diff --git a/.github/workflows/_changelog_entry_check.yaml b/.github/workflows/_changelog_entry_check.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 78ebefc5..00000000
--- a/.github/workflows/_changelog_entry_check.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-name: Changelog entry check
-
-on:
-  workflow_call:
-
-env:
-  PYTHON_VERSION: 3.12
-
-jobs:
-  check_changelog_entry:
-    name: Changelog entry check
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    if: (!startsWith(github.event.pull_request.title, 'docs:'))
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set up Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
-        with:
-          python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: |
-          pipx install --python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} poetry
-          make install-dev
-
-      - name: Run changelog entry check
-        run: make check-changelog-entry
diff --git a/.github/workflows/_version_conflict_check.yaml b/.github/workflows/_version_conflict_check.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index e02341b4..00000000
--- a/.github/workflows/_version_conflict_check.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-name: Version conflict check
-
-on:
-  workflow_call:
-
-env:
-  PYTHON_VERSION: 3.12
-
-jobs:
-  check_version_conflict:
-    name: Version conflict check
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    if: (!startsWith(github.event.pull_request.title, 'docs:'))
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set up Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
-        with:
-          python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: |
-          pipx install --python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} poetry
-          make install-dev
-
-      - name: Run version conflict check
-        run: make check-version-conflict
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pre_release.yaml b/.github/workflows/pre_release.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7724fcf8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pre_release.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+name: Create a pre-release
+
+on:
+  # Trigger a beta version release (pre-release) on push to the master branch.
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - master
+    tags-ignore:
+      - "**" # Ignore all tags to prevent duplicate builds when tags are pushed.
+
+jobs:
+  release_metadata:
+    if: "!startsWith(github.event.head_commit.message, 'docs') && !startsWith(github.event.head_commit.message, 'ci') && startsWith(github.repository, 'apify/')"
+    name: Prepare release metadata
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      version_number: ${{ steps.release_metadata.outputs.version_number }}
+      tag_name: ${{ steps.release_metadata.outputs.tag_name }}
+      changelog: ${{ steps.release_metadata.outputs.changelog }}
+      existing_changelog_path: CHANGELOG.md
+    steps:
+      - uses: apify/workflows/git-cliff-release@main
+        id: release_metadata
+        name: Prepare release metadata
+        with:
+          release_type: prerelease
+
+  lint_check:
+    name: Lint check
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_lint_check.yaml@main
+
+  type_check:
+    name: Type check
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_type_check.yaml@main
+
+  unit_tests:
+    name: Unit tests
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_unit_tests.yaml@main
+
+  integration_tests:
+    name: Integration tests
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_integration_tests.yaml@main
+    secrets: inherit
+
+  update_changelog:
+    name: Update changelog
+    needs: [release_metadata, lint_check, type_check, unit_tests, integration_tests]
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_bump_and_update_changelog.yaml@main
+    with:
+      version_number: ${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.version_number }}
+      changelog: ${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.changelog }}
+    secrets:
+      APIFY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.APIFY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+  publish_to_pypi:
+    name: Publish to PyPI
+    needs: [release_metadata, update_changelog]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      id-token: write # Required for OIDC authentication.
+    environment:
+      name: pypi
+      url: https://pypi.org/project/apify
+    steps:
+      - name: Prepare distribution
+        uses: apify/workflows/prepare-pypi-distribution@main
+        with: 
+          package_name: apify
+          is_prerelease: "yes"
+          version_number: ${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.version_number }}
+          ref: ${{ needs.update_changelog.changelog_commitish }}
+      # Publishes the package to PyPI using PyPA official GitHub action with OIDC authentication.
+      - name: Publish package to PyPI
+        uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
+
+  trigger_docker_build:
+    name: Trigger Docker image build
+    needs: [release_metadata, update_changelog]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - # Trigger building the Python Docker images in apify/apify-actor-docker repo
+        name: Trigger Docker image build
+        run: |
