑↑ END CORE DEPS LIST. DO NOT EDIT! HANDLED BY MNE-TOOLS ↑↑↑
 
 Contributing
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^
diff --git a/azure-pipelines.yml b/azure-pipelines.yml
index a201c291ea2..0f151e5d05b 100644
--- a/azure-pipelines.yml
+++ b/azure-pipelines.yml
@@ -42,12 +42,17 @@ stages:
         pool:
           vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
         variables:
+          MNE_TOOLS_DIR: '$(Pipeline.Workspace)/mne-tools'
           DISPLAY: ':99'
           PYTEST_XDIST_N: '2'  # Microsoft-hosted agents have 2 cores
           MNE_TEST_ALLOW_SKIP: '^$'  # nothing
           MNE_BROWSER_PRECOMPUTE: 'false'
         steps:
-          - bash: ./tools/setup_xvfb.sh
+          - bash: |
+              set -xeo pipefail
+              git clone https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-tools.git "$MNE_TOOLS_DIR"
+            displayName: Clone mne-tools
+          - bash: bash $(MNE_TOOLS_DIR)/tools/setup_xvfb.sh
             displayName: Setup up Xvfb
           - task: Cache@2
             inputs:
@@ -66,7 +71,7 @@ stages:
               python -m pip install --progress-bar off --upgrade pip
               python -m pip install --progress-bar off --upgrade --only-binary=":all:" -e . --group=test "mne-qt-browser @ https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-qt-browser/archive/refs/heads/main.zip" pyvista scikit-learn python-picard qtpy nibabel sphinx-gallery "PySide6!=6.8.0,!=6.8.0.1,!=6.8.1.1,!=6.9.1" pandas neo pymatreader antio defusedxml curryreader pymef openmeeg
             displayName: Install dependencies with pip
-          - bash: ./tools/check_qt_import.sh PySide6
+          - bash: bash $(MNE_TOOLS_DIR)/tools/check_qt_import.sh PySide6
             displayName: Check Qt import
           - bash: |
               set -xeo pipefail
@@ -95,12 +100,17 @@ stages:
         pool:
           vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
         variables:
+          MNE_TOOLS_DIR: '$(Pipeline.Workspace)/mne-tools'
           DISPLAY: ':99'
           PYTEST_XDIST_N: '2'  # Microsoft-hosted agents have 2 cores
           TEST_OPTIONS: "--tb=short --cov=mne --cov-report=xml --cov-append -vv mne/gui mne/viz/_brain mne/viz/backends mne/viz/tests/test_evoked.py mne/report"
           MNE_TEST_ALLOW_SKIP: '^$'  # nothing (can be overridden below)
         steps:
-          - bash: ./tools/setup_xvfb.sh
+          - bash: |
+              set -xeo pipefail
+              git clone https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-tools.git "$MNE_TOOLS_DIR"
+            displayName: Clone mne-tools
+          - bash: bash $(MNE_TOOLS_DIR)/tools/setup_xvfb.sh
             displayName: Setup up Xvfb
           - task: UsePythonVersion@0
             inputs:
@@ -128,7 +138,7 @@ stages:
             displayName: Cache testing data
           - bash: ./tools/github_actions_download.sh
             displayName: Download testing data
-          - bash: ./tools/check_qt_import.sh PySide6
+          - bash: bash $(MNE_TOOLS_DIR)/tools/check_qt_import.sh PySide6
             displayName: Check Qt import
           - bash: |
               set -xeo pipefail
diff --git a/environment.yml b/environment.yml
index 8a30aa78030..ed8e42a6e07 100644
--- a/environment.yml
+++ b/environment.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# THIS FILE IS AUTO-GENERATED BY tools/hooks/update_environment_file.py AND WILL BE OVERWRITTEN
+# THIS FILE IS AUTO-GENERATED BY MNE-TOOLS AND WILL BE OVERWRITTEN
 name: mne
 channels:
   - conda-forge
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ dependencies:
   - dipy >=0.8
   - edfio >=0.4.10
   - eeglabio
-  - ffmpeg =8.1.2
   - filelock >=3.18.0
   - h5io >=0.2.4
   - h5py >=2.4
@@ -21,7 +20,7 @@ dependencies:
   - imageio-ffmpeg >=0.4.1
   - ipyevents
   - ipympl
-  - ipython >=2.0,!=8.7.0
+  - ipython !=8.7.0,>=2.0
   - ipywidgets
   - jinja2 >=3.1
   - joblib >=0.8
@@ -37,10 +36,10 @@ dependencies:
   - nomkl
   - noqt5
   - numba >=0.35
-  - numpy >=2.0,<3
+  - numpy <3,>=2.0
   - openmeeg >=2.5.7
   - packaging
-  - pandas >=2.2,!=3.0.4
+  - pandas !=3.0.4,>=2.2
   - pillow
   - pip
   - pooch >=1.5
@@ -69,5 +68,6 @@ dependencies:
   - vtk ==9.6.2
   - xlrd
   - pip:
+      - typing-extensions>=4.15; python_version < "3.11"
       - pymef
-      - pyobjc-framework-Cocoa >=5.2.0;platform_system=='Darwin'
+      - pyobjc-framework-Cocoa>=5.2.0; platform_system == "Darwin"
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 22af8942ad5..63996766cbd 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ classifiers = [
   "License :: OSI Approved",
   "Operating System :: MacOS",
   "Operating System :: Microsoft :: Windows",
+  "Operating System :: POSIX :: Linux",
   "Operating System :: POSIX",
   "Operating System :: Unix",
   "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
@@ -115,13 +116,21 @@ dependencies = [
   "tqdm >= 4.66",
   "typing-extensions >= 4.15; python_version < '3.11'",  # for typing.Self TODO VERSION
 ]
-description = "MNE-Python project for MEG and EEG data analysis."
