diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4a3ace
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 LibreCode coop and contributors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+name: Release
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: Release version, including the v prefix (for example v0.1.0)
+        required: true
+        type: string
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
+concurrency:
+  group: release
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  release:
+    name: Publish versioned release
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    environment: release
+    timeout-minutes: 15
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Set up Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@a0853c24544627f65ddf259abe73b1d18a591444 # v5.0.0
+        with:
+          node-version: 24
+          package-manager-cache: false
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: npm install --ignore-scripts
+
+      - name: Run project checks
+        run: npm run check
+
+      - name: Validate release
+        env:
+          RELEASE_VERSION: ${{ inputs.version }}
+        run: node dist/validate-release.js "$RELEASE_VERSION"
+
+      - name: Publish GitHub Release
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          RELEASE_VERSION: ${{ inputs.version }}
+        run: |
+          gh release create "$RELEASE_VERSION" \
+            --target "$GITHUB_SHA" \
+            --title "$RELEASE_VERSION" \
+            --generate-notes
diff --git a/docs/releases.md b/docs/releases.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eea0283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/releases.md
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+<!--
+SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 LibreCode coop and contributors
+SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+-->
+
+# Releases
+
+Releases provide stable, human-readable versions for consumers while callers
+continue pinning the reusable actions to immutable commit SHAs.
+
+## Publishing
+
+1. Update the version in `package.json` through a reviewed pull request.
+2. Merge only after TypeScript, Vitest, REUSE, actionlint and zizmor pass.
+3. Run the `Release` workflow from `main` with the matching `vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH`
+   value.
+4. The workflow runs the project checks again and creates the Git tag and GitHub
+   Release from the exact `main` commit that was validated.
+
+The workflow refuses to release from another branch, rejects malformed versions,
+rejects versions that do not match `package.json`, and refuses to overwrite an
+existing tag.
+
+## Consuming the actions
+
+Consumers should pin the full immutable commit SHA and keep the corresponding
+release version as a comment:
+
+```yaml
+uses: LibreCodeCoop/github-governance@<full-commit-sha> # v0.1.0
+uses: LibreCodeCoop/github-governance/discover@<full-commit-sha> # v0.1.0
+```
+
+The version comment is informational; execution remains pinned to the immutable
+SHA.
+
+
+## Environment protection
+
+Create a `release` environment in GitHub and restrict it to the `main` branch.
+Where supported, require reviewer approval for release jobs.
+
+The workflow also rejects execution outside `main`; the environment restriction
+is an independent defense-in-depth control.
+
+## Post-release
+
+After publishing a reusable-action release:
+
+1. record the release commit SHA;
+2. update every production caller to that exact SHA;
+3. add the real release version as the adjacent comment;
+4. run caller CI and an organization-wide dry-run;
+5. merge only after the new pin is validated.
+
+For `v0.1.0`, update both production callers:
+
+```yaml
+uses: LibreCodeCoop/github-governance/discover@<v0.1.0-commit-sha> # v0.1.0
+uses: LibreCodeCoop/github-governance@<v0.1.0-commit-sha> # v0.1.0
+```
+
+Reference callers:
+
+- `LibreSign/.github`
+- `LibreCodeCoop/.github`
+
+Do not close the release tracking issue until the release is published and all
+production callers are pinned to the released commit.
diff --git a/src/release-validator.ts b/src/release-validator.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..583795a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/release-validator.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 LibreCode coop and contributors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+export type ReleaseValidationInput = {
+  requestedVersion: string;
+  packageVersion: string;
+  tagExists: boolean;
+};
+
+export function validateRelease({
+  requestedVersion,
+  packageVersion,
+  tagExists,
+}: ReleaseValidationInput): void {
+  if (!/^v\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/.test(requestedVersion)) {
+    throw new Error('Version must use the vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH format.');
+  }
+
+  if (requestedVersion !== `v${packageVersion}`) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `Requested version ${requestedVersion} does not match package.json version v${packageVersion}.`,
+    );
+  }
+
+  if (tagExists) {
+    throw new Error(`Tag ${requestedVersion} already exists.`);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/validate-release.ts b/src/validate-release.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea3814f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/validate-release.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 LibreCode coop and contributors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
+import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import { validateRelease } from './release-validator.js';
+
+const requestedVersion = process.argv[2];
+
+if (!requestedVersion) {
+  console.error('Usage: validate-release vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH');
+  process.exitCode = 2;
+} else {
+  try {
+    const packageJson = JSON.parse(
+      await readFile(new URL('../package.json', import.meta.url), 'utf8'),
+    ) as { version?: unknown };
+
+    if (typeof packageJson.version !== 'string') {
+      throw new Error('package.json must contain a string version.');
+    }
+
+    let tagExists = true;
+    try {
+      execFileSync(
+        'git',
+        ['rev-parse', '--verify', '--quiet', `refs/tags/${requestedVersion}`],
+        { stdio: 'ignore' },
+      );
+    } catch {
+      tagExists = false;
+    }
+
+    validateRelease({
+      requestedVersion,
+      packageVersion: packageJson.version,
+      tagExists,
+    });
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.error(error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error));
+    process.exitCode = 1;
+  }
+}
diff --git a/tests/release-validator.test.ts b/tests/release-validator.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2cbe0ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/release-validator.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 LibreCode coop and contributors
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import { validateRelease } from '../src/release-validator.js';
+
+describe('validateRelease', () => {
+  it('accepts a new version that matches package.json', () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      validateRelease({
+        requestedVersion: 'v0.1.0',
+        packageVersion: '0.1.0',
+        tagExists: false,
+      }),
+    ).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    '0.1.0',
+    'v0.1',
+    'v0.1.0-beta.1',
+    'latest',
+  ])('rejects unsupported version format: %s', (requestedVersion) => {
+    expect(() =>
+      validateRelease({
+        requestedVersion,
+        packageVersion: '0.1.0',
+        tagExists: false,
+      }),
+    ).toThrow('vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH');
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a version that does not match package.json', () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      validateRelease({
+        requestedVersion: 'v0.2.0',
+        packageVersion: '0.1.0',
+        tagExists: false,
+      }),
+    ).toThrow('does not match package.json version v0.1.0');
+  });
+
+  it('rejects an existing tag', () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      validateRelease({
+        requestedVersion: 'v0.1.0',
+        packageVersion: '0.1.0',
+        tagExists: true,
+      }),
+    ).toThrow('already exists');
+  });
+});