+          gh api -X POST "/repos/apify/apify-actor-docker/dispatches" \
+            -F event_type=build-python-images \
+            -F client_payload[release_tag]=beta \
+            -F client_payload[apify_version]=${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.version_number }}
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.APIFY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..61b76e6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+name: Create a release
+
+on:
+  # Trigger a stable version release via GitHub's UI, with the ability to specify the type of release.
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      release_type:
+        description: Release type
+        required: true
+        type: choice
+        default: auto
+        options:
+          - auto
+          - custom
+          - patch
+          - minor
+          - major
+      custom_version:
+        description: The custom version to bump to (only for "custom" type)
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: ""
+
+jobs:
+  release_metadata:
+    name: Prepare release metadata
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs: 
+      version_number: ${{ steps.release_metadata.outputs.version_number }}
+      tag_name: ${{ steps.release_metadata.outputs.tag_name }}
+      changelog: ${{ steps.release_metadata.outputs.changelog }}
+      release_notes: ${{ steps.release_metadata.outputs.release_notes }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: apify/workflows/git-cliff-release@main
+        name: Prepare release metadata
+        id: release_metadata
+        with:
+          release_type: ${{ inputs.release_type }}
+          custom_version: ${{ inputs.custom_version }}
+          existing_changelog_path: CHANGELOG.md
+
+  lint_check:
+    name: Lint check
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_lint_check.yaml@main
+
+  type_check:
+    name: Type check
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_type_check.yaml@main
+
+  unit_tests:
+    name: Unit tests
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_unit_tests.yaml@main
+
+  integration_tests:
+    name: Integration tests
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_integration_tests.yaml@main
+    secrets: inherit
+
+  update_changelog:
+    name: Update changelog
+    needs: [release_metadata, lint_check, type_check, unit_tests, integration_tests]
+    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_bump_and_update_changelog.yaml@main
+    with:
+      version_number: ${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.version_number }}
+      changelog: ${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.changelog }}
+    secrets: 
+      APIFY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.APIFY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+  create_github_release:
+    name: Create github release
+    needs: [release_metadata, update_changelog]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    env:
+      GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Create release
+        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
+        with:
+          tag_name: ${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.tag_name }}
+          name: ${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.version_number }}
+          target_commitish: ${{ needs.update_changelog.outputs.changelog_commitish }}
+          body: ${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.release_notes }}
+
+  publish_to_pypi:
+    name: Publish to PyPI
+    needs: [release_metadata, update_changelog]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      id-token: write # Required for OIDC authentication.
+    environment:
+      name: pypi
+      url: https://pypi.org/project/apify
+    steps:
+      - name: Prepare distribution
+        uses: apify/workflows/prepare-pypi-distribution@main
+        with: 
+          package_name: apify
+          is_prerelease: ""
+          version_number: ${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.version_number }}
+          ref: ${{ needs.update_changelog.outputs.changelog_commitish }}
+      # Publishes the package to PyPI using PyPA official GitHub action with OIDC authentication.
+      - name: Publish package to PyPI
+        uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
+
+  trigger_docker_build:
+    name: Trigger Docker image build
+    needs: [release_metadata, update_changelog]
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - # Trigger building the Python Docker images in apify/apify-actor-docker repo
+        name: Trigger Docker image build
+        run: |
+          gh api -X POST "/repos/apify/apify-actor-docker/dispatches" \
+            -F event_type=build-python-images \
+            -F client_payload[release_tag]=latest \
+            -F client_payload[apify_version]=${{ needs.release_metadata.outputs.version_number }}
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.APIFY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run_code_checks.yaml b/.github/workflows/run_code_checks.yaml
index d6658b63..dd9b4d23 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/run_code_checks.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/run_code_checks.yaml
@@ -19,16 +19,6 @@ jobs:
     name: Unit tests
     uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_unit_tests.yaml@main
 
-  # TODO: remove this once https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/241 is resolved
-  changelog_entry_check:
-    name: Changelog entry check
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/_changelog_entry_check.yaml
-
-  # TODO: remove this once https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/241 is resolved
-  version_conflict_check:
-    name: Version conflict check
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/_version_conflict_check.yaml
-
   docs_check:
     name: Docs check
     uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_docs_check.yaml@main
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run_release.yaml b/.github/workflows/run_release.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 82164516..00000000
--- a/.github/workflows/run_release.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,172 +0,0 @@
-name: Run release
-
-on:
-  # Push to master will publish a beta version.
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - master
-    tags-ignore:
-      - "**"
-
-  # A release via GitHub releases will publish a stable version.
-  release:
-    types: [published]
-
-  # Workflow dispatch will publish whatever you choose.
-  workflow_dispatch:
-    inputs:
-      release_type:
-        description: Release type
-        required: true
-        type: choice
-        default: alpha
-        options:
-          - alpha
-          - beta
-          - final
-
-env:
-  PYTHON_VERSION: 3.12
-
-jobs:
-  should_release:
-    name: Check whether to release
-    if: (!startsWith(github.event.head_commit.message, 'docs:') || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch')
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Dummy step
-        run: "true"
-
-  lint_check:
-    name: Lint check
-    needs: [should_release]
-    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_lint_check.yaml@main
-
-  type_check:
-    name: Type check
-    needs: [should_release]
-    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_type_check.yaml@main
-
-  unit_tests:
-    name: Unit tests
-    needs: [should_release]
-    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_unit_tests.yaml@main
-
-  # TODO: remove this once https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/241 is resolved
-  changelog_entry_check:
-    name: Changelog entry check
-    needs: [should_release]
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/_changelog_entry_check.yaml
-
-  # TODO: remove this once https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/241 is resolved
-  version_conflict_check:
-    name: Version conflict check
-    needs: [should_release]
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/_version_conflict_check.yaml
-
-  integration_tests:
-    name: Integration tests
-    needs: [should_release]
-    uses: apify/workflows/.github/workflows/python_integration_tests.yaml@main
-    secrets: inherit
-
-  publish_to_pypi:
-    name: Publish to PyPI
-    needs:
-      [
-        should_release,
-        lint_check,
-        type_check,
-        unit_tests,
-        changelog_entry_check,
-        version_conflict_check,
-        integration_tests,
-      ]
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      contents: write
-      id-token: write
-    environment:
-      name: pypi
-      url: https://pypi.org/project/apify/
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set up Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
-        with:
-          python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }}
-
-      - name: Install Python dependencies
-        run: |
-          pipx install --python ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION }} poetry
-          make install-dev
-
-      - # Determine if this is a prerelease or latest release
-        name: Determine release type
-        id: get-release-type
-        run: |
-          if [ ${{ github.event_name }} = release ]; then
-            release_type="final"
-          elif [ ${{ github.event_name }} = push ]; then
-            release_type="beta"
-          elif [ ${{ github.event_name }} = workflow_dispatch ]; then
-            release_type=${{ github.event.inputs.release_type }}
-          fi
-
-          if [ ${release_type} = final ]; then
-            docker_image_tag="latest"
-          elif [ ${release_type} = beta ]; then
-            docker_image_tag="beta"
-          else
-            docker_image_tag=""
-          fi
-
-          echo "release_type=${release_type}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          echo "docker_image_tag=${docker_image_tag}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - # Check whether the released version is listed in CHANGELOG.md
-        name: Check whether the released version is listed in the changelog
-        if: steps.get-release-type.outputs.release_type != 'alpha'
-        run: make check-changelog-entry
-
-      - # Check version consistency and increment pre-release version number for prereleases (must be the last step before build)
-        name: Bump pre-release version
-        if: steps.get-release-type.outputs.release_type != 'final'
-        run: python ./scripts/update_version_for_prerelease.py ${{ steps.get-release-type.outputs.release_type }}
-
-      # Builds the package.
-      - name: Build package
-        run: make build
-
-      # Publishes the package to PyPI using PyPA official GitHub action with OIDC authentication.
-      - name: Publish package to PyPI
-        uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
-
-      - # Tag the current commit with the version tag if this is not made from the release event (releases are tagged with the release process)
-        name: Tag Version
-        if: github.event_name != 'release'
-        run: |
-          git_tag=v`python ./scripts/print_current_package_version.py`
-          git tag $git_tag
-          git push origin $git_tag
-
-      - # Upload the build artifacts to the release
-        name: Upload the build artifacts to release
-        if: github.event_name == 'release'
-        run: gh release upload ${{ github.ref_name }} dist/*
-        env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-
-      - # Trigger building the Python Docker images in apify/apify-actor-docker repo
-        name: Trigger Docker image build
-        run: |
-          PACKAGE_VERSION=`python ./scripts/print_current_package_version.py`
-          gh api -X POST "/repos/apify/apify-actor-docker/dispatches" \
-            -F event_type=build-python-images \
-            -F client_payload[release_tag]=${{ steps.get-release-type.outputs.docker_image_tag }} \
-            -F client_payload[apify_version]=$PACKAGE_VERSION
-        env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.APIFY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index de911ae3..8a0a7564 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,57 +1,58 @@
 # Changelog
 
-## [2.0.2](../../releases/tag/v2.0.2) - Unreleased
+All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 
-- ...
-
-## [2.0.1](../../releases/tag/v2.0.1) - 2024-10-25
+## [2.0.1](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/releases/tags/v2.0.1) (2024-10-25)
 
 ### 🚀 Features
 
-- Add standby URL and change default standby port
-- Add crawlee version to system info output
+- Add standby URL, change default standby port ([#287](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/287)) ([8cd2f2c](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/8cd2f2cb9d1191dbc93bf1b8a2d70189881c64ad)) by [@jirimoravcik](https://github.com/jirimoravcik)
+- Add crawlee version to system info print ([#304](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/304)) ([c28f38f](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/c28f38f4e205515e1b5d1ce97a2072be3a09d338)) by [@vdusek](https://github.com/vdusek)
 
 ### 🐛 Bug Fixes
 
-- Allow empty timeout_at environment variable
-- Use HttpHeaders type in Scrapy integration
-- Adjust tests for Scrapy user data
+- Adjust tests of scrapy user data ([#284](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/284)) ([26ffb15](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/26ffb15797effcfad1a25c840dd3d17663e26ea3)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
+- Use HttpHeaders type in Scrapy integration ([#289](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/289)) ([3e33e91](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/3e33e9147bfd60554b9da41b032c0451f91ba27b)) by [@vdusek](https://github.com/vdusek)
+- Allow empty timeout_at env variable ([#303](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/303)) ([b67ec98](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/b67ec989dfcc21756cc976c52edc25735a3f0501)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar), closes [#596](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/596)
+
 
-## [2.0.0](../../releases/tag/v2.0.0) - 2024-09-10
+## [2.0.0](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/releases/tags/v2.0.0) (2024-09-10)
 
 - Check the [Upgrading to v2.0](https://docs.apify.com/sdk/python/docs/upgrading/upgrading-to-v2) guide.
 
 ### 🚀 Features
 
-- Using Crawlee for Python under the hood ([#210](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/210)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
-- Better Actor API typing ([#256](https://github.com/apify/crawlee-python/pull/256)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
-- Expose Request from Crawlee ([#266](https://github.com/apify/crawlee-python/pull/266)) by [@vdusek](https://github.com/vdusek)
-- Improve examples in README ([#269](https://github.com/apify/crawlee-python/pull/269)) by [@vdusek](https://github.com/vdusek)
-- Automatically configure logging ([#271](https://github.com/apify/crawlee-python/pull/271)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
+- Better Actor API typing ([#256](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/256)) ([abb87e7](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/abb87e7f3c272f88a9a76292d8394fe93b98428a)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar), closes [#243](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/243)
+- Expose Request from Crawlee ([#266](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/266)) ([1f01278](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/1f01278c77f261500bc74efd700c0583ac45fd82)) by [@vdusek](https://github.com/vdusek)
+- Automatically configure logging ([#271](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/271)) ([1906bb2](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/1906bb216b8a3f1c2ad740c551ee019c2ba0696f)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
 
 ### 🐛 Bug Fixes
 
-- Make `apify.log` public ([#249](https://github.com/apify/crawlee-python/pull/249)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
-- Dataset list response handling ([#257](https://github.com/apify/crawlee-python/pull/257)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
-- Ignore deprecated platform events ([#258](https://github.com/apify/crawlee-python/pull/258)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
-- Possible infinity loop in Apify-Scrapy proxy middleware ([#259](https://github.com/apify/crawlee-python/pull/259)) by [@vdusek](https://github.com/vdusek)
-- Hotfix for `batch_add_requests` batch size limit ([#261](https://github.com/apify/crawlee-python/pull/261)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
+- Make apify.log public again ([#249](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/249)) ([22677f5](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/22677f57b2aff6c9bddbee305e5a62e39bbf5915)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
+- Dataset list response handling ([#257](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/257)) ([0ea57d7](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/0ea57d7c4788bff31f215c447c1881e56d6508bb)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
+- Ignore deprecated platform events ([#258](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/258)) ([ed5ab3b](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/ed5ab3b80c851a817aa87806c39cd8ef3e86fde5)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
+- Possible infinity loop in Apify-Scrapy proxy middleware ([#259](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/259)) ([8647a94](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/8647a94289423528f2940d9f7174f81682fbb407)) by [@vdusek](https://github.com/vdusek)
+- Hotfix for batch_add_requests batch size limit ([#261](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/261)) ([61d7a39](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/61d7a392d182a752c91193170dca351f4cb0fbf3)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar)
 
-### Added
+### Refactor
 
-- Upgrade Apify Client to 1.7.1
+- Preparation for v2 release ([#210](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/210)) ([2f9dcc5](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/2f9dcc559414f31e3f4fc87e72417a36494b9c84)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar), closes [#135](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/135), [#137](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/137), [#138](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/138), [#147](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/147), [#149](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/149), [#237](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/237)
 
-## [1.7.2](../../releases/tag/v1.7.2) - 2024-07-08
 
-### Added
+## [1.7.2](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/releases/tags/v1.7.2) (2024-07-08)
 
-- Add Actor Standby port
+### 🚀 Features
 
-## [1.7.1](../../releases/tag/v1.7.1) - 2024-05-23
+- Add actor standby port ([#220](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/220)) ([6d0d87d](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/6d0d87dcaedaf42d8eeb7d23c56f6b102434cbcb)) by [@jirimoravcik](https://github.com/jirimoravcik)
+
+
+## [1.7.1](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/releases/tags/v1.7.1) (2024-05-23)
+
+### 🐛 Bug Fixes
+
+- Set a timeout for Actor cleanup ([#206](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/206)) ([cfed57d](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/commit/cfed57d6cff4fd15fe4b25578573190d53b9942c)) by [@janbuchar](https://github.com/janbuchar), closes [#200](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/issues/200)
 
