diff --git a/.github/labels.yml b/.github/labels.yml
index 5d14504..070fda8 100644
--- a/.github/labels.yml
+++ b/.github/labels.yml
@@ -1,59 +1,3 @@
-- name: "bug"
-  color: "d73a4a"
-  description: "Something isn't working"
+# file must contain an array, which may be empty
 
-- name: "documentation"
-  color: "0075ca"
-  description: "Improvements or additions to documentation"
-
-- name: "duplicate"
-  color: "cfd3d7"
-  description: "This issue or pull request already exists"
-
-- name: "enhancement"
-  color: "a2eeef"
-  description: "New feature or request"
-
-- name: "good first issue"
-  color: "7057ff"
-  description: "Good for newcomers"
-
-- name: "help wanted"
-  color: "008672"
-  description: "Extra attention is needed"
-
-- name: "invalid"
-  color: "e4e669"
-  description: "This doesn't seem right"
-
-- name: "keep alive"
-  color: "666666"
-  description: "exempt issue from staleness checks"
-  from_name: "keep alive"
-
-- name: "project proposal"
-  color: "d876e3"
-  description: "project proposal for interns and GSoC students"
-
-- name: "question"
-  color: "d876e3"
-  description: "Further information is requested"
-
-- name: "rfc"
-  color: "d876e3"
-  description: "Request for comments"
-
-- name: "stale"
-  color: "777777"
-  description: "Issue is stale and subject to automatic closing"
-  from_name: "Stale"
-
-- name: "stale closed"
-  color: "444444"
-  description: "Issue was closed automatically due to inactivity"
-  from_name: "stale-closed"
-
-- name: "won't fix"
-  color: "ffffff"
-  description: "This will not be worked on"
-  from_name: wontfix
\ No newline at end of file
+[]
diff --git a/.github/workflows/labels.yml b/.github/workflows/labels.yml
index 8bdad11..52c578c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/labels.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/labels.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-name: Synchronize labels
-
+name: Sync labels
 on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
   push:
     branches:
       - 'main'
@@ -8,16 +8,22 @@ on:
       - '.github/labels.yml'
       - '.github/workflows/labels.yml'
 
+permissions:
+  issues: write
+
 jobs:
-  labeler:
+  labels:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
     steps:
-      -
-        name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
-      -
-        name: Run Labeler
-        uses: crazy-max/ghaction-github-labeler@v4
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          yaml-file: .github/labels.yml
+          sparse-checkout: .github/labels.yml
+
+      - uses: EndBug/label-sync@v2
+        with:
+          config-file: |
+            https://raw.githubusercontent.com/biocommons/.github/main/etc/labels.yml
+            .github/labels.yml
+
+          delete-other-labels: false
\ No newline at end of file