diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-please.yml b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a27a30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+name: release-please
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - main
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
+
+concurrency:
+  group: release-please
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  release-please:
+    name: open or update release PR
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: googleapis/release-please-action@v4
+        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..76766c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  ".": "0.2.0-alpha.3"
+}
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 4ded16b..8bf007f 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ The OpenAPI spec (`openapi/v1-openapi.yaml`) is the source of truth for the API
    pnpm run generate
    ```
 4. Verify the changes: `git diff openapi/` and `git diff src/generated/paths.d.ts`
-5. Commit both files in your PR — **committed types are the source of truth for this repo**. CI does not regenerate them.
+5. Commit both files in your PR - **committed types are the source of truth for this repo**. CI does not regenerate them.
 
 **Note:** The `vendor:openapi` script copies from a sibling `langos-ide` checkout. If you're not on a machine with that layout, you can manually copy `/opt/langos/codestream-app/server/docs/v1-openapi.yaml` (or from the monorepo) to `openapi/v1-openapi.yaml`.
 
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ The OpenAPI spec (`openapi/v1-openapi.yaml`) is the source of truth for the API
 
 Every PR with a code change needs:
 
-1. **Unit tests** in `test/unit/` — fast, no network, covers the new code path
+1. **Unit tests** in `test/unit/` - fast, no network, covers the new code path
 2. **Integration test** in `test/integration/` if you touch an HTTP boundary
 3. `tsc --noEmit` clean
 4. `pnpm build` clean
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ CI runs all of the above. PRs that skip them won't get review attention.
 
 ## Bug reports
 
-File an issue using the [bug report template](.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md) — GitHub will load it automatically when you click "New issue". **Repro steps that we can copy-paste are 10x more useful than a description of behavior.**
+File an issue using the [bug report template](.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.md) - GitHub will load it automatically when you click "New issue". **Repro steps that we can copy-paste are 10x more useful than a description of behavior.**
 
 Minimum useful bug report:
 - SDK version (`@datacline/langos-sdk-node` version from `package.json`)
@@ -72,16 +72,47 @@ Open an issue using the [feature request template](.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/featur
 ## Pull requests
 
 - One logical change per PR. If you find drive-by improvements, separate them.
-- Title format: `feat(sdk): ...`, `fix(sdk): ...`, `docs(sdk): ...`, `chore(sdk): ...`
+- Title format: `feat(sdk): ...`, `fix(sdk): ...`, `docs(sdk): ...`, `chore(sdk): ...` (Conventional Commits)
+- Use `feat!:` or `fix!:` to flag a breaking change (or add a `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer)
 - Reference any related issue: `Fixes #123`
-- Keep the diff focused — no unrelated formatting changes.
-- The [PR template](.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md) walks through what to include — GitHub auto-fills it on new PRs.
+- Keep the diff focused, no unrelated formatting changes
+- The [PR template](.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md) walks through what to include, GitHub auto-fills it on new PRs
+
+The PR title becomes the squash-merge commit subject. `release-please` reads these to compute the next version and to generate the CHANGELOG entry, so they matter.
+
+## Releases
+
+This repo uses [release-please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please) to automate version bumps, CHANGELOG generation, git tagging, GitHub Releases, and npm publishing. You do not write CHANGELOG entries by hand.
+
+### How it works
+
+1. Every push to `main` triggers `.github/workflows/release-please.yml`.
+2. The bot scans new commits since the last release tag, groups them by type (`feat`/`fix`/`feat!`/etc), and computes the next version per SemVer.
+3. The bot opens (or updates) a pending "Release PR" titled `chore(main): release langos-sdk-node X.Y.Z` with the auto-generated CHANGELOG entries.
+4. When you merge that Release PR, the bot creates the `vX.Y.Z` git tag.
+5. The tag triggers `.github/workflows/release.yml` which builds, verifies the tarball, and runs `npm publish` with the appropriate dist-tag.
+
+### Forcing a specific next version
+
+To override what the bot would compute (e.g., to drop a prerelease suffix at a milestone, or to skip ahead to a chosen major), add a footer to one of your commits on `main`:
+
+```
+chore: <reason for the override>
+
+Release-As: <target version>
+```
+
+The next Release PR will target that version regardless of what the commit types would imply. See [the release-please docs](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please/blob/main/docs/manifest-releaser.md#release-as) for the full footer format.
+
+### What about the existing CHANGELOG.md?
+
+The existing entries stay as the historical record. `release-please` appends new entries below the existing content. The first auto-generated entry will sit above the manual ones in the same file.
 
 ## What we don't accept
 
-- Adding runtime dependencies — this is a zero-dep SDK by design. Build-time deps are fine.
+- Adding runtime dependencies - this is a zero-dep SDK by design. Build-time deps are fine.
 - Changes that require server changes without a coordinated server PR. Ping us first.
-- Replacing camelCase / snake_case conventions, AsyncIterable cursor walking, or auto idempotency. These are intentional design choices — see the **For SDK contributors** section in [CLAUDE.md](./CLAUDE.md).
+- Replacing camelCase / snake_case conventions, AsyncIterable cursor walking, or auto idempotency. These are intentional design choices - see the **For SDK contributors** section in [CLAUDE.md](./CLAUDE.md).
 
 ## License
 
diff --git a/release-please-config.json b/release-please-config.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..28c7b82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/release-please-config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/release-please/main/schemas/config.json",
+  "release-type": "node",
+  "bump-minor-pre-major": true,
+  "bump-patch-for-minor-pre-major": false,
+  "prerelease": true,
+  "prerelease-type": "alpha",
+  "include-component-in-tag": false,
+  "include-v-in-tag": true,
+  "draft": false,
+  "packages": {
+    ".": {
+      "package-name": "@datacline/langos-sdk-node",
+      "changelog-path": "CHANGELOG.md"
+    }
+  }
+}