diff --git a/.github/project-root-duplicates/README.md b/.github/dependabot-symlinks/README.md
similarity index 72%
rename from .github/project-root-duplicates/README.md
rename to .github/dependabot-symlinks/README.md
index 66e9de70b646..52b0beb6c496 100644
--- a/.github/project-root-duplicates/README.md
+++ b/.github/dependabot-symlinks/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 This directory and the two symlinks in it are used by the
-[dependabot configuration](../.github/dependabot.yml), because we can't include the root directory
+[dependabot configuration](../dependabot.yml), because we can't include the root directory
 in the dependabot scanning since then it will pick up all of the old library versions that we
 intentionally compile and test against.
 
diff --git a/.github/project-root-duplicates/build.gradle.kts b/.github/dependabot-symlinks/build.gradle.kts
similarity index 100%
rename from .github/project-root-duplicates/build.gradle.kts
rename to .github/dependabot-symlinks/build.gradle.kts
diff --git a/.github/project-root-duplicates/settings.gradle.kts b/.github/dependabot-symlinks/settings.gradle.kts
similarity index 100%
rename from .github/project-root-duplicates/settings.gradle.kts
rename to .github/dependabot-symlinks/settings.gradle.kts
diff --git a/.github/dependabot.yml b/.github/dependabot.yml
index 8219609f80e8..c6f20944d27e 100644
--- a/.github/dependabot.yml
+++ b/.github/dependabot.yml
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ updates:
   - package-ecosystem: "gradle"
     # need to scope gradle dependency updates down in this repo because most of the instrumentations
     # intentionally test against old library versions
-    directory: ".github/project-root-duplicates"
+    directory: "/.github/dependabot-symlinks"
     rebase-strategy: "disabled"
     schedule:
       interval: "daily"
diff --git a/include-conventions.gradle.kts b/include-conventions.gradle.kts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..cfa589b7ba32
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include-conventions.gradle.kts
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+// this file is only split out from settings.gradle.kts due to a dependabot limitation
+// for details see .github/project-root-duplicates/README.md
+includeBuild("conventions")
diff --git a/settings.gradle.kts b/settings.gradle.kts
index 7895ee15c188..c80b1b52f5b9 100644
--- a/settings.gradle.kts
+++ b/settings.gradle.kts
@@ -84,7 +84,9 @@ buildCache {
 
 rootProject.name = "opentelemetry-java-instrumentation"
 
-includeBuild("conventions")
+// this is only split out due to a dependabot limitation
+// for details see .github/project-root-duplicates/README.md
+apply(from = "include-conventions.gradle.kts")
 
 include(":custom-checks")