diff --git a/.github/workflows/python-package.yml b/.github/workflows/python-package.yml
index 65635ad..eaf5c85 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/python-package.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/python-package.yml
@@ -12,12 +12,12 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        python-version: [3.9, "3.10", 3.11, 3.12, 3.13]
+        python-version: ["3.10", 3.11, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14]
 
     steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v6
     - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
-      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v6
       with:
         python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
     - name: Install dependencies
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 601b385..a970a16 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 # Changes
 
+## unreleased
+
+- Drop 3.8 compat.
+- Lint the codebase.
+
+
 ## [v1.6.0] - 2025-02-20
 
 - Drop py3.7 compat.
diff --git a/RELEASING.md b/RELEASING.md
index 48465a5..b6c8989 100644
--- a/RELEASING.md
+++ b/RELEASING.md
@@ -12,7 +12,10 @@ Releasing cldfcatalog
   ```shell
   flake8 src
   ```
-
+- Make sure pylint passes with a score of 10:
+  ```shell
+  pylint src
+  ```
 - Update the version number, by removing the trailing `.dev0` in:
   - `setup.cfg`
   - `src/cldfcatalog/__init__.py`
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
index 41bdfcc..34dc356 100644
--- a/setup.cfg
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -20,12 +20,12 @@ classifiers =
     Natural Language :: English
     Operating System :: OS Independent
     Programming Language :: Python :: 3
-    Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8
     Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9
     Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10
     Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11
     Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12
     Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13
+    Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14
     Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPython
     Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPy
     License :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software License
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ show_missing = true
 skip_covered = true
 
 [tox:tox]
-envlist = py38, py39, py310, py311, py312, py313
+envlist = py39, py310, py311, py312, py313, py314
 isolated_build = true
 skip_missing_interpreter = true
 
diff --git a/src/cldfcatalog/__init__.py b/src/cldfcatalog/__init__.py
index f9b0193..c62b08e 100644
--- a/src/cldfcatalog/__init__.py
+++ b/src/cldfcatalog/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
-#
+"""
+A framework to implement CLDF reference catalogs.
+"""
 from cldfcatalog.catalog import *  # noqa: F401, F403
 from cldfcatalog.repository import *  # noqa: F401, F403
 from cldfcatalog.config import *  # noqa: F401, F403
diff --git a/src/cldfcatalog/catalog.py b/src/cldfcatalog/catalog.py
index 906c49e..2ed0a66 100644
--- a/src/cldfcatalog/catalog.py
+++ b/src/cldfcatalog/catalog.py
@@ -7,8 +7,9 @@
 """
 import re
 import sys
-import typing
+from typing import Optional
 import pathlib
+from collections.abc import Generator
 
 from cldfcatalog.repository import Repository
 from cldfcatalog.config import Config
@@ -22,7 +23,7 @@ class Catalog(Repository):
     """
     # If the catalog has a Python API, __api__ should point to the API class, which accepts
     # a repository directory as sole positional argument for initialization:
-    __api__ = None
+    __api__: Optional[type] = None
 
     # Catalogs are often used in command line applications. Thus, they need to refered to via
     # cli options or arguments. __cli_name__ can be used to specify a name for the catalog in these
@@ -32,8 +33,8 @@ class Catalog(Repository):
     def __init__(self, path, tag: str = None, not_git_repo_ok: bool = True):
         if isinstance(self.__api__, str):
             raise ValueError(
-                'API for catalog {0} is not available, please install {1}!'.format(
-                    self.__class__.__name__, self.__api__))
+                f'API for catalog {self.__class__.__name__} is not available, please install '
+                f'{self.__api__}!')
         super().__init__(path, not_git_repo_ok=not_git_repo_ok)
         if not self.repo and tag:
             raise ValueError('A tag can only be specified for cloned repositories!')
@@ -45,10 +46,11 @@ def __init__(self, path, tag: str = None, not_git_repo_ok: bool = True):
 
     @classmethod
     def default_location(cls) -> pathlib.Path:
+        """A default location for a catalog repository clone."""
         return Config.dir().joinpath(cls.cli_name())
 
     @classmethod
-    def clone(cls, url, target: typing.Optional[pathlib.Path] = None) -> 'Catalog':
+    def clone(cls, url, target: Optional[pathlib.Path] = None) -> 'Catalog':
         res = cls(Repository.clone(url, target or cls.default_location()).dir)
         with Config.from_file() as cfg:
             cfg.add_clone(res.cli_name(), res.dir)
@@ -56,6 +58,7 @@ def clone(cls, url, target: typing.Optional[pathlib.Path] = None) -> 'Catalog':
 
     @classmethod
     def from_config(cls, key=None, fname=None, tag: str = None) -> 'Catalog':
+        """Initialize a catalog from config info."""
         cfg = Config.from_file(fname)
         return cls(cfg.get_clone(key or cls.cli_name()), tag=tag)
 
