diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 53f0365dc3..cc173f1a04 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -57,6 +57,10 @@ BUILDTAGS ?= \
 	$(shell hack/libsubid_tag.sh) \
 	exclude_graphdriver_devicemapper \
 	seccomp
+# N/B: This value is managed by Renovate, manual changes are
+# possible, as long as they don't disturb the formatting
+# (i.e. DO NOT ADD A 'v' prefix!)
+GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION := 1.53.3
 PYTHON ?= $(shell command -v python3 python|head -n1)
 PKG_MANAGER ?= $(shell command -v dnf yum|head -n1)
 # ~/.local/bin is not in PATH on all systems
@@ -941,7 +945,7 @@ install.tools: .install.golangci-lint ## Install needed tools
 
 .PHONY: .install.golangci-lint
 .install.golangci-lint:
-	VERSION=1.53.3 ./hack/install_golangci.sh
+	VERSION=$(GOLANGCI_LINT_VERSION) ./hack/install_golangci.sh
 
 .PHONY: .install.swagger
 .install.swagger: