The authors replies to the comment made by Yang and Zhou (2024 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor.) on his 2015 paper entitled 'Critical points of Potts and O(N) models from eigenvalue identities in periodic Temperley–Lieb algebras' (Jacobsen 2015 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 48 454003). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]