diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
index fab6256..44e766e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ defaults:
 # before anything is published: what was validated is what ships. Tags are
 # created only by cut-release / tag-release with the release App token.
 #
+# A caller that adds jobs of its own after this workflow (needs: release) reads
+# kind/version/branch/last_rc/sha/digests/draft_url from the outputs and sets
+# notify: false to post one Slack summary for the whole run itself.
+#
 # Harbor is reachable only from the in-network runner (`runner` input); every
 # job that pushes to or pulls from Harbor runs there, and arm64 is built under
 # QEMU on that runner. GitHub-hosted runners do the rest.
@@ -53,6 +57,21 @@ on:
         required: false
         default: ""
         type: string
+      chart_repos:
+        description: "Helm repositories the chart's dependencies come from, name=url space separated, e.g. 'nfd=https://kubernetes-sigs.github.io/node-feature-discovery/charts'; empty adds none"
+        required: false
+        default: ""
+        type: string
+      release_notes_extra:
+        description: "File in the caller repository appended to the release notes: a script (#!, executable) is run in the checkout with VERSION, HARBOR_REGISTRY, DOCKERHUB_REGISTRY, IMAGES and CHART_DIR set and its output appended, a markdown file is appended as-is, e.g. a table of the images this component pins; empty appends nothing"
+        required: false
+        default: ""
+        type: string
+      notify:
+        description: "Post the kit's Slack summaries (rc published, GA). Set false when the caller adds jobs after this workflow and posts one summary for the whole run itself"
+        required: false
+        default: true
+        type: boolean
       runner:
         description: "Runner label with network access to Harbor"
         required: false
@@ -203,6 +222,14 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p "$HOME/.local/bin" && echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
           curl -sSL "https://github.com/mikefarah/yq/releases/download/${YQ_VERSION}/yq_linux_amd64" -o "$HOME/.local/bin/yq"
           chmod +x "$HOME/.local/bin/yq"
+      # Chart.lock records dependency repositories by URL, but on a fresh runner
+      # helm dependency build still refuses a URL it has no named repository for.
+      - name: Add chart repositories
+        if: inputs.chart_repos != ''
+        env:
+          CHART_REPOS: ${{ inputs.chart_repos }}
+        run: |
+          for r in $CHART_REPOS; do helm repo add --force-update "${r%%=*}" "${r#*=}"; done
       # The rc chart must resolve this component's image from Harbor; the caller
       # says how through chart_rc_values because values layouts differ per chart.
       - name: Point the rc chart at Harbor
@@ -246,6 +273,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Release notes since the previous rc (or the previous GA)
         env:
           VERSION: ${{ needs.classify.outputs.version }}
+          RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA: ${{ inputs.release_notes_extra }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           . .release-kit/scripts/lib.sh
@@ -276,7 +304,7 @@ jobs:
   rc-notify:
     name: rc summary -> Slack
     needs: [classify, rc-images, rc-chart, rc-prerelease]
-    if: always() && needs.classify.outputs.kind == 'rc'
+    if: always() && needs.classify.outputs.kind == 'rc' && inputs.notify
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Check out the release kit
@@ -362,6 +390,14 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p "$HOME/.local/bin" && echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
           curl -sSL "https://github.com/mikefarah/yq/releases/download/${YQ_VERSION}/yq_linux_amd64" -o "$HOME/.local/bin/yq"
           chmod +x "$HOME/.local/bin/yq"
+      # Chart.lock records dependency repositories by URL, but on a fresh runner
+      # helm dependency build still refuses a URL it has no named repository for.
+      - name: Add chart repositories
+        if: inputs.chart_repos != ''
+        env:
+          CHART_REPOS: ${{ inputs.chart_repos }}
+        run: |
+          for r in $CHART_REPOS; do helm repo add --force-update "${r%%=*}" "${r#*=}"; done
       - name: Package chart (pristine values)
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
@@ -401,6 +437,9 @@ jobs:
       # The previous GA is the highest GA tag below this one, not "the tag before
       # this one in history": release branches make git describe unreliable.
       - name: Generate release notes
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ needs.classify.outputs.version }}
+          RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA: ${{ inputs.release_notes_extra }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           . .release-kit/scripts/lib.sh
@@ -443,6 +482,7 @@ jobs:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
         run: gh label delete "backport ${{ needs.classify.outputs.branch }}" --yes --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" || echo "::notice::label already gone"
       - name: Notify Slack
+        if: inputs.notify
         env:
           SLACK_OAUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SLACK_OAUTH_TOKEN }}
           SLACK_CHANNEL_ID: ${{ vars.CLOUD_COMPONENT_SLACK_CHANNEL_ID }}
diff --git a/scripts/release-notes.sh b/scripts/release-notes.sh
index d3b95de..32fd1ef 100755
--- a/scripts/release-notes.sh
+++ b/scripts/release-notes.sh
@@ -13,8 +13,10 @@
 #   - a main commit whose sha appears as a trailer in the previous GA's own
 #     backports: that fix already shipped in the previous release.
 # Commits are grouped by Conventional Commit type. If RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA names
-# a file, its content is appended after Known Issues (repositories that pin
-# other images, like the operator, put their component table there).
+# a file, it is appended after Known Issues: a script (first line "#!") is run
+# and its output appended, anything else is appended as-is (repositories that
+# pin other images, like the operator, generate their component table there).
+# A script without the executable bit, or a path that is not a file, fails.
 
 set -euo pipefail
 # shellcheck source=lib.sh
@@ -83,8 +85,16 @@ improvements=$(for t in docs refactor perf style build chore test ci; do get "$t
 	echo "## Known Issues"
 	echo "- TBD"
 	echo
-	if [ -n "${RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA:-}" ] && [ -f "$RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA" ]; then
-		cat "$RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA"
+	if [ -n "${RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA:-}" ]; then
+		extra=$RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA
+		[ -f "$extra" ] || fail "RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA '$extra' is not a file"
+		if [ "$(head -c 2 "$extra")" = '#!' ]; then
+			[ -x "$extra" ] || fail "RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA '$extra' is a script but not executable (chmod +x)"
+			# A bare name would be looked up on PATH instead of in the checkout.
+			case $extra in */*) "$extra" ;; *) "./$extra" ;; esac
+		else
+			cat "$extra"
+		fi
 		echo
 	fi
 	if [ -n "$prev" ]; then
diff --git a/templates/workflows/release.yaml b/templates/workflows/release.yaml
index 07d104f..996182e 100644
--- a/templates/workflows/release.yaml
+++ b/templates/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -23,9 +23,19 @@ jobs:
       images: CHANGE-ME
       # Prefix of the GitHub release title.
       release_name: CHANGE-ME
-      # Helm chart directory, or remove both chart lines if there is no chart.
+      # Helm chart directory, or remove the chart_* lines if there is no chart.
       chart_dir: ""
       # yq expression that points the rc chart's image at Harbor, e.g.
       # '.image.registry = env(HARBOR_HOST)'.
       chart_rc_values: ""
+      # Helm repositories the chart's dependencies come from, "name=url" space
+      # separated; empty when the chart has no dependencies.
+      chart_repos: ""
+      # Script (#!, executable) whose output, or markdown file whose content, is
+      # appended to the release notes, e.g. a table of the images this component
+      # pins. Empty for none.
+      release_notes_extra: ""
+      # Set false when this repository adds its own jobs after `release` and
+      # posts one Slack summary for the whole run itself.
+      notify: true
     secrets: inherit
diff --git a/tests/release-notes.bats b/tests/release-notes.bats
index ba5e864..0d3f195 100644
--- a/tests/release-notes.bats
+++ b/tests/release-notes.bats
@@ -69,3 +69,55 @@ teardown() { teardown_repo; }
 	grep -q 'feat: first' "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
 	grep -q '_Generated for v0.1.0._' "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
 }
+
+@test "an executable RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA is run and its output appended" {
+	commit "feat: first" a.txt >/dev/null
+	cut v0.1.0
+	git tag -a v0.1.0 -m ga
+	printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\necho "| generated | $GITHUB_REPOSITORY |"\n' >"$TEST_TMP/extra.sh"
+	chmod +x "$TEST_TMP/extra.sh"
+	RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA="$TEST_TMP/extra.sh" run "$SCRIPTS/release-notes.sh" v0.1.0 "" "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+	grep -q '| generated | acme/widget |' "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
+}
+
+@test "a RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA that is not a file fails" {
+	commit "feat: first" a.txt >/dev/null
+	cut v0.1.0
+	git tag -a v0.1.0 -m ga
+	RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA="$TEST_TMP/missing.md" run "$SCRIPTS/release-notes.sh" v0.1.0 "" "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
+	[ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+	[[ "$output" == *"is not a file"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "a script given as a bare name runs from the checkout, not from PATH" {
+	commit "feat: first" a.txt >/dev/null
+	cut v0.1.0
+	git tag -a v0.1.0 -m ga
+	printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\necho "| bare | name |"\n' >extra.sh
+	chmod +x extra.sh
+	RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA=extra.sh run "$SCRIPTS/release-notes.sh" v0.1.0 "" "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+	grep -q '| bare | name |' "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
+}
+
+@test "a script without the executable bit fails instead of being pasted" {
+	commit "feat: first" a.txt >/dev/null
+	cut v0.1.0
+	git tag -a v0.1.0 -m ga
+	printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\necho nope\n' >"$TEST_TMP/extra.sh"
+	RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA="$TEST_TMP/extra.sh" run "$SCRIPTS/release-notes.sh" v0.1.0 "" "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
+	[ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+	[[ "$output" == *"not executable"* ]]
+}
+
+@test "a markdown file with the executable bit is appended, not run" {
+	commit "feat: first" a.txt >/dev/null
+	cut v0.1.0
+	git tag -a v0.1.0 -m ga
+	echo "| plain | markdown |" >"$TEST_TMP/extra.md"
+	chmod +x "$TEST_TMP/extra.md"
+	RELEASE_NOTES_EXTRA="$TEST_TMP/extra.md" run "$SCRIPTS/release-notes.sh" v0.1.0 "" "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
+	[ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+	grep -q '| plain | markdown |' "$TEST_TMP/notes.md"
+}