diff --git a/Barycentric_coordinates_2/examples/Barycentric_coordinates_2/CMakeLists.txt b/Barycentric_coordinates_2/examples/Barycentric_coordinates_2/CMakeLists.txt
index 547eb21203d..d5d5974e3b3 100644
--- a/Barycentric_coordinates_2/examples/Barycentric_coordinates_2/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Barycentric_coordinates_2/examples/Barycentric_coordinates_2/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 # Created by the script cgal_create_cmake_script.
 # This is the CMake script for compiling a CGAL application.
 
-project(Barycentric_coordinates_2_Examples)
-
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.1...3.23)
 
+project(Barycentric_coordinates_2_Examples)
+
 find_package(CGAL REQUIRED COMPONENTS Core)
 
 create_single_source_cgal_program("segment_coordinates.cpp")
diff --git a/Barycentric_coordinates_2/test/Barycentric_coordinates_2/CMakeLists.txt b/Barycentric_coordinates_2/test/Barycentric_coordinates_2/CMakeLists.txt
index 8dfd74dd75c..8884394ec83 100644
--- a/Barycentric_coordinates_2/test/Barycentric_coordinates_2/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Barycentric_coordinates_2/test/Barycentric_coordinates_2/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 # Created by the script cgal_create_cmake_script.
 # This is the CMake script for compiling a CGAL application.
 
-project(Barycentric_coordinates_2_Tests)
-
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.1...3.23)
 
+project(Barycentric_coordinates_2_Tests)
+
 find_package(CGAL REQUIRED COMPONENTS Core)
 
 create_single_source_cgal_program("test_almost_degenerate_segment.cpp")
diff --git a/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/examples/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/CMakeLists.txt b/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/examples/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/CMakeLists.txt
index 0fb6ae17322..040445e7b0e 100644
--- a/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/examples/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/examples/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 # Created by the script cgal_create_CMakeLists
 # This is the CMake script for compiling a set of CGAL applications.
 
-project(Polygonal_surface_reconstruction_Examples)
-
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.1...3.23)
 
+project(Polygonal_surface_reconstruction_Examples)
+
 # CGAL and its components
 find_package(CGAL REQUIRED)
 
diff --git a/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/test/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/CMakeLists.txt b/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/test/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/CMakeLists.txt
index 7b6a992ea95..0ce19ff5ae5 100644
--- a/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/test/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/test/Polygonal_surface_reconstruction/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 # Created by the script cgal_create_CMakeLists
 # This is the CMake script for compiling a set of CGAL applications.
 
-project(Polygonal_surface_reconstruction_Tests)
-
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.1...3.23)
 
+project(Polygonal_surface_reconstruction_Tests)
+
 # CGAL and its components
 find_package(CGAL REQUIRED)
 
diff --git a/Scripts/developer_scripts/test_merge_of_branch b/Scripts/developer_scripts/test_merge_of_branch
index 3d4aa099e76..f0ddcbc36fd 100755
--- a/Scripts/developer_scripts/test_merge_of_branch
+++ b/Scripts/developer_scripts/test_merge_of_branch
@@ -117,6 +117,30 @@ if [ -n "${project_name_demo}" ]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
+# check minimal version is the first instruction in cmake scripts
+echo '.. Checking if all CMakeLists.txt starts with cmake_minimum_required...'
+cmr_tests=$(for i in ^build*/test/*/CMakeLists.txt;     do pkg=$(echo $i | awk -F "/" '{print $3}'); res=$(egrep -v "^\s*#" $i  | grep -v "^\s*$" | head -n 1 | grep -v cmake_minimum_required); if [ -n "${res}" ]; then echo $pkg; fi; done)
+cmr_examples=$(for i in ^build*/examples/*/CMakeLists.txt; do pkg=$(echo $i | awk -F "/" '{print $3}'); res=$(egrep -v "^s*#" $i  | grep -v "^\s*$" | head -n 1 | grep -v cmake_minimum_required); if [ -n "${res}" ]; then echo $pkg; fi; done)
+cmr_demo=$(for i in ^build*/demo/*/CMakeLists.txt;     do pkg=$(echo $i | awk -F "/" '{print $3}'); res=$(egrep -v "^s*#" $i  | grep -v "^\s*$" | head -n 1 | grep -v cmake_minimum_required); if [ -n "${res}" ]; then echo $pkg; fi; done)
+
+if [ -n "${cmr_tests}" ]; then
+  echo "CMakeLists in test with issues:"
+  echo ${cmr_tests}
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ -n "${cmr_examples}" ]; then
+  echo "CMakeLists in examples with issues:"
+  echo ${cmr_examples}
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ -n "${cmr_demo}" ]; then
+  echo "CMakeLists in demo with issues:"
+  echo ${cmr_demo}
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 #check header files without SPDX license identifier
 echo '.. Checking SPDX license identifier presence in header files...'
 file_without_SPDX_identifiers=$(for pkg in `find */package_info -name 'license.txt' | awk -F "/" '{print $1}'`; do if [ -e ${pkg}/include ]; then find ${pkg}/include -type f \( -name '*.h' -o -name '*.hpp' \) | xargs -r grep -L "SPDX-License-Identifier"; fi; done)
diff --git a/Shape_regularization/examples/Shape_regularization/CMakeLists.txt b/Shape_regularization/examples/Shape_regularization/CMakeLists.txt
index adfb948e463..951cf0d3a9f 100644
--- a/Shape_regularization/examples/Shape_regularization/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Shape_regularization/examples/Shape_regularization/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 # Created by the script cgal_create_CMakeLists.
 # This is the CMake script for compiling a set of CGAL applications.
 
-project(Shape_regularization_Examples)
-
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.1...3.23)
 
+project(Shape_regularization_Examples)
+
 find_package(CGAL REQUIRED COMPONENTS Core)
 
 # Find OSQP library and headers.
diff --git a/Shape_regularization/test/Shape_regularization/CMakeLists.txt b/Shape_regularization/test/Shape_regularization/CMakeLists.txt
index 5bb7cc98ef3..deb8fea32be 100644
--- a/Shape_regularization/test/Shape_regularization/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Shape_regularization/test/Shape_regularization/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 # Created by the script cgal_create_CMakeLists.
 # This is the CMake script for compiling a set of CGAL applications.
 
-project(Shape_regularization_Tests)
-
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.1...3.23)
 
+project(Shape_regularization_Tests)
+
 find_package(CGAL REQUIRED COMPONENTS Core)
 
 # Find OSQP library and headers.
diff --git a/Weights/examples/Weights/CMakeLists.txt b/Weights/examples/Weights/CMakeLists.txt
index 4521e9cc475..0edac604a89 100644
--- a/Weights/examples/Weights/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Weights/examples/Weights/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 # Created by the script cgal_create_cmake_script.
 # This is the CMake script for compiling a CGAL application.
 
-project(Weights_Examples)
-
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.1...3.23)
 
+project(Weights_Examples)
+
 find_package(CGAL REQUIRED COMPONENTS Core)
 
 create_single_source_cgal_program("weights.cpp")
diff --git a/Weights/test/Weights/CMakeLists.txt b/Weights/test/Weights/CMakeLists.txt
index 9b7dddc43b7..90bb93b2ae5 100644
--- a/Weights/test/Weights/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Weights/test/Weights/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 # Created by the script cgal_create_cmake_script.
 # This is the CMake script for compiling a CGAL application.
 
-project(Weights_Tests)
-
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.1...3.23)
 
+project(Weights_Tests)
+
 find_package(CGAL REQUIRED COMPONENTS Core)
 
 create_single_source_cgal_program("test_uniform_weights.cpp")