diff --git a/.github/workflows/lt-reports-cd.yml b/.github/workflows/lt-reports-cd.yml
index 6f07557cf..3d9696c93 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/lt-reports-cd.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/lt-reports-cd.yml
@@ -1,14 +1,12 @@
 name: lt-reports-cd
 
 # Publishes the Karate report-integration fatjar to GitHub Packages on every
-# merge into lt-reports. The post-processing service (LambdatestIncPrivate/
-# hyperexecute-postprocessing-service) downloads it from a fixed coordinate at
-# Docker build time, so there is nothing to version-bump or rename by hand:
-# every merge overwrites the same coordinate, mirroring how the extent report
-# jar is published (extentnativereports-1.10-stage).
+# merge into lt-reports, under coordinate:
 #
-#   coordinate: com.lambdatest:karate-reports:lt-reports
-#   url:        https://maven.pkg.github.com/LambdaTest/karate/com/lambdatest/karate-reports/lt-reports/karate-reports-lt-reports.jar
+#   com.lambdatest:karate-reports:${project.version}.${lt.patch.version}
+#
+# project.version tracks upstream karate; lt.patch.version is a LambdaTest-fork
+# counter in the root pom that must be bumped on each republish.
 
 on:
   push:
@@ -62,11 +60,8 @@ jobs:
           test -f "${FATJAR}" || { echo "fatjar not found at ${FATJAR}"; ls -lh karate-core/target; exit 1; }
           ls -lh "${FATJAR}"
 
-      # Deploy the fatjar to GitHub Packages under a fixed coordinate. deploy-file
-      # is used (instead of a plain deploy) so the karate-parent release version
-      # (1.5.x, used for Maven Central) is never touched. Only runs on lt-reports
-      # (not workflow_dispatch from other branches) so the package is published
-      # solely from merges into lt-reports.
+      # deploy-file (not a plain deploy) keeps the karate-parent release version
+      # untouched. Guarded to lt-reports so only merges publish, never dispatch.
       - name: publish to GitHub Packages
         if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/lt-reports'
         env:
@@ -74,13 +69,16 @@ jobs:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
         run: |
           KARATE_VERSION="$(mvn -q -DforceStdout -f karate-core/pom.xml help:evaluate -Dexpression=project.version)"
+          LT_PATCH_VERSION="$(mvn -q -DforceStdout -f karate-core/pom.xml help:evaluate -Dexpression=lt.patch.version)"
+          PUBLISH_VERSION="${KARATE_VERSION}.${LT_PATCH_VERSION}"
+          echo "Publishing karate-reports version: ${PUBLISH_VERSION}"
           FATJAR="karate-core/target/karate-${KARATE_VERSION}.jar"
           mvn -B -ntp deploy:deploy-file \
             --settings .github/settings.xml \
             -Dfile="${FATJAR}" \
             -DgroupId=com.lambdatest \
             -DartifactId=karate-reports \
-            -Dversion=lt-reports \
+            -Dversion="${PUBLISH_VERSION}" \
             -Dpackaging=jar \
             -DrepositoryId=github \
             -Durl=https://maven.pkg.github.com/LambdaTest/karate
diff --git a/.github/workflows/lt-reports-ci.yml b/.github/workflows/lt-reports-ci.yml
index 9fbb8a3a8..ebf3f5311 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/lt-reports-ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/lt-reports-ci.yml
@@ -7,9 +7,6 @@ name: lt-reports-ci
 # on PRs before they reach the publish-on-merge workflow.
 
 on:
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - lt-reports
   pull_request:
     branches:
       - lt-reports
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index edd1d69cf..d334aaa06 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@
     </developers>       
 
     <properties>
+        <!-- LambdaTest fork patch counter, kept separate from the upstream-tracking
+             <version> above. lt-reports-cd publishes ${project.version}.${lt.patch.version};
+             bump this on every change that needs a republish. -->
+        <lt.patch.version>1</lt.patch.version>
         <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
         <java.version>17</java.version>
         <maven.compiler.version>3.13.0</maven.compiler.version>