diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-gate.yaml b/.github/workflows/release-gate.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ae6ab9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-gate.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+# Read-only pre-tag gate. Never creates tags or publishes artifacts.
+# Loads verifier scripts from the default branch (not a candidate SHA tree).
+name: Release gate
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      sha:
+        description: "Full commit SHA (empty = current protected main HEAD)"
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: ""
+      version:
+        description: "Release version without leading v (must match a CHANGELOG.md section)"
+        required: true
+        type: string
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  checks: read
+  pull-requests: read
+
+jobs:
+  gate:
+    name: release gate
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 10
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout trusted gate scripts from default branch
+        uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.event.repository.default_branch }}
+          sparse-checkout: |
+            hack/release
+          sparse-checkout-cone-mode: true
+          persist-credentials: false
+          path: trusted-gate
+
+      - name: Resolve protected-main commit and prove eligibility
+        id: prove
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          INPUT_SHA: ${{ inputs.sha }}
+          INPUT_VERSION: ${{ inputs.version }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          bash trusted-gate/hack/release/test-verify-eligibility.sh
+          version="${INPUT_VERSION}"
+          [[ "${version}" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+([.-][0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?$ ]] || {
+            echo "version must be SemVer-like without a leading v (e.g. 0.2.0)" >&2
+            exit 1
+          }
+          if [[ -n "${INPUT_SHA}" ]]; then
+            [[ "${INPUT_SHA}" =~ ^[0-9a-f]{40}$ ]] || {
+              echo "sha must be a full lowercase commit SHA" >&2
+              exit 1
+            }
+            sha="${INPUT_SHA}"
+          else
+            sha="$(gh api "repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/commits/main" --jq .sha)"
+          fi
+          gh api "repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/commits/${sha}" --silent
+          bash trusted-gate/hack/release/verify-eligibility.sh "${sha}" "${version}"
+          {
+            echo "sha=${sha}"
+            echo "version=${version}"
+          } >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+
+      - name: Record immutable result
+        env:
+          RELEASE_SHA: ${{ steps.prove.outputs.sha }}
+          RELEASE_VERSION: ${{ steps.prove.outputs.version }}
+        run: |
+          {
+            echo "## Release gate passed"
+            echo
+            echo "Reviewed protected-main commit \`${RELEASE_SHA}\` for version \`${RELEASE_VERSION}\`."
+            echo "Required exact-SHA checks succeeded and CHANGELOG.md has a matching section."
+            echo "This workflow did not tag or publish anything."
+            echo
+            echo "Tag only that SHA as \`v${RELEASE_VERSION}\`, then push the tag to trigger Release."
+          } >> "${GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY}"
diff --git a/docs/development.md b/docs/development.md
index 65d1f15..f6b71de 100644
--- a/docs/development.md
+++ b/docs/development.md
@@ -43,6 +43,12 @@ UPDATE_GOLDEN=1 go test ./internal/format/ ./internal/render/
 Review the golden diff like code before committing. Do not regenerate goldens to “make CI green”
 without understanding the behaviour change.
 
+## Releases
+
+Before tagging `vX.Y.Z`, run the read-only [release gate](development/release.md). It proves
+the candidate SHA is on protected `main`, required checks are green, and `CHANGELOG.md` has a
+matching section — without creating a tag or publishing artifacts.
+
 ## Commits
 
 Conventional commits with an ASCII gitmoji shortcode (no Unicode emoji, no AI co-author trailers).
diff --git a/docs/development/release.md b/docs/development/release.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c941c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/development/release.md
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+# Releasing kollect-render
+
+Maintainers publish versions by tagging a **proven** commit on protected `main`.
+The publishing workflow (`.github/workflows/release.yaml`) is tag-driven and unchanged
+by the pre-tag gate — eligibility is a separate, read-only check you run **before**
+creating `vX.Y.Z`.
+
+## Pre-tag release gate
+
+[`.github/workflows/release-gate.yaml`](https://github.com/PlatformRelay/kollect-render/blob/main/.github/workflows/release-gate.yaml)
+is `workflow_dispatch` only. Permissions are read-only (`contents`, `checks`,
+`pull-requests`) — the job never creates a tag, never logs into a registry, and never
+uploads release assets.
+
+Given a full 40-character lowercase commit SHA (or empty to use current `main` HEAD)
+and a SemVer-like `version` **without** a leading `v`, the gate proves:
+
+1. The SHA is reachable from protected `main` (ancestor or identical).
+2. Required exact-SHA checks on that commit are `completed/success` (`check`, `changelog`).
+3. `CHANGELOG.md` **at that SHA** contains a Keep a Changelog heading for the version
+   (`## [X.Y.Z]` …).
+
+Short SHAs, commits not on `main`, red/missing checks, and a missing changelog section
+each fail with a message naming the failed precondition.
+
+Verifier scripts always load from the **default branch** sparse checkout so a candidate
+commit cannot supply its own gate.
+
+### Run locally (fixture tests)
+
+```bash
+bash hack/release/test-verify-eligibility.sh
+```
+
+These tests mock `gh` — no live GitHub API and no credentials beyond what you already
+use for local development.
