diff --git a/.github/actions/resolve-release/action.yml b/.github/actions/resolve-release/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..01e92a0df6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/resolve-release/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+name: Resolve Release
+description: >-
+  Resolve a bump workflow's target tag and that release's real published state.
+  Companion to assert-stable-release: this one FETCHES the facts, that one
+  ENFORCES them. Split so the enforcement stays a pure function of its inputs.
+
+  Handles both entry points of the bump workflows:
+    - workflow_run  -> tag comes from the triggering run's head_branch
+    - workflow_dispatch (manual recovery) -> tag comes from the input
+  In both cases draft/prerelease are read back from the GitHub API rather than
+  inferred, so a draft or prerelease can never slip through to a third-party
+  package repo just because the trigger payload lacked the flags.
+
+inputs:
+  tag:
+    description: "Release tag to resolve (e.g. vX.Y.Z)"
+    required: true
+  github_token:
+    description: "Token used to read the release via the GH API"
+    required: true
+
+outputs:
+  tag:
+    description: "The resolved tag, verbatim (e.g. v1.13.1)"
+    value: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.tag }}
+  ver:
+    description: "The tag with the leading 'v' stripped (e.g. 1.13.1)"
+    value: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.ver }}
+  is_prerelease:
+    description: "'true' if the GH Release is flagged prerelease"
+    value: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.is_prerelease }}
+  is_draft:
+    description: "'true' if the GH Release is still a draft"
+    value: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.is_draft }}
+
+runs:
+  using: composite
+  steps:
+    - name: Resolve tag and release state
+      id: resolve
+      shell: bash
+      env:
+        TAG: ${{ inputs.tag }}
+        GH_TOKEN: ${{ inputs.github_token }}
+        REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+      run: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+
+        if [[ -z "$TAG" ]]; then
+          echo "::error::No tag to resolve (neither workflow_run.head_branch nor the dispatch input was set)"
+          exit 1
+        fi
+
+        # A missing release here is a real fault, not something to paper over:
+        # every caller is about to publish this version to an external package
+        # manager. Fail loudly and let the caller's Report-failure step file it.
+        if ! META=$(gh release view "$TAG" --repo "$REPO" --json isDraft,isPrerelease 2>&1); then
+          echo "::error::No GH Release found for tag $TAG in $REPO -- refusing to bump"
+          echo "$META"
+          exit 1
+        fi
+
+        IS_DRAFT=$(echo "$META" | jq -r '.isDraft')
+        IS_PRERELEASE=$(echo "$META" | jq -r '.isPrerelease')
+
+        {
+          echo "tag=$TAG"
+          echo "ver=${TAG#v}"
+          echo "is_draft=$IS_DRAFT"
+          echo "is_prerelease=$IS_PRERELEASE"
+        } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+        echo "resolved tag=$TAG ver=${TAG#v} draft=$IS_DRAFT prerelease=$IS_PRERELEASE"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew-formula.yml b/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew-formula.yml
index d229d22eea..53c7ae42af 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew-formula.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew-formula.yml
@@ -19,9 +19,14 @@ name: Bump Homebrew Formula (amy CLI)
 # auto-bump here (symmetric to the cask action in bump-homebrew.yml) — see the
 # "TODO(bootstrap)" note at the bottom of this file.
 
+# Trigger: after "Create Release Assets" succeeds for a tag push. NOT
+# `release: types: [released]` — that event never fires, because the release is
+# created by create-release.yml under GITHUB_TOKEN and GitHub suppresses
+# workflow-triggering events for it. See the full note in bump-homebrew.yml.
 on:
-  release:
-    types: [released]
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows: ["Create Release Assets"]
+    types: [completed]
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
       tag:
@@ -38,44 +43,49 @@ permissions:
 
 concurrency:
   # Serialize per tag; do not cancel in-progress runs.
-  group: bump-homebrew-formula-${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
+  group: bump-homebrew-formula-${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch || inputs.tag }}
   cancel-in-progress: false
 
 jobs:
   sync-formula:
-    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.event.release.prerelease == false
+    # See bump-homebrew.yml for why these three conditions: successful, tag-push
+    # (not a dry-run dispatch), v-prefixed. Exact format enforced downstream.
+    if: >-
+      github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' ||
+      (github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' &&
+       github.event.workflow_run.event == 'push' &&
+       startsWith(github.event.workflow_run.head_branch, 'v'))
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 15
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v7
 