+description = "MNE-Python is an open-source Python package for exploring, visualizing, and analyzing human neurophysiological data. It provides methods for data input/output, preprocessing, visualization, source estimation, time-frequency analysis, machine learning, and statistics."
 dynamic = ["version"]
 keywords = [
   "brain",
+  "DBS",
+  "deep brain stimulation",
   "ECoG",
   "EEG",
+  "electrocorticography",
+  "electroencephalography",
   "fNIRS",
+  "functional near-infrared spectroscopy",
+  "iEEG",
+  "intracranial EEG",
+  "magnetoencephalography",
   "MEG",
   "neuroimaging",
   "neuroscience",
@@ -133,7 +142,7 @@ name = "mne"
 readme = {content-type = "text/x-rst", file = "README.rst"}
 requires-python = ">= 3.10"
 # ↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑ when this changes, bump the `--python-version` in the `uv pip compile ...`
-# command in `.github/workflows/spec_zero.yaml` (astral-sh/uv/#16333), and also the
+# command in `.github/workflows/autofix.yml` (astral-sh/uv/#16333), and also the
 # `python` version for the `kind: old` matrix entry in `.github/workflows/tests.yaml`
 scripts = {mne = "mne.commands.utils:main"}
 
diff --git a/tools/check_qt_import.sh b/tools/check_qt_import.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index fa128e7f267..00000000000
--- a/tools/check_qt_import.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash -ef
-
-set -eo pipefail
-
-if [[ "$1" == "" ]]; then
-    echo "Qt library must be provided as first argument"
-    exit 1
-fi
-echo "Checking if Python-Qt binding $1 is available"
-echo ""
-set -x
-LD_DEBUG=libs python -c "from $1.QtWidgets import QApplication, QWidget; app = QApplication([])"
-set +x
-echo ""
-echo "Python-Qt binding $1 is available!"
diff --git a/tools/circleci_bash_env.sh b/tools/circleci_bash_env.sh
index 55179e97f4f..e5b372d9db8 100755
--- a/tools/circleci_bash_env.sh
+++ b/tools/circleci_bash_env.sh
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 set -e
 set -o pipefail
 
-./tools/setup_xvfb.sh
+curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mne-tools/mne-tools/main/tools/setup_xvfb.sh -o setup_xvfb.sh
+bash setup_xvfb.sh
 # Need different installs for 24.04 and 26.04
 if [[ $(lsb_release -rs) == "26.04" ]]; then
     EXTRA_DEPS="libgvplugin-neato-layout8"
diff --git a/tools/generate_codemeta.py b/tools/generate_codemeta.py
deleted file mode 100644
index a82a521e067..00000000000
--- a/tools/generate_codemeta.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,250 +0,0 @@
-# Authors: The MNE-Python contributors.
-# License: BSD-3-Clause
-# Copyright the MNE-Python contributors.
-
-import subprocess
-from argparse import ArgumentParser
-from datetime import date
-from pathlib import Path
-
-import tomllib
-
-parser = ArgumentParser(description="Generate codemeta.json and CITATION.cff")
-parser.add_argument("release_version", type=str)
-release_version = parser.parse_args().release_version
-
-out_dir = Path(__file__).parents[1]
-
-# NOTE: ../codemeta.json and ../citation.cff should not be continuously
-#       updated. Run this script only at release time.
-
-package_name = "MNE-Python"
-release_date = str(date.today())
-commit = subprocess.run(
-    ["git", "log", "-1", "--pretty=%H"], capture_output=True, text=True
-).stdout.strip()
-
-# KEYWORDS
-keywords = (
-    "MEG",
-    "magnetoencephalography",
-    "EEG",
-    "electroencephalography",
-    "fNIRS",
-    "functional near-infrared spectroscopy",
-    "iEEG",
-    "intracranial EEG",
-    "eCoG",
-    "electrocorticography",
-    "DBS",
-    "deep brain stimulation",
-)
-
-# add to these as necessary
-compound_surnames = (
-    "García Alanis",
-    "van Vliet",
-    "De Santis",
-    "Dupré la Tour",
-    "de la Torre",
-    "de Jong",
-    "de Montalivet",
-    "van den Bosch",
-    "Van den Bossche",
-    "Van Der Donckt",
-    "van der Meer",
-    "van Harmelen",
-    "Visconti di Oleggio Castello",
-    "van Es",
-)
-
-
-def parse_name(name):
-    """Split name blobs from `git shortlog -nse` into first/last/email."""
-    # remove commit count
-    _, name_and_email = name.strip().split("\t")
-    name, email = name_and_email.split(" <")
-    email = email.strip(">")
-    email = "" if "noreply" in email else email  # ignore "noreply" emails
-    name = " ".join(name.split("."))  # remove periods from initials
-    # handle compound surnames
-    for compound_surname in compound_surnames:
-        if name.endswith(compound_surname):
-            ix = name.index(compound_surname)
-            first = name[:ix].strip()
-            last = compound_surname
-            return (first, last, email)
-    # handle non-compound surnames
-    name_elements = name.split()
-    if len(name_elements) == 1:  # mononyms / usernames
-        first = ""
-        last = name
-    else:
-        first = " ".join(name_elements[:-1])
-        last = name_elements[-1]
-    return (first, last, email)
-
-
-# MAKE SURE THE RELEASE STRING IS PROPERLY FORMATTED
-try:
-    split_version = list(map(int, release_version.split(".")))
-except ValueError:
-    raise
-msg = (
-    "First argument must be the release version X.Y.Z (all integers), "
-    f"got {release_version}"
-)
-assert len(split_version) == 3, msg
-
-
-# RUN GIT SHORTLOG TO GET ALL AUTHORS, SORTED BY NUMBER OF COMMITS
-args = ["git", "shortlog", "-nse"]
-result = subprocess.run(args, capture_output=True, text=True)
-lines = result.stdout.strip().split("\n")
-all_names = [parse_name(line) for line in lines if "[bot]" not in line]
-
-
-# CONSTRUCT JSON AUTHORS LIST
-json_authors = [
-    f"""{{
-           "@type":"Person",
-           "email":"{email}",
-           "givenName":"{first}",
-           "familyName": "{last}"
-        }}"""
-    for (first, last, email) in all_names
-]
-
-
-# GET OUR DEPENDENCY VERSIONS
-pyproject = tomllib.loads(
-    (Path(__file__).parents[1] / "pyproject.toml").read_text("utf-8")
-)
-dependencies = [f"python{pyproject['project']['requires-python']}"]
-dependencies.extend(pyproject["project"]["dependencies"])
-
-# these must be done outside the boilerplate (no \n allowed in f-strings):
-json_authors = ",\n        ".join(json_authors)
-dependencies = '",\n        "'.join(dependencies)
-json_keywords = '",\n        "'.join(keywords)
-
-
-# ASSEMBLE COMPLETE JSON
-codemeta_boilerplate = f"""{{
-    "@context": "https://doi.org/10.5063/schema/codemeta-2.0",
-    "@type": "SoftwareSourceCode",
-    "license": "https://spdx.org/licenses/BSD-3-Clause",
-    "codeRepository": "git+https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python.git",
-    "dateCreated": "2010-12-26",
-    "datePublished": "2014-08-04",
-    "dateModified": "{release_date}",
-    "downloadUrl": "https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python/archive/v{release_version}.zip",
-    "issueTracker": "https://github.com/mne-tools/mne-python/issues",
-    "name": "{package_name}",
-    "version": "{release_version}",
-    "description": "{package_name} is an open-source Python package for exploring, visualizing, and analyzing human neurophysiological data. It provides methods for data input/output, preprocessing, visualization, source estimation, time-frequency analysis, connectivity analysis, machine learning, and statistics.",
-    "applicationCategory": "Neuroscience",
-    "developmentStatus": "active",
-    "referencePublication": "https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2013.00267",
-    "keywords": [
-        "{json_keywords}"
-    ],
-    "programmingLanguage": [
-        "Python"
-    ],
-    "operatingSystem": [
-        "Linux",
-        "Windows",
-        "macOS"
-    ],
-    "softwareRequirements": [
-        "{dependencies}"
-    ],
-    "author": [
-        {json_authors}
-    ]
-}}
-"""  # noqa E501
-
-
-# WRITE TO FILE
-with open(out_dir / "codemeta.json", "w") as codemeta_file:
-    codemeta_file.write(codemeta_boilerplate)
-
-
-# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
-# GENERATE CITATION.CFF TOO #
-# # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
-message = (
-    "If you use this software, please cite both the software itself, "
-    "and the paper listed in the preferred-citation field."