-### Fixed
 
-- Set a timeout for Actor cleanup
 
 ## [1.7.0](../../releases/tag/v1.7.0) - 2024-03-12
 
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index bb92f3e8..1828e13d 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -1,52 +1,76 @@
 # Development
 
+Here you'll find a contributing guide to get started with development.
+
 ## Environment
 
-For local development, it is required to have Python 3.8 (or a later version) installed.
+For local development, it is required to have Python 3.9 (or a later version) installed.
+
+We use [Poetry](https://python-poetry.org/) for project management. Install it and set up your IDE accordingly.
 
-It is recommended to set up a virtual environment while developing this package to isolate your development environment,
-however, due to the many varied ways Python can be installed and virtual environments can be set up,
-this is left up to the developers to do themselves.
+## Dependencies
 
-One recommended way is with the built-in `venv` module:
+To install this package and its development dependencies, run:
 
-```bash
-python3 -m venv .venv
-source .venv/bin/activate
+```sh
+make install-dev
 ```
 
-To improve on the experience, you can use [pyenv](https://github.com/pyenv/pyenv) to have an environment with a pinned Python version,
-and [direnv](https://github.com/direnv/direnv) to automatically activate/deactivate the environment when you enter/exit the project folder.
+## Code checking
 
-## Dependencies
+To execute all code checking tools together, run:
 
-To install this package and its development dependencies, run `make install-dev`.
+```sh
+make check-code
+```
 
-## Code checking
+### Linting
 
-To run all our code checking tools together, just run `make check-code`.
+We utilize [ruff](https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/) for linting, which analyzes code for potential issues and enforces consistent style. Refer to `pyproject.toml` for configuration details.
 
-### Linting
+To run linting:
 
-We use [ruff](https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/) for linting to to analyze the code for potential issues and enforce
-uniformed code style. See the `pyproject.toml` for its configuration. To run the linting, just run `make lint`.
+```sh
+make lint
+```
 
 ### Formatting
 
-We use [ruff](https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/) for automated code formatting. It formats the code to follow uniformed
-code style and addresses auto-fixable linting issues. See the `pyproject.toml` for its configuration. To run
-the formatting, just run `make format`.
+Our automated code formatting also leverages [ruff](https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/), ensuring uniform style and addressing fixable linting issues. Configuration specifics are outlined in `pyproject.toml`.
+
+To run formatting:
+
+```sh
+make format
+```
 
 ### Type checking
 
-We use [mypy](https://mypy.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) for type checking. See the `mypy.ini` for its configuration.
-To run the type checking, just run `make type-check`.
+Type checking is handled by [mypy](https://mypy.readthedocs.io/), verifying code against type annotations. Configuration settings can be found in `pyproject.toml`.
+
+To run type checking:
+
+```sh
+make type-check
+```
 
 ### Unit tests
 
-We use [pytest](https://docs.pytest.org/) as a testing framework with many plugins. See the `pyproject.toml` for
-both its configuration and the list of installed plugins. To run unit tests execute `make unit-tests`. To run unit
-tests with HTML coverage report execute `make unit-tests-cov`.
+We employ pytest as our testing framework, equipped with various plugins. Check pyproject.toml for configuration details and installed plugins.
+
+We use [pytest](https://docs.pytest.org/) as a testing framework with many plugins. Check `pyproject.toml` for configuration details and installed plugins.
+
+To run unit tests:
+
+```sh
+make unit-tests
+```
+
+To run unit tests with HTML coverage report:
+
+```sh
+make unit-tests-cov
+```
 
 ## Integration tests
 
@@ -59,82 +83,84 @@ the `APIFY_INTEGRATION_TESTS_API_URL` environment variable to the right URL to t
 
 ## Documentation
 
-We use the [Google docstring format](https://sphinxcontrib-napoleon.readthedocs.io/en/latest/example_google.html) for documenting the code.
-We document every user-facing class or method, and enforce that using the flake8-docstrings library.
+We adhere to the [Google docstring format](https://sphinxcontrib-napoleon.readthedocs.io/en/latest/example_google.html) for documenting our codebase. Every user-facing class or method is documented. Documentation standards are enforced using [Ruff](https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/).
 
-The documentation is then rendered from the docstrings in the code, using `pydoc-markdown` and some heavy post-processing,
-and from Markdown documents in the `docs` folder in the `docs` branch, and then rendered using Docusaurus and published to GitHub pages.
+Our API documentation is generated from these docstrings using [pydoc-markdown](https://pypi.org/project/pydoc-markdown/) with additional post-processing. Markdown files in the `docs/` folder complement the autogenerated content. Final documentation is rendered using [Docusaurus](https://docusaurus.io/) and published to GitHub Pages.
 
