diff --git a/workflow-templates/npm-audit-fix.yml b/workflow-templates/npm-audit-fix.yml
index b382c55a..b9403d59 100644
--- a/workflow-templates/npm-audit-fix.yml
+++ b/workflow-templates/npm-audit-fix.yml
@@ -15,12 +15,17 @@ on:
     - cron: '30 2 * * 0'
 
 permissions:
-  contents: read
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
 
 jobs:
   build:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
 
+    env:
+      # env variable for maintainers: 'false' disables auto-merge for these pull requests
+      AUTOMERGE: true
+
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
@@ -69,6 +74,7 @@ jobs:
           npm run build --if-present
 
       - name: Create Pull Request
+        id: create-pull-request
         if: steps.checkout.outcome == 'success'
         uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@5f6978faf089d4d20b00c7766989d076bb2fc7f1 # v8.1.1
         with:
@@ -83,3 +89,19 @@ jobs:
           labels: |
             dependencies
             3. to review
+
+      # Approve using the default GITHUB_TOKEN, as the PR itself was created
+      # using COMMAND_BOT_PAT and GitHub does not allow an account to approve its own PR
+      - name: GitHub actions bot approve
+        if: steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-operation != 'none'
+        run: gh pr review --approve "$PR_URL"
+        env:
+          PR_URL: ${{ steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-url }}
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Enable auto merge
+        if: steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-operation != 'none' && fromJSON(env.AUTOMERGE)
+        uses: peter-evans/enable-pull-request-automerge@a660677d5469627102a1c1e11409dd063606628d # v3.0.0
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          pull-request-number: ${{ steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-number }}
diff --git a/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-approve-merge.properties.json b/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-approve-merge.properties.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 21d7e03f..00000000
--- a/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-approve-merge.properties.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "name": "Auto approve and merge of nextcloud/ocp updates",
-  "description": "Auto approve and merge of nextcloud/ocp dev dependency updates",
-  "iconName": "octicon git-pull-request",
-  "categories": [
-    "PHP"
-  ],
-  "filePatterns": [
-    "^composer.json$"
-  ]
-}
diff --git a/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-approve-merge.yml b/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-approve-merge.yml
index 88c54da0..4d9f82a2 100644
--- a/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-approve-merge.yml
+++ b/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-approve-merge.yml
@@ -6,17 +6,14 @@
 # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2023-2024 Nextcloud GmbH and Nextcloud contributors
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
 
-name: Auto approve nextcloud/ocp
+# TODO: Remove this after a grace period of 6 months to give everyone the chance to remove the workflow
+# TODO: To be removed mid 2027.
+name: No-op please remove this workflow
 
-on:
-  pull_request_target:  # zizmor: ignore[dangerous-triggers]
-    branches:
-      - main
-      - master
-      - stable*
+on: pull_request
 
 permissions:
-  contents: read
+  contents: none
 
 concurrency:
   group: update-nextcloud-ocp-approve-merge-${{ github.head_ref || github.run_id }}
@@ -24,36 +21,12 @@ concurrency:
 
 jobs:
   auto-approve-merge:
-    if: github.actor == 'nextcloud-command'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest-low
-    permissions:
-      # for auto-approve-action to approve PRs
-      pull-requests: write
-      # for alexwilson/enable-github-automerge-action to approve PRs
-      contents: write
+    if: always()
 
-    steps:
-      - name: Disabled on forks
-        if: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name != github.repository }}
-        run: |
-          echo 'Can not approve PRs from forks'
-          exit 1
-
-      - uses: mdecoleman/pr-branch-name@55795d86b4566d300d237883103f052125cc7508 # v3.0.0
-        id: branchname
-        with:
-          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+    # This is the summary, we just avoid to rename it so that branch protection rules still match
+    name: auto-approve-merge
 
-      - name: GitHub actions bot approve
-        if: startsWith(steps.branchname.outputs.branch, 'automated/noid/') && endsWith(steps.branchname.outputs.branch, 'update-nextcloud-ocp')
-        run: gh pr review --approve "$PR_URL"
-        env:
-          PR_URL: ${{ github.event.pull_request.html_url }}
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
-      # Enable GitHub auto merge
-      - name: Auto merge
-        uses: alexwilson/enable-github-automerge-action@2c32e18a76e0726ffe7a573bfff2d42a20885126 # 3.0.0
-        if: startsWith(steps.branchname.outputs.branch, 'automated/noid/') && endsWith(steps.branchname.outputs.branch, 'update-nextcloud-ocp')
-        with:
-          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+    steps:
+      - name: No-op please remove this workflow
+        run: echo "Approve and auto-merge has been folded into update-nextcloud-ocp.yml / update-nextcloud-ocp-matrix.yml, please remove this file"; exit 1;
diff --git a/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-matrix.yml b/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-matrix.yml
index 376fdc51..513301e3 100644
--- a/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-matrix.yml
+++ b/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp-matrix.yml
@@ -14,8 +14,9 @@ on:
     - cron: '5 2 * * 0'
 
 permissions:
-  contents: read
+  contents: write
   issues: write
+  pull-requests: write
 
 jobs:
   update-nextcloud-ocp:
@@ -24,6 +25,10 @@ jobs:
     # Only allowed to be run on nextcloud repositories
     if: ${{ github.repository_owner == 'nextcloud' }}
 