+      - name: Resolve release
+        id: rel
+        uses: ./.github/actions/resolve-release
+        with:
+          tag: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch || inputs.tag }}
+          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
       - name: Re-assert stable release
         uses: ./.github/actions/assert-stable-release
         with:
-          tag: ${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
-          is_prerelease: ${{ github.event.release.prerelease || 'false' }}
-          is_draft: ${{ github.event.release.draft || 'false' }}
-
-      - name: Resolve version
-        id: ver
-        run: |
-          set -euo pipefail
-          TAG="${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}"
-          VER="${TAG#v}"
-          echo "tag=$TAG" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          echo "ver=$VER" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          tag: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}
+          is_prerelease: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.is_prerelease }}
+          is_draft: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.is_draft }}
 
       - name: Download jvm bundle and compute sha256
         id: asset
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
-          TAG="${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}"
-          VER="${{ steps.ver.outputs.ver }}"
+          TAG="${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}"
+          VER="${{ steps.rel.outputs.ver }}"
           URL="https://github.com/${{ github.repository }}/releases/download/${TAG}/amy-${VER}-jvm.tar.gz"
           echo "Fetching $URL"
-          # The `released` event can fire a hair before every matrix leg finishes
-          # uploading; retry with backoff (mirrors the repo's push/pull retry ethos).
+          # workflow_run fires only after every upload leg has finished, so the
+          # asset should already be there. Retry anyway for release-CDN
+          # propagation (mirrors the repo's push/pull retry ethos).
           ok=0
           for i in 1 2 3 4 5; do
             if curl -fsSL -o amy-jvm.tar.gz "$URL"; then ok=1; break; fi
@@ -110,13 +120,13 @@ jobs:
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           base: main
-          branch: chore/bump-amy-formula-${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}
+          branch: chore/bump-amy-formula-${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}
           add-paths: cli/packaging/homebrew/amy.rb
-          commit-message: 'chore: sync amy Homebrew formula to ${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}'
-          title: 'chore: sync amy Homebrew formula to ${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}'
+          commit-message: 'chore: sync amy Homebrew formula to ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}'
+          title: 'chore: sync amy Homebrew formula to ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}'
           body: |
             Auto-synced `cli/packaging/homebrew/amy.rb` to the
-            `${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}` release:
+            `${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}` release:
 
             - `url`    -> `${{ steps.asset.outputs.url }}`
             - `sha256` -> `${{ steps.asset.outputs.sha256 }}`
@@ -136,7 +146,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/github-script@v9
         with:
           script: |
-            const tag = context.payload.release?.tag_name || context.payload.inputs?.tag || 'unknown';
+            const tag = context.payload.workflow_run?.head_branch || context.payload.inputs?.tag || 'unknown';
             const runUrl = `${context.serverUrl}/${context.repo.owner}/${context.repo.repo}/actions/runs/${context.runId}`;
             await github.rest.issues.create({
               owner: context.repo.owner,
diff --git a/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew-geode-formula.yml b/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew-geode-formula.yml
index b55d926245..3c38519c64 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew-geode-formula.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew-geode-formula.yml
@@ -17,9 +17,14 @@ name: Bump Homebrew Formula (geode relay)
 # human-reviewed new-formula PR (the one-time bootstrap). Once it lands, wire the
 # auto-bump here — see the "TODO(bootstrap)" note at the bottom of this file.
 
+# Trigger: after "Create Release Assets" succeeds for a tag push. NOT
+# `release: types: [released]` — that event never fires, because the release is
+# created by create-release.yml under GITHUB_TOKEN and GitHub suppresses
+# workflow-triggering events for it. See the full note in bump-homebrew.yml.
 on:
-  release:
-    types: [released]
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows: ["Create Release Assets"]
+    types: [completed]
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
       tag:
@@ -36,44 +41,49 @@ permissions:
 
 concurrency:
   # Serialize per tag; do not cancel in-progress runs.
-  group: bump-homebrew-geode-formula-${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
+  group: bump-homebrew-geode-formula-${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch || inputs.tag }}
   cancel-in-progress: false
 
 jobs:
   sync-formula:
-    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.event.release.prerelease == false
+    # See bump-homebrew.yml for why these three conditions: successful, tag-push
+    # (not a dry-run dispatch), v-prefixed. Exact format enforced downstream.
+    if: >-
+      github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' ||
+      (github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' &&
+       github.event.workflow_run.event == 'push' &&
+       startsWith(github.event.workflow_run.head_branch, 'v'))
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 15
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v7
 
