diff --git a/.github/scripts/codeowners.js b/.github/scripts/codeowners.js
index 5d69c11b1a2..9b2f2922c01 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/codeowners.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/codeowners.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 //
 // Used by:
 //   - codeowner-review-request.yml
-//   - codeowner-approved-label.yml + codeowner-approved-label-update.yml
+//   - codeowner-approved-label-update.yml
 //   - auto-label-pr/detectors.js (detectCodeOwner)
 
 /**
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeowner-approved-label-update.yml b/.github/workflows/codeowner-approved-label-update.yml
index 9168cce1d6b..c2eb886913e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/codeowner-approved-label-update.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/codeowner-approved-label-update.yml
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
-# Fallback for fork PRs: phase 1 (codeowner-approved-label.yml) handles
-# non-fork PRs directly but can't write labels on fork PRs (read-only token).
-# This workflow re-determines the action and applies it if needed.
+# Adds/removes a 'code-owner-approved' label when a component-specific
+# codeowner approves (or dismisses) a PR.
+#
+# Uses pull_request_target so that fork PRs do not require workflow approval.
+# The label is reconciled on every PR update; for review events specifically,
+# this means the label is applied on the next push after a codeowner review.
 
-name: Codeowner Approved Label Update
+name: Codeowner Approved Label
 
 on:
-  workflow_run:
-    workflows: ["Codeowner Approved Label"]
-    types: [completed]
+  pull_request_target:
+    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, ready_for_review]
 
 permissions:
   issues: write
@@ -15,51 +17,23 @@ permissions:
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  update-label:
+  codeowner-approved:
     name: Run
-    if: >
-      github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' &&
-      github.event.workflow_run.event == 'pull_request_review'
+    if: ${{ github.repository == 'esphome/esphome' }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - name: Get PR details
-        id: pr
-        env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-          HEAD_SHA: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_sha }}
-          REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
-        run: |
-          pr_data=$(gh pr list --repo "$REPO" --state open --search "$HEAD_SHA" \
-            --json number,baseRefName --jq '.[0] // empty')
-
-          if [ -z "$pr_data" ]; then
-            echo "No open PR found for SHA $HEAD_SHA, skipping"
-            echo "skip=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-            exit 0
-          fi
-
-          pr_number=$(echo "$pr_data" | jq -r '.number')
-          base_ref=$(echo "$pr_data" | jq -r '.baseRefName')
-
-          echo "pr_number=$pr_number" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          echo "base_ref=$base_ref" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          echo "Found PR #$pr_number targeting $base_ref"
-
-      - name: Checkout base repository
-        if: steps.pr.outputs.skip != 'true'
+      - name: Checkout base branch
         uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
         with:
-          repository: ${{ github.repository }}
-          ref: ${{ steps.pr.outputs.base_ref }}
+          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}
           sparse-checkout: |
             .github/scripts/codeowners.js
             CODEOWNERS
 
-      - name: Update label
-        if: steps.pr.outputs.skip != 'true'
+      - name: Check codeowner approval and update label
         uses: actions/github-script@ed597411d8f924073f98dfc5c65a23a2325f34cd # v8.0.0
         env:
-          PR_NUMBER: ${{ steps.pr.outputs.pr_number }}
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
         with:
           script: |
             const { loadCodeowners, determineLabelAction, LabelAction } = require('./.github/scripts/codeowners.js');
@@ -76,6 +50,11 @@ jobs:
               github, owner, repo, pr_number, codeownersPatterns, LABEL_NAME
             );
 
