diff --git a/.github/workflows/checks.yaml b/.github/workflows/checks.yaml
index 160b58b69..dbb33cb33 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/checks.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/checks.yaml
@@ -203,6 +203,24 @@ jobs:
               labels: ['go']
             })
 
+  dependabot-reminder:
+    if: github.actor == 'dependabot[bot]'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    name: Dependabot Smoke Test Reminder
+    permissions:
+      pull-requests: write
+    steps:
+      - name: Comment smoke test instructions
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            await github.rest.issues.createComment({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              issue_number: context.issue.number,
+              body: '👋 **Maintainer reminder:** Smoke tests cannot run automatically on dependabot PRs due to GitHub secret restrictions.\n\nBefore merging, add the `run-smoke-tests` label and wait for the smoke tests to pass.'
+            });
+
   completion-tests:
     needs: [build, detect-changes]
     if: needs.detect-changes.outputs.completion == 'true'