diff --git a/.github/workflows/README.md b/.github/workflows/README.md
index 5290f8dac..38f60028a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/README.md
+++ b/.github/workflows/README.md
@@ -46,6 +46,24 @@ compose freely.
 Dispatch `release-prepare` with a bump and a channel, review the release PR it opens, merge it.
 `release-publish` then publishes the merged package.json version.
 
+Publishing listens for pushes to `refactor` (switch to `main` when the refactor lands), not PR
+events. It looks up the pushed commit's associated PRs and proceeds only when that exact commit
+is the merge of a `release/v*` PR opened by `agentcore-devx-automation[bot]` (account ID
+`282717993`) from this repository into the target branch. Manually opened release PRs,
+ordinary merges, fork PRs, and pushes without a matching release PR skip verification and
+publishing. Every job uses the pushed SHA, so later commits cannot change what is released.
+
+The prepare job uses `aws-release-4-core`. The check-release and publish jobs stay on
+`ubuntu-latest` until `release-publish.yml` is allowlisted for the dedicated runner group.
+The allowlist is scoped to workflow paths and branches; renaming a workflow or changing its
+branch requires a runner-group administrator to update it. Keep PR-triggered workflows
+and the verification matrix off this release-only pool.
+
+The npm package includes `dist` except `dist/bin`, plus standard package metadata. This keeps
+additional bundle chunks and runtime assets included as the build evolves. Native binaries in
+`dist/bin` are separate GitHub release assets, never npm package contents, even when packing a
+workspace that has already compiled them.
+
 If publish fails after the merge, rerun the failed `release-publish` jobs. Both the npm publish
 and the GitHub release steps skip work that already succeeded. Do not re-dispatch
 `release-prepare`, package.json already holds the new version and it would bump again.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-prepare.yml b/.github/workflows/release-prepare.yml
index 76a28f7fe..188710aa6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-prepare.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-prepare.yml
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   prepare:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: aws-release-4-core
     permissions:
       contents: read
     steps:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml
index a7ed01d05..150c17d75 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml
@@ -2,19 +2,47 @@
 # release-prepare.yml merges. The version is whatever the merged package.json says.
 name: release-publish
 on:
-  pull_request:
-    types: [closed]
+  push:
     # TODO: switch to main once the refactor lands there.
     branches: [refactor]
 
 jobs:
+  check-release:
+    if: "!github.event.deleted"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      pull-requests: read
+    outputs:
+      is_release: ${{ steps.check.outputs.is_release }}
+    steps:
+      # Push runs the trusted base-branch workflow, but does not carry the merged PR's metadata.
+      - name: Check for a merged release PR
+        id: check
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          IS_RELEASE=$(gh api --paginate --slurp "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/commits/$GITHUB_SHA/pulls" \
+            | jq -r --arg repository "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --arg ref "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" --arg sha "$GITHUB_SHA" '
+                any(.[][];
+                  # Stable account ID for agentcore-devx-automation[bot].
+                  .user.id == 282717993 and
+                  .merged_at != null and
+                  .merge_commit_sha == $sha and
+                  .head.repo.full_name == $repository and
+                  .base.ref == $ref and
+                  (.head.ref | startswith("release/v"))
+                )')
+          echo "is_release=$IS_RELEASE" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
   verify:
-    if: github.event.pull_request.merged && startsWith(github.head_ref, 'release/v')
+    needs: check-release
+    if: needs.check-release.outputs.is_release == 'true'
     uses: ./.github/workflows/verify.yml
     permissions:
       contents: read
     with:
-      ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.merge_commit_sha }}
+      ref: ${{ github.sha }}
 
   publish:
     needs: verify
@@ -24,7 +52,7 @@ jobs:
       contents: write
       id-token: write
     env:
-      REF: ${{ github.event.pull_request.merge_commit_sha }}
+      REF: ${{ github.sha }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v7
         with:
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index db239b23c..5ab4d027e 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@
     "node": ">=20.12.0"
   },
   "files": [
-    "dist"
+    "dist",
+    "!dist/bin"
   ],
   "scripts": {
     "build": "bun scripts/build.ts bundle",