diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 6c770df0..c19c5e76 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -256,6 +256,14 @@ jobs:
     if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/') && vars.PUBLISH_MCP_REGISTRY == 'true'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 15
+    # Named in npm's trusted-publisher config, which checks it as an OIDC
+    # claim: publishing fails unless the two match. Restrict this environment
+    # to the tag pattern `v*` so a push to any branch cannot reach npm.
+    #
+    # Deliberately NOT the existing `release` environment — that one is scoped
+    # to the `main` branch, and this job runs on a tag ref, so it would be
+    # rejected outright.
+    environment: npm-publish
     permissions:
       contents: read
       id-token: write # mints the OIDC token npm exchanges for publish rights
diff --git a/dev-docs/CI.md b/dev-docs/CI.md
index 5752933d..d4ff2551 100644
--- a/dev-docs/CI.md
+++ b/dev-docs/CI.md
@@ -248,7 +248,21 @@ Two jobs at the end of `release.yml` publish the `bomly-mcp` npm wrapper and the
 
    The version must match a GitHub release that is already published: the package's postinstall step downloads that release's archive, so publishing ahead of it ships a package that cannot install.
 
-2. **Set the trusted publisher** at `https://www.npmjs.com/package/bomly-mcp/access` → repository `bomly-dev/bomly-cli`, workflow `release.yml`. Configure it on the *package* access page; the account-level packages page does not have this setting.
+2. **Set the trusted publisher** at `https://www.npmjs.com/package/bomly-mcp/access`. Configure it on the *package* access page; the account-level packages page does not have this setting.
+
+   | Field | Value |
+   | --- | --- |
+   | Publisher | GitHub Actions |
+   | Organization / Repository | `bomly-dev` / `bomly-cli` |
+   | Workflow filename | `release.yml` |
+   | Environment name | `npm-publish` |
+   | Allowed actions | `npm publish` only |
+
+   The environment name is checked as an OIDC claim, so it must match the `environment:` on the `publish-npm` job exactly. The `npm-publish` environment is restricted to the `v*` **tag** pattern, so a push to any branch cannot reach npm.
+
+   Do **not** use the existing `release` environment here: it is scoped to the `main` branch, and this job runs on a tag ref, so the deployment would be rejected.
+
+   Under **Publishing access**, choose *Require two-factor authentication and disallow bypass 2fa tokens*. Trusted publishers keep working under it, and it blocks token-based publishing entirely — which is the point, since there is no token.
 
 3. **Turn the jobs on:**
 
diff --git a/dev-docs/SECURITY_ASSURANCE.md b/dev-docs/SECURITY_ASSURANCE.md
index 64d88b34..5b1e6653 100644
--- a/dev-docs/SECURITY_ASSURANCE.md
+++ b/dev-docs/SECURITY_ASSURANCE.md
@@ -66,13 +66,26 @@ only their required permissions.
 | `scorecard.yml` | `read-all` | Scorecard adds `security-events: write` and `id-token: write` to publish signed results |
 | `bomly-guard.yml` | `contents: read` | Guard adds pull-request, issue, and security-event writes for comments and SARIF |
 | `update-smoke-goldens.yml` | `contents: read` | The final job adds `contents: write` and `pull-requests: write` to publish reviewed goldens |
-| `release.yml` | `contents: read` | Release jobs add only the contents, packages, actions, and OIDC permissions needed to publish artifacts and provenance |
+| `release.yml` | `contents: read` | Release jobs add only the contents, packages, actions, and OIDC permissions needed to publish artifacts and provenance. `publish-npm` and `publish-mcp-registry` add `id-token: write` and use **no secret at all** — npm and the MCP Registry both authenticate by exchanging the workflow's OIDC identity (see [MCP Registry Publishing](CI.md#mcp-registry-publishing)) |
 
 Third-party actions are pinned. Long-lived secrets are passed only to the step
 that needs them. Release automation prefers short-lived, repository-scoped
 GitHub App tokens; the Windows package publication token is validated before
 release work starts and remains the documented exception.
 
+npm publication holds no credential of any kind. It uses npm Trusted
+Publishing, so npm exchanges the workflow's OIDC identity for publish rights.
+The `publish-npm` job is bound to the `npm-publish` environment, which npm
+verifies as an OIDC claim and which is restricted to the `v*` tag pattern, so
+publishing cannot be reached from a branch push. The package additionally
+requires two-factor authentication and disallows bypass-2FA tokens, so the
+trusted publisher is the only automated path to the registry.
+
+`mcp-publisher` is downloaded into that same privileged job, so it is pinned by
+version and verified twice before execution: against a pinned SHA-256, and with
+`cosign verify-blob` against the upstream Sigstore bundle, asserting the
+artifact was built by the MCP Registry's own tagged release workflow.
+
 ## Evidence Changes
 
 The assurance work is split so each control can be reviewed independently: