diff --git a/.github/labeler.yml b/.github/labeler.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..343b87496
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/labeler.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+# Path-based PR auto-labeling config for actions/labeler@v5.
+# Each key is a label (must exist — see .github/labels.yml); the globs decide
+# when it is applied. A PR can match several areas, which is expected.
+
+"area:frontend":
+  - changed-files:
+      - any-glob-to-any-file:
+          - "frontend/**"
+
+"area:backend":
+  - changed-files:
+      - any-glob-to-any-file:
+          - "backend/app/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/runtime/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/persistence/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/config/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/tools/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/guardrails/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/tracing/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/models/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/utils/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/uploads/**"
+
+"area:agents":
+  - changed-files:
+      - any-glob-to-any-file:
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/agents/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/subagents/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/reflection/**"
+          - "backend/langgraph.json"
+          - "backend/**/prompts/**"
+
+"area:sandbox":
+  - changed-files:
+      - any-glob-to-any-file:
+          - "docker/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/sandbox/**"
+          - "backend/Dockerfile"
+          - "frontend/Dockerfile"
+
+"area:skills":
+  - changed-files:
+      - any-glob-to-any-file:
+          - "skills/**"
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/skills/**"
+          - "frontend/src/core/skills/**"
+
+"area:mcp":
+  - changed-files:
+      - any-glob-to-any-file:
+          - "backend/packages/harness/deerflow/mcp/**"
+          - "frontend/src/core/mcp/**"
+
+"area:ci":
+  - changed-files:
+      - any-glob-to-any-file:
+          - ".github/**"
+          - "scripts/**"
+
+"area:docs":
+  - changed-files:
+      - any-glob-to-any-file:
+          - "docs/**"
+          - "**/*.md"
+
+"area:deps":
+  - changed-files:
+      - any-glob-to-any-file:
+          - "backend/pyproject.toml"
+          - "backend/uv.lock"
+          - "frontend/package.json"
+          - "frontend/pnpm-lock.yaml"
diff --git a/.github/labels.yml b/.github/labels.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..50e9e86c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/labels.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+# Declarative label source of truth for DeerFlow.
+#
+# This file is the single source of truth for repository labels used by the
+# auto-labeling workflows (.github/workflows/pr-labeler.yml, pr-triage.yml,
+# issue-triage.yml). Auto-labelers can only apply labels that already exist,
+# so every label referenced by a workflow MUST be declared here.
+#
+# Apply with:  uv run --with pyyaml python scripts/sync_labels.py [--repo OWNER/NAME]
+# CI keeps it in sync via .github/workflows/label-sync.yml (runs on changes here).
+#
+# Sync is additive/update-only: it creates or updates the labels listed below
+# and never deletes labels that are not listed.
+#
+# Color = 6-digit hex without the leading '#'.
+
+labels:
+  # ── Type ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  # Mostly GitHub defaults; declared here so colors/descriptions stay stable
+  # and so issue templates can rely on them existing.
+  - name: bug
+    color: d73a4a
+    description: Something isn't working
+  - name: enhancement
+    color: a2eeef
+    description: New feature or request
+  - name: documentation
+    color: 0075ca
+    description: Improvements or additions to documentation
+  - name: question
+    color: d876e3
+    description: Further information is requested
+
+  # ── Area (auto, by changed paths — see .github/labeler.yml) ───────────────
+  # Mirrors the "Surface area" section of the pull request template.
