diff --git a/.config/dictionaries/python.txt b/.config/dictionaries/python.txt
index 34f015c..07479c6 100644
--- a/.config/dictionaries/python.txt
+++ b/.config/dictionaries/python.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 codeowner
 kayma
+pytest
+setuptools
diff --git a/pr-description.md b/pr-description.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42170d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pr-description.md
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+chore: set up the Python project <!-- markdownlint-disable-line first-line-heading -->
+
+# Description
+
+Adds the necessary files to set up a Python project.
+
+# TODOs
+
+- [ ] solve all TODOs in `setup.cfg`
+- [ ] remove everything from the PR body
+
+# Remarks
+
+- The `setup.cfg` file is a configuration file for setuptools. It contains metadata about the project and the dependencies.
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58198fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+[build-system]
+requires = ['setuptools==75.6.0']
+build-backend = 'setuptools.build_meta'
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/setup.cfg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a9a715
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup.cfg
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+[metadata]
+́́# TODO insert project name. Must match the name in the python-publish.yml workflow file
+name = todo-my-fancy-project-name
+version = 1.0.0
+author = Hapag-Lloyd AG
+author_email = info@hlag.com
+description = TODO insert project description
+long_description = file: README.md
+long_description_content_type = text/markdown
+# TODO insert project homepage
+url = https://github.com/Hapag-Lloyd/todo-my-fancy-project-name
+project_urls =
+# TODO insert project URLs
+    Bug Tracker = https://github.com/Hapag-Lloyd/rds-proxy-password-rotation/issues
+    repository = https://github.com/Hapag-Lloyd/rds-proxy-password-rotation
+classifiers =
+    Programming Language :: Python :: 3
+# TODO insert project license
+    License :: OSI Approved :: Apache Software License
+    Operating System :: OS Independent
+
+[options]
+package_dir =
+    = src
+packages = find:
+# TODO insert python version
+python_requires = >=3.10
+install_requires =
+
+[options.extras_require]
+test =
+    pytest==8.3.4
+    pytest-cov==6.0.0
+
+# TODO try running the tests without the following nose dependency first
+    # updates an outdated dependency of local setup
+    nose==1.3.7
+
+[options.packages.find]
+where = src