+            if (action === LabelAction.NONE) {
+              console.log('No label change needed');
+              return;
+            }
+
             if (action === LabelAction.ADD) {
               await github.rest.issues.addLabels({
                 owner, repo, issue_number: pr_number, labels: [LABEL_NAME]
@@ -90,6 +69,4 @@ jobs:
               } catch (error) {
                 if (error.status !== 404) throw error;
               }
-            } else {
-              console.log('No label change needed');
             }
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codeowner-approved-label.yml b/.github/workflows/codeowner-approved-label.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 12199bd0b04..00000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/codeowner-approved-label.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,78 +0,0 @@
-# Adds/removes a 'code-owner-approved' label when a component-specific
-# codeowner approves (or dismisses) a PR.
-#
-# Handles non-fork PRs directly. For fork PRs the GITHUB_TOKEN is read-only,
-# so label writes are deferred to codeowner-approved-label-update.yml which
-# triggers via workflow_run with write permissions.
-
-name: Codeowner Approved Label
-
-on:
-  pull_request_review:
-    types: [submitted, dismissed]
-
-permissions:
-  issues: write
-  pull-requests: read
-  contents: read
-
-jobs:
-  codeowner-approved:
-    name: Run
-    if: ${{ github.repository == 'esphome/esphome' }}
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout base branch
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-        with:
-          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}
-          sparse-checkout: |
-            .github/scripts/codeowners.js
-            CODEOWNERS
-
-      - name: Check codeowner approval and update label
-        uses: actions/github-script@ed597411d8f924073f98dfc5c65a23a2325f34cd # v8.0.0
-        env:
-          PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { loadCodeowners, determineLabelAction, LabelAction } = require('./.github/scripts/codeowners.js');
-
-            const owner = context.repo.owner;
-            const repo = context.repo.repo;
-            const pr_number = parseInt(process.env.PR_NUMBER, 10);
-            const LABEL_NAME = 'code-owner-approved';
-
-            console.log(`Processing PR #${pr_number} for codeowner approval label`);
-
-            const codeownersPatterns = loadCodeowners();
-            const action = await determineLabelAction(
-              github, owner, repo, pr_number, codeownersPatterns, LABEL_NAME
-            );
-
-            if (action === LabelAction.NONE) {
-              console.log('No label change needed');
-              return;
-            }
-
-            try {
-              if (action === LabelAction.ADD) {
-                await github.rest.issues.addLabels({
-                  owner, repo, issue_number: pr_number, labels: [LABEL_NAME]
-                });
-                console.log(`Added '${LABEL_NAME}' label`);
-              } else if (action === LabelAction.REMOVE) {
-                await github.rest.issues.removeLabel({
-                  owner, repo, issue_number: pr_number, name: LABEL_NAME
-                });
-                console.log(`Removed '${LABEL_NAME}' label`);
-              }
-            } catch (error) {
-              if (error.status === 403) {
-                console.log('Fork PR: deferring label write to phase 2 workflow');
-              } else if (error.status === 404) {
-                console.log('Label already removed');
-              } else {
-                throw error;
-              }
-            }
diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp
index 3cbc8c2eac6..56a8d5c978a 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp
@@ -397,6 +397,48 @@ uint16_t APIConnection::fill_and_encode_entity_info_with_device_class(EntityBase
   return fill_and_encode_entity_info(entity, msg, size_fn, encode_fn, conn, remaining_size);
 }
 
+uint16_t APIConnection::fill_and_encode_entity_info(EntityBase *entity, InfoResponseProtoMessage &msg,
+                                                    uint8_t message_type, APIConnection *conn,
+                                                    uint32_t remaining_size) {
+  // Set common fields that are shared by all entity types
+  msg.key = entity->get_object_id_hash();
+
+  // API 1.14+ clients compute object_id client-side from the entity name
+  // For older clients, we must send object_id for backward compatibility
+  // See: https://github.com/esphome/backlog/issues/76
+  // TODO: Remove this backward compat code before 2026.7.0 - all clients should support API 1.14 by then
+  // Buffer must remain in scope until encode_message_to_buffer is called
+  char object_id_buf[OBJECT_ID_MAX_LEN];
+  if (!conn->client_supports_api_version(1, 14)) {
+    msg.object_id = entity->get_object_id_to(object_id_buf);
+  }
+
+  if (entity->has_own_name()) {
+    msg.name = entity->get_name();
+  }
+
+  // Set common EntityBase properties
+#ifdef USE_ENTITY_ICON
+  char icon_buf[MAX_ICON_LENGTH];
+  msg.icon = StringRef(entity->get_icon_to(icon_buf));
+#endif
+  msg.disabled_by_default = entity->is_disabled_by_default();
+  msg.entity_category = static_cast<enums::EntityCategory>(entity->get_entity_category());
+#ifdef USE_DEVICES
+  msg.device_id = entity->get_device_id();
+#endif
+  return encode_message_to_buffer(msg, message_type, conn, remaining_size);
+}
+
+uint16_t APIConnection::fill_and_encode_entity_info_with_device_class(EntityBase *entity, InfoResponseProtoMessage &msg,
+                                                                      StringRef &device_class_field,
+                                                                      uint8_t message_type, APIConnection *conn,
+                                                                      uint32_t remaining_size) {
+  char dc_buf[MAX_DEVICE_CLASS_LENGTH];
+  device_class_field = StringRef(entity->get_device_class_to(dc_buf));
+  return fill_and_encode_entity_info(entity, msg, message_type, conn, remaining_size);
+}
+
 #ifdef USE_BINARY_SENSOR
 bool APIConnection::send_binary_sensor_state(binary_sensor::BinarySensor *binary_sensor) {
   return this->send_message_smart_(binary_sensor, BinarySensorStateResponse::MESSAGE_TYPE,
diff --git a/esphome/components/e131/e131_addressable_light_effect.cpp b/esphome/components/e131/e131_addressable_light_effect.cpp
index 7d62f739a24..f6010a7cc9f 100644
--- a/esphome/components/e131/e131_addressable_light_effect.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/e131/e131_addressable_light_effect.cpp
@@ -54,8 +54,10 @@ bool E131AddressableLightEffect::process_(int universe, const E131Packet &packet
 
   int32_t output_offset = (universe - first_universe_) * get_lights_per_universe();
   // limit amount of lights per universe and received
+  // packet.count is the number of DMX bytes including start code; divide by channels to get the number of lights
+  int lights_in_packet = (packet.count > 0) ? (packet.count - 1) / channels_ : 0;
   int output_end =
-      std::min(it->size(), std::min(output_offset + get_lights_per_universe(), output_offset + packet.count - 1));
+      std::min(it->size(), std::min(output_offset + get_lights_per_universe(), output_offset + lights_in_packet));
   auto *input_data = packet.values + 1;
 
   auto effect_name = get_name();
diff --git a/esphome/components/esp32/__init__.py b/esphome/components/esp32/__init__.py
index a14d3af69ef..8ad84656ede 100644
--- a/esphome/components/esp32/__init__.py
+++ b/esphome/components/esp32/__init__.py
@@ -464,6 +464,8 @@ def only_on_variant(*, supported=None, unsupported=None, msg_prefix="This featur
         unsupported = [unsupported]
 
     def validator_(obj):
+        if not CORE.is_esp32:
+            raise cv.Invalid(f"{msg_prefix} is only available on ESP32")
         variant = get_esp32_variant()
         if supported is not None and variant not in supported:
             raise cv.Invalid(
diff --git a/esphome/components/esp32/gpio_esp32_p4.py b/esphome/components/esp32/gpio_esp32_p4.py
index b98b567da2c..2726c5932fa 100644
--- a/esphome/components/esp32/gpio_esp32_p4.py
+++ b/esphome/components/esp32/gpio_esp32_p4.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ def esp32_p4_validate_supports(value):
     is_input = mode[CONF_INPUT]
 
     if num < 0 or num > 54:
-        raise cv.Invalid(f"Invalid pin number: {value} (must be 0-54)")
+        raise cv.Invalid(f"Invalid pin number: {num} (must be 0-54)")
     if is_input:
         # All ESP32 pins support input mode
         pass
diff --git a/esphome/components/esp32/gpio_esp32_s3.py b/esphome/components/esp32/gpio_esp32_s3.py
index 71205046933..aea378f499d 100644
--- a/esphome/components/esp32/gpio_esp32_s3.py
+++ b/esphome/components/esp32/gpio_esp32_s3.py
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ _LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 def esp32_s3_validate_gpio_pin(value):
     if value < 0 or value > 48:
-        raise cv.Invalid(f"Invalid pin number: {value} (must be 0-46)")
+        raise cv.Invalid(f"Invalid pin number: {value} (must be 0-48)")
 
     if value in _ESP_32S3_SPI_PSRAM_PINS:
         raise cv.Invalid(
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ def esp32_s3_validate_supports(value):
     is_input = mode[CONF_INPUT]
 
     if num < 0 or num > 48:
-        raise cv.Invalid(f"Invalid pin number: {num} (must be 0-46)")
+        raise cv.Invalid(f"Invalid pin number: {num} (must be 0-48)")
     if is_input:
         # All ESP32 pins support input mode
         pass
diff --git a/esphome/components/hlk_fm22x/hlk_fm22x.cpp b/esphome/components/hlk_fm22x/hlk_fm22x.cpp
index 18d26f057a8..7c7c8782dee 100644
--- a/esphome/components/hlk_fm22x/hlk_fm22x.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/hlk_fm22x/hlk_fm22x.cpp
@@ -133,24 +133,22 @@ void HlkFm22xComponent::recv_command_() {
   checksum ^= byte;
   length |= byte;
 
-  if (length > HLK_FM22X_MAX_RESPONSE_SIZE) {
-    ESP_LOGE(TAG, "Response too large: %u bytes", length);
-    // Discard exactly the remaining payload and checksum for this frame
-    for (uint16_t i = 0; i < length + 1 && this->available() > 0; ++i)
-      this->read();
-    return;
-  }
-
+  // Read up to buffer size; discard excess bytes while still computing checksum
+  // GET_ALL_FACE_IDS can return all enrolled face data (hundreds of bytes)
+  // but handlers only need the first few bytes
+  size_t to_store = std::min(static_cast<size_t>(length), HLK_FM22X_MAX_RESPONSE_SIZE);
   for (uint16_t idx = 0; idx < length; ++idx) {
     byte = this->read();
     checksum ^= byte;
-    this->recv_buf_[idx] = byte;
+    if (idx < to_store) {
+      this->recv_buf_[idx] = byte;
+    }
   }
 
 #if ESPHOME_LOG_LEVEL >= ESPHOME_LOG_LEVEL_VERBOSE
   char hex_buf[format_hex_pretty_size(HLK_FM22X_MAX_RESPONSE_SIZE)];
   ESP_LOGV(TAG, "Recv type: 0x%.2X, data: %s", response_type,
-           format_hex_pretty_to(hex_buf, this->recv_buf_.data(), length));
+           format_hex_pretty_to(hex_buf, this->recv_buf_.data(), to_store));
 #endif
 
   byte = this->read();
@@ -160,10 +158,10 @@ void HlkFm22xComponent::recv_command_() {
   }
   switch (response_type) {
     case HlkFm22xResponseType::NOTE:
-      this->handle_note_(this->recv_buf_.data(), length);
+      this->handle_note_(this->recv_buf_.data(), to_store);
       break;
     case HlkFm22xResponseType::REPLY:
-      this->handle_reply_(this->recv_buf_.data(), length);
+      this->handle_reply_(this->recv_buf_.data(), to_store);
       break;
     default:
       ESP_LOGW(TAG, "Unexpected response type: 0x%.2X", response_type);
diff --git a/esphome/components/max6956/max6956.cpp b/esphome/components/max6956/max6956.cpp
index a350e66ee0e..ce45541b635 100644
--- a/esphome/components/max6956/max6956.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/max6956/max6956.cpp
@@ -111,6 +111,8 @@ void MAX6956::write_brightness_mode() {
 }
 
 void MAX6956::set_pin_brightness(uint8_t pin, float brightness) {
+  if (pin < MAX6956_MIN || pin > MAX6956_MAX)
+    return;
   uint8_t reg_addr = MAX6956_CURRENT_START + (pin - MAX6956_MIN) / 2;
   uint8_t config = 0;
   uint8_t shift = 4 * (pin % 2);
diff --git a/esphome/components/mipi_dsi/mipi_dsi.cpp b/esphome/components/mipi_dsi/mipi_dsi.cpp
index 4d45cfb7990..815b9d75a1d 100644
--- a/esphome/components/mipi_dsi/mipi_dsi.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/mipi_dsi/mipi_dsi.cpp
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ namespace mipi_dsi {
 static constexpr size_t MIPI_DSI_MAX_CMD_LOG_BYTES = 64;
 
 static bool notify_refresh_ready(esp_lcd_panel_handle_t panel, esp_lcd_dpi_panel_event_data_t *edata, void *user_ctx) {
-  auto *sem = static_cast<SemaphoreHandle_t *>(user_ctx);
+  auto sem = static_cast<SemaphoreHandle_t>(user_ctx);
   BaseType_t need_yield = pdFALSE;
   xSemaphoreGiveFromISR(sem, &need_yield);
   return (need_yield == pdTRUE);
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ void MIPI_DSI::draw_pixels_at(int x_start, int y_start, int w, int h, const uint
   if (bitness != this->color_depth_) {
     display::Display::draw_pixels_at(x_start, y_start, w, h, ptr, order, bitness, big_endian, x_offset, y_offset,
                                      x_pad);
+    return;
   }
   this->write_to_display_(x_start, y_start, w, h, ptr, x_offset, y_offset, x_pad);
 }
diff --git a/esphome/components/rtttl/rtttl.cpp b/esphome/components/rtttl/rtttl.cpp
index 4ccfc539eac..9bf0450993c 100644
--- a/esphome/components/rtttl/rtttl.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/rtttl/rtttl.cpp
@@ -29,11 +29,6 @@ static constexpr uint8_t REPEATING_NOTE_GAP_MS = 10;
 static constexpr uint16_t SAMPLE_BUFFER_SIZE = 2048;
 static constexpr uint16_t SAMPLE_RATE = 16000;
 