+      - name: Resolve release
+        id: rel
+        uses: ./.github/actions/resolve-release
+        with:
+          tag: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch || inputs.tag }}
+          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
       - name: Re-assert stable release
         uses: ./.github/actions/assert-stable-release
         with:
-          tag: ${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
-          is_prerelease: ${{ github.event.release.prerelease || 'false' }}
-          is_draft: ${{ github.event.release.draft || 'false' }}
-
-      - name: Resolve version
-        id: ver
-        run: |
-          set -euo pipefail
-          TAG="${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}"
-          VER="${TAG#v}"
-          echo "tag=$TAG" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          echo "ver=$VER" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          tag: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}
+          is_prerelease: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.is_prerelease }}
+          is_draft: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.is_draft }}
 
       - name: Download jvm bundle and compute sha256
         id: asset
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
-          TAG="${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}"
-          VER="${{ steps.ver.outputs.ver }}"
+          TAG="${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}"
+          VER="${{ steps.rel.outputs.ver }}"
           URL="https://github.com/${{ github.repository }}/releases/download/${TAG}/geode-${VER}-jvm.tar.gz"
           echo "Fetching $URL"
-          # The `released` event can fire a hair before every matrix leg finishes
-          # uploading; retry with backoff (mirrors the repo's push/pull retry ethos).
+          # workflow_run fires only after every upload leg has finished, so the
+          # asset should already be there. Retry anyway for release-CDN
+          # propagation (mirrors the repo's push/pull retry ethos).
           ok=0
           for i in 1 2 3 4 5; do
             if curl -fsSL -o geode-jvm.tar.gz "$URL"; then ok=1; break; fi
@@ -108,13 +118,13 @@ jobs:
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           base: main
-          branch: chore/bump-geode-formula-${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}
+          branch: chore/bump-geode-formula-${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}
           add-paths: geode/packaging/homebrew/geode.rb
-          commit-message: 'chore: sync geode Homebrew formula to ${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}'
-          title: 'chore: sync geode Homebrew formula to ${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}'
+          commit-message: 'chore: sync geode Homebrew formula to ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}'
+          title: 'chore: sync geode Homebrew formula to ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}'
           body: |
             Auto-synced `geode/packaging/homebrew/geode.rb` to the
-            `${{ steps.ver.outputs.tag }}` release:
+            `${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}` release:
 
             - `url`    -> `${{ steps.asset.outputs.url }}`
             - `sha256` -> `${{ steps.asset.outputs.sha256 }}`
@@ -134,7 +144,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/github-script@v9
         with:
           script: |
-            const tag = context.payload.release?.tag_name || context.payload.inputs?.tag || 'unknown';
+            const tag = context.payload.workflow_run?.head_branch || context.payload.inputs?.tag || 'unknown';
             const runUrl = `${context.serverUrl}/${context.repo.owner}/${context.repo.repo}/actions/runs/${context.runId}`;
             await github.rest.issues.create({
               owner: context.repo.owner,
diff --git a/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew.yml b/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew.yml
index 257b83d5a2..f2979658bb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bump-homebrew.yml
@@ -1,11 +1,25 @@
 name: Bump Homebrew Cask
 
-# Fires when a GH Release is published (not draft, not prerelease).
-# `release.types: [released]` event fires only for stable releases — still
-# double-checked by .github/actions/assert-stable-release for defense-in-depth.
+# Fires after "Create Release Assets" finishes successfully for a tag push.
+#
+# NOT `release: types: [released]`. That event never fires here: the release is
+# created by create-release.yml using GITHUB_TOKEN, and GitHub deliberately does
+# not raise workflow-triggering events for actions taken by GITHUB_TOKEN (the
+# recursion guard). This workflow sat silently dead through every release up to
+# v1.13.1 for exactly that reason.
+#
+# `workflow_run` has no such restriction, and it is also strictly better timed:
+# it fires once ALL upload legs have finished, whereas `released` fired while
+# assets were still uploading (hence the download retry loops in the sibling
+# formula workflows).
+#
+# Draft/prerelease state is not in the workflow_run payload, so it is read back
+# from the API by .github/actions/resolve-release and enforced by
+# .github/actions/assert-stable-release.
 on:
-  release:
-    types: [released]
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows: ["Create Release Assets"]
+    types: [completed]
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
       tag:
@@ -22,39 +36,72 @@ permissions:
 
 concurrency:
   # Serialize bumps per tag; do not cancel in-progress bumps.
-  group: bump-homebrew-${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
+  group: bump-homebrew-${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch || inputs.tag }}
   cancel-in-progress: false
 