+
+### Run the gate on GitHub
+
+```bash
+RELEASE_SHA="$(git rev-parse HEAD)"   # must be full 40-hex, on main
+VERSION="0.2.0"                       # must match CHANGELOG.md section
+
+gh workflow run release-gate.yaml \
+  -f sha="${RELEASE_SHA}" \
+  -f version="${VERSION}"
+gh run list --workflow release-gate.yaml --limit 1
+```
+
+Omit `sha` to evaluate current protected `main` HEAD:
+
+```bash
+gh workflow run release-gate.yaml -f version="${VERSION}"
+```
+
+When the gate is green, tag **only that SHA** and push:
+
+```bash
+git tag "v${VERSION}" "${RELEASE_SHA}"
+git push origin "v${VERSION}"
+```
+
+That push triggers Release (GoReleaser). The gate itself does not publish.
+
+## Checklist before tagging
+
+1. `main` is green for the candidate SHA (`check` + `changelog`).
+2. `CHANGELOG.md` on that SHA already has `## [X.Y.Z]` (run `task changelog:write` /
+   commit as needed).
+3. Release gate passed for `${RELEASE_SHA}` + `${VERSION}`.
+4. Tag `vX.Y.Z` at that exact SHA — never an arbitrary branch tip.
diff --git a/hack/release/test-verify-eligibility.sh b/hack/release/test-verify-eligibility.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..8a269f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/release/test-verify-eligibility.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Deterministic fixture tests for verify-eligibility.sh (no live GitHub API).
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)"
+SUBJECT="${ROOT}/hack/release/verify-eligibility.sh"
+TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "${TMP}"' EXIT
+
+SHA="1111111111111111111111111111111111111111"
+MAIN="2222222222222222222222222222222222222222"
+VERSION="0.2.0"
+
+REQUIRED_NAMES='check changelog'
+
+cat >"${TMP}/gh" <<'MOCK'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+args="$*"
+# Mirror gh ≥2.x: --slurp cannot be combined with --jq/--template.
+if [[ "${args}" == *--slurp* && ( "${args}" == *--jq* || "${args}" == *--template* ) ]]; then
+	echo 'the `--slurp` option is not supported with `--jq` or `--template`' >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+case "${args}" in
+  *"/commits/main"*)
+    printf '%s\n' "${MOCK_MAIN}"
+    ;;
+  *"/compare/"*)
+    printf '%s\n' "${MOCK_COMPARE}"
+    ;;
+  *"/check-runs"*)
+    cat "${MOCK_CHECKS}"
+    ;;
+  *"/contents/CHANGELOG.md"*)
+    cat "${MOCK_CHANGELOG}"
+    ;;
+  *)
+    echo "unexpected gh invocation: ${args}" >&2
+    exit 70
+    ;;
+esac
+MOCK
+chmod +x "${TMP}/gh"
+
+write_green_checks() {
+	# Shape matches `gh api --paginate --slurp` (array of pages).
+	jq -n \
+		--arg names "${REQUIRED_NAMES}" \
+		--arg sha "${SHA}" \
+		'[{check_runs: ($names | split(" ") | to_entries | map({
+			id: (.key + 1),
+			name: .value,
+			status: "completed",
+			conclusion: "success",
+			head_sha: $sha
+		}))}]' >"${TMP}/checks.json"
+}
+
+write_changelog() {
+	local body="$1"
+	# Raw contents Accept header returns plain text (script uses -H Accept: raw).
