diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-please.yml b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
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+name: Release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
+
+concurrency:
+  group: release-please
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  release-please:
+    name: Release Please
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: googleapis/release-please-action@v4
+        id: release
+        with:
+          config-file: release-please-config.json
+          manifest-file: .release-please-manifest.json
diff --git a/.release-please-manifest.json b/.release-please-manifest.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5fdd883
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+++ b/.release-please-manifest.json
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+{
+  ".": "1.1.0"
+}
diff --git a/docs/plans/2026-05-26-release-automation-and-cdn-design.md b/docs/plans/2026-05-26-release-automation-and-cdn-design.md
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/docs/plans/2026-05-26-release-automation-and-cdn-design.md
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+# Release Automation + CDN Auto-Update Design
+
+**Date:** 2026-05-26
+**Status:** Approved, in implementation
+
+## Problem
+
+The v1.1.0 release surfaced two gaps:
+
+1. **Manual, drift-prone versioning.** Versions are bumped by hand
+   (`pnpm release` / `standard-version`). The result drifted: root
+   `package.json` sat at `0.5.0` while `widget`/`worker` were `0.1.0` and the
+   git tags were `v1.0.0`/`v1.1.0`. The CHANGELOG was also hand-edited.
+2. **No update path for embedding sites.** Each site self-hosts a pinned copy
+   of `claudius.iife.js`; upgrading means hand-copying files, and there's no
+   way to tell which version a site is running.
+
+## Decisions
+
+- **Versioning:** `release-please` (release-PR model). Chosen over a CI bypass
+  token so CI never writes to protected `main` directly — a human merges the
+  release PR.
+- **Auto-update:** version-channel-pinned CDN via jsDelivr, served from
+  committed artifacts at git tags (`gh@1`). Chosen over npm (no public package
+  / token needed) and over an always-`latest` channel (a `v2` must not land on
+  a live site silently).
+
+## Part 1 — Auto-version (release-please)
+
+- `release-please-config.json` + `.release-please-manifest.json` (seeded at
+  `1.1.0`, matching the latest tag). `include-component-in-tag: false` keeps the
+  tag format `vX.Y.Z`.
+- On every push to `main`, release-please maintains a "release vX.Y.Z" PR from
+  conventional commits. Merging it creates the tag + GitHub Release.
+- `extra-files` syncs `widget/package.json` and `worker/package.json` versions
+  to the root version, ending the sprawl.
+- The legacy `standard-version` setup (`.versionrc.json`, `release*` scripts) is
+  superseded and can be removed in a follow-up once release-please is confirmed.
+
+**Branch-protection note:** release-please only pushes to its own PR branch and
+creates tags/releases (allowed). The version-bump commit reaches `main` via the
+human-merged PR, so no bypass token is needed. The repo/org setting "Allow
+GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests" must be enabled, or a PAT
+supplied as `token:`.
+
+## Part 2 — CDN auto-update
+
+- A tracked `cdn/` directory holds `claudius.iife.js` + `claudius.css`. Sites
+  embed `https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/PMDevSolutions/Claudius@1/cdn/claudius.iife.js`
+  (+ `.css`). `@1` resolves the latest `v1.x` tag, so patches/minors flow
+  automatically; jsDelivr caches range resolution ~12h (a useful buffer).
+- **The bridge:** a step in the release workflow rebuilds the embed and commits
+  the fresh `cdn/` artifacts onto the release PR branch, so the tagged merge
+  commit contains the exact bytes jsDelivr serves. The same artifacts are
+  uploaded to the GitHub Release.
+- **Version stamp:** the embed build injects the package version as
+  `window.ClaudiusWidgetVersion`, so "what's live?" is answerable from the
+  browser console.
+- Self-hosting remains supported as a fallback. Embedding sites must allow
+  `cdn.jsdelivr.net` in their CSP `script-src`/`style-src`.
+
+**Bootstrap caveat:** `v1.1.0` is already tagged without `cdn/`, so `gh@1` only
+starts resolving once the first release cut by the new workflow lands.
+
+## PR structure
+
+- **PR 1:** Part 1 (additive: config, manifest, base workflow, this doc).
+- **PR 2:** Part 2, stacked on PR 1 (adds `cdn/`, the artifact build/commit
+  workflow step, the version stamp, and docs).
diff --git a/release-please-config.json b/release-please-config.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..beebc5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/release-please-config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/release-please/main/schemas/config.json",
+  "release-type": "node",
+  "include-component-in-tag": false,
+  "changelog-sections": [
+    { "type": "feat", "section": "Features" },
+    { "type": "fix", "section": "Bug Fixes" },
+    { "type": "perf", "section": "Performance" },
+    { "type": "refactor", "section": "Refactoring" },
+    { "type": "docs", "section": "Documentation", "hidden": true },
+    { "type": "chore", "hidden": true },
+    { "type": "style", "hidden": true },
+    { "type": "test", "hidden": true },
+    { "type": "build", "hidden": true },
+    { "type": "ci", "hidden": true }
+  ],
+  "packages": {
+    ".": {
+      "package-name": "claudius",
+      "changelog-path": "CHANGELOG.md",
+      "extra-files": [
+        { "type": "json", "path": "widget/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "worker/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" }
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+}