diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 497bfd9..f093623 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ npm i @openmaxai/openmax-agent-sdk
 > resolves it via the `latest` dist-tag. Pre-1.0 alphas remain available under the
 > `alpha` dist-tag for history.
 
+> Cutting a new version? See **[`RELEASING.md`](./RELEASING.md)** for the exact
+> files to bump and the release flow.
+
 **In the SDK** (generic CWS + agent-level concerns):
 
 - **transport/** — `WsClient` (auth, heartbeat, client keepalive-ping + frame-watchdog, exponential-backoff reconnect, 4001–4006 close-code handling), HTTP client (native `fetch` + auth), CF-Access headers, token/identity management.
diff --git a/RELEASING.md b/RELEASING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..72c70ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/RELEASING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+# Releasing / bumping the SDK version
+
+This is the checklist for cutting a new version of
+`@openmaxai/openmax-agent-sdk`. Follow it exactly — the version string lives in
+more than one place on purpose, and CI will fail if they drift.
+
+## 1. Files to change on every version bump
+
+| File | What to change | Enforced by |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `package.json` | `version` field | `release.yml` refuses to publish unless the git tag matches this |
+| `package-lock.json` | root `version` **and** `packages[""].version` — just run `npm install` to regenerate both | — |
+| `src/index.js` | the `SDK_VERSION` **literal** — must equal `package.json` `version` | `src/version.test.js` (CI fails on any mismatch) |
+| `README.md` | the "first stable release" note near the top and the release-summary paragraph near the bottom, **if** the human-facing notes change | — (prose; not machine-checked) |
+
+That's the whole set. A single `npm install` after editing `package.json`
+handles the lockfile; the other two are hand edits.
+
+## 2. Do NOT
+
+- **Do not turn `SDK_VERSION` back into a runtime read of `package.json`**
+  (e.g. `createRequire(import.meta.url)('../package.json').version`). It reads
+  cleanly when the SDK runs from its own installed package, but it does **not
+  survive bundling**: a consumer that inlines the SDK into a self-contained
+  artifact carries the read into their bundle, where `../package.json` fails to
+  resolve at load time. That regression is exactly why `SDK_VERSION` is a
+  literal today. Keep it a literal; `src/version.test.js` is the drift guard so
+  you get the anti-drift guarantee without the runtime read.
+- **Do not touch these — they are not the package version:**
+  - `src/orchestrator.js` `reporters.version` (a reporter payload default,
+    supplied by the host adapter).
+  - `CONTRACT.md` / `schemas/v1/**` `version` fields — the protocol contract is
+    versioned **independently** of the npm package.
+
+## 3. Release steps
+
+1. Branch off `main`; bump the files in §1.
+2. Verify locally: `npm test` (must be green, incl. the `SDK_VERSION` drift
+   guard) and — if you touched anything the scanners see — the same Semgrep
+   command CI runs.
+3. Push, open a PR. **Required CI must pass**: `test (node 20)`,
+   `test (node 22)`, `semgrep`, `gitleaks`. Get an approval from **someone
+   other than the last pusher** (org branch ruleset). Merge to `main`.
+4. Tag the merged commit and push the tag:
+   ```bash
+   git tag -a vX.Y.Z <merged-main-sha> -m "vX.Y.Z"
+   git push origin vX.Y.Z
+   ```
+   The tag **must** match `package.json` `version` (release.yml checks this) and
+   point at a commit contained in protected `main` (release.yml checks this too
+   — an unmerged commit is refused).
+5. Pushing `v*` triggers **`release.yml`**, which pauses at the `release`
+   environment approval gate. A reviewer approves the deployment, then it runs
+   `npm publish --provenance`.
+6. **dist-tag is automatic** from the version shape:
+   - stable (no hyphen, e.g. `1.0.1`) → published to **`latest`**;
+   - prerelease (a hyphen, e.g. `1.1.0-alpha.0`) → published to **`alpha`**,
+     and `latest` is left untouched (a stable already exists).
+
+## 4. Fixing a dist-tag after the fact
+
+Use the **`promote-dist-tag`** workflow (Actions → Run workflow). It moves a
+dist-tag (e.g. `latest`) onto an already-published version from CI, gated by the
+same `release` environment — no local `npm login` needed. It refuses to point a
+tag at a version that was never published.
+
+## 5. Versioning scheme
+
+Semver. Prereleases use `-alpha.N`. Patch = fixes (incl. behavior fixes for
+consumers, like a bundling fix); minor = additive API; major = breaking changes.
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 8fcc657..0e64660 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@openmaxai/openmax-agent-sdk",
-  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "version": "1.0.1",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@openmaxai/openmax-agent-sdk",
-      "version": "1.0.0",
+      "version": "1.0.1",
       "license": "UNLICENSED",
       "dependencies": {
         "ws": "^8.21.0"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a5cacd5..802fb23 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@openmaxai/openmax-agent-sdk",
-  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "version": "1.0.1",
   "description": "CWS agent runtime SDK — cws-comm protocol layer (WS/auth/heartbeat/reconnect, sync, message codec, tm/kb/as/comm/core/conn service clients) extracted from zylos-openmax; consumed by runtime adapters.",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "src/index.js",
diff --git a/src/index.js b/src/index.js
index 505cc33..8be8103 100644
--- a/src/index.js
+++ b/src/index.js
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@
  * Scaffold. Modules are re-exported here as they are extracted from
  * zylos-openmax (Phase A). Current tranche: providers.
  */
-import { createRequire } from 'node:module';
-
 export * from './providers.js';
 
 // ── transport layer (Phase A · milestone 1) ─────────────────────────────────
@@ -70,5 +68,10 @@ export * from './identity/self-name-hydration.js';   // createSelfNameHydrator
 // CLI shells) stays in the adapter behind the injected providers/callbacks.
 export * from './orchestrator.js';   // CwsAgentBridge
 
-// Sourced from package.json so it never drifts from the released version.
-export const SDK_VERSION = createRequire(import.meta.url)('../package.json').version;
+// Hardcoded literal, NOT a runtime read of package.json. A `createRequire(...)
+// ('../package.json')` here does not survive bundling: when a consumer inlines
+// the SDK into a self-contained artifact, that call is preserved and resolves
+// `../package.json` relative to the CONSUMER's bundle at runtime — which fails
+// when the bundle is loaded in isolation. The `SDK_VERSION` test asserts this
+// literal stays in sync with package.json, so it can never silently drift.
+export const SDK_VERSION = '1.0.1';
diff --git a/src/version.test.js b/src/version.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bac3be9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/version.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { createRequire } from 'node:module';
+import { SDK_VERSION } from './index.js';
+
+// `SDK_VERSION` is a hardcoded literal in src/index.js — deliberately NOT a
+// runtime `createRequire('../package.json')`, because that call does not survive
+// bundling: a consumer inlining the SDK into a self-contained artifact would
+// carry the read into their bundle, where `../package.json` fails to resolve at
+// runtime. This test is the drift guard — reading package.json here is safe
+// because tests run in-repo (package.json present) and are never bundled.
+test('SDK_VERSION matches package.json version', () => {
+  const pkg = createRequire(import.meta.url)('../package.json');
+  assert.equal(SDK_VERSION, pkg.version);
+});