diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-title.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-title.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..08ff5b89
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-title.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# Release Please builds the changelog from the PR title of squash-merged pull
+# requests. A title that is not a Conventional Commit (for example one that
+# starts with an emoji) is silently ignored and the change never reaches the
+# release notes, so reject it before merging.
+
+name: PR Title
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types: [opened, edited, synchronize, reopened]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  conventional-title:
+    name: Conventional Commit title
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # Only the release PR that the Release Please bot opens from this repository
+    # is exempt (it is titled "Next Release <version>"). A branch name alone
+    # must not be enough, otherwise any fork branch could skip the check.
+    if: >-
+      ${{ !(
+      github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository
+      && github.event.pull_request.user.login == 'github-actions[bot]'
+      && startsWith(github.head_ref, 'release-please--')
+      ) }}
+
+    steps:
+      # The title is passed via env (never interpolated into the script) and
+      # only used as regex match data, so it cannot inject shell commands.
+      - name: Check PR title
+        env:
+          PR_TITLE: ${{ github.event.pull_request.title }}
+        run: |
+          pattern='^(feat|fix|refactor|perf|docs|style|chore|test|build|ci|revert)(\([^()]+\))?!?: [^[:space:]].*$'
+          if [[ ! "$PR_TITLE" =~ $pattern ]]; then
+            echo "::error title=Invalid PR title::The title must follow Conventional Commits, e.g. 'feat(hyva): add readiness check'. Do not start it with an emoji."
+            echo "Allowed types: feat, fix, refactor, perf, docs, style, chore, test, build, ci, revert"
+            exit 1
+          fi
diff --git a/.trunk/trunk.yaml b/.trunk/trunk.yaml
index dbfdf78c..d9466eec 100644
--- a/.trunk/trunk.yaml
+++ b/.trunk/trunk.yaml
@@ -37,7 +37,11 @@ lint:
       paths:
         - .ddev/web-build/**
   enabled:
-    - pinact@5.0.2
+    # pinact 5 is not supported by the trunk plugins (v1.11.0 still passes
+    # single-dash flags), so every workflow change fails with a
+    # "pinact/config-error". Stay on 4.x until
+    # https://github.com/trunk-io/plugins/issues/1177 is fixed.
+    - pinact@4.1.1
     - svgo@4.1.0
     - taplo@0.10.0
     - checkov@3.4.2
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 5ecb69ed..25a3efea 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -53,7 +53,9 @@ feat!: remove legacy theme builder API
 fix!: change command argument order
 ```
 
-**Individual Commits**: Your individual commits within the PR can use any format you prefer. We use **squash-merge**, so only the PR title becomes the commit message in the `main` branch.
+**Individual Commits**: Your individual commits within the PR can use any format you prefer (including emojis). We use **squash-merge**, so only the PR title becomes the commit message in the `main` branch.
+
+**PR titles must not start with an emoji.** Release Please cannot parse such titles and silently drops the change from the changelog. The `PR Title` check fails for titles that are not valid Conventional Commits.
 
 ### For Maintainers (Direct Commits)
 
@@ -81,6 +83,7 @@ All pull requests are merged using **squash-merge** to maintain a clean, linear
 - ✅ PR title becomes the commit message
 - ✅ All PR commits are squashed into a single commit
 - ✅ Easier to follow project history and revert changes if needed
+- ⚠️ Do not use "Create a merge commit" or "Rebase and merge": Release Please then only sees the individual commits and ignores everything that is not a Conventional Commit
 
 ---