diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-title-lint.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-title-lint.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..367d1d4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-title-lint.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+# Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+# Licensed under the MIT license.
+
+name: PR Title Lint
+
+on:
+  pull_request_target:
+    types: [opened, edited, synchronize, reopened]
+
+permissions:
+  pull-requests: read
+  statuses: write
+
+jobs:
+  pr-title-lint:
+    name: Validate PR Title
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      # Pinned to commit SHA for supply chain security (CWE-829)
+      # Verify: gh api repos/amannn/action-semantic-pull-request/git/ref/tags/v5.5.3 --jq '.object.sha'
+      - uses: amannn/action-semantic-pull-request@0723387faaf9b38adef4775cd42cfd5155ed6017 # v5.5.3
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        with:
+          # Configure which types are allowed (see https://github.com/commitizen/conventional-commit-types)
+          types: |
+            feat
+            fix
+            docs
+            style
+            refactor
+            perf
+            test
+            build
+            ci
+            chore
+            revert
+            deps
+          # Configure which scopes are allowed (empty means all scopes are allowed)
+          scopes: |
+          # Configure whether a scope must be provided (false means scopes are optional)
+          requireScope: false
+          # For work-in-progress PRs you can typically use draft pull requests
+          # Instead of allowing WIP in the title
+          wip: true
+          # Configure validation of the subject line (title after type/scope)
+          subjectPattern: ^(?![A-Z]).+$
+          subjectPatternError: |
+            The subject "{subject}" found in the pull request title "{title}"
+            must start with a lowercase letter.
+          # If the PR contains only a single commit, validate that its message matches the PR title
+          validateSingleCommit: false
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-please.yml b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..48ea6db2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+name: Release Please
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - main
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
+
+jobs:
+  release-please:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      # Pinned to commit SHA for supply chain security (CWE-829)
+      # Verify: gh api repos/google-github-actions/release-please-action/git/ref/tags/v4.1.1 --jq '.object.sha'
+      - uses: google-github-actions/release-please-action@e4dc86ba9405554aeba3c6bb2d169500e7d3b4ee # v4.1.1
+        with:
+          command: manifest
+          config-file: release-please-config.json
+          manifest-file: .release-please-manifest.json
diff --git a/.release-please-manifest.json b/.release-please-manifest.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e18ee077
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  ".": "0.0.0"
+}
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5c845fda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Changelog
+
+All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
+
+This project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
+
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Added
+- Implemented automated versioning with Release Please
+
+This changelog will be automatically updated by Release Please based on conventional commits merged to the main branch.
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e4ddb25c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+# Contributing to go-sqlcmd
+
+Thank you for your interest in contributing to go-sqlcmd! This document provides guidelines for contributing to the project.
+
+## Development Setup
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- Go 1.24 or later
+- Git
+
+### Building the Project
+
+```bash
+# Clone the repository
+git clone https://github.com/microsoft/go-sqlcmd.git
+cd go-sqlcmd
+
+# Build sqlcmd
+./build/build.sh       # Linux/macOS
+.\build\build.cmd      # Windows
+```
+
+### Running Tests
+
+```bash
+# Run all tests
+go test ./...
+
+# Run tests with verbose output
+go test -v ./...
+
+# Run tests for a specific package
+go test -v ./pkg/sqlcmd/...
+```
+
+## Release Process
+
+This project uses [Release Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please) for automated version management and releases. Release Please analyzes commits since the last release and automatically creates a Release PR that:
+
+- Bumps the version based on [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/)
+- Updates the CHANGELOG.md with changes
+- Creates a GitHub release when the PR is merged
+
+### Conventional Commits
+
+All commits should follow the [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/) specification. This enables automated version bumping and changelog generation.
+
+#### Commit Message Format
+
+```
+<type>[optional scope]: <description>
+
+[optional body]
+
+[optional footer(s)]
+```
+
+#### Types and Version Bumping
+
+| Type | Version Bump | Description | Example |
+|------|--------------|-------------|---------|
+| `feat:` | Minor (0.X.0) | New feature | `feat: add query timeout option` |
+| `fix:` | Patch (0.0.X) | Bug fix | `fix: resolve connection timeout issue` |
+| `feat!:` or `BREAKING CHANGE:` | Major (X.0.0) | Breaking change | `feat!: change default port to 1433` |
+| `docs:` | No bump | Documentation only | `docs: update README with examples` |
+| `chore:` | No bump | Maintenance tasks | `chore: update dependencies` |
+| `ci:` | No bump | CI/CD changes | `ci: add workflow for linting` |
+| `test:` | No bump | Test changes | `test: add unit tests for parser` |
+| `refactor:` | No bump | Code refactoring | `refactor: simplify connection logic` |
+| `perf:` | No bump | Performance improvements | `perf: optimize query execution` |
+| `build:` | No bump | Build system changes | `build: update build script` |
+
+#### Examples
+
+**Feature (Minor bump):**
+```
+feat: add support for Azure AD authentication
+
+Adds new authentication method for connecting to Azure SQL
+databases using Azure Active Directory credentials.
+```
+
+**Bug fix (Patch bump):**
+```
+fix: correct handling of null values in output
+
+Previously, null values were displayed as empty strings.
+Now they are properly displayed as "NULL".
+```
+
+**Breaking change (Major bump):**
+```
+feat!: change default encryption to mandatory
+
+BREAKING CHANGE: The default encryption setting has changed
+from optional to mandatory. Users must explicitly set
+encryption to optional if needed.
+```
+
+**Non-version-bumping changes:**
+```
+docs: add examples for container commands
+chore: update go-mssqldb dependency
+ci: add codeql security scanning
+test: add integration tests for query command
+```
+
+### How Releases Work
+
+1. **Make changes** following conventional commit guidelines
+2. **Create PR** with your changes
+3. **Merge PR to main** - Release Please will analyze commits
+4. **Release Please creates/updates a Release PR** that:
+   - Bumps version in relevant files
+   - Updates CHANGELOG.md
+   - Tags the release
+5. **Review and merge the Release PR** - This triggers:
+   - Creation of a GitHub Release
+   - Publishing of release artifacts
+
+### Manual Release Process (if needed)
+
+If you need to create a release manually:
+
+1. Update the version in `.release-please-manifest.json`
+2. Update CHANGELOG.md manually
+3. Create and push a git tag:
+   ```bash
+   git tag v1.0.0
+   git push origin v1.0.0
+   ```
+4. Create a GitHub release from the tag
+
+## Pull Request Guidelines
+
+- Follow the conventional commit format in PR titles
+- Keep PRs focused on a single feature or fix
+- Add tests for new functionality
+- Ensure all tests pass locally before submitting
+- Update documentation if needed
+
+## Code Style
+
+- Follow standard Go conventions and idioms
+- Use `gofmt` for formatting
+- Run `golangci-lint` before submitting
+
+## Questions?
+
+If you have questions, feel free to:
+- Open an issue for discussion
+- Check existing issues and discussions
+- Review the [README](README.md) for more information
+
+## License
+
+By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the MIT License.
diff --git a/release-please-config.json b/release-please-config.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9bf5fb14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/release-please-config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/release-please/main/schemas/config.json",
+  "packages": {
+    ".": {
+      "release-type": "go",
+      "package-name": "sqlcmd",
+      "changelog-path": "CHANGELOG.md",
+      "bump-minor-pre-major": true,
+      "bump-patch-for-minor-pre-major": false,
+      "draft": false,
+      "prerelease": false
+    }
+  }
+}