diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 18ddba22..3ddbe631 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,10 +7,12 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
Release notes are generated from [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/)
on the default branch using [git-cliff](https://git-cliff.org/).
-## [Unreleased]
+## [0.18.0](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/compare/v0.17.0..v0.18.0) - 2026-08-16
### Bug Fixes
+- **controller:** Persist collectedCount independently of the Ready message [d2e91b7](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/commit/d2e91b737f64d604207737b0777a06066a2577a8)
+
- **e2e:** Keep operator input out of the piped webhook manifest [6ee6f3e](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/commit/6ee6f3eb585ed91db8363a46212f1e253fa0e79f)
- **lab:** Restore the exit-3 BLOCKED path and keep cleanup off unknown clusters [d98ffd9](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/commit/d98ffd9bc564899990bd8fb0c8c65f4c9f5f3562)
@@ -50,6 +52,8 @@ on the default branch using [git-cliff](https://git-cliff.org/).
### Features
+- **controller,api:** Report a live collected resource count on KollectTarget [a9e5500](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/commit/a9e550026daadd405e831f39e5c2a25f97edcb01)
+
- **lab:** Allowlist lab substrates so Kind-only scenarios run on Talos [3e2fcd8](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/commit/3e2fcd8079f543101316f624aa757a0c5b3d61e1)
- **chart,manager:** Authorize the metrics endpoint and make leader election survivable [9276abf](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/commit/9276abf61c8f45a309a3f5b2be5a375d9bf66e1b)
@@ -70,6 +74,16 @@ on the default branch using [git-cliff](https://git-cliff.org/).
- **collect:** Surface namespace-scope misses in logs and metrics [2725fbc](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/commit/2725fbc76b9edf80d742c9a5f7fd0b1531314c65)
+
+### Performance
+
+- **collect:** Stop re-listing namespaces on every target registration [58ce071](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/commit/58ce071fab238d2297869882f860beb268b74859)
+
+
+### Refactoring
+
+- **test:** Extract CRD printer-column parsing into a helper ([#300](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/pull/300))[7da909a](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/commit/7da909a99ca4ab4aa91d87d585787befb0bdf906)
+
## [0.17.0](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/compare/v0.16.0..v0.17.0) - 2026-08-05
### Bug Fixes
diff --git a/charts/kollect/Chart.yaml b/charts/kollect/Chart.yaml
index 1d397dfc..2ecdec7b 100644
--- a/charts/kollect/Chart.yaml
+++ b/charts/kollect/Chart.yaml
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ apiVersion: v2
name: kollect
description: Kubernetes inventory export operator (kollect.dev)
type: application
-version: 0.17.0
-appVersion: "0.17.0"
+version: 0.18.0
+appVersion: "0.18.0"
kubeVersion: ">=1.28.0-0"
home: https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect
icon: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/platformrelay/kollect/main/docs/assets/logo.svg
@@ -83,4 +83,4 @@ annotations:
url: https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect
artifacthub.io/images: |
- name: kollect
- image: ghcr.io/platformrelay/kollect:v0.17.0
+ image: ghcr.io/platformrelay/kollect:v0.18.0
diff --git a/charts/kollect/README.md b/charts/kollect/README.md
index 5d4eed98..3e9da999 100644
--- a/charts/kollect/README.md
+++ b/charts/kollect/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
Installs the [Kollect](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect) operator and CRDs.
-  
+  
## Install
diff --git a/docs/ROADMAP.md b/docs/ROADMAP.md
index 9b154386..feedf651 100644
--- a/docs/ROADMAP.md
+++ b/docs/ROADMAP.md
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
Kollect is a Kubernetes inventory exporter: select resources by GVK, extract attributes with CEL
or JSONPath, aggregate a canonical snapshot, and send it to one or more sinks.
-**Last verified:** 2026-08-05 against **v0.17.0**. For exact shipped changes, use the
+**Last verified:** 2026-08-16 against **v0.18.0**. For exact shipped changes, use the
[changelog](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md). For proposals that
have not entered a release, see [Planned features](roadmap/planned-features.md).
diff --git a/docs/roadmap/planned-features.md b/docs/roadmap/planned-features.md
index 1f5912a7..2435c92b 100644
--- a/docs/roadmap/planned-features.md
+++ b/docs/roadmap/planned-features.md
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
Forward-looking work that has not shipped. This page is intentionally shorter than the engineering
backlog: it describes user-visible directions, not every implementation task.
-**Last verified:** 2026-08-05 against **v0.17.0**. BigQuery and NATS already ship; completed work
+**Last verified:** 2026-08-16 against **v0.18.0**. BigQuery and NATS already ship; completed work
belongs in the [changelog](https://github.com/platformrelay/kollect/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md).
## Status legend
diff --git a/overrides/main.html b/overrides/main.html
index 7cff1f84..a0fde6b1 100644
--- a/overrides/main.html
+++ b/overrides/main.html
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
Material renders this above the header and lets readers dismiss it.
#}
{% block announce %}
-
- Kollect v0.17.0 is available — see the release notes →
+
+ Kollect v0.18.0 is available — see the release notes →
{% endblock %}