@@ -67,7 +70,7 @@ def __enter__(self):
             except TypeError:
                 try:
                     self._prev_head = self.repo.git.describe('--tags')
-                except Exception:  # pragma: no cover
+                except Exception:  # pragma: no cover  # pylint: disable=W0718
                     pass
             # ... then checkout the requested state:
             self.checkout(self.tag)
@@ -79,24 +82,27 @@ def __exit__(self, exc_type, exc_val, exc_tb):
             self._prev_head = None
 
     @classmethod
-    def cli_name(cls) -> str:
+    def cli_name(cls) -> str:  # pylint: disable=C0116
         return cls.__cli_name__ or cls.__name__.lower()
 
     @property
-    def api(self):
+    def api(self):  # pylint: disable=C0116
         if self.__api__ and self._api is None:
-            self._api = self.__api__(self.dir)
+            self._api = self.__api__(self.dir)  # pylint: disable=E1102
         return self._api
 
     @classmethod
-    def api_version(cls) -> typing.Union[str, None]:
+    def api_version(cls) -> Optional[str]:
+        """The version of the Python package providing the API for the repository."""
         if cls.__api__:
             try:
                 return sys.modules[cls.__api__.__module__.split('.')[0]].__version__
-            except Exception:  # pragma: no cover
+            except Exception:  # pragma: no cover  # pylint: disable=W0718
                 pass
+        return None  # pragma: no cover
 
-    def iter_versions(self) -> typing.Generator[typing.List[str], None, None]:
+    def iter_versions(self) -> Generator[list[str], None, None]:
+        """Yield (tag, name) pairs for the repository."""
         for line in reversed(self.repo.git.tag('-n').split('\n')):
             line = line.strip()
             if line.startswith('v'):
diff --git a/src/cldfcatalog/config.py b/src/cldfcatalog/config.py
index 66eb43f..ef08f0d 100644
--- a/src/cldfcatalog/config.py
+++ b/src/cldfcatalog/config.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 class Config(configparser.ConfigParser):
     """
-    A config file for the cli.
+    A config file for the cli, usable as context manager.
     """
     def __init__(self):
         self._files = None
@@ -26,14 +26,14 @@ def __enter__(self):
     def __exit__(self, exc_type, exc_val, exc_tb):
         self.to_file()
 
-    def read(self, filenames, encoding=None):
+    def read(self, filenames, encoding=None):  # pylint: disable=C0116
         if self._files:
             raise ValueError('Config cannot read more than one file!')
         self._files = filenames
         super().read(filenames, encoding=encoding)
 
     @staticmethod
-    def dir() -> pathlib.Path:
+    def dir() -> pathlib.Path:  # pylint: disable=C0116
         res = pathlib.Path(platformdirs.user_config_dir('cldf'))
         if not res.exists():
             res.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
@@ -41,30 +41,30 @@ def dir() -> pathlib.Path:
 
     # Note: `fname` must not be defined at import, because we need to patch `appdirs` for tests!
     @staticmethod
-    def fname() -> pathlib.Path:
+    def fname() -> pathlib.Path:  # pylint: disable=C0116
         return Config.dir() / 'catalog.ini'
 
     @property
-    def clones(self) -> configparser.SectionProxy:
+    def clones(self) -> configparser.SectionProxy:  # pylint: disable=C0116
         if CLONES not in self.sections():
             self[CLONES] = collections.OrderedDict()
         return self[CLONES]
 
     @classmethod
-    def from_file(cls, fname=None) -> 'Config':
+    def from_file(cls, fname=None) -> 'Config':  # pylint: disable=C0116
         cfg = cls()
         cfg.read(str(fname or cls.fname()))
         return cfg
 
-    def to_file(self, fname=None):
+    def to_file(self, fname=None):  # pylint: disable=C0116
         with (fname or self.fname()).open('w', encoding='utf8') as fp:
             self.write(fp)
 
-    def add_clone(self, key: str, path: typing.Union[str, pathlib.Path]):
+    def add_clone(self, key: str, path: typing.Union[str, pathlib.Path]):  # pylint: disable=C0116
         self.clones[key] = str(pathlib.Path(path).resolve())
 
-    def get_clone(self, key: str) -> pathlib.Path:
+    def get_clone(self, key: str) -> pathlib.Path:  # pylint: disable=C0116
         try:
             return pathlib.Path(self.clones[key])
-        except KeyError:
-            raise KeyError('Config {0} has no entry for {1}'.format(self._files, key))
+        except KeyError as e:
+            raise KeyError(f'Config {self._files} has no entry for {key}') from e
diff --git a/src/cldfcatalog/repository.py b/src/cldfcatalog/repository.py
index 2251649..42fe0b6 100644
--- a/src/cldfcatalog/repository.py
+++ b/src/cldfcatalog/repository.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 functionality, following the [Facade pattern](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facade_pattern).
 """
 import re
-import typing
+from typing import Union, Optional
 import pathlib
 