+  - name: "area:frontend"
+    color: c5def5
+    description: Next.js frontend under frontend/
+  - name: "area:backend"
+    color: c5def5
+    description: Gateway / runtime / core backend under backend/
+  - name: "area:agents"
+    color: c5def5
+    description: Agents, subagents, graph wiring, prompts, langgraph.json
+  - name: "area:sandbox"
+    color: c5def5
+    description: Sandboxed execution and docker/
+  - name: "area:skills"
+    color: c5def5
+    description: Skills under skills/ or the skills harness
+  - name: "area:mcp"
+    color: c5def5
+    description: Model Context Protocol integration
+  - name: "area:ci"
+    color: c5def5
+    description: GitHub Actions, CI config, repo tooling
+  - name: "area:docs"
+    color: c5def5
+    description: Documentation and Markdown only
+  - name: "area:deps"
+    color: c5def5
+    description: Dependency manifests / lockfiles
+
+  # ── Size (auto, by additions + deletions — see pr-triage.yml) ─────────────
+  - name: "size/XS"
+    color: "009900"
+    description: PR changes < 20 lines
+  - name: "size/S"
+    color: 77bb00
+    description: PR changes 20-100 lines
+  - name: "size/M"
+    color: eebb00
+    description: PR changes 100-300 lines
+  - name: "size/L"
+    color: ee9900
+    description: PR changes 300-700 lines
+  - name: "size/XL"
+    color: ee5500
+    description: PR changes 700+ lines
+
+  # ── Risk (auto, by changed paths — see pr-triage.yml) ─────────────────────
+  - name: "risk:low"
+    color: 0e8a16
+    description: "Low risk: docs / i18n / assets only"
+  - name: "risk:medium"
+    color: fbca04
+    description: "Medium risk: regular code changes"
+  - name: "risk:high"
+    color: b60205
+    description: "High risk: backend API, agents, sandbox, auth, deps, CI"
+
+  # ── Priority (manual) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  - name: P0
+    color: b60205
+    description: Critical priority
+  - name: P1
+    color: d93f0b
+    description: Major priority
+  - name: P2
+    color: e99695
+    description: Normal priority
+
+  # ── Status (auto + manual) ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  - name: needs-triage
+    color: fef2c0
+    description: Awaiting maintainer triage
+  - name: needs-validation
+    color: d4c5f9
+    description: Touches front/back contract surface; needs real-path validation
+  - name: skip-validation
+    color: cccccc
+    description: "Maintainer override: do not auto-add needs-validation on this PR"
+  - name: reviewing
+    color: 5319e7
+    description: A maintainer is reviewing this PR
+
+  # ── Contributor ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  - name: first-time-contributor
+    color: c2e0c6
+    description: First contribution to this repository — be welcoming
diff --git a/.github/workflows/issue-triage.yml b/.github/workflows/issue-triage.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..927561be7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/issue-triage.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+name: Issue Triage
+
+# Ensures every newly opened issue carries `needs-triage`, even blank or
+# API-created ones that bypass the issue templates. Creates the label if it is
+# somehow missing, so the workflow is self-healing.
+
+on:
+  issues:
+    types: [opened]
+
+permissions:
+  issues: write
+
+jobs:
+  needs-triage:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Add needs-triage label
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
+            const issue_number = context.payload.issue.number;
+
+            const current = (context.payload.issue.labels || []).map(l => l.name);
+            if (current.includes('needs-triage')) {
+              core.info('Issue already has needs-triage; nothing to do.');
+              return;
+            }
+
+            // Self-heal: create the label if it does not exist yet.
+            try {
+              await github.rest.issues.createLabel({
+                owner, repo, name: 'needs-triage', color: 'fef2c0',
+                description: 'Awaiting maintainer triage',
+              });
+            } catch (e) {
+              if (e.status !== 422) throw e; // 422 = already exists
+            }
+
+            await github.rest.issues.addLabels({
+              owner, repo, issue_number, labels: ['needs-triage'],
+            });
+            core.info(`Added needs-triage to #${issue_number}.`);
diff --git a/.github/workflows/label-sync.yml b/.github/workflows/label-sync.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c270e06f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/label-sync.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+name: Label Sync
+
+# Keeps repository labels in sync with the declarative source of truth
+# (.github/labels.yml). Runs whenever that file changes on main, and can be
+# triggered manually. Additive/update-only — never deletes labels.
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - ".github/labels.yml"
+      - "scripts/sync_labels.py"
+      - ".github/workflows/label-sync.yml"
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  issues: write
+
+concurrency:
+  group: label-sync
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  sync:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
+
+      - name: Install uv
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v7
+
+      - name: Sync labels
+        run: uv run --with pyyaml python scripts/sync_labels.py
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          GH_REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-labeler.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-labeler.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6f4e9e279
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-labeler.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+name: PR Labeler
+
+# Applies area:* labels based on which files a PR changes (see .github/labeler.yml).
+# Uses pull_request_target so it also works on fork PRs. SAFE: actions/labeler
+# only reads the changed-file list via the API — it never checks out or runs PR code.
+
+on:
+  pull_request_target:
+    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, ready_for_review]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: write
+
+concurrency:
+  group: pr-labeler-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  label:
+    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Apply area labels
+        uses: actions/labeler@v5
+        with:
+          configuration-path: .github/labeler.yml
+          sync-labels: true
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-triage.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-triage.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c139e995e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-triage.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+name: PR Triage
+
+# Two responsibilities, both pure-metadata (no PR code is checked out or run):
+#   1. On open/sync: apply size/* + risk:* labels, and needs-validation when the
+#      PR touches the front/back contract surface (backend API, SSE, agents, or
+#      the frontend streaming client). A `skip-validation` label opts out.
+#   2. On maintainer review: apply the `reviewing` label.
+#
+# All labels are managed within their own namespace — labels outside size/*,
+# risk:*, needs-validation and reviewing are never touched here.
+
+on:
+  pull_request_target:
+    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, ready_for_review]
+  pull_request_review:
+    types: [submitted]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: write
+
+concurrency:
+  group: pr-triage-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  size-and-risk:
+    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request_target' && github.event.pull_request.draft == false
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Label size, risk and validation need
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const pr = context.payload.pull_request;
+            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
+            const prNumber = pr.number;
+
+            // ---- size, from additions + deletions ----
+            const churn = (pr.additions || 0) + (pr.deletions || 0);
+            const sizeLabel =
+              churn < 20 ? 'size/XS' :
+              churn < 100 ? 'size/S' :
+              churn < 300 ? 'size/M' :
+              churn < 700 ? 'size/L' : 'size/XL';
+
+            // ---- changed paths ----
+            const files = await github.paginate(github.rest.pulls.listFiles, {
+              owner, repo, pull_number: prNumber, per_page: 100,
+            });
+            const paths = files.map(f => f.filename);
+
+            const matches = (re) => paths.some(p => re.test(p));
+
+            const docsOnly = paths.length > 0 && paths.every(p =>
+              /\.(md|mdx|txt)$/i.test(p) || p.startsWith('docs/') ||
+              /\.(png|jpe?g|gif|svg|webp|ico)$/i.test(p));
+
+            const highRisk = matches(
+              /^backend\/app\/gateway\//) || matches(
+              /^backend\/packages\/harness\/deerflow\/(agents|subagents|sandbox)\//) || matches(
+              /(^|\/)langgraph\.json$/) || matches(
+              /(^|\/)(auth|authz|security)/i) || matches(
+              /(pyproject\.toml|uv\.lock|package\.json|pnpm-lock\.yaml)$/) || matches(
+              /^docker\//) || matches(
+              /^\.github\/workflows\//);
+
+            const riskLabel = docsOnly ? 'risk:low' : (highRisk ? 'risk:high' : 'risk:medium');
+
+            // needs-validation: front/back contract surface
+            const contractSurface =
+              matches(/^backend\/app\/gateway\//) ||
+              matches(/^backend\/packages\/harness\/deerflow\/(agents|subagents)\//) ||
+              matches(/(^|\/)langgraph\.json$/) ||
+              matches(/^frontend\/src\/core\/(api|threads|messages)\//);
+
+            const current = (pr.labels || []).map(l => l.name);
+            const hasSkip = current.includes('skip-validation');
+
+            const desired = [sizeLabel, riskLabel];
+            if (contractSurface && !hasSkip) desired.push('needs-validation');
+
+            const managed = (name) =>
+              name.startsWith('size/') || name.startsWith('risk:') || name === 'needs-validation';
+
+            const toRemove = current.filter(l => managed(l) && !desired.includes(l));
+            const toAdd = desired.filter(l => !current.includes(l));
+
+            for (const name of toRemove) {
+              try {
+                await github.rest.issues.removeLabel({ owner, repo, issue_number: prNumber, name });
+              } catch (e) {
+                if (e.status !== 404) throw e;
+              }
+            }
+            if (toAdd.length) {
+              await github.rest.issues.addLabels({ owner, repo, issue_number: prNumber, labels: toAdd });
+            }
+            core.info(`size=${sizeLabel} risk=${riskLabel} churn=${churn} ` +
+              `validation=${desired.includes('needs-validation')} ` +
+              `(+${toAdd.join(',') || '-'} / -${toRemove.join(',') || '-'})`);
+
+  first-time:
+    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request_target' && github.event.action == 'opened'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Label first-time contributors
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const pr = context.payload.pull_request;
+            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
+            const assoc = pr.author_association;
+            const isBot = pr.user.type === 'Bot';
+            core.info(`author=${pr.user.login} association=${assoc} bot=${isBot}`);
+
+            // FIRST_TIME_CONTRIBUTOR = no prior merged commit to this repo;
+            // FIRST_TIMER = no prior commit anywhere on GitHub. Either counts.
