diff --git a/.cruft.json b/.cruft.json
index 08a2167..ffbe865 100644
--- a/.cruft.json
+++ b/.cruft.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "template": "https://github.com/Ouranosinc/cookiecutter-pypackage",
-  "commit": "d7c3bf0291f0d7eb2051e0228702580ea5a14da4",
+  "commit": "f9e0b049711af2023e9a3f5df594f4dbc25b07c1",
   "checkout": null,
   "context": {
     "cookiecutter": {
diff --git a/.github/workflows/scorecard.yml b/.github/workflows/scorecard.yml
index acf65f5..ac29d4c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/scorecard.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/scorecard.yml
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ jobs:
             tuf-repo-cdn.sigstore.dev:443
             www.bestpractices.dev:443
 
-      - uses: actions/checkout@0ad4b8fadaa221de15dcec353f45205ec38ea70b # v4.1.4
+      - name: Checkout Repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@0ad4b8fadaa221de15dcec353f45205ec38ea70b # v4.1.4
         with:
           persist-credentials: false
 
diff --git a/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.rst b/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
similarity index 83%
rename from CODE_OF_CONDUCT.rst
rename to CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
index ebc9f02..20bcc4f 100644
--- a/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.rst
+++ b/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
@@ -1,9 +1,7 @@
-====================================
-Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct
-====================================
 
-Our Pledge
-----------
+# Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct
+
+## Our Pledge
 
 We as members, contributors, and leaders pledge to make participation in our
 community a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body
@@ -15,8 +13,7 @@ identity and orientation.
 We pledge to act and interact in ways that contribute to an open, welcoming,
 diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.
 
-Our Standards
--------------
+## Our Standards
 
 Examples of behavior that contributes to a positive environment for our
 community include:
@@ -40,8 +37,7 @@ Examples of unacceptable behavior include:
 * Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a
   professional setting
 
-Enforcement Responsibilities
-----------------------------
+## Enforcement Responsibilities
 
 Community leaders are responsible for clarifying and enforcing our standards of
 acceptable behavior and will take appropriate and fair corrective action in
@@ -53,8 +49,7 @@ comments, commits, code, wiki edits, issues, and other contributions that are
 not aligned to this Code of Conduct, and will communicate reasons for moderation
 decisions when appropriate.
 
-Scope
------
+## Scope
 
 This Code of Conduct applies within all community spaces, and also applies when
 an individual is officially representing the community in public spaces.
@@ -62,8 +57,7 @@ Examples of representing our community include using an official email address,
 posting via an official social media account, or acting as an appointed
 representative at an online or offline event.
 
-Enforcement
------------
+## Enforcement
 
 Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be
 reported to the community leaders responsible for enforcement at
@@ -73,14 +67,12 @@ All complaints will be reviewed and investigated promptly and fairly.
 All community leaders are obligated to respect the privacy and security of the
 reporter of any incident.
 
-Enforcement Guidelines
-----------------------
+## Enforcement Guidelines
 
 Community leaders will follow these Community Impact Guidelines in determining
 the consequences for any action they deem in violation of this Code of Conduct:
 
-1. Correction
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+### 1. Correction
 
 **Community Impact**: Use of inappropriate language or other behavior deemed
 unprofessional or unwelcome in the community.
@@ -89,8 +81,7 @@ unprofessional or unwelcome in the community.
 clarity around the nature of the violation and an explanation of why the
 behavior was inappropriate. A public apology may be requested.
 
-2. Warning
-^^^^^^^^^^
+### 2. Warning
 
 **Community Impact**: A violation through a single incident or series of
 actions.
@@ -102,8 +93,7 @@ includes avoiding interactions in community spaces as well as external channels
 like social media. Violating these terms may lead to a temporary or permanent
 ban.
 
-3. Temporary Ban
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+### 3. Temporary Ban
 
 **Community Impact**: A serious violation of community standards, including
 sustained inappropriate behavior.
@@ -114,8 +104,7 @@ private interaction with the people involved, including unsolicited interaction
 with those enforcing the Code of Conduct, is allowed during this period.
 Violating these terms may lead to a permanent ban.
 
-4. Permanent Ban
-^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+### 4. Permanent Ban
 
 **Community Impact**: Demonstrating a pattern of violation of community
 standards, including sustained inappropriate behavior, harassment of an
@@ -124,16 +113,21 @@ individual, or aggression toward or disparagement of classes of individuals.
 **Consequence**: A permanent ban from any sort of public interaction within the
 community.
 