-## Release process
+To run the documentation locally, you need to have Node.js version 20 or higher installed. Once you have the correct version of Node.js, follow these steps:
 
-Publishing new versions to [PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/apify) happens automatically through GitHub Actions.
+Navigate to the `website/` directory:
 
-On each commit to the `master` branch, a new beta release is published, taking the version number from `pyproject.toml`
-and automatically incrementing the beta version suffix by 1 from the last beta release published to PyPI.
+```sh
+cd website/
+```
 
-A stable version is published when a new release is created using GitHub Releases, again taking the version number from `pyproject.toml`.
-The built package assets are automatically uploaded to the GitHub release.
+Enable Corepack, which installs Yarn automatically:
 
-If there is already a stable version with the same version number as in `pyproject.toml` published to PyPI, the publish process fails,
-so don't forget to update the version number before releasing a new version.
-The release process also fails when the released version is not described in `CHANGELOG.md`,
-so don't forget to describe the changes in the new version there.
+```sh
+corepack enable
+```
 
-### Beta release checklist
+Build the API reference:
 
-Beta release happens automatically after you merge a pull request or add a direct commit to the master branch. Before you do that check the following:
+```sh
+./build_api_reference.sh
+```
 
-- Make sure that in the [pyproject.toml](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/blob/master/pyproject.toml) a project version is set to the latest non-published version.
-- Describe your changes to the [CHANGELOG.md](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md) in the section with the latest non-published version.
+Install the necessary dependencies:
 
-### Production release checklist
+```sh
+yarn
+```
 
-Production release happens after the GitHub release is created. Before you do that check the following:
+Start the project in development mode with Hot Module Replacement (HMR):
 
-- Make sure [here](https://pypi.org/project/apify/#history) that the beta release with the latest commit is successfully deployed.
-- Make sure that all the changes that happened from the last production release are described in the [CHANGELOG.md](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md) (it's okay to skip DX related changes, repo setup etc).
-- When drafting a new GitHub release:
-    - Create a new tag in the format of `v1.2.3` targeting the master branch.
-    - Fill in the release title in the format of `1.2.3`.
-    - Copy the changes from the [CHANGELOG.md](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md) and paste them into the release description. Make sure that all changes are properly categorized using headlines (`Added`, `Fixed` or `Internal changes`).
-    - Check the "Set as the latest release" option.
+```sh
+yarn start
+```
 
-Currently, there is no explicit approval process, so when you are done with the checklist, proceed with the release.
+Or using `make`:
 
-Once released, manually bump the version in `pyproject.toml` ([PR example](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/187)).
+```sh
+make run-doc
+```
+
+## Release process
 
-## Maintanance
+Publishing new versions to [PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/apify) is automated through GitHub Actions.
 
-### Removing Support for an outdated Python version
+- **Beta releases**: On each commit to the master branch, a new beta release is automatically published. The version number is determined based on the latest release and conventional commits. The beta version suffix is incremented by 1 from the last beta release on PyPI.
+- **Stable releases**: A stable version release may be created by triggering the `release` GitHub Actions workflow. The version number is determined based on the latest release and conventional commits (`auto` release type), or it may be overriden using the `custom` release type.
 
-- Todo: Fill in once Python 3.8 is deprecated.
+### Publishing to PyPI manually
 
-### Adding support for a new Python version
+1. **Do not do this unless absolutely necessary.** In all conceivable scenarios, you should use the `release` workflow instead.
+2. **Make sure you know what you're doing.**
 
-1) Firstly, ensure that the package (
-    [apify-sdk-python](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python),
-    [apify-client-python](https://github.com/apify/apify-client-python),
-    [apify-shared-python](https://github.com/apify/apify-shared-python)
-) is compatible with the new Python version. Both in our code base and
-the dependencies we use. Then, release a new version of the package.
-    - For inspiration, see the PR
-    [apify/apify-sdk-python#121](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/121),
-    where support for Python 3.12 was added to the Apify Python SDK.
+3. Update the version number:
 
-2) Next, build and publish the new versions of Python base Docker images.
-    - For inspiration, see the PR
