diff --git a/.github/workflows/prepare-release.yml b/.github/workflows/prepare-release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64658b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/prepare-release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+name: Prepare Release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - 'v*'
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
+
+jobs:
+  call-prepare:
+    uses: leoweyr/github-release-workflow/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-release.yml@develop
+    secrets:
+      ACCESS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-release.yml b/.github/workflows/publish-release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..472348f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish-release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+name: Publish Release
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types: [closed]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
+jobs:
+  call-publish:
+    uses: leoweyr/github-release-workflow/.github/workflows/reusable-publish-release.yml@develop
+    secrets:
+      ACCESS_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-release.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3adbdc9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-prepare-release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+name: Prepare Release
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      node-verions:
+        description: 'Node.js version to use.'
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: '20'
+      commit-user-name:
+        description: 'Git user name for commit'
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: 'github-actions[bot]'
+      commit-user-email:
+        description: 'Git user email for commit.'
+        required: false
+        type: string
+        default: 'github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com'
+    secrets:
+      ACCESS_TOKEN:
+        required: true
+        description: 'GitHub Token for authentication.'
+
+jobs:
+  prepare-release:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout Code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Checkout Config
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          repository: 'leoweyr/github-release-workflow'
+          path: .change-log-config
+          sparse-checkout: src/cliff.toml
+
+      - name: Setup Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: ${{ inputs.node-verions }}
+
+      - name: Set Environment Variables
+        run: echo "TAG_NAME=${GITHUB_REF#refs/tags/}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Create Release Branch
+        run: |
+          git config --global user.name "${{ inputs.commit-user-name }}"
+          git config --global user.email "${{ inputs.commit-user-email }}"
+          git checkout -b release/${{ env.TAG_NAME }}
+
+      - name: Generate Changelog Content for PR Body
+        env:
+          GITHUB_REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ACCESS_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          npx git-cliff --config .change-log-config/src/cliff.toml --verbose --latest --strip all > pr_body_raw.md
+
+      - name: Save PR Body to File
+        run: |
+          cat pr_body_raw.md | tail -n +2 > pr_body_cleaned.md
+
+      - name: Update CHANGELOG.md File
+        env:
+          GITHUB_REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ACCESS_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          if [ -f "CHANGELOG.md" ]; then
+             # File exists: Prepend new changes (git-cliff intelligently handles headers).
+             npx git-cliff --config .change-log-config/src/cliff.toml --verbose --latest --prepend CHANGELOG.md
+          else
+             # File missing: Create new with full history and header.
+             npx git-cliff --config .change-log-config/src/cliff.toml --verbose --output CHANGELOG.md
+          fi
+
+      - name: Commit and Push
+        run: |
+          git add CHANGELOG.md
+          git commit -m "release: ${{ env.TAG_NAME }}"
+          git push origin release/${{ env.TAG_NAME }}
+
+      - name: Create Pull Request
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ACCESS_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          gh pr create \
+            --title "release: ${{ env.TAG_NAME }}" \
+            --body-file pr_body_cleaned.md \
+            --base master \
+            --head release/${{ env.TAG_NAME }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-publish-release.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-publish-release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a49fb3d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-publish-release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+name: Publish Release
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    secrets:
+      ACCESS_TOKEN:
+        required: true
+
+jobs:
+  publish-release:
+    if: github.event.pull_request.merged == true && startsWith(github.event.pull_request.title, 'release:')
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout Code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Extract Tag Name
+        id: extract_tag
+        run: |
+          TITLE="${{ github.event.pull_request.title }}"
+          TAG_NAME=$(echo "$TITLE" | sed 's/release: //')
+          echo "TAG_NAME=$TAG_NAME" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          VERSION_TITLE=${TAG_NAME#v}
+          echo "VERSION_TITLE=$VERSION_TITLE" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Create Release Body File