-)
-
-# in CFF, multi-word keywords need to be wrapped in quotes
-cff_keywords = (f'"{kw}"' if " " in kw else kw for kw in keywords)
-# make into a bulleted list
-cff_keywords = "\n".join(f"  - {kw}" for kw in cff_keywords)
-
-# TODO: someday would be nice to include ORCiD identifiers too
-cff_authors = [
-    f"  - family-names: {last}\n    given-names: {first}"
-    if first
-    else f"  - name: {last}"
-    for (first, last, _) in all_names
-]
-cff_authors = "\n".join(cff_authors)
-
-# this ↓↓↓ is the meta-DOI that always resolves to the latest release
-zenodo_doi = "10.5281/zenodo.592483"
-
-# ASSEMBLE THE CFF STRING
-cff_boilerplate = f"""\
-cff-version: 1.2.0
-title: "{package_name}"
-message: "{message}"
-version: {release_version}
-date-released: "{release_date}"
-commit: {commit}
-doi: {zenodo_doi}
-keywords:
-{cff_keywords}
-authors:
-{cff_authors}
-preferred-citation:
-  title: "MEG and EEG Data Analysis with MNE-Python"
-  journal: "Frontiers in Neuroscience"
-  type: article
-  year: 2013
-  volume: 7
-  issue: 267
-  start: 1
-  end: 13
-  doi: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00267
-  authors:
-    - family-names: Gramfort
-      given-names: Alexandre
-    - family-names: Luessi
-      given-names: Martin
-    - family-names: Larson
-      given-names: Eric
-    - family-names: Engemann
-      given-names: Denis A.
-    - family-names: Strohmeier
-      given-names: Daniel
-    - family-names: Brodbeck
-      given-names: Christian
-    - family-names: Goj
-      given-names: Roman
-    - family-names: Jas
-      given-names: Mainak
-    - family-names: Brooks
-      given-names: Teon
-    - family-names: Parkkonen
-      given-names: Lauri
-    - family-names: Hämäläinen
-      given-names: Matti S.
-"""
-
-# WRITE TO FILE
-with open(out_dir / "CITATION.cff", "w") as cff_file:
-    cff_file.write(cff_boilerplate)
diff --git a/tools/github_actions_check_old_env.py b/tools/github_actions_check_old_env.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 7ed0e1bd4d0..00000000000
--- a/tools/github_actions_check_old_env.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,80 +0,0 @@
-"""Check that the old env being used has the expected versions of dependencies."""
-
-# Authors: The MNE-Python contributors.
-# License: BSD-3-Clause
-# Copyright the MNE-Python contributors.
-
-import importlib
-import sys
-from importlib import metadata
-from pathlib import Path
-
-from packaging.version import Version
-
-project_root = Path(__file__).parent.parent
-
-sys.path.append(project_root / "tools")
-from check_pyproject_helpers import (  # noqa: E402
-    get_bad_deps_message,
-    get_deps_to_check,
-    get_min_pinned_ver,
-    raise_bad_deps_messages,
-)
-
-# Get dependencies to check from pyproject.toml
-check_deps = get_deps_to_check()
-
-# Check that the versions in the env match the minimum versions in pyproject.toml
-mod_name_mapping = {"scikit-learn": "sklearn"}
-bad_missing = []
-bad_version = []
-for dep in check_deps:
-    mod_name, pyproject_ver = get_min_pinned_ver(dep)
-    mod_import_name = mod_name_mapping.get(mod_name, mod_name).replace("-", "_")
-
-    # Be wary of uv treating lowest Python vs. module versions differently.
-    # For Python, the latest micro version for the major.minor release specified will be
-    # used. E.g., if we ask for 3.10 when creating the old env, we will get 3.10.19.
-    # However, for modules, uv's `lowest-direct` option will resolve to the lowest
-    # major.minor.micro version, even if a micro version isn't specified. E.g., if
-    # `pyproject.toml` asks for numpy >= 1.26, the lockfile will have 1.26.0.
-    # However, the non-lowest micro version of a module may be selected for
-    # compatibility reasons. E.g., if `pyproject.toml` asks for pandas >= 2.2 and numpy
-    # >= 2.0, pandas 2.2.2 will be placed in the lockfile, as that was the first version
-    # to support numpy 2.0. Non-lowest micro versions of modules may also not be used if
-    # they were yanked.