-    [apify/apify-actor-docker#112](https://github.com/apify/apify-actor-docker/pull/112),
-    where support for Python 3.12 was added.
-    - Apify base Docker images are built using GitHub Actions, accessible at
-    [apify/apify-actor-docker/actions](https://github.com/apify/apify-actor-docker/actions).
+- Modify the `version` field under `tool.poetry` in `pyproject.toml`.
 
-3) Integrate the new Python version into the CI/CD workflows
-of existing Python projects (
-    [apify-sdk-python](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python),
-    [apify-client-python](https://github.com/apify/apify-client-python),
-    [apify-shared-python](https://github.com/apify/apify-shared-python),
-    [actor-templates](https://github.com/apify/actor-templates)
-).
-    - For inspiration, see the PR
-    [apify/apify-sdk-python#124](https://github.com/apify/apify-sdk-python/pull/124),
-    where support for Python 3.12 was added to the CI/CD of the Apify Python SDK.
+```toml
+[tool.poetry]
+name = "apify"
+version = "x.z.y"
+```
+
+4. Generate the distribution archives for the package:
+
+```shell
+poetry build
+```
+
+5. Set up the PyPI API token for authentication:
+
+```shell
+poetry config pypi-token.pypi YOUR_API_TOKEN
+```
+
+6. Upload the package to PyPI:
+
+```shell
+poetry publish
+```
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 33dd0063..96cb6298 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 .PHONY: clean install-dev build publish-to-pypi lint type-check unit-tests unit-tests-cov \
-		integration-tests format check-code check-version-availability check-changelog-entry \
-		check-version-conflict build-api-reference run-docs
+		integration-tests format check-code build-api-reference build-docs run-docs
 
-DIRS_WITH_CODE = src tests scripts
+DIRS_WITH_CODE = src tests
 
 # This is default for local testing, but GitHub workflows override it to a higher value in CI
 INTEGRATION_TESTS_CONCURRENCY = 1
@@ -42,15 +41,9 @@ format:
 	poetry run ruff check --fix $(DIRS_WITH_CODE)
 	poetry run ruff format $(DIRS_WITH_CODE)
 
-check-changelog-entry:
-	poetry run python scripts/check_changelog_entry.py
-
-check-version-conflict:
-	poetry run python scripts/check_version_conflict.py
-
 # The check-code target runs a series of checks equivalent to those performed by pre-commit hooks
 # and the run_checks.yaml GitHub Actions workflow.
-check-code: lint type-check unit-tests check-changelog-entry check-version-conflict
+check-code: lint type-check unit-tests
 
 build-api-reference:
 	cd website && poetry run ./build_api_reference.sh
diff --git a/scripts/check_changelog_entry.py b/scripts/check_changelog_entry.py
deleted file mode 100755
index 1bc6cba4..00000000
--- a/scripts/check_changelog_entry.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python3
-
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-import re
-
-from utils import REPO_ROOT, get_current_package_version
-
-CHANGELOG_PATH = REPO_ROOT / 'CHANGELOG.md'
-
-# Checks whether the current package version has an entry in the CHANGELOG.md file
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    current_package_version = get_current_package_version()
-
-    if not CHANGELOG_PATH.is_file():
-        raise RuntimeError('Unable to find CHANGELOG.md file')
-
-    with open(CHANGELOG_PATH, encoding='utf-8') as changelog_file:
-        for line in changelog_file:
-            # Ensure that the heading in the changelog entry for the specified version includes a version number
-            # enclosed in square brackets. This version number is formatted as a link to the corresponding
-            # version tag on GitHub.
-            if re.match(rf'## \[{current_package_version}\].*$', line):
-                break
-        else:
-            raise RuntimeError(
-                f'There is no entry in the changelog for the current package version ({current_package_version})'
-            )
diff --git a/scripts/check_version_conflict.py b/scripts/check_version_conflict.py
deleted file mode 100755
index 372d3215..00000000
--- a/scripts/check_version_conflict.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python3
-
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-from utils import get_current_package_version, get_published_package_versions
-
-# Checks whether the current package version number was not already used in a published release.
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    current_version = get_current_package_version()
-
-    # Load the version numbers of the currently published versions from PyPI
-    published_versions = get_published_package_versions()
-
-    # We don't want to try to publish a version with the same version number as an already released stable version
-    if current_version in published_versions:
-        raise RuntimeError(f'The current version {current_version} was already released!')
diff --git a/scripts/print_current_package_version.py b/scripts/print_current_package_version.py
deleted file mode 100755
index 9cff474b..00000000
--- a/scripts/print_current_package_version.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python3
-
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-from utils import get_current_package_version
-
-# Print the current package version from the pyproject.toml file to stdout
