diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yml b/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yml
index f01472c82..8867ce93e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-and-test.yml
@@ -67,6 +67,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check out xdg-desktop-portal
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: Check POTFILES.in
+        run: .github/workflows/check-potfiles.sh
+
       - name: Check out libportal fork with a similarly named branch
         id: libportal-branched
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-potfiles.sh b/.github/workflows/check-potfiles.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..39b673cae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-potfiles.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# FIXME stolen from gnome-control-center, GPLv2
+# This project is LGPLv2
+# https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-control-center/-/merge_requests/2269#note_2079291
+
+srcdirs="src document-portal"
+uidirs=$srcdirs
+desktopdirs=$srcdirs
+policydirs=$srcdirs
+xmldirs=$srcdirs
+
+# find source files that contain gettext functions with literal or GETTEXT_PACKAGE argument
+files=$(grep -lRs --include='*.c' 'gettext *(\("\|GETTEXT_PACKAGE,\)' $srcdirs)
+
+# find source files that contain gettext macros
+files="$files "$(grep -lRs --include='*.c' --include='*.h' '[^I_)]_(' $srcdirs)
+
+# find ui files that contain translatable string
+files="$files "$(grep -lRis --include='*.ui' 'translatable="[ty1]' $uidirs)
+
+# find .desktop files
+files="$files "$(find $desktopdirs -name '*.desktop*')
+
+# find .policy files
+files="$files "$(find $policydirs -name '*.policy*')
+
+# find .xml.in and .gschema.xml files
+files="$files "$(find $xmldirs -not -name '*.gresource.xml*' \
+                               -name '*.xml.in*' -o \
+                               -name '*.gschema.xml')
+
+# filter out excluded files
+if [ -f po/POTFILES.skip ]; then
+  files=$(for f in $files; do
+            ! grep -q "^$f" po/POTFILES.skip && echo "$f"
+          done)
+fi
+
+# find those that aren't listed in POTFILES.in
+missing=$(for f in $files; do
+            ! grep -q "^$f" po/POTFILES.in && echo "$f"
+          done)
+
+# find those that are listed in POTFILES.in but do not contain translatable strings
+invalid=$(while IFS= read -r f; do
+            ! grep -q "$f" <<< "$files" && echo "$f"
+          done < <(grep '^[^#]' po/POTFILES.in))
+
+# find out if POTFILES.in is sorted correctly, ignoring empty lines
+sorted=$(grep '^[^#]' po/POTFILES.in | \
+         LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8 sort -cu 2>&1 >/dev/null | \
+         awk -F ': *' '{print $5}')
+
+if [ ${#missing} -eq 0 ] && [ ${#invalid} -eq 0 ] && [ ${#sorted} -eq 0 ]; then
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+if [ ${#missing} -ne 0 ]; then
+  cat >&2 << EOT
+
+The following files are missing from po/POTFILES.in or po/POTFILES.skip:
+
+EOT
+  for f in $missing; do
+    echo "  $f" >&2
+  done
+fi
+
+if [ ${#invalid} -ne 0 ]; then
+  cat >&2 << EOT
+
+The following files are in po/POTFILES.in but are missing or not translatable:
+
+EOT
+  for f in $invalid; do
+    echo "  $f" >&2
+  done
+fi
+
+if [ ${#sorted} -ne 0 ]; then
+  cat >&2 << EOT
+
+The following file is not sorted properly in po/POTFILES.in:
+
+EOT
+  echo "  $sorted" >&2
+fi
+
+echo >&2
+
+exit 1