diff --git a/.github/workflows/package-development-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/package-development-workflow.yml
index 7cc904c..96163e8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/package-development-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/package-development-workflow.yml
@@ -21,17 +21,11 @@ on:
 
 permissions:
   contents: read     # required for checkout
-  packages: read     # required for pulling the SIMATIC AX container
 
 jobs:
   build-and-test:
     name: Build and Test
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
-    container:
-      image: ghcr.io/simatic-ax/ci-images/apax-ci-image:4.3.0
-      credentials:
-        username: ${{ github.actor }}
-        password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
     steps: 
       - name: Checkout Code
         uses: actions/checkout@v7
@@ -40,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ inputs.ref != '' && inputs.ref || github.ref }}
 
       - name: Check links
-        uses: gaurav-nelson/github-action-markdown-link-check@v1
+        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
         with:
-          check-modified-files-only: 'yes'
-          base-branch: 'main'
\ No newline at end of file
+          # template/LICENSE.md is not part of this repository; it is expected to exist in applications generated from this template (listed in template/templatify-meta-information.yml)
+          args: --no-progress --exclude '^file://.*/template/LICENSE\.md$' './**/*.md'
diff --git a/template/.github/workflows/package-development-workflow.yml b/template/.github/workflows/package-development-workflow.yml
index b889959..026c01a 100644
--- a/template/.github/workflows/package-development-workflow.yml
+++ b/template/.github/workflows/package-development-workflow.yml
@@ -55,8 +55,16 @@ jobs:
       - name: Test source code
         uses: simatic-ax/actions/apax-test@v4
 
-      - name: Check links
-        uses: gaurav-nelson/github-action-markdown-link-check@v1
+  check-links:
+    name: Check links
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout Code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v7
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref != '' && inputs.ref || github.ref }}
+
+      - name: Check links in Markdown files
+        uses: lycheeverse/lychee-action@v2
         with:
-          check-modified-files-only: 'yes'
-          base-branch: 'main'
\ No newline at end of file
+          args: --no-progress './**/*.md'