-    # Therefore, if the micro version of a module isn't specified in `pyproject.toml`,
-    # we don't check the micro version of the module in the environment.
-    if mod_name == "python":
-        env_ver = sys.version_info[:3]  # take major, minor, and micro info
-        env_ver = ".".join(str(x) for x in env_ver)
-    else:
-        try:
-            importlib.import_module(mod_import_name)
-        except Exception as exc:
-            bad_missing.append(f"{mod_name}: ({type(exc).__name__}: {exc})")
-            continue
-        # Not all modules have a __version__ attribute, so use importlib.metadata
-        # Also requires the true module name, not the import variant (if different)
-        env_ver = metadata.version(mod_name)
-
-    if pyproject_ver is None:
-        continue  # no min version specified, so no check needed
-    pyproject_ver = Version(pyproject_ver)
-    env_ver = Version(env_ver)
-
-    # Discard micro info from env version if it's not specified in pyproject.toml
-    if len(pyproject_ver.release) == 2:
-        env_ver = Version(f"{env_ver.major}.{env_ver.minor}")
-
-    if env_ver != pyproject_ver:
-        bad_version.append(
-            f"{mod_name}: is {env_ver}; {pyproject_ver} expected from `pyproject.toml`"
-        )
-
-# Format bad messages and raise if there are any bads
-bad_missing = get_bad_deps_message(bad_missing, "are missing from the environment")
-bad_version = get_bad_deps_message(
-    bad_version, "have incorrect versions in the environment"
-)
-raise_bad_deps_messages([bad_missing, bad_version])
diff --git a/tools/github_actions_check_old_lockfile.py b/tools/github_actions_check_old_lockfile.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 5fbf9dfbc08..00000000000
--- a/tools/github_actions_check_old_lockfile.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,84 +0,0 @@
-"""Check that the old env lockfile has the expected versions of dependencies."""
-
-# Authors: The MNE-Python contributors.
-# License: BSD-3-Clause
-# Copyright the MNE-Python contributors.
-
-import sys
-from pathlib import Path
-
-from packaging.specifiers import Specifier
-from packaging.version import Version
-from tomlkit.toml_file import TOMLFile
-
-project_root = Path(__file__).parent.parent
-
-sys.path.append(project_root / "tools")
-from check_pyproject_helpers import (  # noqa: E402
-    get_bad_deps_message,
-    get_deps_to_check,
-    get_min_pinned_ver,
-    raise_bad_deps_messages,
-)
-
-# Get dependencies to check from pyproject.toml
-check_deps = get_deps_to_check()
-
-# Get 'old' lockfile pins for dependencies
-lockfile = TOMLFile(project_root / "tools/pylock.ci-old.toml")
-lockfile_data = lockfile.read()
-python_spec = Specifier(lockfile_data["requires-python"])
-assert python_spec.operator == ">=", (
-    f"Expected the Python version specifier in `pylock.ci-old.toml` to be a '>=' "
-    f"specifier, but found {python_spec.operator}."
-)
-lockfile_modules = {"python": python_spec.version}
-lockfile_modules.update(
-    {mod["name"]: mod["version"] for mod in lockfile_data["packages"]}
-)
-
-# Check that the versions in the lockfile match the minimum versions in pyproject.toml
-# For modules, uv's `lowest-direct` option will resolve to the lowest
-# major.minor.micro version, even if a micro version isn't specified. E.g., if
-# `pyproject.toml` asks for numpy >= 1.26, the lockfile will have 1.26.0.
-# However, the non-lowest micro version of a module may be selected for
-# compatibility reasons. E.g., if `pyproject.toml` asks for pandas >= 2.2 and numpy
-# >= 2.0, pandas 2.2.2 will be placed in the lockfile, as that was the first version
-# to support numpy 2.0. Non-lowest micro versions of modules may also not be used if
-# they were yanked.
-# Therefore, if the micro version of a module isn't specified in `pyproject.toml`,
-# we don't check the micro version of the module in the environment.
-mod_name_mapping = {"lazy_loader": "lazy-loader"}
-bad_missing = []
-bad_version = []
-for dep in check_deps:
-    mod_name, pyproject_ver = get_min_pinned_ver(dep)
-    if pyproject_ver is None:
-        continue  # no min version specified, so no check needed
-    pyproject_ver = Version(pyproject_ver)
-    name = mod_name_mapping.get(mod_name, mod_name)
-
-    if name not in lockfile_modules.keys():
-        bad_missing.append(name)
-        continue
-    lockfile_ver = lockfile_modules[name]
-    lockfile_ver = Version(lockfile_ver)
-
-    # Discard micro info from lockfile version if it's not specified in pyproject.toml
-    if len(pyproject_ver.release) == 2:
-        lockfile_ver = Version(f"{lockfile_ver.major}.{lockfile_ver.minor}")
-
-    if lockfile_ver != pyproject_ver:
-        bad_version.append(
-            f"lower pin on {name} in `pyproject.toml` is {pyproject_ver}, "
-            f"but `pylock.ci-old.toml` has {lockfile_ver}"
-        )
-
-# Format bad messages and raise if there are any bads
-bad_missing = get_bad_deps_message(
-    bad_missing, "are missing from the `pylock.ci-old.toml` lockfile"
-)
-bad_version = get_bad_deps_message(
-    bad_version, "have incorrect versions in the `pylock.ci-old.toml` lockfile"
-)
-raise_bad_deps_messages([bad_missing, bad_version])
diff --git a/tools/github_actions_dependencies.sh b/tools/github_actions_dependencies.sh
index a48ae02b433..13fee17afa3 100755
--- a/tools/github_actions_dependencies.sh
+++ b/tools/github_actions_dependencies.sh
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ elif [[ "${MNE_CI_KIND}" == "old" ]]; then
 	STD_ARGS="--progress-bar off"
 	echo "::group::Syncing old environment dependencies from lockfile using uv"
 	uv pip sync ${SCRIPT_DIR}/pylock.ci-old.toml
-	uv pip install pip tomlkit ${MNE_QT_BACKEND}
+	uv pip install pip ${MNE_QT_BACKEND}
 	echo "::endgroup::"
 elif [[ "${MNE_CI_KIND}" == "pip-ft" ]]; then
 	# This one is free-threaded so can't have PySide6/PyQt6 as of 2026/06/16
diff --git a/tools/hooks/update_environment_file.py b/tools/hooks/update_environment_file.py
deleted file mode 100755
index 9c858ca70ad..00000000000
--- a/tools/hooks/update_environment_file.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,101 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
-
-# Authors: The MNE-Python contributors.
-# License: BSD-3-Clause
-# Copyright the MNE-Python contributors.
-
-import re
-from pathlib import Path
-
-import tomllib
-
-repo_root = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]
-with open(repo_root / "pyproject.toml", "rb") as fid:
-    pyproj = tomllib.load(fid)
-
-# Get our "full" dependences from `pyproject.toml`, but actually ignore the
-# "full-pyqt6" section as it's just "full-noqt" plus PyQt6. Also ignore "full-pyside6"
-# as it's just a redirect to "full".
-ignore = ("full-pyqt6", "full-pyside6")
-deps = set(pyproj["project"]["dependencies"])
-for section, section_deps in pyproj["project"]["optional-dependencies"].items():
-    if section not in ignore:
-        deps |= set(section_deps)
-recursive_deps = set(d for d in deps if d.startswith("mne["))
-deps -= recursive_deps
-deps |= {"pip", "mamba", "conda", "nomkl", "noqt5"}
-# not on conda-forge
-pip_deps = {
-    "pymef",  # not on conda-forge
-}
-deps -= pip_deps
-deps -= {
-    "typing-extensions >= 4.15; python_version < '3.11'"
-}  # for typing.Self TODO VERSION
-
-
-def remove_spaces(version_spec):
-    """Remove spaces in version specs (conda is stricter than pip about this).
-
-    https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/concepts/pkg-specs.html#package-match-specifications
-    """
-    return "".join(version_spec.split())
-
-
-def split_dep(dep):
-    """Separate package name from version spec."""
-    pattern = re.compile(r"([^!=<>]+)?([!=<>].*)?")
-    groups = list(pattern.match(dep).groups())
-    groups[1] = "" if groups[1] is None else remove_spaces(groups[1])
-    return tuple(map(str.strip, groups))
-
-
-# python version
-req_python = remove_spaces(pyproj["project"]["requires-python"])
-
-# split package name from version spec
-translations = dict(neo="python-neo")
-conda_dep_lines = set()
-version_spec_overrides = {
-    # Help the solver work faster by specifying these (should be updated periodically):
-    "PySide6": "==6.11.1",
-    "vtk": "==9.6.2",
-}
-for key in version_spec_overrides:
-    assert any(dep.startswith(key) for dep in deps), (
-        f"Need to adjust code below if {key} is not a dependency: {deps}"
-    )
-for dep in deps:
-    package_name, version_spec = split_dep(dep)
-    version_spec = version_spec_overrides.get(package_name, version_spec)
-    # handle package name differences
-    package_name = translations.get(package_name, package_name)
-    # C deps that mean we need to upgrade VTK etc.
-    # rstrip output line in case `version_spec` == ""
-    line = f"  - {package_name} {version_spec}".rstrip()
-    # use pip for packages needing e.g. `platform_system` or `python_version` triaging
-    if ";" in version_spec:
-        pip_deps.add(line[4:])
-    elif package_name not in pip_deps:
-        conda_dep_lines.add(line)
-conda_dep_lines.add("  - ffmpeg =8.1.2")  # try to fix conda issue
-
-# prepare the pip dependencies section
-newline = "\n"  # python < 3.12 forbids backslash in {} part of f-string
-pip_section = f"""\
-  - pip:
-{newline.join(sorted((f"      - {dep}" for dep in pip_deps), key=str.casefold))}
-"""
-pip_section = pip_section if len(pip_deps) else ""
-# prepare the env file
-env = f"""\
-# THIS FILE IS AUTO-GENERATED BY {"/".join(Path(__file__).parts[-3:])} AND WILL BE OVERWRITTEN
-name: mne
-channels:
-  - conda-forge
-dependencies:
-  - python {req_python}
-{newline.join(sorted(conda_dep_lines, key=str.casefold))}
-{pip_section}"""  # noqa: E501
-
-(repo_root / "environment.yml").write_text(env)
diff --git a/tools/install_pre_requirements.sh b/tools/install_pre_requirements.sh
index 8c56b85e2e7..f8402e3fac9 100755
--- a/tools/install_pre_requirements.sh
+++ b/tools/install_pre_requirements.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 set -eo pipefail
 
-SCRIPT_DIR=$( cd -- "$( dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" &> /dev/null && pwd )
 PLATFORM=$(python -c 'import platform; print(platform.system())')
 
 echo "Installing pip-pre dependencies on ${PLATFORM}"
@@ -78,5 +77,6 @@ python -c "import numpy as np; assert np.__version__[0] == '2', np.__version__"
 echo "::endgroup::"
 
 echo "::group::Check Qt import"
-${SCRIPT_DIR}/check_qt_import.sh "$MNE_QT_BACKEND"
+curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mne-tools/mne-tools/main/tools/check_qt_import.sh -o check_qt_import.sh
+bash check_qt_import.sh "$MNE_QT_BACKEND"
 echo "::endgroup::"
diff --git a/tools/pylock.ci-old.toml b/tools/pylock.ci-old.toml
index 8e020000522..b54618a909b 100644
--- a/tools/pylock.ci-old.toml
+++ b/tools/pylock.ci-old.toml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # This file was autogenerated by uv via the following command:
-#    uv pip compile pyproject.toml --python 3.10 --python-platform x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu --group test --group lockfile_extras --resolution lowest-direct --format pylock.toml --output-file tools/pylock.ci-old.toml
+#    uv pip compile pyproject.toml --python 3.10 --python-platform x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu --group test --group lockfile_extras --resolution lowest-direct --format pylock.toml --output-file tools/pylock.ci-old.toml --no-cache
 lock-version = "1.0"
 created-by = "uv"
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
diff --git a/tools/setup_xvfb.sh b/tools/setup_xvfb.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index a48e5703197..00000000000
--- a/tools/setup_xvfb.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash -ef
-
-# this is only relevant for GitHub Actions, but it avoids
-# https://github.com/actions/virtual-environments/issues/323
-# via
-# https://github.community/t/ubuntu-latest-apt-repository-list-issues/17182/10#M4501
-for apt_file in `grep -lr microsoft /etc/apt/sources.list.d/`; do
-    echo "Removing $apt_file"
-    sudo rm $apt_file
-done
-
-# This also includes the libraries necessary for Qt6
-sudo apt update
-# Need two different libxml2 variants for 24.04 and 26.04
-if [[ $(lsb_release -rs) == "26.04" ]]; then
-    XML_DEP=libxml2-16
-else
-    XML_DEP=libxml2
-fi
-sudo apt install -yqq xvfb libxkbcommon-x11-0 libxcb-icccm4 libxcb-image0 libxcb-keysyms1 libxcb-randr0 libxcb-render-util0 libxcb-xinerama0 libxcb-xfixes0 libopengl0 libegl1 libosmesa6 mesa-utils libxcb-shape0 libxcb-cursor0 $XML_DEP
-/sbin/start-stop-daemon --start --quiet --pidfile /tmp/custom_xvfb_99.pid --make-pidfile --background --exec /usr/bin/Xvfb -- :99 -screen 0 1400x900x24 -ac +extension GLX +render -noreset
diff --git a/tools/sync_dependencies.py b/tools/sync_dependencies.py
deleted file mode 100755
index e720d58e1cb..00000000000
--- a/tools/sync_dependencies.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,108 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python
-
-# Authors: The MNE-Python contributors.
