diff --git a/.github/workflows/README.md b/.github/workflows/README.md
index 41aff02b1..6e4984e98 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/README.md
+++ b/.github/workflows/README.md
@@ -75,6 +75,17 @@ Every user-facing PR needs a `CHANGELOG.md` bullet under `## [Unreleased]`. Dire
 `dev` or `main` are checked too, so user-facing commits without an associated PR still need a
 curated changelog entry.
 
+**Skipping the gate for non-user-facing work.** The gate flags any change under `src/`,
+`installer/`, or `soundpacks/` (the generated `weather_gov_api_client/` client is excluded). When a
+PR is purely internal — refactors, CI, tooling, release plumbing — you have two escape hatches:
+
+- **PR:** add the `skip-changelog` label. The `Check CHANGELOG entry` step is skipped entirely.
+- **Direct push:** put `Changelog: none` (or `[skip changelog]`) in the commit message. The gate
+  passes only when *every* non-merge commit in the range carries the marker, so a marker can't
+  silently exempt a change set that also contains user-facing work.
+
+Note: `.github/`, `tests/`, and `docs/` are never gated, so CI and test-only changes need no marker.
+
 Nightly release notes include only newly added Unreleased entries since the previous nightly tag.
 Stable release notes use the matching version section, such as `## [0.6.1]`, and fall back to
 Unreleased only when a version section has not been cut yet.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 35497e685..d5b5a459e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -105,7 +105,10 @@ jobs:
         pip install --no-deps -e .
 
     - name: Check CHANGELOG entry
-      if: matrix.primary
+      # Skipped when a PR carries the `skip-changelog` label. For non-PR events
+      # the labels expression is null (contains() returns false), so pushes
+      # still run the gate and rely on a `Changelog: none` commit trailer.
+      if: matrix.primary && !contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'skip-changelog')
       run: |
         if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "pull_request" ]; then
           BASE="origin/${{ github.base_ref }}"
diff --git a/scripts/changelog_tools.py b/scripts/changelog_tools.py
index e49eece1e..8b9e3d77e 100644
--- a/scripts/changelog_tools.py
+++ b/scripts/changelog_tools.py
@@ -13,12 +13,21 @@
     "installer/",
     "soundpacks/",
 )
+# Paths that ship inside the build surface but never warrant a release note.
+# Checked before USER_FACING_PATH_PREFIXES, so these win even though they live
+# under src/. Extend this as recurring false positives show up.
+EXCLUDED_PATH_PREFIXES = (
+    "src/accessiweather/weather_gov_api_client/",  # generated NWS API client
+)
 USER_FACING_PATHS = {
     "accessiweather.spec",
     "pyproject.toml",
     "scripts/generate_build_meta.py",
 }
 USER_FACING_SUFFIXES = (".spec",)
+# Markers a commit message can carry to opt its change set out of the gate.
+# Used for direct pushes, where there is no PR label to apply.
+SKIP_CHANGELOG_MARKERS = ("changelog: none", "[skip changelog]")
 SECTION_ORDER = ("Added", "Changed", "Fixed", "Improved", "Removed", "Deprecated", "Security")
 PYPROJECT_METADATA_FIELDS_WITHOUT_CHANGELOG = {"version", "description"}
 PYPROJECT_TOOLING_REQUIREMENTS_WITHOUT_CHANGELOG = {"pyright", "ruff"}
@@ -36,6 +45,8 @@ def run_git(args: list[str]) -> str:
 
 def is_user_facing_path(path: str) -> bool:
     normalized = path.replace("\\", "/")
+    if normalized.startswith(EXCLUDED_PATH_PREFIXES):
+        return False
     return (
         normalized in USER_FACING_PATHS
         or normalized.endswith(USER_FACING_SUFFIXES)
@@ -81,6 +92,31 @@ def changed_files(base: str, head: str) -> list[str]:
     return [line for line in output.splitlines() if line]
 
 
+def messages_opt_out_of_changelog(messages: list[str]) -> bool:
+    """
+    Return True only when every commit message opts out of the gate.
+
+    Requiring all commits (rather than any) prevents a single skip marker from
+    silently exempting a change set that also contains user-facing work.
+    """
+    if not messages:
+        return False
+    return all(
+        any(marker in message.casefold() for marker in SKIP_CHANGELOG_MARKERS)
+        for message in messages
+    )
+
+
+def commit_messages(base: str, head: str) -> list[str]:
+    log = run_git(["log", "--no-merges", "--format=%H", f"{base}..{head}"])
+    hashes = [line for line in log.splitlines() if line]
+    return [run_git(["show", "-s", "--format=%B", commit]) for commit in hashes]
+
+
+def commits_opt_out_of_changelog(base: str, head: str) -> bool:
+    return messages_opt_out_of_changelog(commit_messages(base, head))
+
+
 def unreleased_added_entries(base: str, head: str) -> list[str]:
     base_entries = {
         entry
@@ -217,6 +253,10 @@ def check_command(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
         print("No user-facing paths changed.")
         return 0
 
+    if commits_opt_out_of_changelog(args.base, args.head):
+        print("All commits opt out of the changelog gate via a skip marker.")
+        return 0
+
     if CHANGELOG_PATH.as_posix() not in files:
         print("User-facing paths changed without updating CHANGELOG.md:", file=sys.stderr)
         for path in user_facing:
diff --git a/tests/test_changelog_tools.py b/tests/test_changelog_tools.py
index 1093245bb..2b077b892 100644
--- a/tests/test_changelog_tools.py
+++ b/tests/test_changelog_tools.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
     extract_release_block,
     format_sections,
     is_user_facing_path,
+    messages_opt_out_of_changelog,
     normalize_entry,
     parse_sections,
     pyproject_changed_lines_require_changelog,
@@ -72,6 +73,25 @@ def test_user_facing_paths_match_release_build_surface() -> None:
     assert not is_user_facing_path("tests/test_app.py")
 
 
+def test_generated_api_client_is_not_user_facing() -> None:
+    assert not is_user_facing_path("src/accessiweather/weather_gov_api_client/models/alert.py")
+    # A real app module under src/ stays user-facing.
+    assert is_user_facing_path("src/accessiweather/weather_client.py")
+
+
+def test_skip_marker_opts_out_only_when_all_commits_carry_it() -> None:
+    assert messages_opt_out_of_changelog(["chore: tidy logging\n\nChangelog: none"])
+    assert messages_opt_out_of_changelog(
+        ["ci: bump action [skip changelog]", "test: add case\n\nchangelog: none"]
+    )
+    # Mixed: one commit opts out, another does not -> gate still applies.
+    assert not messages_opt_out_of_changelog(
+        ["fix: real user-facing fix", "chore: cleanup\n\nChangelog: none"]
+    )
+    # No commits (e.g. empty range) is not an opt-out.
+    assert not messages_opt_out_of_changelog([])
+
+
 def test_pyproject_metadata_only_changes_do_not_need_changelog() -> None:
     assert not pyproject_changed_lines_require_changelog(
         [