diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-dry-run.yml b/.github/workflows/release-dry-run.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c6b0ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-dry-run.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+name: Dry-run npm release gates
+
+# This workflow is intentionally separate from release.yml. npm trusts the
+# release.yml filename, so a branch-selectable manual trigger must not share its
+# environment or OIDC authority. This lane proves the package gates only.
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+concurrency:
+  group: hasna-instructions-npm-release-dry-run
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  verify:
+    if: github.repository == 'hasna/instructions'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7.0.0
+        with:
+          node-version: "24.18.0"
+          package-manager-cache: false
+
+      - uses: oven-sh/setup-bun@0c5077e51419868618aeaa5fe8019c62421857d6 # v2.2.0
+        with:
+          bun-version: "1.3.14"
+
+      - name: Verify npm supports trusted publishing
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          have="$(npm --version)"
+          need="11.5.1"
+          if [ "$(printf '%s\n%s\n' "$need" "$have" | sort -V | head -n1)" != "$need" ]; then
+            echo "::error::npm ${have} is older than ${need}, so OIDC trusted publishing is unavailable. Raise node-version until its bundled npm meets the minimum."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "npm ${have} meets the ${need} minimum for trusted publishing"
+
+      - name: Install locked dependencies with release-age quarantine
+        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile --minimum-release-age 604800
+
+      - name: Typecheck
+        run: bun run typecheck
+
+      - name: Test
+        run: bun run test
+
+      - name: Build
+        run: bun run build
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..049c6a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+name: Release npm package
+
+# npm trusted publishing is bound to this workflow by FILENAME (release.yml)
+# and to the `npm-release` environment declared on the job below. Both strings
+# are already recorded on npm's side as the trusted-publisher configuration for
+# @hasna/instructions. They are NOT free choices: renaming either one silently
+# de-authorises publishing, because the binding stops matching, and the failure
+# surfaces as an auth error that never mentions the rename. Change them only
+# together with `npm trust`.
+#
+# Provenance is generated automatically by npm under trusted publishing, with
+# one condition that is easy to miss: npm does NOT generate provenance for
+# PRIVATE repositories, even when the package itself is public. hasna/instructions is
+# public (measured), so it holds here. If this repository is ever made private,
+# provenance stops being produced and this workflow will not tell you.
+
+on:
+  # repository_dispatch runs the workflow definition from protected `main`, not
+  # from the tag whose package contents will be published. A tag-push or manual
+  # branch dispatch would let that unreviewed ref rewrite its own release checks
+  # while retaining this workflow filename and npm environment binding.
+  repository_dispatch:
+    types: [npm-release]
+
+concurrency:
+  group: hasna-instructions-npm-release
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  publish:
+    # Never publish from a fork that inherited this workflow.
+    if: github.repository == 'hasna/instructions'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    environment: npm-release
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      # Mints the OIDC token npm exchanges for a short-lived publish
+      # credential. Without it there is no token at all and no fallback: this
+      # workflow deliberately carries no npm token of any kind.
+      id-token: write
+    steps:
+      - name: Validate release request
+        id: request
+        env:
+          RELEASE_TAG: ${{ github.event.client_payload.tag }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          if [[ ! "${RELEASE_TAG}" =~ ^npm/instructions/v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+([-.][0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?$ ]]; then
+            echo "::error::release dispatch requires client_payload.tag in npm/instructions/v<semver> form"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "tag=${RELEASE_TAG}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ steps.request.outputs.tag }}
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Verify release commit is on protected main
+        env:
+          RELEASE_TAG: ${{ steps.request.outputs.tag }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          if ! git show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/tags/${RELEASE_TAG}"; then
+            echo "::error::release tag ${RELEASE_TAG} does not exist"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          release_sha="$(git rev-parse "refs/tags/${RELEASE_TAG}^{commit}")"
+          checkout_sha="$(git rev-parse HEAD)"
+          if [ "${checkout_sha}" != "${release_sha}" ]; then
+            echo "::error::checked out ${checkout_sha}, but tag ${RELEASE_TAG} resolves to ${release_sha}"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          git fetch --no-tags origin '+refs/heads/main:refs/remotes/origin/main'
+          if ! git merge-base --is-ancestor "${release_sha}" refs/remotes/origin/main; then
+            echo "::error::tag ${RELEASE_TAG} points to ${release_sha}, which is not in protected main history"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "tag ${RELEASE_TAG} resolves to protected-main commit ${release_sha}"
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7.0.0
+        with:
+          node-version: "24.18.0"
+          registry-url: "https://registry.npmjs.org"
+          package-manager-cache: false
+
+      - uses: oven-sh/setup-bun@0c5077e51419868618aeaa5fe8019c62421857d6 # v2.2.0
+        with:
+          bun-version: "1.3.14"
+
+      # Publishing runs through npm, not bun: bun publish has no OIDC trusted
+      # publishing support, so it cannot authenticate here at all.
