diff --git a/GOVERNANCE.md b/GOVERNANCE.md
index e16d4c6..0028cd7 100644
--- a/GOVERNANCE.md
+++ b/GOVERNANCE.md
@@ -28,7 +28,8 @@ Weft is an open-source (Apache-2.0) project by [Strange Days Tech](https://stran
   *major*. See the engine bump protocol in
   [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](./CONTRIBUTING.md#engine-bump-protocol-yrs--loro--research-r16).
 - Packages are published to NuGet.org with symbols + SourceLink from the release pipeline
-  (`.github/workflows/release.yml`), after green cross-compile + *pack-smoke* multi-RID.
+  (`.github/workflows/release.yml`), after green cross-compile + *pack-smoke* multi-RID. The
+  maintainer runbook for cutting a release is [`docs/RELEASING.md`](./docs/RELEASING.md).
 - **Supported RIDs** v1: `linux-x64`, `linux-arm64`, `win-x64`, `osx-arm64`. "Supported" = exercised in
   CI (P-VI).
 
diff --git a/docs/RELEASING.md b/docs/RELEASING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c512243
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/RELEASING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 -->
+
+# Releasing Weft
+
+How a maintainer cuts a NuGet release. Publishing is a **deliberate, irreversible, operator-gated
+act**: NuGet packages cannot be un-published (only unlisted), and a public repo stays indexed.
+
+The pipeline lives in [`.github/workflows/release.yml`](../.github/workflows/release.yml) — it is
+`workflow_dispatch`-only, and the publish job is gated behind `dry_run=false` plus the `release`
+environment. Authentication uses **NuGet Trusted Publishing** (OIDC), so there is no long-lived API
+key to manage.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+**One-time (already done — listed for the record):**
+
+- NuGet Trusted Publishing policy `Active` on nuget.org: package owner = the *StrangeDaysTech*
+  organization, repository owner = `StrangeDaysTech`, repository = `weft`, workflow = `release.yml`,
+  environment = `release`.
+- GitHub `release` environment configured with:
+  - Secret **`NUGET_USER = StrangeDaysTech`** (the nuget.org **org** username — must match the policy's
+    package owner; *not* a personal account).
+  - **Required reviewers** (a maintainer) — pauses the publish job for manual approval.
+  - Deployment branch restricted to `main`.
+
+**Every release:**
+
+- `main` is green in CI (including the `third-party-notices` license gate).
+- A SemVer version number is chosen. An engine encoding change is breaking and bumps the major
+  (see [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](../CONTRIBUTING.md#engine-bump-protocol-yrs--loro--research-r16)).
+
+## Steps
+
+1. **Final dry-run** — builds, packs, and pack-smokes across all four RIDs without publishing. Wait for
+   green. (The dry-run does *not* exercise the OIDC login; that only runs in the real publish.)
+
+   ```bash
+   gh workflow run release.yml -f dry_run=true -f version=X.Y.Z
+   ```
+
+2. **First release only:** make the repository **public** (Settings → General → Danger Zone → Change
+   visibility). Needed so SourceLink / symbols resolve for consumers.
+
+3. **Publish.**
+
+   ```bash
+   gh workflow run release.yml -f dry_run=false -f version=X.Y.Z
+   ```
+
+4. **Approve the gate.** GitHub pauses the `publish` job for the `release` environment's required
+   reviewers — approve it in the Actions tab.
+
+5. The pipeline then runs automatically: `NuGet/login` (OIDC → short-lived 1 h API key) →
+   `dotnet nuget push` of the six packages → `git tag vX.Y.Z` + a GitHub Release with generated notes.
+
+## Post-publish verification
+
+- The six packages appear on nuget.org under **StrangeDaysTech**: `Weft.Core`, `Weft.Versioning`,
+  `Weft.Server`, `Weft.Loro`, `Weft.Server.Persistence.EFCore`, `Weft.Server.Persistence.Redis`.
+- The GitHub Release `vX.Y.Z` exists with the `.nupkg` assets attached.
+- **First release only:** reserve the `Weft.*` ID prefix on nuget.org now that the IDs exist.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+- **OIDC login fails** — confirm `NUGET_USER = StrangeDaysTech` (not a personal account) and that the
+  Trusted Publishing policy is still `Active`. The push runs *after* login, so a failed login publishes
+  nothing partial.
+- **A package version already exists** — `--skip-duplicate` skips it; re-runs are safe and never
+  re-publish.
+- **Private-repo policy pending** — a policy on a private repo may start "temporarily active (7 days)"
+  until the first successful publish binds it to GitHub's immutable IDs.