diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 0a0e9bd4..575ba80e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -12,3 +12,4 @@ mender-*.tgz
 /values*.yaml
 /index.yaml
 tests/hm-values.yaml
+cliff.toml
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 302c0148..bfd2d5a9 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -34,10 +34,40 @@ variables:
     options:
       - "true"
       - "false"
+  GITHUB_REPO_URL:
+    description: "The Github Repo URL for release-please, in the format of 'owner/repo'"
+    value: "mendersoftware/mender-helm"
+  DEFAULT_BRANCH: "master"
+  GITHUB_REPO_URL:
+    description: "The Github Repo URL for release-please, in the format of 'owner/repo'"
+    value: "mendersoftware/mender-helm"
+  GITHUB_USER:
+    description: "The Github user for release-please"
+    value: "mender-test-bot"
+  GITHUB_USER_NAME:
+    description: "The Github username for release-please"
+    value: "mender-test-bot"
+  GITHUB_USER_EMAIL:
+    description: "The Github user email for release-please"
+    value: "mender@northern.tech"
+  RUN_RELEASE:
+    description: "Run a new release"
+    value: "false"
+    options:
+      - "true"
+      - "false"
+  GIT_CLIFF:
+    description: "Run git cliff to override the release-please changelog"
+    value: "true"
+    options:
+      - "true"
+      - "false"
 
 stages:
   - build
   - test
+  - changelog
+  - release
   - publish
   - version-bump
 
@@ -790,3 +820,77 @@ cleanup_eks_cluster:success:
 cleanup_eks_cluster:failed:manual:
   when: manual
   <<: *eks_cleanup
+
+changelog:
+  image: ${CI_DEPENDENCY_PROXY_DIRECT_GROUP_IMAGE_PREFIX}/node:20
+  stage: changelog
+  tags:
+    - hetzner-amd-beefy
+  rules:
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "pipeline"
+      when: never
+    - if: $RUN_RELEASE == "true"
+      when: never
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH =~ "/^\d+\.\d+\.x$/"
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == $DEFAULT_BRANCH
+  before_script:
+    # install release-please
+    - npm install -g release-please
+    # install github-cli
+    - |
+      mkdir -p -m 755 /etc/apt/keyrings \
+        && wget -qO- https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg | tee /etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg > /dev/null \
+        && chmod go+r /etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg \
+        && echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg] https://cli.github.com/packages stable main" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/github-cli.list > /dev/null \
+        && apt update \
+        && apt install gh jq -y
+    # Setting up git
+    - |
+      echo "INFO - setting up git"
+      git config --global user.email "${GITHUB_USER_EMAIL}"
+      git config --global user.name "${GITHUB_USER_NAME}"
+    - npm install -g git-cliff
+    # GITHUB_TOKEN for Github cli authentication
+    - export GITHUB_TOKEN=${GITHUB_CLI_TOKEN}
+    # getting the centralized git cliff config
+    - wget --output-document cliff.toml https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mendersoftware/mendertesting/master/utils/cliff.toml
+  script:
+    - release-please release-pr
+        --token=${GITHUB_BOT_TOKEN_REPO_FULL}
+        --repo-url=${GITHUB_REPO_URL}
+        --target-branch=${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}
+    # git cliff: override the changelog
+    - test $GIT_CLIFF == "false" && echo "INFO - Skipping git-cliff" && exit 0
+    - git clone https://${GITHUB_USER}:${GITHUB_BOT_TOKEN_REPO_FULL}@github.com/${GITHUB_REPO_URL}
+    - cd ${GITHUB_REPO_URL#*/}
+    - RELEASE_PLEASE_PR=$(gh pr list --author "${GITHUB_USER_NAME}" --head "release-please--branches--${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}" --json number | jq -r '.[0].number // empty')
+    - test -z "$RELEASE_PLEASE_PR" && echo "No release-please PR found" && exit 0
+    - echo "INFO - generating changelog notes from git cliff"
+        && gh pr checkout $RELEASE_PLEASE_PR
+        && git cliff --output mender/CHANGELOG.md --bump --github-repo ${GITHUB_REPO_URL}
+        && git add mender/CHANGELOG.md
+        && git commit --amend -s --no-edit
+        && git push origin --force
+    # note: using sed to prevent release-please to mess up with the Github Release body
+    - echo "INFO - updating PR body"
+        && git cliff --unreleased --bump -o tmp_pr_body.md --github-repo ${GITHUB_REPO_URL}
+        && sed -i 's/## mender-\([0-9.]*\)/## \1/' tmp_pr_body.md
+        && gh pr edit $RELEASE_PLEASE_PR --body-file tmp_pr_body.md
+        && rm tmp_pr_body.md
+
+release:github:
+  image: ${CI_DEPENDENCY_PROXY_DIRECT_GROUP_IMAGE_PREFIX}/node:20
+  stage: release
+  tags:
+    - hetzner-amd-beefy
+  rules:
+    - if: $CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE == "pipeline"
+      when: never
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH =~ "/^\d+\.\d+\.x$/" && $RUN_RELEASE == "true"
+    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == $DEFAULT_BRANCH && $RUN_RELEASE == "true"
+  script:
+    - npm install -g release-please
+    - release-please github-release
+        --token=${GITHUB_BOT_TOKEN_REPO_FULL}
+        --repo-url=${GITHUB_REPO_URL}
+        --target-branch=${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}
diff --git a/.release-please-manifest.json b/.release-please-manifest.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..608f8b9d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+  "mender": "5.10.1"
+}
+
diff --git a/release-please-config.json b/release-please-config.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..152494bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/release-please-config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+{
+  "packages": {
+    "mender": {
+      "changelog-path": "CHANGELOG.md",
+      "bump-minor-pre-major": false,
+      "bump-patch-for-minor-pre-major": false,
+      "draft": false,
+      "prerelease": false
+    }
+  },
+  "release-type": "helm",
+  "include-component-in-tag": true,
+  "include-v-in-tag": false,
+  "bootstrap-sha": "bced4eecaebc707975b011d64bc28354367433c0",
+  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/release-please/main/schemas/config.json"
+}
+