-struct SpeakerSample {
-  int8_t left{0};
-  int8_t right{0};
-};
-
 inline double deg2rad(double degrees) {
   static constexpr double PI_ON_180 = M_PI / 180.0;
   return degrees * PI_ON_180;
@@ -108,6 +103,9 @@ void Rtttl::loop() {
       }
     } else if (this->state_ == State::INIT) {
       if (this->speaker_->is_stopped()) {
+        audio::AudioStreamInfo audio_stream_info = audio::AudioStreamInfo(16, 1, SAMPLE_RATE);
+        this->speaker_->set_audio_stream_info(audio_stream_info);
+        this->speaker_->set_volume(this->gain_);
         this->speaker_->start();
         this->set_state_(State::STARTING);
       }
@@ -120,35 +118,27 @@ void Rtttl::loop() {
       return;
     }
     if (this->samples_sent_ != this->samples_count_) {
-      SpeakerSample sample[SAMPLE_BUFFER_SIZE + 2];
+      int16_t sample[SAMPLE_BUFFER_SIZE];
       uint16_t sample_index = 0;
       double rem = 0.0;
 
-      while (true) {
+      while (sample_index < SAMPLE_BUFFER_SIZE && this->samples_sent_ < this->samples_count_) {
         // Try and send out the remainder of the existing note, one per `loop()`
         if (this->samples_per_wave_ != 0 && this->samples_sent_ >= this->samples_gap_) {  // Play note
           rem = ((this->samples_sent_ << 10) % this->samples_per_wave_) * (360.0 / this->samples_per_wave_);
-
-          int8_t val = (127 * this->gain_) * sin(deg2rad(rem));
-
-          sample[sample_index].left = val;
-          sample[sample_index].right = val;
+          sample[sample_index] = INT16_MAX * sin(deg2rad(rem));
         } else {
-          sample[sample_index].left = 0;
-          sample[sample_index].right = 0;
-        }
-
-        if (sample_index >= SAMPLE_BUFFER_SIZE || this->samples_sent_ >= this->samples_count_) {
-          break;
+          sample[sample_index] = 0;
         }
         this->samples_sent_++;
         sample_index++;
       }
       if (sample_index > 0) {
-        size_t bytes_to_send = sample_index * sizeof(SpeakerSample);
-        size_t send = this->speaker_->play((uint8_t *) (&sample), bytes_to_send);
-        if (send != bytes_to_send) {
-          this->samples_sent_ -= (sample_index - (send / sizeof(SpeakerSample)));
+        size_t bytes = sample_index * sizeof(int16_t);
+        size_t sent_bytes = this->speaker_->play((uint8_t *) (&sample), bytes);
+        size_t samples_sent = sent_bytes / sizeof(int16_t);
+        if (samples_sent != sample_index) {
+          this->samples_sent_ -= (sample_index - samples_sent);
         }
         return;
       }
@@ -408,11 +398,7 @@ void Rtttl::finish_() {
 
 #ifdef USE_SPEAKER
   if (this->speaker_ != nullptr) {
-    SpeakerSample sample[2];
-    sample[0].left = 0;
-    sample[0].right = 0;
-    sample[1].left = 0;
-    sample[1].right = 0;
+    int16_t sample[2] = {0, 0};
     this->speaker_->play((uint8_t *) (&sample), sizeof(sample));
     this->speaker_->finish();
     this->set_state_(State::STOPPING);
diff --git a/esphome/components/sgp4x/sgp4x.cpp b/esphome/components/sgp4x/sgp4x.cpp
index 23589265ca0..44d0a54080b 100644
--- a/esphome/components/sgp4x/sgp4x.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/sgp4x/sgp4x.cpp
@@ -35,13 +35,9 @@ void SGP4xComponent::setup() {
     this->self_test_time_ = SPG40_SELFTEST_TIME;
     this->measure_time_ = SGP40_MEASURE_TIME;
     if (this->nox_sensor_) {
-      ESP_LOGE(TAG, "SGP41 required for NOx");
-      // disable the sensor
-      this->nox_sensor_->set_disabled_by_default(true);
-      // make sure it's not visible in HA
-      this->nox_sensor_->set_internal(true);
-      this->nox_sensor_->state = NAN;
-      // remove pointer to sensor
+      ESP_LOGE(TAG, "SGP41 required for NOx, disabling NOx sensor");
+      // Drop the pointer so update() never publishes to it.
+      // The entity remains registered but will never receive state updates.
       this->nox_sensor_ = nullptr;
     }
   } else if (featureset == SGP41_FEATURESET) {
diff --git a/esphome/components/sx126x/sx126x.cpp b/esphome/components/sx126x/sx126x.cpp
index 64cd24b1713..ec62fad10af 100644
--- a/esphome/components/sx126x/sx126x.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/sx126x/sx126x.cpp
@@ -155,7 +155,8 @@ void SX126x::configure() {
   }
 