-Attribution
------------
+## Attribution
 
-This Code of Conduct is adapted from the `Contributor Covenant homepage <https://www.contributor-covenant.org/>`_,
+This Code of Conduct is adapted from the [Contributor Covenant][homepage],
 version 2.1, available at
-`<https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct.html>`_.
+[https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct.html][v2.1].
 
 Community Impact Guidelines were inspired by
-`Mozilla's code of conduct enforcement ladder <https://github.com/mozilla/diversity>`_.
+[Mozilla's code of conduct enforcement ladder][Mozilla CoC].
 
 For answers to common questions about this code of conduct, see the FAQ at
-`<https://www.contributor-covenant.org/faq>`_. Translations are available at
-`<https://www.contributor-covenant.org/translations>`_.
+[https://www.contributor-covenant.org/faq][FAQ]. Translations are available at
+[https://www.contributor-covenant.org/translations][translations].
+
+[homepage]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org
+[v2.1]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct.html
+[Mozilla CoC]: https://github.com/mozilla/diversity
+[FAQ]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org/faq
+[translations]: https://www.contributor-covenant.org/translations
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.rst b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
index 972ec00..1efa6ed 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.rst
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
@@ -188,5 +188,5 @@ To get ``black``, ``isort``, ``blackdoc``, ``ruff``, and ``flake8`` (with plugin
 Code of Conduct
 ---------------
 
-Please note that this project is released with a `Contributor Code of Conduct <https://github.com/hydrologie/xhydro-lstm/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.rst>`_.
+Please note that this project is released with a `Contributor Code of Conduct <https://github.com/hydrologie/xhydro-lstm/blob/main/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md>`_.
 By participating in this project you agree to abide by its terms.
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index bd2e7ee..3d1ae67 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -55,13 +55,13 @@ clean-test: ## remove test and coverage artifacts
 	rm -fr .pytest_cache
 
 lint/flake8: ## check style with flake8
-	ruff check src/xhydro_lstm tests
-	flake8 --config=.flake8 src/xhydro_lstm tests
+	python -m ruff check src/xhydro_lstm tests
+	python -m flake8 --config=.flake8 src/xhydro_lstm tests
 
 lint/black: ## check style with black
-	black --check src/xhydro_lstm tests
-	blackdoc --check src/xhydro_lstm docs
-	isort --check src/xhydro_lstm tests
+	python -m black --check src/xhydro_lstm tests
+	python -m blackdoc --check src/xhydro_lstm docs
+	python -m isort --check src/xhydro_lstm tests
 
 lint: lint/flake8 lint/black ## check style
 
@@ -72,9 +72,9 @@ test-all: ## run tests on every Python version with tox
 	tox
 
 coverage: ## check code coverage quickly with the default Python
-	coverage run --source src/xhydro_lstm -m pytest
-	coverage report -m
-	coverage html
+	python -m coverage run --source src/xhydro_lstm -m pytest
+	python -m coverage report -m
+	python -m coverage html
 	$(BROWSER) htmlcov/index.html
 initialize-translations: clean-docs ## initialize translations, ignoring autodoc-generated files
 	${MAKE} -C docs gettext
diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
index 998e997..02f254f 100755
--- a/docs/conf.py
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -123,6 +123,8 @@
 # Add any paths that contain custom static files (such as style sheets) here,
 # relative to this directory. They are copied after the builtin static files,
 # so a file named "default.css" will overwrite the builtin "default.css".
+if not os.path.exists("_static"):
+    os.makedirs("_static")
 html_static_path = ['_static']
 
 
diff --git a/environment-dev.yml b/environment-dev.yml
index a50be49..16aa6a4 100644
--- a/environment-dev.yml
+++ b/environment-dev.yml
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@ dependencies:
   - watchdog >=3.0.0
   - flake8 >=6.1.0
   - flake8-rst-docstrings >=0.3.0
-  - flit
+  - flit >=3.9.0
   - tox >=4.5.1
-  - coverage >=6.2.0,<7.0.0
+  - coverage >=7.0.0
   - coveralls >=3.3.1
   - pytest >=7.3.1
   - pytest-cov >=4.0.0
diff --git a/environment-docs.yml b/environment-docs.yml
index e3a75b2..9139d3a 100644
--- a/environment-docs.yml
+++ b/environment-docs.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ channels:
   - defaults
 dependencies:
   - python >=3.12,<3.13
-  - sphinx
+  - sphinx >=7.0.0
   - pandoc
   - sphinx-rtd-theme >=1.0
   - sphinx-autoapi
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 9c9a5de..be21c18 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ dev = [
 ]
 docs = [
   # Documentation and examples
-  "sphinx",
+  "sphinx >=7.0.0",
   "sphinx-codeautolink",
   "sphinx-copybutton",
   "sphinx-intl",