diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
index 9c72807..8baf75e 100644
--- a/.github/dependabot.yml
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -24,3 +24,11 @@ updates:
       day: "monday"
     commit-message:
       prefix: "chore(docker)"
+
+  - package-ecosystem: "github-actions"
+    directory: "/"
+    schedule:
+      interval: "weekly"
+      day: "monday"
+    commit-message:
+      prefix: "ci"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7aadeb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+name: CI
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main]
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  docker-smoke:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 15
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
+
+      - name: Build image
+        run: docker build -t audio-splitter:ci .
+
+      - name: Start container (read-only, like the Helm chart)
+        run: |
+          docker run -d --name app --read-only \
+            --tmpfs /tmp:uid=1000,gid=1000 -e TMPDIR=/tmp \
+            --cap-drop ALL --security-opt no-new-privileges \
+            -p 8000:8000 audio-splitter:ci
+
+      - name: Smoke test
+        shell: bash  # -eo pipefail: a failing curl fails the step, not just the assert
+        run: |
+          for _ in $(seq 30); do curl -sf localhost:8000/health && break; sleep 1; done
+          curl -sS --fail-with-body localhost:8000/ready
+          docker run --rm --entrypoint ffmpeg audio-splitter:ci -v error \
+            -f lavfi -i sine=frequency=440:duration=20 -b:a 128k -f mp3 - > tone.mp3
+          curl -sS --fail-with-body -F file=@tone.mp3 -F chunk_size_mb=0.1 localhost:8000/split \
+            | python3 -c 'import json, sys; c = json.load(sys.stdin); assert len(c) > 1, c; print(len(c), "chunks")'
+
+      - name: Container logs
+        if: always()
+        run: docker logs app
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 3d3f3e9..d2fe2c2 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 ## Local Development Setup
 
-**Prerequisites:** Python 3.13, FFmpeg (with `ffprobe`) installed and on `PATH`.
+**Prerequisites:** Python 3.14, FFmpeg (with `ffprobe`) installed and on `PATH`.
 
 ```bash
 # Create and activate a virtual environment
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d3cde92..5adfe42 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Audio Splitter
 
 [![License: MPL 2.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MPL_2.0-brightgreen.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MPL-2.0)
-[![Python](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.13-blue.svg)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
+[![Python](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.14-blue.svg)](https://www.python.org/downloads/)
 [![FastAPI](https://img.shields.io/badge/FastAPI-0.142.2-009688.svg)](https://fastapi.tiangolo.com)
 
 A FastAPI-based HTTP microservice that splits large audio files into smaller chunks using FFmpeg. Designed for integration with workflow automation tools such as n8n, and deployable as a Docker container or Kubernetes workload.
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ The service is now available at `http://localhost:8000`.
 
 ### Local Development
 
-**Prerequisites:** Python 3.13, FFmpeg installed and on `PATH`.
+**Prerequisites:** Python 3.14, FFmpeg installed and on `PATH`.
 
 ```bash
 # Create and activate a virtual environment
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ Splits an uploaded audio file into chunks of a specified size.
 | `chunk_size_mb` | float | `10.0` | Target size of each output chunk in MB (min: 0.1, max: 500) |
 | `output_prefix` | string | `chunk` | Filename prefix for generated chunks (alphanumeric, hyphens, underscores only) |
 | `same_as_input` | bool | `true` | Keep the same container format as the input |
-| `output_format` | string | `null` | Output container (e.g. `m4a` for AAC input, `ogg` for Opus input). Audio is copied, not re-encoded, so the container must support the input codec, otherwise the request fails with `500`. Only used when `same_as_input` is `false` |
+| `output_format` | string | `null` | Output container, case-insensitive (e.g. `m4a` for AAC input, `ogg` for Opus input). Audio is copied, not re-encoded, so the container must support the input codec, otherwise the request fails with `500`. Only used when `same_as_input` is `false` |
 | `memory_mode` | string | `auto` | Upload strategy: `auto` (same as `streaming`), `streaming` (writes the upload to disk in 1 MB chunks), or `buffered` (reads it into memory) |
 
 #### Response
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ Returns a JSON array. Each element represents one chunk. The `duration` field is
 
 | Status | Condition |
 |---|---|
-| `400` | Unsupported file format, invalid `chunk_size_mb` range, invalid `output_format`, or too many chunks generated |
+| `400` | Unsupported file format, invalid `chunk_size_mb` range, invalid `output_format`, audio bitrate below 1 kbps, or too many chunks generated |
 | `413` | File exceeds `MAX_FILE_SIZE_MB` |
 | `422` | Request validation error (e.g. non-numeric `chunk_size_mb`, unknown `memory_mode`, missing `file`); `detail` is a list of field errors |
 | `500` | FFmpeg could not process the audio (corrupt input, or `output_format` incompatible with the input codec), processing timed out (`FFMPEG_TIMEOUT_SECONDS`), or unexpected server error |
diff --git a/app/main.py b/app/main.py
index 6d32d4f..bd4b9ba 100644
--- a/app/main.py
+++ b/app/main.py
@@ -110,6 +110,11 @@ async def split_audio(
 ) -> list[str]:
     """Split audio file using FFmpeg segment muxer."""
     bitrate = await get_audio_bitrate(input_path)
+    if bitrate < 1:  # no real audio is under 1 kbps; segmenting would divide by zero
+        raise HTTPException(
+            status_code=400,
+            detail="Unsupported audio: bitrate is below 1 kbps"
+        )
     segment_time = calculate_segment_time(chunk_size_mb, bitrate)
 
     output_pattern = os.path.join(output_dir, f"{output_prefix}_%03d{output_ext}")
@@ -280,7 +285,7 @@ async def split_audio_endpoint(
 
     output_ext = ext
     if not same_as_input and output_format:
-        output_ext = f".{output_format.lstrip('.')}"
+        output_ext = f".{output_format.lstrip('.').lower()}"
         if output_ext not in SUPPORTED_FORMATS:
             raise HTTPException(
                 status_code=400,
diff --git a/helm/audio-splitter/Chart.yaml b/helm/audio-splitter/Chart.yaml
index cc2c8e9..8db04a1 100644
--- a/helm/audio-splitter/Chart.yaml
+++ b/helm/audio-splitter/Chart.yaml
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@ apiVersion: v2
 name: audio-splitter
 description: HTTP service for splitting audio files into chunks using FFmpeg
 type: application
-version: 0.1.0
-appVersion: "1.0.0"
+version: 0.1.1
+appVersion: "1.0.1"