 jobs:
   bump:
-    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.event.release.prerelease == false
+    # On workflow_run, filter down to a SUCCESSFUL TAG build. `event == 'push'`
+    # excludes create-release.yml's workflow_dispatch dry-runs (which carry a
+    # synthetic test_tag and publish nothing), and the head_branch prefix keeps
+    # non-tag runs out. Exact tag format is still enforced downstream.
+    if: >-
+      github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' ||
+      (github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' &&
+       github.event.workflow_run.event == 'push' &&
+       startsWith(github.event.workflow_run.head_branch, 'v'))
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest   # brew runs on Linux — saves macOS runner quota
     timeout-minutes: 30
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v7
 
+      - name: Resolve release
+        id: rel
+        uses: ./.github/actions/resolve-release
+        with:
+          tag: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch || inputs.tag }}
+          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
       - name: Re-assert stable release
         uses: ./.github/actions/assert-stable-release
         with:
-          tag: ${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
-          is_prerelease: ${{ github.event.release.prerelease || 'false' }}
-          is_draft: ${{ github.event.release.draft || 'false' }}
+          tag: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}
+          is_prerelease: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.is_prerelease }}
+          is_draft: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.is_draft }}
+
+      # `brew bump-cask-pr` can only bump a cask that ALREADY EXISTS in the tap.
+      # `amethyst-nostr` has never been submitted to Homebrew/homebrew-cask, so
+      # until the one-time bootstrap PR lands (BUILDING.md § Bootstrap) this
+      # workflow must no-op rather than fail — otherwise every single release
+      # files a spurious [release-ops] issue.
+      - name: Check the cask exists in homebrew-cask
+        id: cask
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          if curl -fsSL -o /dev/null https://formulae.brew.sh/api/cask/amethyst-nostr.json; then
+            echo "bootstrapped=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "cask amethyst-nostr found in homebrew-cask; proceeding with bump"
+          else
+            echo "bootstrapped=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "::warning::Cask 'amethyst-nostr' is not in Homebrew/homebrew-cask yet, so there is nothing to bump for ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}. Amethyst is NOT shipping via Homebrew. Submit the one-time new-cask PR (BUILDING.md § Bootstrap) to activate this channel."
+          fi
 
       - name: Bump cask (push-or-update PR)
+        if: steps.cask.outputs.bootstrapped == 'true'
         uses: macauley/action-homebrew-bump-cask@ad984534de44a9489a53aefd81eb77f87c70dc60  # v4.0.0
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.HOMEBREW_TOKEN }}
           tap: homebrew/cask
           cask: amethyst-nostr
-          tag: ${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
+          tag: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}
 
       - name: Report failure
         if: failure()
         uses: actions/github-script@v9
         with:
           script: |
-            const tag = context.payload.release?.tag_name || context.payload.inputs?.tag || 'unknown';
+            const tag = context.payload.workflow_run?.head_branch || context.payload.inputs?.tag || 'unknown';
             const runUrl = `${context.serverUrl}/${context.repo.owner}/${context.repo.repo}/actions/runs/${context.runId}`;
             await github.rest.issues.create({
               owner: context.repo.owner,
diff --git a/.github/workflows/bump-winget.yml b/.github/workflows/bump-winget.yml
index 0c00610d56..c50965e4e5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bump-winget.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bump-winget.yml
@@ -1,8 +1,16 @@
 name: Bump Winget Manifest
 
+# Fires after "Create Release Assets" finishes successfully for a tag push.
+#
+# NOT `release: types: [released]`. That event never fires here: the release is
+# created by create-release.yml using GITHUB_TOKEN, and GitHub does not raise
+# workflow-triggering events for GITHUB_TOKEN actions. This workflow sat
+# silently dead through every release up to v1.13.1 for exactly that reason.
+# See the longer note in bump-homebrew.yml.
 on:
-  release:
-    types: [released]
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows: ["Create Release Assets"]
+    types: [completed]
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
       tag:
@@ -18,30 +26,62 @@ permissions:
   issues: write
 
 concurrency:
-  group: bump-winget-${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
+  group: bump-winget-${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch || inputs.tag }}
   cancel-in-progress: false
 
 jobs:
   bump:
-    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || github.event.release.prerelease == false
+    # See bump-homebrew.yml for why these three conditions: successful, tag-push
+    # (not a dry-run dispatch), v-prefixed. Exact format enforced downstream.
+    if: >-
+      github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' ||
+      (github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' &&
+       github.event.workflow_run.event == 'push' &&
+       startsWith(github.event.workflow_run.head_branch, 'v'))
     runs-on: windows-latest
     timeout-minutes: 30
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v7
 
