diff --git a/.claude/rules/releases-use-script.md b/.claude/rules/releases-use-script.md
index e84ae3c..4d209a4 100644
--- a/.claude/rules/releases-use-script.md
+++ b/.claude/rules/releases-use-script.md
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ When the user asks for a "new release" (or equivalent wording), always use `.git
 - If bump type is unclear, ask a single clarifying question before running the script.
 - Do not manually edit `CHANGELOG.md`, `VERSION`, create tags, or craft release commits as a substitute for the script.
 - Run the script as the source of truth for release preparation steps.
+- Open a PR against `main`; after merge, CI alone creates the tag and publishes the GitHub release. Do not run local `publish` when the release policy is present.
 
 Examples:
 - "new release" -> ask whether `major`, `minor`, or `patch`, then run `.github/scripts/release.sh <type>`.
diff --git a/.github/release-policy.json b/.github/release-policy.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2502b36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/release-policy.json
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+{
+  "release_branch": "main",
+  "version": {
+    "path": "VERSION",
+    "format": "text"
+  },
+  "mirrors": [],
+  "tag_prefix": "v",
+  "changelog": "CHANGELOG.md",
+  "outputs": {
+    "github_release": true,
+    "packages": []
+  }
+}
diff --git a/.github/scripts/release.sh b/.github/scripts/release.sh
index 11db1d9..29a0f06 100755
--- a/.github/scripts/release.sh
+++ b/.github/scripts/release.sh
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ This script:
   3) Creates a commit
   4) Leaves the commit on the current feature branch for a PR
 
-After that PR merges, run publish on updated main to tag and push the merged commit.
+After that PR merges, CI validates the merged commit, creates its tag and publishes the release.
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -216,4 +216,4 @@ git commit -m "chore(release): ${tag}"
 echo "Release prepared."
 echo "- Version: ${effective_version} -> ${version} (VERSION file before bump: ${current_version})"
 echo "- Commit created locally: chore(release): ${tag}"
-echo "- Open a PR to main, then run .github/scripts/release.sh publish on updated main."
\ No newline at end of file
+echo "- Open a PR to main; CI creates the tag and publishes the release after merge."
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..378e6be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+name: Publish release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags: ["v[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*"]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
+jobs:
+  publish:
+    uses: BehindTheMusicTree/github-workflows/.github/workflows/release-github.yml@91a81d064801fe3c2e460882067220b3cb39d542
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c8f6f2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+name: Release tag
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  release-tag:
+    uses: BehindTheMusicTree/github-workflows/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml@73148058f64deee76f076689f72ca4455fb19ec1
+    with:
+      app-id: ${{ vars.RELEASE_APP_ID }}
+    secrets:
+      release-app-private-key: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0910976..34032e7 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -52,6 +52,10 @@ All contributors (including maintainers) should update `CHANGELOG.md` when creat
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Changed
+
+- Adopt CI-owned tags and changelog-based GitHub publication for this repository, preserving script-based release preparation.
+
 ### Added
 
 - Verify existing npm artifacts by name, version and archive integrity when resuming partial multi-package publications.
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 924f363..5e50ddf 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -188,8 +188,10 @@ Releases are made from `main`.
 1. Create a feature branch from an up-to-date `main`.
 2. Run `.github/scripts/release.sh minor` (or `patch` / `major`) on the feature branch. The script updates the changelog and version and commits them without creating a tag.
 3. Push the branch, open a PR to `main`, and merge it after review and checks.
-4. Update a clean local `main` to the merged commit, then run `.github/scripts/release.sh publish`. The script checks that `main` matches `origin/main`, creates the version tag on the merged commit, and pushes it.
-5. Optionally create a GitHub Release from that tag and include the version's changelog section.
+4. CI validates the release policy, canonical `VERSION`, nonempty matching changelog notes and main ancestry. It creates an annotated tag on the exact merged commit through the release App.
+5. The tag workflow publishes the GitHub Release using those changelog notes. Rerun a failed workflow to recover; an existing release is retained. Local `publish` is refused once `.github/release-policy.json` is present.
+
+Initial adoption keeps version 5.0.1 and creates no tag. App access and tag protections are activated separately in `github-config` before preparing a subsequent release. The reusable workflows in this repository remain pinned by consumers; this adoption does not repin them.
 
 ## License & Attribution
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2004eb8..dad711a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ Before enabling a caller, configure separate tag rulesets: creation permits the
 
 Activation and changes to the contract must land in a separate push from a version bump. Activation validates the current version, mirrors and changelog but never tags it, including an existing version with no tag. A subsequent push with no bump also produces no tag. For an established contract, a bump must increase the version and leave the policy unchanged; all mirrors and its changelog section must match. The version comparison uses the push's before/after commits, never the current branch tip. Force pushes and newly created branch events fail closed.
 
-Prepare version and changelog in a PR using the project's own tools. In this repository, `.github/scripts/release.sh major|minor|patch` prepares a commit on a feature branch. Its legacy `publish` command remains available to repositories without the CI policy; once `.github/release-policy.json` exists, manual publication is refused. This foundation PR does not activate automatic tagging for github-workflows itself.
+Prepare version and changelog in a PR using the project's own tools. In this repository, `.github/scripts/release.sh major|minor|patch` prepares a commit on a feature branch. Its legacy `publish` command remains available to repositories without the CI policy; once `.github/release-policy.json` exists, manual publication is refused. This repository declares its own `VERSION` policy and uses pinned callers for tagging and GitHub publication. Initial adoption keeps version 5.0.1 and produces no tag; App access and protections are activated separately in `github-config`.
 
 Validation runs without App secrets and checks ancestry against fetched `origin/main`. A separate runner checks out only this repository's shared implementation at an immutable SHA, checks configuration, then requests an App token scoped to the caller repository and Contents write. The App-token action revokes it in its post step. No caller script or build runs in that job. Maintainers changing the Python implementation must commit it first and update **both** helper checkout SHAs in the reusable workflow to that reviewed snapshot. The outer workflow is independently pinned by each caller.