+	printf '%s\n' "${body}" >"${TMP}/changelog.txt"
+}
+
+run_case() {
+	PATH="${TMP}:${PATH}" \
+		GITHUB_REPOSITORY=PlatformRelay/kollect-render \
+		MOCK_MAIN="${MAIN}" \
+		MOCK_COMPARE="${MOCK_COMPARE}" \
+		MOCK_CHECKS="${TMP}/checks.json" \
+		MOCK_CHANGELOG="${TMP}/changelog.txt" \
+		bash "${SUBJECT}" "${SHA}" "${VERSION}" >"${TMP}/out" 2>"${TMP}/err"
+}
+
+fail_if_passes() {
+	local label="$1"
+	if run_case; then
+		echo "${label} unexpectedly passed" >&2
+		exit 1
+	fi
+}
+
+write_green_checks
+write_changelog "## [Unreleased]
+
+## [${VERSION}] - 2026-08-04
+
+### Features
+
+- Something releasable
+"
+
+if [[ ! -x "${SUBJECT}" && ! -f "${SUBJECT}" ]]; then
+	echo "missing subject ${SUBJECT}" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+if PATH="${TMP}:${PATH}" GITHUB_REPOSITORY=PlatformRelay/kollect-render \
+	bash "${SUBJECT}" bad-sha "${VERSION}" >"${TMP}/out" 2>"${TMP}/err"; then
+	echo "invalid SHA unexpectedly passed" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+grep -q 'full 40-character lowercase commit SHA' "${TMP}/err"
+
+MOCK_COMPARE=diverged
+fail_if_passes "non-main SHA"
+grep -q 'not reachable from protected main' "${TMP}/err"
+
+MOCK_COMPARE=ahead
+jq '.[0].check_runs |= map(select(.name != "check"))' "${TMP}/checks.json" >"${TMP}/missing.json"
+mv "${TMP}/missing.json" "${TMP}/checks.json"
+fail_if_passes "missing check"
+grep -q 'required exact-SHA check check: missing' "${TMP}/err"
+
+write_green_checks
+jq '(.[0].check_runs[] | select(.name == "check")).conclusion = "failure"' "${TMP}/checks.json" >"${TMP}/red.json"
+mv "${TMP}/red.json" "${TMP}/checks.json"
+fail_if_passes "red check"
+grep -q 'required exact-SHA check check: completed/failure' "${TMP}/err"
+
+write_green_checks
+write_changelog "## [Unreleased]
+
+### Features
+
+- No release section yet
+"
+fail_if_passes "missing changelog"
+grep -q "CHANGELOG.md has no section for ${VERSION}" "${TMP}/err"
+
+write_green_checks
+write_changelog "## [Unreleased]
+
+## [${VERSION}] - 2026-08-04
+
+### Features
+
+- Something releasable
+"
+run_case
+grep -q "Release eligibility passed for PlatformRelay/kollect-render@${SHA}" "${TMP}/out"
+grep -q "CHANGELOG section \\[${VERSION}\\]" "${TMP}/out"
+
+echo "verify-eligibility tests: ok"
diff --git a/hack/release/verify-eligibility.sh b/hack/release/verify-eligibility.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..27ca34f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/release/verify-eligibility.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Fail closed unless a release commit is on protected main with exact-SHA checks
+# and a Keep-a-Changelog section for the release version. Read-only — never tags
+# or publishes. Intended to run from a trusted checkout (default branch).
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SHA="${1:?usage: verify-eligibility.sh <full-commit-sha> <version>}"
+VERSION="${2:?usage: verify-eligibility.sh <full-commit-sha> <version>}"
+REPO="${GITHUB_REPOSITORY:?GITHUB_REPOSITORY required}"
+DEFAULT_BRANCH="${RELEASE_DEFAULT_BRANCH:-main}"
+
+if [[ ! "${SHA}" =~ ^[0-9a-f]{40}$ ]]; then
+	echo "error: release SHA must be a full 40-character lowercase commit SHA" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ ! "${VERSION}" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+([.-][0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?$ ]]; then
+	echo "error: version must be SemVer-like (e.g. 0.2.0 or 0.2.0-rc.1), without a leading v" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+required_checks=(
+	check
+	changelog
+)
+
+main_sha="$(gh api "repos/${REPO}/commits/${DEFAULT_BRANCH}" --jq .sha)"
+comparison="$(gh api "repos/${REPO}/compare/${SHA}...${main_sha}" --jq .status)"
+if [[ "${comparison}" != "ahead" && "${comparison}" != "identical" ]]; then
+	echo "error: release SHA ${SHA} is not reachable from protected main (${main_sha})" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+# gh ≥2.x rejects combining --slurp with --jq; flatten pages in a separate jq pass.
+checks_pages="$(gh api --paginate --slurp "repos/${REPO}/commits/${SHA}/check-runs?per_page=100")"
+checks="$(jq '[.[].check_runs[] | select(.head_sha == "'"${SHA}"'") | {id, name, status, conclusion, head_sha}]' \
+	<<<"${checks_pages}")"
+
+failed=0
+for name in "${required_checks[@]}"; do
+	result="$(jq -r --arg name "${name}" '
+		(map(select(.name == $name)) | sort_by(.id) | last) as $run |
+		if $run == null then "missing"
+		else ($run.status + "/" + ($run.conclusion // ""))
+		end
+	' <<<"${checks}")"
+	if [[ "${result}" != "completed/success" ]]; then
+		echo "error: required exact-SHA check ${name}: ${result}" >&2
+		failed=1
+	else
+		echo "ok: ${name}"
+	fi
+done
+if [[ "${failed}" -ne 0 ]]; then
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+changelog="$(gh api \
+	-H "Accept: application/vnd.github.raw" \
+	"repos/${REPO}/contents/CHANGELOG.md?ref=${SHA}")"
+if ! grep -Eq "^## \\[${VERSION}\\]( |$)" <<<"${changelog}"; then
+	echo "error: CHANGELOG.md has no section for ${VERSION} at ${SHA}" >&2
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Release eligibility passed for ${REPO}@${SHA} (CHANGELOG section [${VERSION}], main ${main_sha})."
diff --git a/mkdocs.yml b/mkdocs.yml
index 11c7276..67f0b49 100644
--- a/mkdocs.yml
+++ b/mkdocs.yml
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ nav:
   - Output formats: formats.md
   - Inventory schema: schema.md
   - Development: development.md
+  - Releasing: development/release.md
   - Security: security.md
 
 markdown_extensions: