diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a859a8669..062d7e8b7 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
     "release:status": "node scripts/release/release-status.mjs",
     "test:release": "node --test scripts/release/*.test.mjs",
     "version": "changeset version",
-    "version:release": "changeset version",
+    "version:release": "node scripts/release/link-desktop-changesets.mjs && changeset version",
     "publish": "pnpm run typecheck && pnpm run lint && pnpm run sherif && pnpm run test && pnpm run build && pnpm run lint:pkg && changeset publish",
     "prepare": "simple-git-hooks",
     "dev:agent-gateway": "pnpm -C apps/pythinker-code run dev:agent-gateway",
diff --git a/scripts/release/link-desktop-changesets.mjs b/scripts/release/link-desktop-changesets.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fe35f0b45
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release/link-desktop-changesets.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+/**
+ * The desktop app is a shell around the CLI and the web UI, so every CLI
+ * release changes what desktop users see. Changesets only bumps a package a
+ * changeset names, and most changesets name the CLI alone, so the CLI shipped
+ * to npm while desktop stayed on its old version.
+ *
+ * This runs before `changeset version` on the release branch: every changeset
+ * that names the CLI but not the desktop app gets the desktop app added at the
+ * same bump level. The desktop changelog then carries the real entries, and
+ * `release.yml` cuts the `desktop-v*` tag from the bump it detects. Desktop
+ * keeps its own version line; this is deliberately not a `fixed` group.
+ *
+ * Idempotent: a changeset that already names the desktop app is left alone.
+ */
+
+import { readdirSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+import { pathToFileURL } from 'node:url';
+
+export const CLI_PACKAGE = '@pymodel/pythinker-code';
+export const DESKTOP_PACKAGE = '@pymodel/pythinker-desktop';
+
+const FRONTMATTER_LINE = /^(\s*)(?:"([^"]+)"|'([^']+)'|([^:'"]+?))\s*:\s*(?:"([A-Za-z]+)"|'([A-Za-z]+)'|([A-Za-z]+))\s*$/u;
+
+/**
+ * Add the desktop package to one changeset when it names the CLI alone.
+ *
+ * @param source - Raw changeset file contents.
+ * @returns The rewritten source, or `null` when nothing changes.
+ */
+export function linkDesktop(source) {
+  const normalized = source.replaceAll('\r\n', '\n');
+  if (!normalized.startsWith('---\n')) return null;
+  const end = normalized.indexOf('\n---', 3);
+  if (end === -1) return null;
+  const lines = normalized.slice(4, end + 1).split('\n');
+
+  let cliLine = -1;
+  let cliLevel = null;
+  let cliIndent = '';
+  for (const [index, line] of lines.entries()) {
+    const match = FRONTMATTER_LINE.exec(line);
+    if (match === null) continue;
+    const name = match[2] ?? match[3] ?? match[4];
+    if (name === DESKTOP_PACKAGE) return null;
+    if (name === CLI_PACKAGE) {
+      cliLine = index;
+      cliLevel = (match[5] ?? match[6] ?? match[7]).toLowerCase();
+      cliIndent = match[1];
+    }
+  }
+  if (cliLine === -1) return null;
+
+  lines.splice(cliLine + 1, 0, `${cliIndent}"${DESKTOP_PACKAGE}": ${cliLevel}`);
+  return `---\n${lines.join('\n')}${normalized.slice(end + 1)}`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Rewrite every changeset in a directory.
+ *
+ * @param dir - The `.changeset` directory.
+ * @returns The file names that changed.
+ */
+export function linkDesktopChangesets(dir) {
+  const changed = [];
+  for (const name of readdirSync(dir).toSorted()) {
+    if (!name.endsWith('.md') || name === 'README.md') continue;
+    const path = join(dir, name);
+    const next = linkDesktop(readFileSync(path, 'utf8'));
+    if (next === null) continue;
+    writeFileSync(path, next);
+    changed.push(name);
+  }
+  return changed;
+}
+
+if (process.argv[1] !== undefined && import.meta.url === pathToFileURL(process.argv[1]).href) {
+  const changed = linkDesktopChangesets(process.argv[2] ?? '.changeset');
+  for (const name of changed) console.log(`linked desktop bump: ${name}`);
+  console.log(`${changed.length} changeset(s) now bump ${DESKTOP_PACKAGE} alongside ${CLI_PACKAGE}.`);
+}
diff --git a/scripts/release/link-desktop-changesets.test.mjs b/scripts/release/link-desktop-changesets.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f37676110
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release/link-desktop-changesets.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { mkdtempSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+
+import { linkDesktop, linkDesktopChangesets } from './link-desktop-changesets.mjs';
+
+const cliOnly = '---\n"@pymodel/pythinker-code": minor\n---\n\nAdd panel tabs.\n';
+
+void test('adds the desktop package at the CLI bump level', () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    linkDesktop(cliOnly),
+    '---\n"@pymodel/pythinker-code": minor\n"@pymodel/pythinker-desktop": minor\n---\n\nAdd panel tabs.\n',
+  );
+});
+
+void test('leaves a changeset that already names desktop alone', () => {
+  const both = '---\n"@pymodel/pythinker-desktop": patch\n"@pymodel/pythinker-code": patch\n---\n\nx\n';
+  assert.equal(linkDesktop(both), null);
+  assert.equal(linkDesktop(linkDesktop(cliOnly)), null);
+});
+
+void test('accepts quoted bump values and does not duplicate the desktop entry', () => {
+  const quoted = '---\n"@pymodel/pythinker-code": "minor"\n---\n\nx\n';
+  assert.equal(linkDesktop(quoted), '---\n"@pymodel/pythinker-code": "minor"\n"@pymodel/pythinker-desktop": minor\n---\n\nx\n');
+  assert.equal(linkDesktop(linkDesktop(quoted)), null);
+  assert.equal(linkDesktop("---\n'@pymodel/pythinker-desktop': 'patch'\n\"@pymodel/pythinker-code\": 'patch'\n---\n\nx\n"), null);
+});
+
+void test('reuses the CLI entry indentation', () => {
+  assert.equal(
+    linkDesktop('---\n  "@pymodel/pythinker-code": patch\n---\n\nx\n'),
+    '---\n  "@pymodel/pythinker-code": patch\n  "@pymodel/pythinker-desktop": patch\n---\n\nx\n',
+  );
+});
+
+void test('ignores changesets that do not name the CLI', () => {
+  assert.equal(linkDesktop('---\n"@pymodel/klient": patch\n---\n\nx\n'), null);
+  assert.equal(linkDesktop('no frontmatter\n'), null);
+});
+
+void test('keeps other packages and the prose intact', () => {
+  const source = '---\n"@pymodel/klient": patch\n"@pymodel/pythinker-code": patch\n---\n\nBody mentions "@pymodel/pythinker-desktop": major but that is prose.\n';
+  const next = linkDesktop(source);
+  assert.equal(
+    next,
+    '---\n"@pymodel/klient": patch\n"@pymodel/pythinker-code": patch\n"@pymodel/pythinker-desktop": patch\n---\n\nBody mentions "@pymodel/pythinker-desktop": major but that is prose.\n',
+  );
+});
+
+void test('rewrites only the changesets that need it and is idempotent', () => {
+  const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'changesets-'));
+  writeFileSync(join(dir, 'README.md'), '---\n"@pymodel/pythinker-code": patch\n---\n');
+  writeFileSync(join(dir, 'config.json'), '{}');
+  writeFileSync(join(dir, 'a.md'), cliOnly);
+  writeFileSync(join(dir, 'b.md'), '---\n"@pymodel/klient": patch\n---\n\nx\n');
+  assert.deepEqual(linkDesktopChangesets(dir), ['a.md']);
+  assert.match(readFileSync(join(dir, 'a.md'), 'utf8'), /pythinker-desktop": minor/u);
+  assert.deepEqual(linkDesktopChangesets(dir), []);
+  assert.equal(readFileSync(join(dir, 'README.md'), 'utf8'), '---\n"@pymodel/pythinker-code": patch\n---\n');
+});