diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-artifacts.yml b/.github/workflows/release-artifacts.yml
index 980d301..1306096 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-artifacts.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-artifacts.yml
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ jobs:
           cmake -S source-tree -B source-tree/build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug
           cmake --build source-tree/build --parallel
           cmake --install source-tree/build --prefix "$PWD/source-prefix"
+          # A normal Git checkout may have a commit-count development version;
+          # the reconstructed release archive must report the explicit tag's
+          # numeric release version from its injected fallback metadata.
           expected="${RELEASE_TAG#v}"
           expected="${expected%-rc.*}"
           test "$(source-tree/build/tools/quarry-schema-compiler --version | sed 's/^quarry-schema-compiler //; s/ .*//')" = "$expected"
diff --git a/docs/versioning.md b/docs/versioning.md
index 7e6fd21..04b8560 100644
--- a/docs/versioning.md
+++ b/docs/versioning.md
@@ -13,11 +13,14 @@ Revision    = commits after the last commit that changed git_version
 The commit that introduces or changes `git_version` is revision `0`. The next
 commit is revision `1`, and changing `0.1` to `0.2` starts `0.2.0`.
 
-The CMake resolver in `cmake/QuarryVersion.cmake` is authoritative. It exposes
-the numeric version to the CMake package, compiler, translator, and generated
-version header. The human-readable CLI display appends `-dirty` when tracked
-files differ from `HEAD`; untracked files are intentionally ignored. Numeric
-package versions never contain the dirty suffix.
+The CMake resolver in `cmake/QuarryVersion.cmake` is authoritative for a normal
+Git checkout. It exposes the numeric development version to the CMake package,
+compiler, translator, and generated version header. This means that a current
+development checkout can legitimately report a version such as `0.1.262`; it
+does not need to numerically match a future release tag. The human-readable CLI
+display appends `-dirty` when tracked files differ from `HEAD`; untracked files
+are intentionally ignored. Numeric package versions never contain the dirty
+suffix.
 
 Complete Git history is required. Shallow checkouts fail clearly and should be
 repaired with:
@@ -26,19 +29,22 @@ repaired with:
 git fetch --unshallow
 ```
 
-For a source archive without `.git`, the tracked
-`cmake/QuarryResolvedVersion.cmake` template receives the release tag and Git
-identity through Git's `export-subst` archive mechanism. A release tag such as
-`vX.Y.Z-rc.N` supplies the numeric `X.Y.Z` fallback; the tag's Major.Minor must
-match `git_version`. The same file is also generated beside normal build
-artifacts for packaging. These fallbacks are used only when full Git history is
-unavailable. Ordinary Git builds do not use them and cannot silently fall back
-to an unknown version. An untagged or malformed archive fails with a clear
-diagnostic.
-
-Release tags must point to a clean commit whose numeric version matches the
-tag's numeric portion, for example `vX.Y.Z-rc.N` for resolved version `X.Y.Z`.
-Release creation must reject tracked modifications.
+For a source archive without `.git`, the release tooling writes the explicit
+release identity and Git identity into
+`cmake/QuarryResolvedVersion.cmake`. A release tag such as `vX.Y.Z-rc.N`
+therefore supplies the numeric `X.Y.Z` version to the reconstructed archive,
+wheel, and sdist. Release candidates intentionally retain the numeric package
+version `X.Y.Z`; the `-rc.N` suffix identifies the release tag and is not part
+of the numeric package version.
+
+Release tags identify release artifacts; they are not required to match the
+commit-count version of the tagged development checkout. Release creation must
+still use a clean tracked commit, and the tag's major/minor must match
+`git_version`. Release verification must confirm that reconstructed archives
+and packaged artifacts report the numeric version derived from the explicit
+release tag. Ordinary Git builds do not use archive fallback metadata and
+cannot silently fall back to an unknown version. An untagged or malformed
+archive fails with a clear diagnostic.
 
 Release versioning is independent from compatibility contracts: C++ generated
 code epoch `3`, C generated code epoch `2`, Python generated code epoch `1`,