diff --git a/.github/workflows/CI.yml b/.github/workflows/CI.yml
index 86f2e89331dc..32e4c24ac01f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/CI.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/CI.yml
@@ -135,3 +135,19 @@ jobs:
     - name: smokeTest lint
       run: |
         ./util/buildRelease/smokeTest lint
+
+    - name: Get all fututes files that have changed
+      id: changed-futures
+      uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v44
+      with:
+        recover_deleted_files: true
+        files: |
+          **.future
+
+    - name: Run futures checks
+      if: steps.changed-futures.outputs.any_changed == 'true'
+      env:
+        ALL_CHANGED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-futures.outputs.all_changed_files }}
+        ALL_DELETED_FILES: ${{ steps.changed-futures.outputs.deleted_files }}
+      run: |
+        python3 util/devel/checkFutures.py $ALL_CHANGED_FILES $ALL_DELETED_FILES  --deleted-files $ALL_DELETED_FILES
diff --git a/util/devel/checkFutures.py b/util/devel/checkFutures.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..de2a817eaaa7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/util/devel/checkFutures.py
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+
+import argparse as ap
+import glob
+import os
+
+def get_futures(files):
+    future_files = [f for f in files if f.endswith('.future')]
+    return future_files
+
+def find_all_futures(root):
+    future_files = glob.glob(os.path.join(root, '**', '*.future'))
+    return future_files
+
+def check_future_file(file):
+    """
+    future files should have the following format:
+    ```
+    label: short description
+    #<issue number>
+    ```
+
+    This returns (label, description, issue_number) if the file is valid, otherwise None
+    """
+    labels = ["bug", "error message", "feature request", "performance", "design", "portability", "unimplemented feature"]
+
+    with open(file, 'r') as f:
+        lines = f.readlines()
+        if len(lines) < 3:
+            print(f'{file} is missing a label, description, or issue number')
+            return
+
+        label = lines[0].split(':')[0].strip()
+        if label not in labels:
+            print(f'{file} has an invalid label: {label}')
+            return
+
+        description = lines[0].split(':')[1].strip()
+        if len(description) == 0:
+            print(f'{file} is missing a description')
+            return
+
+        issue_number = lines[1].strip()
+        if not issue_number.startswith('#') or not issue_number[1:].isdigit():
+            print(f'{file} is missing an issue number')
+            return
+        issue_number = int(issue_number[1:])
+
+        return (label, description, issue_number)
+
+def check_bad_files(root):
+    """check that all bad files have an associated future"""
+
+    bad_files = glob.glob(os.path.join(root, '**', '*.bad'))
+    future_files = find_all_futures(root)
+    bad_file_basename = [os.path.basename(bf).removesuffix('.bad') for bf in bad_files]
+    future_file_basename = [os.path.basename(ff).removesuffix('.future') for ff in future_files]
+
+    # check that all bad files have an associated future
+    for bf in bad_file_basename:
+        if bf not in future_file_basename:
+            print(f'{bf}.bad has no associated future file')
+
+
+def main():
+
+    p = ap.ArgumentParser()
+    p.add_argument('files', nargs='*')
+    p.add_argument('--chpl-home', default=None)
+    p.add_argument('--all', action='store_true', help='Check all files in the project, regardless of files specified')
+    p.add_argument('--deleted-files', nargs='*', help='list of deleted files')
+    args = p.parse_args()
+
+    chpl_home = args.chpl_home
+    if chpl_home is None:
+        chpl_home = os.environ.get('CHPL_HOME', None)
+    if chpl_home is None:
+        raise ValueError('Must specify --chpl-home or set CHPL_HOME')
+
+    test_dir = os.path.join(chpl_home, 'test')
+
+    print(args.deleted_files)
+
+    if args.all:
+        future_files = find_all_futures(test_dir)
+    else:
+        future_files = get_futures(args.files)
+
+    # build map of future files to their contents, also checks for format errors
+    future_map = dict()
+    for ff in future_files:
+        future_map[ff] = check_future_file(ff)
+    if any([v is None for v in future_map.values()]):
+        exit(1)
+
+    # make sure that all futures have an existing issue
+    for ff, future in future_map.items():
+        if future is None:
+            continue
+        label, description, issue_number = future
+        # TODO: how to do this?
+
+    # if any of the deleted files are futures, make sure their issue is closed
+    # TODO: how do we do this? usually closing the PR closes the issue, but at
+    # the time this check is run the issue is not yet closed
+
+
+    if args.all:
+        check_bad_files(test_dir)
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main()