 import git
@@ -13,31 +13,34 @@
 
 __all__ = ['Repository', 'get_test_repo']
 
+PathType = Union[str, pathlib.Path]
+
 
 class Repository:
     """
     A (clone of a) git repository (or simply a directory).
     """
-    def __init__(self, path: typing.Union[str, pathlib.Path], not_git_repo_ok: bool = False):
+    def __init__(self, path: PathType, not_git_repo_ok: bool = False):
         """
         :param non_git_repo_ok: If `True`, a plain directory will work as `path`, too. But the \
         `Repository` instance will have limited functionality.
         """
         path = pathlib.Path(path) if path is not None else path
         if path is None or not path.exists():
-            raise ValueError('invalid repository path: {0}'.format(path))
+            raise ValueError(f'invalid repository path: {path}')
         self._dir = None
         try:
-            self.repo = git.Repo(str(path))
-        except (git.exc.NoSuchPathError, git.exc.InvalidGitRepositoryError):
+            self.repo: Optional[git.Repo] = git.Repo(str(path))
+        except (git.exc.NoSuchPathError, git.exc.InvalidGitRepositoryError) as e:
             if not not_git_repo_ok:
-                raise ValueError('invalid git repository: {0}'.format(path))
+                raise ValueError(f'invalid git repository: {path}') from e
             self.repo = None
             self._dir = path
         self._url = None
 
     @classmethod
-    def clone(cls, url: str, target: typing.Union[str, pathlib.Path]):
+    def clone(cls, url: str, target: PathType) -> 'Repository':
+        """Clone the repository identified by url to target."""
         target = pathlib.Path(target)
         assert (not target.exists()) and target.parent.exists() and target.parent.is_dir()
         git.Git(str(target.parent)).clone(url, target.name)
@@ -45,7 +48,7 @@ def clone(cls, url: str, target: typing.Union[str, pathlib.Path]):
 
     def _require_repo(self, attr):
         if not self.repo:
-            raise ValueError('{} is not supported for repository exports'.format(attr))
+            raise ValueError(f'{attr} is not supported for repository exports')
 
     def update(self):
         """
@@ -64,7 +67,7 @@ def dir(self) -> pathlib.Path:
         return pathlib.Path(self.repo.working_dir) if self.repo else self._dir
 
     @property
-    def active_branch(self) -> typing.Union[None, str]:
+    def active_branch(self) -> Optional[str]:
         """
         :return: Name of the active branch or `None`, if in "detached HEAD" state.
         """
@@ -75,7 +78,7 @@ def active_branch(self) -> typing.Union[None, str]:
             return None
 
     @property
-    def url(self) -> typing.Union[str, None]:
+    def url(self) -> Optional[str]:
         """
         :return: The URL of the remote called `origin` - if it is set, else `None`.
 
@@ -95,7 +98,7 @@ def url(self) -> typing.Union[str, None]:
         return self._url
 
     @property
-    def github_repo(self) -> typing.Union[None, str]:
+    def github_repo(self) -> Optional[str]:
         """
         :return: GitHub repository name in the form "ORG/REPO", or `None`, if no matching \
         `self.url` is found.
@@ -103,9 +106,10 @@ def github_repo(self) -> typing.Union[None, str]:
         match = re.search(r'github\.com/(?P<org>[^/]+)/(?P<repo>[^.]+)', self.url or '')
         if match:
             return match.group('org') + '/' + match.group('repo')
+        return None  # pragma: no cover
 
     @property
-    def tags(self) -> typing.List[str]:
+    def tags(self) -> list[str]:
         """
         :return: `list` of tags available for the repository. A tag can be used as `spec` argument \
         for `Repository.checkout`
@@ -113,18 +117,18 @@ def tags(self) -> typing.List[str]:
         self._require_repo('tags')
         return self.repo.git.tag().split()
 
-    def describe(self) -> str:
+    def describe(self) -> str:  # pylint: disable=C0116
         self._require_repo('describe')
         return self.repo.git.describe('--always', '--tags')
 
-    def hash(self) -> str:
+    def hash(self) -> str:  # pylint: disable=C0116
         return self.describe().split('-g')[-1]
 
-    def is_dirty(self):
+    def is_dirty(self):  # pylint: disable=C0116
         self._require_repo('is_dirty')
         return self.repo.is_dirty()
 
-    def checkout(self, spec: str):
+    def checkout(self, spec: str):  # pylint: disable=C0116
         self._require_repo('checkout')
         return self.repo.git.checkout(spec)
 
@@ -141,7 +145,7 @@ def json_ld(self, **dc) -> dict:
         ).json_ld()
 
 
-def get_test_repo(directory, remote_url=None, tags=None, branches=None):
+def get_test_repo(directory: PathType, remote_url=None, tags=None, branches=None):
     """
     Since mocking a git repo is somewhat difficult, we provide this function to create a "real"
     git repository for testing.