+            if (isBot || !['FIRST_TIME_CONTRIBUTOR', 'FIRST_TIMER'].includes(assoc)) {
+              core.info('Not a first-time contributor; skipping.');
+              return;
+            }
+            await github.rest.issues.addLabels({
+              owner, repo, issue_number: pr.number, labels: ['first-time-contributor'],
+            });
+            core.info(`Added first-time-contributor to #${pr.number}.`);
+
+  reviewing:
+    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request_review'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Add reviewing label for maintainer reviews
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
+            const prNumber = context.payload.pull_request.number;
+            const reviewer = context.payload.review.user.login;
+
+            const { data: perm } = await github.rest.repos.getCollaboratorPermissionLevel({
+              owner, repo, username: reviewer,
+            });
+            if (!['admin', 'write', 'maintain'].includes(perm.permission)) {
+              core.info(`Reviewer ${reviewer} (${perm.permission}) is not a maintainer; skipping.`);
+              return;
+            }
+
+            const { data: labels } = await github.rest.issues.listLabelsOnIssue({
+              owner, repo, issue_number: prNumber,
+            });
+            if (labels.some(l => l.name === 'reviewing')) {
+              core.info('Already labeled reviewing; skipping.');
+              return;
+            }
+            try {
+              await github.rest.issues.addLabels({
+                owner, repo, issue_number: prNumber, labels: ['reviewing'],
+              });
+              core.info(`Added "reviewing" (reviewer ${reviewer}).`);
+            } catch (e) {
+              // 403 is expected for review events on some fork PR contexts.
+              if (e.status === 403) core.info('No permission to label (expected on some fork PRs).');
+              else throw e;
+            }
diff --git a/scripts/sync_labels.py b/scripts/sync_labels.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2264573b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/sync_labels.py
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Sync GitHub labels from the declarative source of truth.
+
+Reads ``.github/labels.yml`` and creates/updates each label via the GitHub CLI
+(``gh label create --force``). Sync is additive/update-only: labels not listed
+in the file are left untouched (never deleted).
+
+Usage:
+    uv run --with pyyaml python scripts/sync_labels.py [--repo OWNER/NAME] [--dry-run]
+
+Requires the ``gh`` CLI to be installed and authenticated (or ``GH_TOKEN`` set,
+as in CI). When ``--repo`` is omitted, ``gh`` uses the current repository.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+try:
+    import yaml
+except ModuleNotFoundError:  # pragma: no cover - guidance for local runs
+    sys.exit(
+        "PyYAML is required. Run via:\n"
+        "  uv run --with pyyaml python scripts/sync_labels.py"
+    )
+
+LABELS_FILE = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / ".github" / "labels.yml"
+
+
+def load_labels(path: Path) -> list[dict[str, str]]:
+    data = yaml.safe_load(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")) or {}
+    labels = data.get("labels")
+    if not isinstance(labels, list) or not labels:
+        sys.exit(f"No labels found in {path}")
+    for label in labels:
+        if not isinstance(label, dict) or "name" not in label:
+            sys.exit(f"Invalid label entry (missing 'name'): {label!r}")
+    return labels
+
+
+def sync_label(label: dict[str, str], repo: str | None, dry_run: bool) -> bool:
+    name = str(label["name"])
+    color = str(label.get("color", "ededed")).lstrip("#")
+    description = str(label.get("description", ""))
+
+    cmd = ["gh", "label", "create", name, "--color", color, "--force"]
+    if description:
+        cmd += ["--description", description]
+    if repo:
+        cmd += ["--repo", repo]
+
+    if dry_run:
+        print(f"[dry-run] {' '.join(cmd)}")
+        return True
+
+    result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        print(f"  ✗ {name}: {result.stderr.strip()}", file=sys.stderr)
+        return False
+    print(f"  ✓ {name}")
+    return True
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument("--repo", help="Target repository as OWNER/NAME")
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--dry-run",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Print the gh commands without executing them",
+    )
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    labels = load_labels(LABELS_FILE)
+    target = args.repo or "(current repository)"
+    print(f"Syncing {len(labels)} labels to {target}")
+
+    failures = sum(
+        0 if sync_label(label, args.repo, args.dry_run) else 1 for label in labels
+    )
+
+    if failures:
+        print(f"\n{failures} label(s) failed to sync", file=sys.stderr)
+        return 1
+    print(f"\nDone — {len(labels)} labels in sync.")
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    raise SystemExit(main())