diff --git a/.github/workflows/changelog.yml b/.github/workflows/changelog.yml
index 95d54da7bb..9ca83772a1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/changelog.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/changelog.yml
@@ -75,9 +75,7 @@ jobs:
             || { echo "New ./.chloggen/*.yaml file failed validation."; exit 1; }
 
       # In order to validate any links in the yaml file, render the config to markdown
-      - name: Render .chloggen changelog entries
+      - name: Run markdown-link-check on the changelog
         run: |
-          make chlog-preview 2> changelog_preview.md
-          cat changelog_preview.md
-      - name: Run markdown-link-check
-        run: make markdown-link-check-changelog-preview
+          make chlog-preview &> changelog_preview.md
+          make markdown-link-check-changelog-preview
diff --git a/.lychee.toml b/.lychee.toml
index 672bacfeb9..38599eea36 100644
--- a/.lychee.toml
+++ b/.lychee.toml
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ accept = ["200..=299", "403"]
 exclude = [
     "^https://www.foo.bar",
     # excluding links to pull requests and issues is done for performance
-    "^https://github.com/open-telemetry/semantic-conventions/(pull|issue)/\\d+$"
+    "^https://github.com/open-telemetry/semantic-conventions/(pull|issues)/\\d+$",
+    "^https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-specification/(pull|issues)/\\d+$"
 ]
 
 # better to be safe and avoid failures
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index a04d6aa7e9..722b76edbe 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -73,13 +73,18 @@ markdown-link-check:
 		lycheeverse/lychee \
 		--config home/repo/.lychee.toml \
 		--root-dir /home/repo \
-		-v \
+		--verbose \
 		home/repo
 
 .PHONY: markdown-link-check-changelog-preview
 markdown-link-check-changelog-preview:
-	@if ! npm ls markdown-link-check; then npm install; fi
-	npx --no -- markdown-link-check --quiet --config .markdown_link_check_config.json changelog_preview.md;
+	docker run --rm \
+		--mount 'type=bind,source=$(PWD),target=/home/repo' \
+		lycheeverse/lychee \
+		--config /home/repo/.lychee.toml \
+		--root-dir /home/repo \
+		--verbose \
+		home/repo/changelog_preview.md
 
 # This target runs markdown-toc on all files that contain
 # a comment <!-- tocstop -->.