+      - name: Verify npm supports trusted publishing
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          have="$(npm --version)"
+          need="11.5.1"
+          if [ "$(printf '%s\n%s\n' "$need" "$have" | sort -V | head -n1)" != "$need" ]; then
+            echo "::error::npm ${have} is older than ${need}, so OIDC trusted publishing is unavailable. Raise node-version until its bundled npm meets the minimum."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "npm ${have} meets the ${need} minimum for trusted publishing"
+
+      - name: Install locked dependencies with release-age quarantine
+        run: bun install --frozen-lockfile --minimum-release-age 604800
+
+      - name: Bind the tag to the package version
+        id: version
+        env:
+          RELEASE_TAG: ${{ steps.request.outputs.tag }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          pkg_name="$(node -p "require('./package.json').name")"
+          pkg_version="$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")"
+          echo "name=${pkg_name}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "version=${pkg_version}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          tag_version="${RELEASE_TAG#npm/instructions/v}"
+          if [ "${tag_version}" != "${pkg_version}" ]; then
+            echo "::error::tag ${RELEASE_TAG} carries version ${tag_version} but package.json declares ${pkg_version}"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "tag ${RELEASE_TAG} agrees with package.json ${pkg_version}"
+
+      # npm versions are immutable, so a version that already exists can never
+      # be replaced by this run. Failing here names that plainly instead of
+      # letting the publish step report it after the whole suite has run.
+      - name: Reject an already published version
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          name="${{ steps.version.outputs.name }}"
+          version="${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}"
+          if npm view "${name}@${version}" version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "::error::${name}@${version} is already published and npm versions are immutable. Bump the version."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "${name}@${version} is not yet published"
+
+      # `bun test` does not invoke tsc in this repository, so typecheck is its
+      # own step rather than something the suite implies.
+      - name: Typecheck
+        run: bun run typecheck
+
+      - name: Test
+        run: bun run test
+
+      - name: Build
+        run: bun run build
+
+      # No NODE_AUTH_TOKEN, and no token of any kind. npm detects the Actions
+      # OIDC environment and exchanges the id-token for a short-lived,
+      # publish-scoped credential. --provenance is passed explicitly: npm
+      # documents provenance as automatic under trusted publishing, but that
+      # has been reported not to hold in practice, and passing the flag is a
+      # no-op when it is already automatic.
+      - name: Publish to npm via OIDC trusted publishing
+        run: npm publish --provenance --access public
+
+      - name: Verify the published version from the registry
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          name="${{ steps.version.outputs.name }}"
+          version="${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}"
+          for attempt in 1 2 3 4 5; do
+            if resolved="$(npm view "${name}@${version}" version 2>/dev/null)"; then
+              if [ "${resolved}" = "${version}" ]; then
+                echo "registry serves ${name}@${resolved}"
+                exit 0
+              fi
+              echo "::error::registry resolved ${name}@${version} to ${resolved}"
+              exit 1
+            fi
+            echo "attempt ${attempt}: ${name}@${version} not visible yet, waiting"
+            sleep 10
+          done
+          echo "::error::${name}@${version} did not become visible on the registry after publish"
+          exit 1
diff --git a/scripts/release-workflow.test.ts b/scripts/release-workflow.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..631281b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release-workflow.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+const workflowsDir = join(import.meta.dir, "..", ".github", "workflows");
+const workflow = readFileSync(join(workflowsDir, "release.yml"), "utf-8");
+const dryRunPath = join(workflowsDir, "release-dry-run.yml");
+const dryRunWorkflow = existsSync(dryRunPath) ? readFileSync(dryRunPath, "utf-8") : "";
+
+describe("npm release workflow authorization", () => {
+  test("the privileged workflow runs only from the default-branch dispatch surface", () => {
+    expect(workflow).toContain("repository_dispatch:");
+    expect(workflow).toContain("types: [npm-release]");
+    expect(workflow).not.toContain("workflow_dispatch:");
+    expect(workflow).not.toMatch(/\n\s+push:/);
+  });
+
+  test("validates the requested tag before checkout and package execution", () => {
+    const validation = workflow.indexOf("- name: Validate release request");
+    const checkout = workflow.indexOf("- uses: actions/checkout@");
+    const install = workflow.indexOf("- name: Install locked dependencies");
+    const ancestry = workflow.indexOf("git merge-base --is-ancestor");
+
+    expect(validation).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(validation).toBeLessThan(checkout);
+    expect(workflow).toContain("git merge-base --is-ancestor");
+    expect(workflow).toContain("refs/remotes/origin/main");
+    expect(ancestry).toBeLessThan(install);
+  });
+
+  test("manual dry runs are isolated from trusted-publishing authority", () => {
+    expect(dryRunWorkflow).toContain("workflow_dispatch:");
+    expect(dryRunWorkflow).not.toContain("environment: npm-release");
+    expect(dryRunWorkflow).not.toContain("id-token: write");
+    expect(dryRunWorkflow).not.toContain("npm publish");
+  });
+
+  test("the manual dry run reaches every declared build gate", () => {
+    expect(dryRunWorkflow).toContain("run: bun run typecheck");
+    expect(dryRunWorkflow).toContain("run: bun run test");
+    expect(dryRunWorkflow).toContain("run: bun run build");
+  });
+});