+        env:
+          PR_BODY: ${{ github.event.pull_request.body }}
+        run: echo "$PR_BODY" > release_body.md
+
+      - name: Create GitHub Release
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ACCESS_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          gh release create ${{ env.TAG_NAME }} \
+            --title "${{ env.VERSION_TITLE }}" \
+            --notes-file release_body.md \
+            --verify-tag
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af3270b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+# Changelog
+
+All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
+
+# [1.0.0] (2026-03-20)
+### Bug Fixes
+
+* move reusable workflows back to .github/workflows directory ([0b0676e](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/0b0676e413f95b39d33c79d64ffc0259a3783206)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+* add missing reusable release workflows ([456d0c9](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/456d0c9348aad3d41e1d4b61aca8f7cd50194261)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+* rename reserved GITHUB_TOKEN secret in reusable workflows ([8d2afaa](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/8d2afaa30e97c3c735bfe39b1d822879d834d4de)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+* correct git-cliff config path to prevent fallback to default ([7aef3e8](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/7aef3e84c53bacded51601db6dcab4b9e765634e)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+
+
+### Features
+
+* add prepare release workflow ([4bec90f](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/4bec90f7d44eda66efce0e48bec8079a5c98430c)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+* add publish release workflow ([20daca8](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/20daca810acd33ee6071d7e5668fca95e203e797)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+* add user-facing workflows ([047bf99](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/047bf996a00bb3fae423b17cb3d31a9392184b65)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+* add change log config ([4b667a0](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/4b667a058ca7d14aa9960b7834262f5d7ee43a15)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+
+
+### Documentation
+
+* update readme with usage instructions ([7e15921](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/7e15921622d59b01fa1f571a707ca4ffad7d5a94)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+* **readme:** add banner ([e81214e](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/e81214ea480b1bbd1c63ea78cb7c4c32af085513)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+
+
+### Miscellaneous Tasks
+
+* move reusable workflows to src ([e48851c](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/e48851ca6f5f92f075fae900cfc1332b7a507a20)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+* add icon ([04e730f](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/04e730fc0a68c554c8b40f65ec949cdc4763ee73)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+* correct eye perspective in icon ([2ad0a73](https://github.com/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/commit/2ad0a7312fc8b75b7945679a71845ca68efbe43b)) [@leoweyr](https://github.com/leoweyr)
+
+
+
+<!-- Generated by git-cliff. -->
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 80e9be2..9c376bd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,38 @@
-# GitHub Release Workflow
+![github-release-workflow](https://socialify.git.ci/leoweyr/github-release-workflow/image?description=1&font=KoHo&forks=1&issues=1&logo=https%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2Fleoweyr%2Fgithub-release-workflow%2Frefs%2Fheads%2Fdevelop%2Fassets%2Ficon.svg&name=1&owner=1&pattern=Formal+Invitation&pulls=1&stargazers=1&theme=Light)
 
-Streamline your software delivery with a production-ready engineering workflow. Automated semantic versioning, changelog generation (via git-cliff), and GitHub release publishing.
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> To ensure changelogs are generated correctly, all git commit messages must follow the **[Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/)** specification.
+>
+> Also, you must go to your repository **Settings > Actions > General > Workflow permissions** and enable **"Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests"**, otherwise the automated release process will fail.
+
+## 🚀 Instant Magic for Your Repository!!!
+
+Add professional release automation to your personal project with a single step:
+
+**Copy the `prepare-release.yml` and `publish-release.yml` files from `.github/workflows` into your project's `.github/workflows` directory.**
+
+✨ That's it! Your repository is now enchanted.
+
+## ⚙ How It Works
+
+This workflow streamlines your release process into a few simple steps:
+
+1.  **Tag Your Release**: On your development branch (separate from `master` or `main`), create a git tag with a `v` prefix (e.g., `v1.0.0`).
+    ```bash
+    git tag v1.0.0
+    ```
+
+2.  **Push the Tag**: Push the tag to GitHub.
+    ```bash
+    git push origin v1.0.0
+    ```
+
+3.  **Automated Magic**: GitHub Actions will automatically:
+    *   Generate a changelog based on your conventional commits.
+    *   Create a specific release branch.
+    *   Open a Pull Request to your default branch (e.g., `master`).
+
+4.  **Review and Merge**: Review the Pull Request created by the bot.
+    *   **Do not modify the Pull Request title or body**, as they are used for the release metadata.
+    *   Merge the Pull Request.
