diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a61c262..f525dbf 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ Notes:
   - live introduction protocol PDF
 - Remaining bilingual gap is mostly long-form handbook/wiki copy and a few secondary admin/help texts.
 - CI now validates that translation catalogs compile successfully on push and pull request.
+- Dependency stability hardening pins `chardet==5.2.0` so `requests` runs without compatibility warnings in the Docker stack.
 
 ## Current implemented scope
 - Onboarding form with labels mapped from your CSV schema.
diff --git a/backend/requirements.txt b/backend/requirements.txt
index 1d56d66..918b900 100644
--- a/backend/requirements.txt
+++ b/backend/requirements.txt
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ redis==5.2.1
 psycopg2-binary==2.9.10
 python-dotenv==1.0.1
 reportlab==4.2.5
+chardet==5.2.0
 requests==2.32.3
 pypdf==5.1.0
 jinja2==3.1.4
diff --git a/backend/workflows/templates/workflows/developer_handbook.html b/backend/workflows/templates/workflows/developer_handbook.html
index b59335d..03c508a 100644
--- a/backend/workflows/templates/workflows/developer_handbook.html
+++ b/backend/workflows/templates/workflows/developer_handbook.html
@@ -201,6 +201,7 @@ docker compose exec -T web python manage.py run_staging_e2e_check</code></pre>
       <li>Run <code>manage.py check</code></li>
       <li>Run tests or targeted verification</li>
       <li>Run translation compile step</li>
+      <li>Rebuild containers if Python dependencies changed, then verify <code>python -c "import requests"</code> does not emit a compatibility warning</li>
       <li>Generate at least one onboarding/offboarding PDF if PDF templates changed</li>
       <li>Verify MailHog or SMTP path if email behavior changed</li>
       <li>Verify Nextcloud upload if integration behavior changed</li>
@@ -216,6 +217,7 @@ docker compose exec -T web python manage.py run_staging_e2e_check</code></pre>
       <li><strong>Language switch not visible:</strong> verify translation catalog compiled and restart web</li>
       <li><strong>Mail not visible:</strong> check MailHog on port <code>8025</code> and test/production mode toggle</li>
       <li><strong>Nextcloud sync unclear:</strong> verify config in Integrations page and inspect service logs</li>
+      <li><strong>Requests dependency warning appears:</strong> verify <code>chardet==5.2.0</code> is installed in the rebuilt image and restart <code>web</code>/<code>worker</code></li>
     </ul>
 
     <h2 id="security">14) Security and Maintenance Notes</h2>
diff --git a/backend/workflows/templates/workflows/project_wiki.html b/backend/workflows/templates/workflows/project_wiki.html
index 6c42aa2..229c1e5 100644
--- a/backend/workflows/templates/workflows/project_wiki.html
+++ b/backend/workflows/templates/workflows/project_wiki.html
@@ -236,6 +236,7 @@
       <li><strong>Nextcloud reliability:</strong> retry/backoff on upload errors, bounded timeouts, and graceful failure return instead of crashing flow.</li>
       <li><strong>Filename safety:</strong> PDF filenames are sanitized to safe filesystem characters.</li>
       <li><strong>Least privilege runtime:</strong> web and worker containers run as non-root <code>app</code> user.</li>
+      <li><strong>Dependency stability:</strong> the Docker image pins <code>chardet==5.2.0</code> so <code>requests</code> runs without compatibility warnings alongside ReportLab.</li>
     </ul>
     <div class="note">
       Recommended for production: set secure cookies, explicit allowed hosts, CSRF trusted origins, and a strong secret key via environment variables.