diff --git a/.bumpversion.toml b/.bumpversion.toml
index 4a5e0af..271c220 100644
--- a/.bumpversion.toml
+++ b/.bumpversion.toml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 [tool.bumpversion]
-current_version = "0.25.4"
+current_version = "0.26.0"
 parse = "(?P<major>\\d+)\\.(?P<minor>\\d+)\\.(?P<patch>\\d+)"
 serialize = ["{major}.{minor}.{patch}"]
 commit = true
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 9421c8d..184ec9d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [0.26.0] - 2026-07-26
+
+### Added
+
+- **Async DQS Status Bar Bridge (`ECOSYSTEM-FEAT-002`)**: Restored the Documentation Quality Score (DQS) in the VS Code Status Bar (`$(dashboard) Zenzic DQS: {score}/100`) via an asynchronous `child_process.execFile` execution bridge calling `zenzic score --json`, guaranteeing 100% mathematical determinism with CI/CD without blocking LSP performance.
+- **Command Palette Contributed Command**: Added `zenzic.computeDQS` ("Zenzic: Compute Global DQS") command to manually trigger workspace score evaluation on demand.
+
 ## [0.25.4] - 2026-07-26
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 976c7c3..6df0468 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ Stream Document Quality Score (DQS) updates directly to the status bar, providin
 
 ## Requirements
 
-This extension requires **Zenzic Core v0.25.4 or higher**.
+This extension requires **Zenzic Core v0.26.0 or higher**.
 
 We recommend installing or updating the global binary via `uv`:
 
@@ -74,12 +74,12 @@ If you use a local virtual environment or custom installation path, configure th
 
 ### Zenzic: Outdated Core
 
-- **Cause**: The executable resolved by the extension is older than the minimum required Core version (`v0.25.4`).
+- **Cause**: The executable resolved by the extension is older than the minimum required Core version (`v0.26.0`).
 - **Remediation**: Upgrade your global binary:
   ```bash
   uv tool install --force zenzic
   ```
-  Or point `zenzic.executablePath` in `settings.json` to a virtual environment containing Core `v0.25.4` or higher.
+  Or point `zenzic.executablePath` in `settings.json` to a virtual environment containing Core `v0.26.0` or higher.
 
 
 ### Zenzic: Not Found (ENOENT)
diff --git a/RELEASE.md b/RELEASE.md
index dec2c8e..ee9b99b 100644
--- a/RELEASE.md
+++ b/RELEASE.md
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
 
 | Field | Value |
 | :--- | :--- |
-| **Extension Version** | 0.25.4 |
-| **Pinned Core** | `zenzic>=0.25.4` |
+| **Extension Version** | 0.26.0 |
+| **Pinned Core** | `zenzic>=0.26.0` |
 | **Date** | 2026-07-11 |
 
 ## 1. Pre-Flight Checklist
@@ -43,8 +43,8 @@ git checkout main
 git pull origin main
 
 # 3. Create the immutable signed tag pointing to the HEAD of origin/main
-git tag -s -m "Release v0.25.4" v0.25.4
-git push origin v0.25.4
+git tag -s -m "Release v0.26.0" v0.26.0
+git push origin v0.26.0
 ```
 
 ## 4. Distribute (Automated)
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 4439261..d90c158 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "zenzic-vscode",
-  "version": "0.25.4",
+  "version": "0.26.0",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "zenzic-vscode",
-      "version": "0.25.4",
+      "version": "0.26.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "vscode-languageclient": "^10.1.0"
       },
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 6e1291a..e7e780d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   "name": "zenzic-vscode",
   "displayName": "Zenzic",
   "description": "Deterministic Document Integrity Engine and SAST for Markdown/MDX graphs.",
-  "version": "0.25.4",
+  "version": "0.26.0",
   "publisher": "pythonwoods",
   "engines": {
     "vscode": "^1.125.0"
diff --git a/src/extension.ts b/src/extension.ts
index 7b84f7f..61133fa 100644
--- a/src/extension.ts
+++ b/src/extension.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ let dqsStatusBarItem: vscode.StatusBarItem | undefined;
 // A2 fix: guard flag prevents concurrent restart calls.
 let restarting = false;
 
-const MIN_CORE_VERSION = '0.25.4';
+const MIN_CORE_VERSION = '0.26.0';
 
 /**
  * Safely resolve the Zenzic executable path with cross-platform fallback logic.