+    *   The workflow will automatically create a GitHub Release for you.
diff --git a/assets/icon.svg b/assets/icon.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5facd38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/assets/icon.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+<svg width="512" height="512" viewBox="0 0 512 512" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
+    <defs>
+        <radialGradient id="bodyGrad" cx="30%" cy="30%" r="70%" fx="30%" fy="30%">
+            <stop offset="0%" style="stop-color:#9f7aea;stop-opacity:1" /> <stop offset="100%" style="stop-color:#553c9a;stop-opacity:1" /> </radialGradient>
+
+        <linearGradient id="tentacleGrad" x1="0%" y1="0%" x2="100%" y2="100%">
+            <stop offset="0%" style="stop-color:#805ad5;stop-opacity:1" />
+            <stop offset="100%" style="stop-color:#6b46c1;stop-opacity:1" />
+        </linearGradient>
+
+        <filter id="shadow" x="-20%" y="-20%" width="140%" height="140%">
+            <feDropShadow dx="0" dy="4" stdDeviation="4" flood-color="#000" flood-opacity="0.25"/>
+        </filter>
+    </defs>
+
+    <circle cx="256" cy="256" r="240" fill="#f7fafc" stroke="#cbd5e0" stroke-width="12"/>
+
+    <g transform="translate(0, 40)" filter="url(#shadow)" />
+
+    <g transform="translate(0, 40)" filter="url(#shadow)">
+
+        <!-- === FAR SIDE (Behind Body) === -->
+        
+        <!-- Far Back Leg (Trailing Left) - NO SUCKERS -->
+        <path d="M140,300 Q60,360 10,350" fill="none" stroke="#553c9a" stroke-width="28" stroke-linecap="round"/>
+        
+        <!-- Far Front Leg (Planted Right) - WITH SUCKERS -->
+        <!-- Curved to grip ground -->
+        <path d="M190,300 Q180,380 240,420 T290,430" fill="none" stroke="#553c9a" stroke-width="28" stroke-linecap="round" opacity="0.6"/>
+        <!-- Sucker for Far Front Leg -->
+        <circle cx="290" cy="430" r="6" fill="#805ad5" opacity="0.6"/> <!-- Darker sucker for depth -->
+
+        <!-- Far Pushing Arm (Reaching Box) -->
+        <path d="M170,230 Q250,150 320,200" fill="none" stroke="#553c9a" stroke-width="28" stroke-linecap="round"/>
+
+        <!-- === BODY SHAPE (cx=216) === -->
+        <ellipse cx="216" cy="220" rx="110" ry="130" fill="url(#bodyGrad)"/>
+        <ellipse cx="160" cy="180" rx="40" ry="25" fill="#ffffff" opacity="0.15" transform="rotate(-10, 160, 180)"/>
+
+        <!-- === FACE (aligned) === -->
+        <g transform="translate(0, 0) rotate(5, 296, 220)">
+            <!-- Left Eye (Nearer/Perspective) -->
+            <circle cx="210" cy="220" r="34" fill="#ffffff" stroke="#4a5568" stroke-width="3"/>
+            <circle cx="235" cy="225" r="10" fill="#2d3748"/> 
+            <circle cx="239" cy="221" r="3" fill="#ffffff"/> <!-- Shine -->
+            
+            <!-- Right Eye (Further/Perspective) -->
+            <circle cx="290" cy="220" r="30" fill="#ffffff" stroke="#4a5568" stroke-width="3"/>
+            <circle cx="315" cy="225" r="9" fill="#2d3748"/> 
+            <circle cx="321" cy="221" r="2.5" fill="#ffffff"/> 
+            
+            <!-- Cheeks/Blush -->
+            <ellipse cx="190" cy="250" rx="10" ry="6" fill="#feb2b2" opacity="0.4"/> <!-- Left Cheek -->
+            <ellipse cx="330" cy="255" rx="10" ry="6" fill="#feb2b2" opacity="0.5"/> <!-- Right Cheek -->
+        </g>
+
+        <!-- === NEAR SIDE (Foreground) === -->
+
+        <!-- Near Back Leg (Trailing Left) - NO SUCKERS -->
+        <path d="M160,340 Q100,410 50,390" fill="none" stroke="url(#tentacleGrad)" stroke-width="28" stroke-linecap="round"/>
+        
+        <!-- Near Front Leg (Planted Right) - WITH SUCKERS -->
+        <!-- Curved to grip ground -->
+        <path d="M240,340 Q230,410 270,450 T310,460" fill="none" stroke="url(#tentacleGrad)" stroke-width="28" stroke-linecap="round"/>
+        <circle cx="310" cy="460" r="6" fill="#d6bcfa" opacity="0.8"/> <!-- Light sucker -->
+
+        <!-- === ARMS & BOX (Modified) === -->
+
+        <!-- Far Arm Contact Hand -->
+        <circle cx="320" cy="200" r="14" fill="#805ad5"/>
+        <circle cx="320" cy="200" r="6" fill="#d6bcfa" opacity="0.9"/>
+
+        <!-- Near Pushing Arm (Foreground) -->
+        <path d="M220,290 Q300,400 320,350" fill="none" stroke="url(#tentacleGrad)" stroke-width="28" stroke-linecap="round"/>
+        <circle cx="320" cy="350" r="14" fill="#805ad5"/>
+        <circle cx="320" cy="350" r="6" fill="#d6bcfa" opacity="0.9"/>
+
+        <!-- HUGE BOX (Restored to 280 width, position x=310 kept) -->
+        <g transform="translate(310, 90)">
+            <!-- Front Face (280x300) -->
+            <rect x="0" y="50" width="280" height="300" fill="#d97706" stroke="#78350f" stroke-width="3"/>
+            <!-- Perspective Top -->
+            <path d="M0,50 L40,0 L320,0 L280,50 Z" fill="#f59e0b" stroke="#78350f" stroke-width="3"/>
+            <!-- Tape -->
+            <rect x="120" y="50" width="30" height="300" fill="#fcd34d" opacity="0.7"/>
+            <path d="M120,50 L145,0 L175,0 L150,50 Z" fill="#fcd34d" opacity="0.7"/>
+        </g>
+    </g>
+</svg>
diff --git a/src/cliff.toml b/src/cliff.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..976cbe6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cliff.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+[changelog]
+header = """
+# Changelog\n
+All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.\n
+"""
+
+body = """
+{% if version %}\
+    {% if previous.version %}\
+        # [{{ version | trim_start_matches(pat="v") }}](https://github.com/{{ remote.github.owner }}/{{ remote.github.repo }}/compare/{{ previous.version }}...{{ version }}) ({{ timestamp | date(format="%Y-%m-%d") }})
+    {% else %}\
+        # [{{ version | trim_start_matches(pat="v") }}] ({{ timestamp | date(format="%Y-%m-%d") }})
+    {% endif %}\
+{% else %}\
+    # [unreleased]
+{% endif %}\
+
+{% macro group_commits(group_name) %}\
+    {% for group, commits in commits | group_by(attribute="group") %}\
+        {% if group == group_name %}\
+            ### {{ group | upper_first }}
+
+            {% for commit in commits %}\
+                * {% if commit.scope %}**{{ commit.scope }}:** {% endif %}\
+                    {% if commit.breaking %}[**breaking**] {% endif %}\
+                    {{ commit.message }} ([{{ commit.id | truncate(length=7, end="") }}](https://github.com/{{ remote.github.owner }}/{{ remote.github.repo }}/commit/{{ commit.id }})) \
+                    [@{{ commit.author.name }}](https://github.com/{{ commit.author.name }})
+            {% endfor %}
+
+        {% endif %}\
+    {% endfor %}\
+{% endmacro %}\
+
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Bug Fixes") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Features") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Performance") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Refactor") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Testing") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="DevOps") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Documentation") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Styling") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Miscellaneous Tasks") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Security") }}\
+{{ self::group_commits(group_name="Revert") }}\
+\n
+"""
+
+footer = """
+<!-- Generated by git-cliff. -->
+"""
+
+trim = true
+postprocessors = []
+
+
+[git]
+conventional_commits = true
+filter_unconventional = true
+split_commits = false
+commit_preprocessors = [
+  { pattern = '^Revert "(.+)"$', replace = "revert $1" },
+]
+
+commit_parsers = [
+  { message = "^fix", group = "Bug Fixes" },
+  { message = "^feat", group = "Features" },
+  { message = "^perf", group = "Performance" },
+  { message = "^refactor", group = "Refactor" },
+  { message = "^test", group = "Testing" },
+  { message = "^ci", group = "DevOps" },
+  { message = "^doc", group = "Documentation" },
+  { message = "^style", group = "Styling" },
+  { message = "^chore\\(release\\): prepare for", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore\\(deps.*\\)", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore\\(pr\\)", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore\\(pull\\)", skip = true },
+  { message = "^chore", group = "Miscellaneous Tasks" },
+  { body = ".*security", group = "Security" },
+  { message = "^[Rr]evert", group = "Revert" },
+]
+
+protect_breaking_commits = false
+filter_commits = false
+topo_order = false
+sort_commits = "oldest"