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    print(get_current_package_version(), end='')
diff --git a/scripts/update_version_for_prerelease.py b/scripts/update_version_for_prerelease.py
deleted file mode 100755
index f09dbd3d..00000000
--- a/scripts/update_version_for_prerelease.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,52 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python3
-
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-import re
-import sys
-
-from utils import get_current_package_version, get_published_package_versions, set_current_package_version
-
-# Checks whether the current package version number was not already used in a published release,
-# and if not, modifies the package version number in pyproject.toml
-# from a stable release version (X.Y.Z) to a prerelease version (X.Y.ZbN or X.Y.Z.aN or X.Y.Z.rcN)
-if __name__ == '__main__':
-    if len(sys.argv) != 2:
-        raise RuntimeError('You must pass the prerelease type as an argument to this script!')
-
-    prerelease_type = sys.argv[1]
-    if prerelease_type not in ['alpha', 'beta', 'rc']:
-        raise RuntimeError(f'The prerelease type must be one of "alpha", "beta" or "rc", got "{prerelease_type}"!')
-
-    if prerelease_type == 'alpha':
-        prerelease_prefix = 'a'
-    elif prerelease_type == 'beta':
-        prerelease_prefix = 'b'
-    elif prerelease_type == 'rc':
-        prerelease_prefix = 'rc'
-
-    current_version = get_current_package_version()
-
-    # We can only transform a stable release version (X.Y.Z) to a prerelease version (X.Y.ZxxxN)
-    if not re.match(r'^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$', current_version):
-        raise RuntimeError(
-            f'The current version {current_version} does not match the proper semver format for stable releases (X.Y.Z)'
-        )
-
-    # Load the version numbers of the currently published versions from PyPI
-    published_versions = get_published_package_versions()
-
-    # We don't want to publish a prerelease version with the same version number as an already released stable version
-    if current_version in published_versions:
-        raise RuntimeError(f'The current version {current_version} was already released!')
-
-    # Find the highest prerelease version number that was already published
-    latest_prerelease = 0
-    for version in published_versions:
-        if version.startswith(f'{current_version}{prerelease_prefix}'):
-            prerelease_version = int(version.split(prerelease_prefix)[1])
-            latest_prerelease = max(prerelease_version, latest_prerelease)
-
-    # Write the latest prerelease version number to pyproject.toml
-    new_prerelease_version_number = f'{current_version}{prerelease_prefix}{latest_prerelease + 1}'
-    set_current_package_version(new_prerelease_version_number)
diff --git a/scripts/utils.py b/scripts/utils.py
deleted file mode 100644
index ec575112..00000000
--- a/scripts/utils.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-import json
-import pathlib
-from urllib.error import HTTPError
-from urllib.request import urlopen
-
-PACKAGE_NAME = 'apify'
-REPO_ROOT = pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.resolve() / '..'
-PYPROJECT_TOML_FILE_PATH = REPO_ROOT / 'pyproject.toml'
-
-
-# Load the current version number from pyproject.toml
-# It is on a line in the format `version = "1.2.3"`
-def get_current_package_version() -> str:
-    with open(PYPROJECT_TOML_FILE_PATH, encoding='utf-8') as pyproject_toml_file:
-        for line in pyproject_toml_file:
-            if line.startswith('version = '):
-                delim = '"' if '"' in line else "'"
-                return line.split(delim)[1]
-        else:  # noqa: PLW0120
-            raise RuntimeError('Unable to find version string.')
-
-
-# Write the given version number from pyproject.toml
-# It replaces the version number on the line with the format `version = "1.2.3"`
-def set_current_package_version(version: str) -> None:
-    with open(PYPROJECT_TOML_FILE_PATH, 'r+', encoding='utf-8') as pyproject_toml_file:
-        updated_pyproject_toml_file_lines = []
-        version_string_found = False
-        for line in pyproject_toml_file:
-            if line.startswith('version = '):
-                version_string_found = True
-                line = f'version = "{version}"\n'  # noqa: PLW2901
-            updated_pyproject_toml_file_lines.append(line)
-
-        if not version_string_found:
-            raise RuntimeError('Unable to find version string.')
-
-        pyproject_toml_file.seek(0)
-        pyproject_toml_file.write(''.join(updated_pyproject_toml_file_lines))
-        pyproject_toml_file.truncate()
-
-
-# Load the version numbers of the currently published versions from PyPI
-def get_published_package_versions() -> list:
-    package_info_url = f'https://pypi.org/pypi/{PACKAGE_NAME}/json'
-    try:
-        package_data = json.load(urlopen(package_info_url))  # noqa: S310
-        published_versions = list(package_data['releases'].keys())
-    # If the URL returns 404, it means the package has no releases yet (which is okay in our case)
-    except HTTPError as exc:
-        if exc.code != 404:
-            raise
-        published_versions = []
-    return published_versions