diff --git a/.asf.yaml b/.asf.yaml
index faf1a36e..990b9f93 100644
--- a/.asf.yaml
+++ b/.asf.yaml
@@ -22,4 +22,13 @@ github:
       required_conversation_resolution: false
 
   dependabot_alerts:  true
-  dependabot_updates: false
\ No newline at end of file
+  dependabot_updates: false
+  
+  # Configure ASF Inframail routing parameters
+  notifications:
+    commits:      commits@datasketches.apache.org
+    issues:       dev@datasketches.apache.org
+    pullrequests: dev@datasketches.apache.org
+    # Setting jobs to an empty string completely silences 
+    # GitHub Actions success/failure emails to the dev list.
+    jobs:         ""
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/placeholder.yml b/.github/workflows/placeholder.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..61e64aaf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/placeholder.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+name: Placeholder for Manual Trigger
+
+# Prototype skeleton to register the workflow name and manual dispatch 
+# switch with GitHub's UI on the default branch. 
+# This placeholder allows full testing inside development branches 
+#  for this .github/workflows/<filename>.
+# Once the developed WF is ready to push rename the developed WF to its real name.
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  placeholder:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Prototype Placeholder
+        run: echo "This is a placeholder. Run this workflow from your feature branch to execute the real deployment logic."
\ No newline at end of file