diff --git a/fontc_crater/README.md b/fontc_crater/README.md
index c7d9e07a..9f25f34e 100644
--- a/fontc_crater/README.md
+++ b/fontc_crater/README.md
@@ -24,13 +24,19 @@ To run in CI mode locally to play with the html output:
 When run in CI, we want to ensure that we have complete control over the set of
 python pacakges we are comparing against; to ensure this we use `pip-compile`
 (part of [`pip-tools`]) to generate a pinned `requirements.txt` from a
-`requirements.in` file in the root `resources/scripts` directory. To update the
-set of python packages in use, you need to update this file:
+`requirements.in` file in the root `resources/scripts` directory. 
 
-- make sure you have pip-tools installed (`python -m pip install pip-tools`)
-- delete `resources/scripts/requirements.txt`
-- run `pip-compile resources/scripts/requirements.in`
-- commit the new `requirements.txt` file.
+To update the set of python packages in use, you need to update this file:
+
+```shell
+# Make sure you have pip-tools
+$ python -m pip install pip-tools
+
+# Rebuild the file
+$ pip-compile resources/scripts/requirements.in
+
+# Commit updated file
+```
 
 ```shell
 # clone git@github.com:googlefonts/fontc_crater.git somewhere, we'll assume at ../fontc_crater
diff --git a/resources/scripts/requirements.txt b/resources/scripts/requirements.txt
index 88e0d7aa..4902d8a3 100644
--- a/resources/scripts/requirements.txt
+++ b/resources/scripts/requirements.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #
-# This file is autogenerated by pip-compile with Python 3.12
+# This file is autogenerated by pip-compile with Python 3.9
 # by the following command:
 #
 #    pip-compile resources/scripts/requirements.in
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ attrs==24.2.0
     #   ufolib2
 axisregistry==0.4.11
     # via gftools
-babelfont==3.0.5
+babelfont==3.1.0
     # via gftools
 beautifulsoup4==4.12.3
     # via gftools
@@ -68,12 +68,12 @@ defcon[lxml,pens]==0.10.3
     #   ufoprocessor
 deprecated==1.2.14
     # via pygithub
+exceptiongroup==1.2.2
+    # via cattrs
 font-v==2.1.0
     # via gftools
 fontfeatures==1.8.0
-    # via
-    #   babelfont
-    #   gftools
+    # via gftools
 fontmake[json,repacker]==3.10.0
     # via
     #   -r resources/scripts/requirements.in
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ fontmath==0.9.4
     #   mutatormath
     #   ufo2ft
     #   ufoprocessor
-fontparts==0.12.2
+fontparts==0.12.3
     # via ufoprocessor
 fontpens==0.2.4
     # via defcon
@@ -117,7 +117,6 @@ fonttools[lxml,repacker,ufo,unicode,woff]==4.54.1
     #   ufolib2
     #   ufomerge
     #   ufoprocessor
-    #   vfblib
     #   vharfbuzz
     #   vttlib
 fs==2.4.16
@@ -138,10 +137,9 @@ gitpython==3.1.43
     # via font-v
 glyphsets==1.0.0
     # via gftools
-glyphslib==6.9.4
+glyphslib==6.9.5
     # via
     #   -r resources/scripts/requirements.in
-    #   babelfont
     #   bumpfontversion
     #   fontmake
     #   gftools
@@ -172,7 +170,7 @@ mutatormath==3.0.1
     # via ufoprocessor
 nanoemoji==0.15.1
     # via gftools
-networkx==3.4.2
+networkx==3.2.1
     # via gftools
 ninja==1.11.1.1
     # via
@@ -189,7 +187,7 @@ orjson==3.10.11
     # via
     #   babelfont
     #   ufolib2
-packaging==24.1
+packaging==24.2
     # via gftools
 picosvg==0.22.1
     # via nanoemoji
@@ -267,8 +265,9 @@ ttfautohint-py==0.5.1
     # via gftools
 typing-extensions==4.12.2
     # via
+    #   cattrs
     #   pygithub
-    #   vfblib
+    #   rich
 ufo2ft[cffsubr,compreffor]==3.3.1
     # via
     #   fontmake
@@ -281,14 +280,13 @@ ufolib2[json]==0.16.1
     #   glyphslib
     #   nanoemoji
     #   ufomerge
-    #   vfblib
     #   vttlib
 ufomerge==1.8.2
-    # via gftools
-ufonormalizer==0.6.2
     # via
-    #   afdko
-    #   vfblib
+    #   babelfont
+    #   gftools
+ufonormalizer==0.6.2
+    # via afdko
 ufoprocessor==1.13.1
     # via afdko
 uharfbuzz==0.42.0
@@ -305,14 +303,14 @@ urllib3==2.2.3
     # via
     #   pygithub
     #   requests
-vfblib==0.7.1
-    # via babelfont
 vharfbuzz==0.3.1
     # via gftools
 vttlib==0.12.0
     # via gftools
 wrapt==1.16.0
     # via deprecated
+zipp==3.21.0
+    # via importlib-resources
 zopfli==0.2.3.post1
     # via
     #   fonttools