diff --git a/.github/workflows/python-package-conda.yml b/.github/workflows/python-package-conda.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f3586044a
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+++ b/.github/workflows/python-package-conda.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+name: Python Package using Conda
+
+on: [push]
+
+jobs:
+  build-linux:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      max-parallel: 5
+
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - name: Set up Python 3.10
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v3
+      with:
+        python-version: '3.10'
+    - name: Add conda to system path
+      run: |
+        # $CONDA is an environment variable pointing to the root of the miniconda directory
+        echo $CONDA/bin >> $GITHUB_PATH
+    - name: Install dependencies
+      run: |
+        conda env update --file environment.yml --name base
+    - name: Lint with flake8
+      run: |
+        conda install flake8
+        # stop the build if there are Python syntax errors or undefined names
+        flake8 . --count --select=E9,F63,F7,F82 --show-source --statistics
+        # exit-zero treats all errors as warnings. The GitHub editor is 127 chars wide
+        flake8 . --count --exit-zero --max-complexity=10 --max-line-length=127 --statistics
+    - name: Test with pytest
+      run: |
+        conda install pytest
+        pytest
diff --git a/DEVELOPMENT.md b/DEVELOPMENT.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bdea73cf4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/DEVELOPMENT.md
@@ -0,0 +1,201 @@
+# Local Development Setup
+
+This guide walks you through setting up the **release-please** repository for local development.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- **Node.js**: Version 22.0.0 or higher (see `package.json` `engines` field)
+- **npm**: Comes with Node.js
+- **Git**: For cloning and version control
+
+## Quick Start
+
+### 1. Clone the Repository
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/ashclay95/release-please.git
+cd release-please
+git checkout setup/local-development
+```
+
+### 2. Install Dependencies
+
+```bash
+npm install
+```
+
+This installs:
+- **Runtime dependencies**: @octokit/rest, @conventional-commits/parser, conventional-changelog-writer, semver, yargs, etc.
+- **Dev dependencies**: TypeScript, Mocha, c8 (coverage), gts (linter/formatter), @types/* packages
+
+### 3. Compile TypeScript
+
+```bash
+npm run compile
+```
+
+- Runs `tsc -p .` (TypeScript compiler)
+- Compiles source code from `src/` to `build/`
+- Output includes JavaScript and source maps
+- Uses configuration from `tsconfig.json` (extends `gts/tsconfig-google.json`)
+
+### 4. Run Tests
+
+```bash
+npm test
+```
+
+- Executes Mocha test suite in `build/test/`
+- Collects coverage with c8
+- Environment variables: `ENVIRONMENT=test`, `LC_ALL=en`
+- **Note**: `pretest` hook automatically compiles TypeScript first
+- Timeout: 5000ms per test
+- Snapshot testing enabled via `snap-shot-it`
+
+### 5. Lint and Format Code
+
+```bash
+npm run lint        # Check code style (gts check)
+npm run fix         # Auto-fix style issues (gts fix)
+```
+
+- Uses **gts** (Google TypeScript Style) for consistent code formatting
+- Includes ESLint rules from `@eslint/js`
+- Configuration: `.eslintrc.json`, `.prettierrc.js`
+
+## Available npm Scripts
+
+| Script | Command | Purpose |
+|--------|---------|---------|
+| `test` | `cross-env ENVIRONMENT=test LC_ALL=en c8 mocha --recursive --timeout=5000 build/test` | Run Mocha tests with coverage |
+| `test:snap` | `cross-env SNAPSHOT_UPDATE=1 LC_ALL=en npm test` | Update test snapshots |
+| `compile` | `tsc -p .` | Compile TypeScript to JavaScript |
+| `lint` | `gts check` | Check code style |
+| `fix` | `gts fix` | Auto-format code |
+| `clean` | `gts clean` | Remove build artifacts |
+| `prepare` | `npm run compile` | Pre-publication hook |
+
+## Project Structure
+
+```
+src/
+├── bin/release-please.ts       # CLI entry point with yargs router
+├── github.ts                   # GitHub API client wrapper
+├── manifest.ts                 # Multi-package release orchestration
+├── updaters/                   # Language-specific file updaters
+│   ├── node.ts                 # Updates package.json
+│   ├── python.ts               # Updates setup.py, pyproject.toml
+│   ├── java.ts                 # Updates pom.xml
+│   └── ...
+├── strategies/                 # Release type strategies
+│   ├── node.ts
+│   ├── go.ts
+│   └── ...
+├── changelog/                  # CHANGELOG generation logic
+└── util/                       # Utilities (logger, coercion, etc.)
+
+test/                           # Mocha test suite
+build/                          # Compiled output (generated, not in git)
+templates/                      # PR title/body templates
+docs/                           # Documentation
+  ├── cli.md                    # CLI usage guide
+  ├── manifest-releaser.md      # Monorepo support
+  └── ...
+schemas/                        # JSON schema for config validation
+```
+
+## How to Contribute
+
+### Making Changes
+
+1. Create a feature branch: `git checkout -b feat/your-feature`
+2. Make your changes in `src/`
+3. Compile and test: `npm run compile && npm test`
+4. Fix any lint issues: `npm run fix`
+5. Commit with Conventional Commits: `git commit -m "feat: description"`
+
+### Testing Your Changes
+
+```bash
+# Run all tests
+npm test
+
+# Run specific test file
+npm test -- build/test/manifest.js
+
+# Update snapshots (if tests have changed expected output)
+npm test:snap
+```
+
+### Creating a Release PR
+
+To test release-please itself:
+
+```bash
+node build/src/bin/release-please.js release-pr \
+  --token=$GITHUB_TOKEN \
+  --repo-url=ashclay95/release-please \
+  --dry-run
+```
+
+This simulates creating a release PR without actually opening one on GitHub.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### "Cannot find module" errors
+
+```bash
+npm run clean
+npm install
+npm run compile
+```
+
+### TypeScript compilation errors
+
+Ensure you're using Node.js ≥22.0.0:
+
+```bash
+node --version
+```
+
+If not, use `nvm` (Node Version Manager) to switch:
+
+```bash
+nvm install 22
+nvm use 22
+```
+
+### Test failures
+
+Check that all dependencies are installed and TypeScript is compiled:
+
+```bash
+npm install
+npm run compile
+npm test
+```
+
+### Port/network issues when running CLI
+
+If you're testing the CLI locally against GitHub, ensure:
+- Your `GITHUB_TOKEN` is set and has `repo` scope
+- You have network access to `api.github.com`
+- Rate limits haven't been exceeded
+
+## Next Steps
+
+- **Read the CLI docs**: See `docs/cli.md` for command-line usage
+- **Understand monorepos**: See `docs/manifest-releaser.md` for multi-package setups
+- **View the design**: See `docs/design.md` for architecture details
+- **Check troubleshooting**: See `docs/troubleshooting.md` for common issues
+
+## Resources
+
+- **Conventional Commits**: https://www.conventionalcommits.org/
+- **Semantic Versioning**: https://semver.org/
+- **GitHub API**: https://docs.github.com/en/rest
+- **gts (Google TypeScript Style)**: https://github.com/google/gts
+- **Mocha**: https://mochajs.org/
+- **c8 Coverage**: https://github.com/bcoe/c8
+
+Happy hacking! 🚀