diff --git a/.github/workflows/requirements.txt b/.github/workflows/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1f6edf3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# Python dependencies for GitHub Actions workflows in this directory.
+# Kept separate from tools/requirements.txt, which pins versions used by
+# offline processes and must not be changed for CI purposes.
+# Install with: pip install -r .github/workflows/requirements.txt
+
+# Used by tools/update_contributors.py (update-contributors.yml)
+requests>=2.32.4
diff --git a/.github/workflows/update-contributors.yml b/.github/workflows/update-contributors.yml
index 26f1570..2b67748 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/update-contributors.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/update-contributors.yml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ jobs:
           cache: 'pip'
 
       - name: Install dependencies
-        run: pip install -r tools/requirements.txt
+        run: pip install -r .github/workflows/requirements.txt
 
       - name: Update contributors list in README
         env: