diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/depends_upstream.yaml b/.gitea/workflows/depends_upstream.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5d0c5ff2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/depends_upstream.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# The status check context of this job is "checks / depends-upstream
+# (pull_request)", which the required status check `checks / *` of the protected
+# main branch matches, so a pull request waiting for gitea cannot be merged.
+# It is a workflow of its own so that a label change does not cancel the build
+# and the preview deployment of the `checks` workflow in test.yaml.
+name: checks
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types:
+      - opened
+      - reopened
+      - synchronize
+      - edited
+      - labeled
+      - unlabeled
+
+concurrency:
+  group: depends-upstream-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  depends-upstream:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7
+        with:
+          # the check script is taken from the base branch: a pull request must
+          # not be able to weaken its own gate
+          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - name: check the upstream dependencies
+        env:
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+          # optional, only lifts the rate limit of the unauthenticated github api
+          GITHUB_COM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_COM_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          # read the description and the labels from the api instead of the
+          # event context, so nothing from a pull request body is expanded into
+          # this script
+          api="${GITHUB_API_URL:-$GITHUB_SERVER_URL/api/v1}/repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY"
+          curl --silent --show-error --fail --output pull.json "$api/pulls/$PR_NUMBER"
+
+          ./scripts/check-upstream-deps.sh pull.json
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/unlabel_depends_upstream.yaml b/.gitea/workflows/unlabel_depends_upstream.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..37f10451
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/unlabel_depends_upstream.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+name: unlabel merged upstream dependencies
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: '15 */6 * * *' # every 6 hours, quarter past
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  unlabel:
+    if: github.repository == 'gitea/docs'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - name: drop the label from the pull requests upstream caught up with
+        env:
+          DEPLOY_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_TOKEN }}
+          GITHUB_COM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_COM_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          if [ -z "${DEPLOY_TOKEN:-}" ]; then
+            echo "secrets.DEPLOY_TOKEN is missing, cannot remove the label"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          export GITEA_API="${GITHUB_API_URL:-$GITHUB_SERVER_URL/api/v1}/repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY"
+          ./scripts/unlabel-upstream-deps.sh
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9615a5f2..f4913248 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -48,6 +48,27 @@ The order of the top level sidebar groups comes from `sidebars.js` (and
 `versioned_sidebars/` for released versions), the label and order of every other
 group from the `_category_.json` of its directory.
 
+### Documenting an unreleased feature
+
+A page that describes a gitea change which is not merged yet must wait for it,
+otherwise the site documents something no release has. Say so in the description
+of the pull request:
+
+```
+Depends on: gitea#35851
+```
+
+The `depends-upstream` check reads those references (`gitea#<id>` or the full
+pull request url, several are allowed) and fails while any of them is unmerged,
+which blocks the merge since `main` requires the `checks` contexts. Add the
+`depends-on-upstream` label as well, so the pull request is easy to find; the
+label alone fails the check, it has to be accompanied by a reference.
+
+The `unlabel merged upstream dependencies` job runs every 6 hours, removes the
+label once every referenced pull request is merged and comments on the pull
+request, which reruns the check. `scripts/check-upstream-deps.sh` is the check
+itself and can be run locally against the json of a pull request.
+
 ## Cutting a version
 
 ```shell
diff --git a/scripts/check-upstream-deps.sh b/scripts/check-upstream-deps.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..e7627c0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-upstream-deps.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Fails when a pull request depends on a gitea change that is not merged yet.
+#
+# Usage: ./scripts/check-upstream-deps.sh <pull request json>
+#
+# The json is what the gitea api returns for a pull request; the script reads
+# the description and the labels from it. A dependency is declared in the
+# description as
+#
+#   Depends on: gitea#35851
+#   Depends on: https://github.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/35851
+#
+# and may appear several times. `GITHUB_COM_TOKEN` is optional and only lifts
+# the rate limit of the unauthenticated github api, `UPSTREAM_LABEL` overrides
+# the label the check looks for.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+LABEL="${UPSTREAM_LABEL:-depends-on-upstream}"
+PULL_JSON="${1:-}"
+
+if [ -z "$PULL_JSON" ] || [ ! -f "$PULL_JSON" ]; then
+  echo "usage: $0 <pull request json>" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+body="$(jq -r '.body // ""' "$PULL_JSON")"
+labelled="$(jq -r --arg label "$LABEL" '[.labels[]?.name] | index($label) != null' "$PULL_JSON")"
+
+# every gitea#<id> and every pull request url, deduplicated
+refs="$(printf '%s\n' "$body" \
+  | grep -oiE 'gitea#[0-9]+|github\.com/go-gitea/gitea/pull/[0-9]+' \
+  | grep -oE '[0-9]+' \
+  | sort -un || true)"
+
+if [ -z "$refs" ]; then
+  if [ "$labelled" = 'true' ]; then
+    echo "This pull request carries the \"$LABEL\" label but does not say what it"
+    echo "depends on. Add a line to the description, for example:"
+    echo
+    echo "  Depends on: gitea#35851"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  echo "no upstream dependency declared"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+github_api() {
+  local url="$1"
+  if [ -n "${GITHUB_COM_TOKEN:-}" ]; then
+    curl --silent --show-error --write-out '\n%{http_code}' \
+      -H "Authorization: Bearer $GITHUB_COM_TOKEN" "$url"
+  else
+    curl --silent --show-error --write-out '\n%{http_code}' "$url"
+  fi
+}
+
+status=0
+for ref in $refs; do
+  response="$(github_api "https://api.github.com/repos/go-gitea/gitea/pulls/$ref")"
+  code="$(printf '%s' "$response" | tail -n 1)"
+  payload="$(printf '%s' "$response" | sed '$d')"
+
+  case "$code" in
+    200)
+      if [ "$(printf '%s' "$payload" | jq -r '.merged')" = 'true' ]; then
+        echo "gitea#$ref is merged"
+      else
+        echo "gitea#$ref is not merged yet ($(printf '%s' "$payload" | jq -r '.state'))"
+        status=1
+      fi
+      ;;
+    404)
+      echo "gitea#$ref is not a pull request of go-gitea/gitea, reference the pull request that adds the feature"
+      status=1
+      ;;
+    403 | 429)
+      echo "the github api refused the request for gitea#$ref (rate limit?), cannot tell whether it is merged"
+      status=1
+      ;;
+    *)
+      echo "unexpected response $code from the github api for gitea#$ref"
+      status=1
+      ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+if [ "$status" -ne 0 ]; then
+  echo
+  echo "The documentation of an unreleased feature can only be merged once the"
+  echo "feature itself is in gitea main. Keep the \"$LABEL\" label on this pull"
+  echo "request; the scheduled job removes it and reruns this check as soon as"
+  echo "every referenced pull request is merged."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ "$labelled" = 'true' ]; then
+  echo
+  echo "every referenced pull request is merged, the \"$LABEL\" label can be removed"
+fi
diff --git a/scripts/unlabel-upstream-deps.sh b/scripts/unlabel-upstream-deps.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..bc65615f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/unlabel-upstream-deps.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Removes the `depends-on-upstream` label from every open pull request whose
+# referenced gitea pull requests are all merged, and says so in a comment.
+# Removing the label reruns the `depends-upstream` check of that pull request.
+#
+# Usage: ./scripts/unlabel-upstream-deps.sh
+#
+# Environment:
+#   GITEA_API      api of the repository, e.g. https://gitea.com/api/v1/repos/gitea/docs
+#   DEPLOY_TOKEN   token used to remove the label and to comment
+#   GITHUB_COM_TOKEN  optional, lifts the rate limit of the github api
+#   UPSTREAM_LABEL    label to look for, `depends-on-upstream` by default
+#   DRY_RUN        set to 1 to only report what would happen
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+LABEL="${UPSTREAM_LABEL:-depends-on-upstream}"
+API="${GITEA_API:?GITEA_API is required}"
+DRY_RUN="${DRY_RUN:-0}"
+
+gitea_api() {
+  local method="$1" url="$2" data="${3:-}"
+  local args=(--silent --show-error --fail -X "$method")
+  if [ -n "${DEPLOY_TOKEN:-}" ]; then args+=(-H "Authorization: token $DEPLOY_TOKEN"); fi
+  if [ -n "$data" ]; then args+=(-H 'Content-Type: application/json' --data "$data"); fi
+  curl "${args[@]}" "$url"
+}
+
+label_id="$(gitea_api GET "$API/labels?limit=100" | jq -r --arg label "$LABEL" \
+  '.[] | select(.name == $label) | .id')"
+if [ -z "$label_id" ]; then
+  echo "the repository has no \"$LABEL\" label, nothing to do"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+pulls="$(gitea_api GET "$API/pulls?state=open&limit=50")"
+indexes="$(printf '%s' "$pulls" | jq -r --arg label "$LABEL" \
+  '.[] | select([.labels[]?.name] | index($label) != null) | .number')"
+
+if [ -z "$indexes" ]; then
+  echo "no open pull request carries the \"$LABEL\" label"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+here="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+work="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$work"' EXIT
+
+for index in $indexes; do
+  gitea_api GET "$API/pulls/$index" > "$work/pull.json"
+
+  # the check script exits 0 when every reference is merged; it needs the label
+  # to be absent from its input to stay quiet about it, so drop it here
+  jq 'del(.labels)' "$work/pull.json" > "$work/pull-unlabelled.json"
+  if ! output="$("$here/check-upstream-deps.sh" "$work/pull-unlabelled.json" 2>&1)"; then
+    echo "#$index still waits for upstream:"
+    printf '%s\n' "$output" | sed 's/^/    /'
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  if printf '%s' "$output" | grep -q 'no upstream dependency declared'; then
+    echo "#$index carries the label but declares no dependency, leaving it alone"
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  if [ "$DRY_RUN" = '1' ]; then
+    echo "#$index would lose the label:"
+    printf '%s\n' "$output" | sed 's/^/    /'
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  gitea_api DELETE "$API/issues/$index/labels/$label_id" > /dev/null
+  comment="$(printf 'Every referenced gitea pull request is merged, so the `%s` label was removed and the check was rerun.\n\n%s' "$LABEL" "$output")"
+  gitea_api POST "$API/issues/$index/comments" "$(jq -n --arg body "$comment" '{body: $body}')" > /dev/null
+  echo "#$index unlabelled"
+done