diff --git a/.github/workflows/daily_security.yml b/.github/workflows/daily_security.yml
index 5e2f2d4db..6942b316e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/daily_security.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/daily_security.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ permissions: {}
 jobs:
   audit:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    env:
+      # cargo-audit is compiled during this job, and its dependencies sometimes require a newer compiler than we pin in rust-toolchain.toml.
+      # Because the result of the check does not at all depend on the Rust compiler we just use the latest stable one here to save us some trouble.
+      RUSTUP_TOOLCHAIN: stable
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@9c091bb21b7c1c1d1991bb908d89e4e9dddfe3e0 # v7.0.0
         with:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr_security-checks.yml b/.github/workflows/pr_security-checks.yml
index 8bd96e258..95fd1b06c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr_security-checks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr_security-checks.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ env:
   CARGO_TERM_COLOR: always
   CARGO_INCREMENTAL: "0"
   CARGO_PROFILE_DEV_DEBUG: "0"
-  RUST_TOOLCHAIN_VERSION: "1.95.0"
+  RUST_TOOLCHAIN_VERSION: "1.97.1"
   RUSTFLAGS: "-D warnings"
   RUSTDOCFLAGS: "-D warnings"
   RUST_LOG: "info"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-docs.yml b/.github/workflows/publish-docs.yml
index 46e47b9d1..a9e9ae16f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-docs.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-docs.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ on:
       - crates/**
 
 env:
-  RUST_TOOLCHAIN_VERSION: "1.95.0"
+  RUST_TOOLCHAIN_VERSION: "1.97.1"
 
 permissions: {}
 
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index a51eaa14d..1bbbcdd63 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1082,7 +1082,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "39cab71617ae0d63f51a36d69f866391735b51691dbda63cf6f96d042b63efeb"
 dependencies = [
  "libc",
- "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+ "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1383,9 +1383,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "h2"
-version = "0.4.15"
+version = "0.4.18"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "6cb093c84e8bd9b188d4c4a8cb6579fc016968d14c99882163cd3ff402a4f155"
+checksum = "839c0e8a181239723652be9062bb56ca5bf5f64011f73b623f6f4fc59086a228"
 dependencies = [
  "atomic-waker",
  "bytes",
@@ -3259,7 +3259,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "errno",
  "libc",
  "linux-raw-sys",
- "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+ "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -3316,7 +3316,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "security-framework",
  "security-framework-sys",
  "webpki-root-certs",
- "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+ "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4100,7 +4100,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "getrandom 0.4.3",
  "once_cell",
  "rustix",
- "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+ "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4876,7 +4876,7 @@ version = "0.1.11"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "c2a7b1c03c876122aa43f3020e6c3c3ee5c05081c9a00739faf7503aeba10d22"
 dependencies = [
- "windows-sys 0.61.2",
+ "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
diff --git a/crates/stackable-operator/src/kvp/key.rs b/crates/stackable-operator/src/kvp/key.rs
index e4a44d41d..c053448dc 100644
--- a/crates/stackable-operator/src/kvp/key.rs
+++ b/crates/stackable-operator/src/kvp/key.rs
@@ -440,7 +440,7 @@ mod test {
         const EXAMPLE_PREFIX_STR: &str = "stackable.tech";
 
         let example_prefix = KeyPrefix::from_str(EXAMPLE_PREFIX_STR).expect("valid test prefix");
-        assert!(example_prefix == EXAMPLE_PREFIX_STR);
+        assert_eq!(example_prefix, EXAMPLE_PREFIX_STR);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ mod test {
         const EXAMPLE_NAME_STR: &str = "managed-by";
 
         let example_name = KeyName::from_str(EXAMPLE_NAME_STR).expect("valid test name");
-        assert!(example_name == EXAMPLE_NAME_STR);
+        assert_eq!(example_name, EXAMPLE_NAME_STR);
     }
 
     #[rstest]
diff --git a/crates/stackable-versioned-macros/src/codegen/container/struct/conversion.rs b/crates/stackable-versioned-macros/src/codegen/container/struct/conversion.rs
index 2cd7a544b..92bb09c52 100644
--- a/crates/stackable-versioned-macros/src/codegen/container/struct/conversion.rs
+++ b/crates/stackable-versioned-macros/src/codegen/container/struct/conversion.rs
@@ -543,7 +543,7 @@ impl Struct {
             .map(|version| {
                 format!(
                     "{group}/{version}",
-                    group = &spec_gen_ctx.kubernetes_arguments.group
+                    group = spec_gen_ctx.kubernetes_arguments.group
                 )
             })
             .collect::<Vec<_>>();
@@ -614,7 +614,7 @@ impl Struct {
         let api_versions = version_strings.iter().map(|version| {
             format!(
                 "{group}/{version}",
-                group = &spec_gen_ctx.kubernetes_arguments.group
+                group = spec_gen_ctx.kubernetes_arguments.group
             )
         });
 
diff --git a/crates/stackable-versioned-macros/src/codegen/container/struct/mod.rs b/crates/stackable-versioned-macros/src/codegen/container/struct/mod.rs
index 55204a105..8b4896a5a 100644
--- a/crates/stackable-versioned-macros/src/codegen/container/struct/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/stackable-versioned-macros/src/codegen/container/struct/mod.rs
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ impl Struct {
             .map(|version| {
                 format!(
                     "{group}/{version}",
-                    group = &spec_gen_ctx.kubernetes_arguments.group
+                    group = spec_gen_ctx.kubernetes_arguments.group
                 )
             })
             .collect::<Vec<_>>();
diff --git a/rust-toolchain.toml b/rust-toolchain.toml
index f92020c65..30a41bc1f 100644
--- a/rust-toolchain.toml
+++ b/rust-toolchain.toml
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 [toolchain]
-channel = "1.95.0"
+channel = "1.97.1"
 profile = "default"