   // check silicon version to make sure hw is ok
-  this->read_register_(REG_VERSION_STRING, (uint8_t *) this->version_, 16);
+  this->read_register_(REG_VERSION_STRING, (uint8_t *) this->version_, sizeof(this->version_));
+  this->version_[sizeof(this->version_) - 1] = '\0';
   if (strncmp(this->version_, "SX126", 5) != 0 && strncmp(this->version_, "LLCC68", 6) != 0) {
     this->mark_failed();
     return;
diff --git a/esphome/components/sx127x/sx127x.cpp b/esphome/components/sx127x/sx127x.cpp
index f6aa11b6347..66957a73424 100644
--- a/esphome/components/sx127x/sx127x.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/sx127x/sx127x.cpp
@@ -260,6 +260,11 @@ SX127xError SX127x::transmit_packet(const std::vector<uint8_t> &packet) {
     return SX127xError::INVALID_PARAMS;
   }
 
+  if (this->dio0_pin_ == nullptr) {
+    ESP_LOGE(TAG, "DIO0 pin not configured, cannot wait for transmit completion");
+    return SX127xError::INVALID_PARAMS;
+  }
+
   SX127xError ret = SX127xError::NONE;
   if (this->modulation_ == MOD_LORA) {
     this->set_mode_standby();
diff --git a/esphome/core/config.py b/esphome/core/config.py
index 2e59c2ad766..d4a839cb795 100644
--- a/esphome/core/config.py
+++ b/esphome/core/config.py
@@ -224,9 +224,11 @@ else:
 FRIENDLY_NAME_MAX_LEN = 120
 
 # Max device class string length (47 chars + null = 48-byte PROGMEM buffer)
-# Keep in sync with MAX_DEVICE_CLASS_LENGTH in esphome/core/entity_base.h
+# Keep in sync with MAX_DEVICE_CLASS_LENGTH in esphome/core/entity_base.h:
+# DEVICE_CLASS_MAX_LENGTH == MAX_DEVICE_CLASS_LENGTH - 1 (C++ includes the null)
 DEVICE_CLASS_MAX_LENGTH = 47
 
+
 # Max icon string length (63 chars + null = 64-byte PROGMEM buffer)
 # Keep in sync with MAX_ICON_LENGTH in esphome/core/entity_base.h
 ICON_MAX_LENGTH = 63
diff --git a/esphome/core/entity_base.cpp b/esphome/core/entity_base.cpp
index 5daba1a8fac..3274640eb34 100644
--- a/esphome/core/entity_base.cpp
+++ b/esphome/core/entity_base.cpp
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ static const char *const TAG = "entity_base";
 // Entity Name
 const StringRef &EntityBase::get_name() const { return this->name_; }
 
-void EntityBase::configure_entity(const char *name, uint32_t object_id_hash, uint32_t entity_strings_packed) {
+void EntityBase::configure_entity_(const char *name, uint32_t object_id_hash, uint32_t entity_strings_packed) {
   this->name_ = StringRef(name);
   if (this->name_.empty()) {
 #ifdef USE_DEVICES
diff --git a/esphome/core/entity_base.h b/esphome/core/entity_base.h
index d31ebb6bb6e..accd532b0d0 100644
--- a/esphome/core/entity_base.h
+++ b/esphome/core/entity_base.h
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@
 #include "device.h"
 #endif
 
+// Forward declarations for friend access from codegen-generated setup()
+void setup();           // NOLINT(readability-redundant-declaration) - may be declared in Arduino.h
+void original_setup();  // NOLINT(readability-redundant-declaration) - used by cpp unit tests
+
 namespace esphome {
 
 // Extern lookup functions for entity string tables.
@@ -57,9 +61,6 @@ class EntityBase {
   // Get the name of this Entity
   const StringRef &get_name() const;
 
-  /// Combined entity setup from codegen: set name, object_id hash, and entity string indices.
-  void configure_entity(const char *name, uint32_t object_id_hash, uint32_t entity_strings_packed);
-
   // Get whether this Entity has its own name or it should use the device friendly_name.
   bool has_own_name() const { return this->flags_.has_own_name; }
 
@@ -104,7 +105,7 @@ class EntityBase {
   }
 
   // Get this entity's device class into a stack buffer.
-  // On ESP32: returns pointer to PROGMEM string directly (buffer unused).
+  // On non-ESP8266: returns pointer to PROGMEM string directly (buffer unused).
   // On ESP8266: copies from PROGMEM to buffer, returns buffer pointer.
   const char *get_device_class_to(std::span<char, MAX_DEVICE_CLASS_LENGTH> buffer) const;
 
@@ -224,6 +225,12 @@ class EntityBase {
   }
 
  protected:
+  friend void ::setup();
+  friend void ::original_setup();
+
+  /// Combined entity setup from codegen: set name, object_id hash, and entity string indices.
+  void configure_entity_(const char *name, uint32_t object_id_hash, uint32_t entity_strings_packed);
+
   /// Non-template helper for make_entity_preference() to avoid code bloat.
   /// When preference hash algorithm changes, migration logic goes here.
   ESPPreferenceObject make_entity_preference_(size_t size, uint32_t version);
diff --git a/esphome/core/entity_helpers.py b/esphome/core/entity_helpers.py
index 3be3282bc4a..4fa109fb0e1 100644
--- a/esphome/core/entity_helpers.py
+++ b/esphome/core/entity_helpers.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ _KEY_ICON_IDX = "_entity_icon_idx"
 _KEY_ENTITY_NAME = "_entity_name"
 _KEY_OBJECT_ID_HASH = "_entity_object_id_hash"
 
-# Bit layout for entity_strings_packed in configure_entity() — must match C++ in entity_base.h:
+# Bit layout for entity_strings_packed in configure_entity_() — must match C++ in entity_base.h:
 #   [23..16] icon (8 bits) | [15..8] UoM (8 bits) | [7..0] device_class (8 bits)
 _DC_SHIFT = 0
 _UOM_SHIFT = 8
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ def setup_unit_of_measurement(config: ConfigType) -> None:
 
 
 def finalize_entity_strings(var: MockObj, config: ConfigType) -> None:
-    """Emit a single configure_entity() call with name, hash, and packed string indices.
+    """Emit a single configure_entity_() call with name, hash, and packed string indices.
 
     Call this at the end of each component's setup function, after
     setup_entity() and any register_device_class/register_unit_of_measurement calls.
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ def finalize_entity_strings(var: MockObj, config: ConfigType) -> None:
     uom_idx = config.get(_KEY_UOM_IDX, 0)
     icon_idx = config.get(_KEY_ICON_IDX, 0)
     packed = (dc_idx << _DC_SHIFT) | (uom_idx << _UOM_SHIFT) | (icon_idx << _ICON_SHIFT)
-    add(var.configure_entity(entity_name, object_id_hash, packed))
+    add(var.configure_entity_(entity_name, object_id_hash, packed))
 
 
 def get_base_entity_object_id(
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ async def _setup_entity_impl(var: MockObj, config: ConfigType, platform: str) ->
         device: MockObj = await get_variable(device_id_obj)
         add(var.set_device(device))
 
-    # Pre-compute entity name and object_id hash for configure_entity()
+    # Pre-compute entity name and object_id hash for configure_entity_()
     # which is emitted later by finalize_entity_strings().
     # For named entities: pre-compute hash from entity name
     # For empty-name entities: pass 0, C++ calculates hash at runtime from
diff --git a/esphome/core/event_pool.h b/esphome/core/event_pool.h
index 928a4e7dee2..99541d4a179 100644
--- a/esphome/core/event_pool.h
+++ b/esphome/core/event_pool.h
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #pragma once
 
-#if defined(USE_ESP32)
+#if defined(USE_ESP32) || defined(USE_ZEPHYR)
 
 #include <atomic>
 #include <cstddef>
diff --git a/tests/component_tests/binary_sensor/test_binary_sensor.py b/tests/component_tests/binary_sensor/test_binary_sensor.py
index d36d4a4e10a..fbc2f37d9a1 100644
--- a/tests/component_tests/binary_sensor/test_binary_sensor.py
+++ b/tests/component_tests/binary_sensor/test_binary_sensor.py
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ def test_binary_sensor_sets_mandatory_fields(generate_main):
     )
 
     # Then
-    assert 'bs_1->configure_entity("test bs1",' in main_cpp
+    assert 'bs_1->configure_entity_("test bs1",' in main_cpp
     assert "bs_1->set_pin(" in main_cpp
 
 
diff --git a/tests/component_tests/button/test_button.py b/tests/component_tests/button/test_button.py
index da90f2c1a55..9f94d61c8c4 100644
--- a/tests/component_tests/button/test_button.py
+++ b/tests/component_tests/button/test_button.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ def test_button_sets_mandatory_fields(generate_main):
     main_cpp = generate_main("tests/component_tests/button/test_button.yaml")
 
     # Then
-    assert 'wol_1->configure_entity("wol_test_1",' in main_cpp
+    assert 'wol_1->configure_entity_("wol_test_1",' in main_cpp
     assert "wol_2->set_macaddr(18, 52, 86, 120, 144, 171);" in main_cpp
 
 
diff --git a/tests/component_tests/sensor/test_sensor.py b/tests/component_tests/sensor/test_sensor.py
index c489f99b503..1fd9322c079 100644
--- a/tests/component_tests/sensor/test_sensor.py
+++ b/tests/component_tests/sensor/test_sensor.py
@@ -11,4 +11,4 @@ def test_sensor_device_class_set(generate_main):
     main_cpp = generate_main("tests/component_tests/sensor/test_sensor.yaml")
 
     # Then
-    assert "s_1->configure_entity(" in main_cpp
+    assert "s_1->configure_entity_(" in main_cpp
diff --git a/tests/component_tests/text/test_text.py b/tests/component_tests/text/test_text.py
index 2d168aa79dd..3ceaa9b8f81 100644
--- a/tests/component_tests/text/test_text.py
+++ b/tests/component_tests/text/test_text.py
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ def test_text_sets_mandatory_fields(generate_main):
     main_cpp = generate_main("tests/component_tests/text/test_text.yaml")
 
     # Then
-    assert 'it_1->configure_entity("test 1 text",' in main_cpp
+    assert 'it_1->configure_entity_("test 1 text",' in main_cpp
 
 
 def test_text_config_value_internal_set(generate_main):
diff --git a/tests/component_tests/text_sensor/test_text_sensor.py b/tests/component_tests/text_sensor/test_text_sensor.py
index 2203cce5617..cdbb9d2b66e 100644
--- a/tests/component_tests/text_sensor/test_text_sensor.py
+++ b/tests/component_tests/text_sensor/test_text_sensor.py
@@ -25,9 +25,9 @@ def test_text_sensor_sets_mandatory_fields(generate_main):
     main_cpp = generate_main("tests/component_tests/text_sensor/test_text_sensor.yaml")
 
     # Then
-    assert 'ts_1->configure_entity("Template Text Sensor 1",' in main_cpp
-    assert 'ts_2->configure_entity("Template Text Sensor 2",' in main_cpp
-    assert 'ts_3->configure_entity("Template Text Sensor 3",' in main_cpp
+    assert 'ts_1->configure_entity_("Template Text Sensor 1",' in main_cpp
+    assert 'ts_2->configure_entity_("Template Text Sensor 2",' in main_cpp
+    assert 'ts_3->configure_entity_("Template Text Sensor 3",' in main_cpp
 
 
 def test_text_sensor_config_value_internal_set(generate_main):
@@ -54,5 +54,5 @@ def test_text_sensor_device_class_set(generate_main):
     main_cpp = generate_main("tests/component_tests/text_sensor/test_text_sensor.yaml")
 
     # Then
-    assert "ts_2->configure_entity(" in main_cpp
-    assert "ts_3->configure_entity(" in main_cpp
+    assert "ts_2->configure_entity_(" in main_cpp
+    assert "ts_3->configure_entity_(" in main_cpp
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/core/test_entity_helpers.py b/tests/unit_tests/core/test_entity_helpers.py
index 0c38b2ef840..1169f5baa32 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/core/test_entity_helpers.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/core/test_entity_helpers.py
@@ -32,10 +32,10 @@ from esphome.helpers import sanitize, snake_case
 
 from .common import load_config_from_fixture
 
-# Pre-compiled regex pattern for extracting names from configure_entity/set_name calls
-# Matches: .configure_entity("name", ...) or .set_name("name", ...)
+# Pre-compiled regex pattern for extracting names from configure_entity_/set_name calls
+# Matches: .configure_entity_("name", ...) or .set_name("name", ...)
 ENTITY_NAME_PATTERN = re.compile(
-    r'\.(?:configure_entity|set_name)\(["\']([^"\']*)["\']'
+    r'\.(?:configure_entity_|set_name)\(["\']([^"\']*)["\']'
 )
 
 FIXTURES_DIR = Path(__file__).parent.parent / "fixtures" / "core" / "entity_helpers"
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ def extract_object_id_from_config(config: dict[str, Any]) -> str | None:
 
 
 def extract_object_id_from_expressions(expressions: list[str]) -> str | None:
-    """Extract the object ID from configure_entity() calls in generated expressions."""
+    """Extract the object ID from configure_entity_() calls in generated expressions."""
     for expr in expressions:
         if match := ENTITY_NAME_PATTERN.search(expr):
             name = match.group(1)
@@ -971,7 +971,7 @@ async def test_setup_entity_direct_call(setup_test_environment: list[str]) -> No
     # Direct call mode: await setup_entity(var, config, "camera")
     await setup_entity(var, config, "camera")
 
-    # Should have emitted configure_entity
+    # Should have emitted configure_entity_
     object_id = extract_object_id_from_expressions(added_expressions)
     assert object_id == "my_camera"