+    env:
+      # env variable for maintainers: 'false' disables auto-merge for these pull requests
+      AUTOMERGE: true
+
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
@@ -91,6 +96,7 @@ jobs:
           body: 'Please check the output of the GitHub action and manually resolve the issues<br>${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}<br>${{ steps.codeowners.outputs.codeowners }}'
 
       - name: Create Pull Request
+        id: create-pull-request
         uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@5f6978faf089d4d20b00c7766989d076bb2fc7f1 # v8.1.1
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.COMMAND_BOT_PAT }}
@@ -100,7 +106,7 @@ jobs:
           signoff: true
           branch: 'automated/noid/${{ matrix.branches }}-update-nextcloud-ocp'
           title: '[${{ matrix.branches }}] Update nextcloud/ocp dependency'
-          add-path: |
+          add-paths: |
             composer.json
             composer.lock
             vendor-bin/nextcloud-ocp/composer.json
@@ -110,3 +116,19 @@ jobs:
           labels: |
             dependencies
             3. to review
+
+      # Approve using the default GITHUB_TOKEN, as the PR itself was created
+      # using COMMAND_BOT_PAT and GitHub does not allow an account to approve its own PR
+      - name: GitHub actions bot approve
+        if: steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-operation != 'none'
+        run: gh pr review --approve "$PR_URL"
+        env:
+          PR_URL: ${{ steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-url }}
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Enable auto merge
+        if: steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-operation != 'none' && fromJSON(env.AUTOMERGE)
+        uses: peter-evans/enable-pull-request-automerge@a660677d5469627102a1c1e11409dd063606628d # v3.0.0
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          pull-request-number: ${{ steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-number }}
diff --git a/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp.yml b/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp.yml
index 3b60a2e7..bc3b4241 100644
--- a/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp.yml
+++ b/workflow-templates/update-nextcloud-ocp.yml
@@ -14,8 +14,9 @@ on:
     - cron: "5 2 * * 0"
 
 permissions:
-  contents: read
+  contents: write
   issues: write
+  pull-requests: write
 
 jobs:
   update-nextcloud-ocp:
@@ -24,6 +25,10 @@ jobs:
     # Only allowed to be run on nextcloud repositories
     if: ${{ github.repository_owner == 'nextcloud' }}
 
+    env:
+      # env variable for maintainers: 'false' disables auto-merge for these pull requests
+      AUTOMERGE: true
+
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
@@ -100,6 +105,7 @@ jobs:
           body: 'Please check the output of the GitHub action and manually resolve the issues<br>${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}<br>${{ steps.codeowners.outputs.codeowners }}'
 
       - name: Create Pull Request
+        id: create-pull-request
         if: steps.checkout.outcome == 'success'
         uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@5f6978faf089d4d20b00c7766989d076bb2fc7f1 # v8.1.1
         with:
@@ -110,7 +116,7 @@ jobs:
           signoff: true
           branch: 'automated/noid/${{ matrix.branches }}-update-nextcloud-ocp'
           title: '[${{ matrix.branches }}] Update nextcloud/ocp dependency'
-          add-path: |
+          add-paths: |
             composer.json
             composer.lock
             vendor-bin/nextcloud-ocp/composer.json
@@ -120,3 +126,19 @@ jobs:
           labels: |
             dependencies
             3. to review
+
+      # Approve using the default GITHUB_TOKEN, as the PR itself was created
+      # using COMMAND_BOT_PAT and GitHub does not allow an account to approve its own PR
+      - name: GitHub actions bot approve
+        if: steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-operation != 'none'
+        run: gh pr review --approve "$PR_URL"
+        env:
+          PR_URL: ${{ steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-url }}
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Enable auto merge
+        if: steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-operation != 'none' && fromJSON(env.AUTOMERGE)
+        uses: peter-evans/enable-pull-request-automerge@a660677d5469627102a1c1e11409dd063606628d # v3.0.0
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          pull-request-number: ${{ steps.create-pull-request.outputs.pull-request-number }}