-# License: BSD-3-Clause
-# Copyright the MNE-Python contributors.
-
-import difflib
-import re
-
-# NB here we use metadata from the latest stable release because this goes in our
-# README, which should apply to the latest release (rather than dev).
-# For oldest supported dev dependencies, see update_environment_file.py.
-from importlib.metadata import metadata
-from pathlib import Path
-
-from mne.utils import _pl, warn
-
-README_PATH = Path(__file__).parents[1] / "README.rst"
-BEGIN = ".. ↓↓↓ BEGIN CORE DEPS LIST. DO NOT EDIT! HANDLED BY PRE-COMMIT HOOK ↓↓↓"
-END = ".. ↑↑↑ END CORE DEPS LIST. DO NOT EDIT! HANDLED BY PRE-COMMIT HOOK ↑↑↑"
-
-CORE_DEPS_URLS = {
-    "Python": "https://www.python.org",
-    "NumPy": "https://numpy.org",
-    "SciPy": "https://scipy.org",
-    "Matplotlib": "https://matplotlib.org",
-    "Pooch": "https://www.fatiando.org/pooch/latest/",
-    "tqdm": "https://tqdm.github.io",
-    "Jinja2": "https://palletsprojects.com/p/jinja/",
-    "decorator": "https://github.com/micheles/decorator",
-    "lazy-loader": "https://pypi.org/project/lazy_loader",
-    "packaging": "https://packaging.pypa.io/en/stable/",
-}
-IGNORED_CORE_DEPS = ["typing-extensions"]
-
-
-def _prettify_pin(pin):
-    if pin is None:
-        return ""
-    pins = pin.split(",")
-    replacements = {
-        "<=": " ≤ ",
-        ">=": " ≥ ",
-        "<": " < ",
-        ">": " > ",
-    }
-    for old, new in replacements.items():
-        pins = [p.replace(old, new) for p in pins]
-    pins = reversed(pins)
-    return ",".join(pins)
-
-
-# get the dependency info
-py_pin = metadata("mne").get("Requires-Python")
-all_deps = metadata("mne").get_all("Requires-Dist")
-core_deps = [f"python{py_pin}", *[dep for dep in all_deps if "extra ==" not in dep]]
-pattern = re.compile(r"(?P<name>[A-Za-z_\-\d]+)(?P<pin>[<>=]+.*)?")
-core_deps_pins = {
-    dep["name"]: _prettify_pin(dep["pin"]) for dep in map(pattern.match, core_deps)
-}
-# remove ignored deps
-for dep in IGNORED_CORE_DEPS:
-    core_deps_pins.pop(dep, None)
-# don't show upper pin on NumPy (not important for users, just devs)
-new_pin = core_deps_pins["numpy"].split(",")
-new_pin.remove(" < 3")
-core_deps_pins["numpy"] = new_pin[0]
-
-# make sure our URLs dict is minimal and complete
-missing_urls = set(core_deps_pins) - {dep.lower() for dep in CORE_DEPS_URLS}
-extra_urls = {dep.lower() for dep in CORE_DEPS_URLS} - set(core_deps_pins)
-update_msg = (
-    "please update `CORE_DEPS_URLS` mapping in `tools/hooks/sync_dependencies.py`."
-)
-if missing_urls:
-    _s = _pl(missing_urls)
-    raise RuntimeError(
-        f"Missing URL{_s} for package{_s} {', '.join(missing_urls)}; {update_msg}"
-    )
-if extra_urls:
-    _s = _pl(extra_urls)
-    warn(f"Superfluous URL{_s} for package{_s} {', '.join(extra_urls)}; {update_msg}")
-
-# construct the rST
-core_deps_bullets = [
-    f"- `{key} <{url}>`__{core_deps_pins[key.lower()]}"
-    for key, url in CORE_DEPS_URLS.items()
-]
-
-# rewrite the README file
-lines = README_PATH.read_text("utf-8").splitlines()
-out_lines = list()
-skip = False
-for line in lines:
-    if line.strip() == BEGIN:
-        skip = True
-        out_lines.append(line)
-        out_lines.extend(["", *core_deps_bullets, ""])
-    if line.strip() == END:
-        skip = False
-    if not skip:
-        out_lines.append(line)
-new = "\n".join(out_lines) + "\n"
-old = README_PATH.read_text("utf-8")
-if new != old:
-    diff = "\n".join(difflib.unified_diff(old.splitlines(), new.splitlines()))
-    print(f"Updating {README_PATH} with diff:\n{diff}")
-    README_PATH.write_text(new, encoding="utf-8")