+      - name: Resolve release
+        id: rel
+        uses: ./.github/actions/resolve-release
+        with:
+          tag: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.head_branch || inputs.tag }}
+          github_token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
       - name: Re-assert stable release
         uses: ./.github/actions/assert-stable-release
         with:
-          tag: ${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
-          is_prerelease: ${{ github.event.release.prerelease || 'false' }}
-          is_draft: ${{ github.event.release.draft || 'false' }}
+          tag: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}
+          is_prerelease: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.is_prerelease }}
+          is_draft: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.is_draft }}
+
+      # winget-releaser UPDATES an existing package; `VitorPamplona.Amethyst`
+      # has never been submitted to microsoft/winget-pkgs. Until the one-time
+      # new-package PR lands (BUILDING.md § Bootstrap), no-op instead of failing
+      # every release with a spurious [release-ops] issue.
+      - name: Check the package exists in winget-pkgs
+        id: pkg
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          URL=https://api.github.com/repos/microsoft/winget-pkgs/contents/manifests/v/VitorPamplona/Amethyst
+          if curl -fsSL -o /dev/null -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" "$URL"; then
+            echo "bootstrapped=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "VitorPamplona.Amethyst found in winget-pkgs; proceeding with submission"
+          else
+            echo "bootstrapped=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "::warning::Package 'VitorPamplona.Amethyst' is not in microsoft/winget-pkgs yet, so there is nothing to update for ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}. Amethyst is NOT shipping via Winget. Submit the one-time new-package PR (BUILDING.md § Bootstrap) to activate this channel."
+          fi
 
       - name: Submit manifest to winget-pkgs
+        if: steps.pkg.outputs.bootstrapped == 'true'
         uses: vedantmgoyal9/winget-releaser@4ffc7888bffd451b357355dc214d43bb9f23917e  # v2
         with:
           identifier: VitorPamplona.Amethyst
-          version: ${{ github.event.release.tag_name || inputs.tag }}
+          version: ${{ steps.rel.outputs.tag }}
           # Asset naming contract: scripts/asset-name.sh
           installers-regex: '^amethyst-desktop-.*-windows-x64\.msi$'
           token: ${{ secrets.WINGET_TOKEN }}
@@ -51,7 +91,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/github-script@v9
         with:
           script: |
-            const tag = context.payload.release?.tag_name || context.payload.inputs?.tag || 'unknown';
+            const tag = context.payload.workflow_run?.head_branch || context.payload.inputs?.tag || 'unknown';
             const runUrl = `${context.serverUrl}/${context.repo.owner}/${context.repo.repo}/actions/runs/${context.runId}`;
             await github.rest.issues.create({
               owner: context.repo.owner,
diff --git a/BUILDING.md b/BUILDING.md
index e719e3aad2..1fd7b61bf5 100644
--- a/BUILDING.md
+++ b/BUILDING.md
@@ -325,15 +325,29 @@ Quartz library in one pipeline.
 
 3. **Wait** for the `Create Release Assets` workflow to finish (~25–30 min).
 
-4. **Verify**:
-   - GH Release contains 8 desktop assets + 12 Android assets
+4. **Verify** — the GH Release should hold **31 assets**:
+   - **8 desktop** — `dmg` (macOS arm64), `msi` + `zip` (Windows), `deb`, `rpm`,
+     `AppImage`, `flatpak`, `tar.gz` (Linux). There is **no Intel/x64 macOS
+     DMG** — `jpackage` cannot cross-compile and no Intel runner leg is
+     configured, so macOS ships arm64-only.
+   - **13 Android** — 5 Google Play APKs + 5 F-Droid APKs + 2 AABs + the
+     F-Droid `.apks` set built for Accrescent.
+   - **5 amy** + **5 geode** bundles.
    - Asset sizes look sane (see §Enforce asset size budget — CI auto-fails at 1 GB/asset)
-   - Intel + ARM DMGs both present
    - Android flow unchanged
 
+   Quick diff against the previous release, which catches a silently-dropped
+   matrix leg better than any count:
+
+   ```bash
+   diff <(gh release view v1.13.0 --json assets --jq '.assets[].name' | sed 's/1\.13\.0/VER/g' | sort) \
+        <(gh release view v1.13.1 --json assets --jq '.assets[].name' | sed 's/1\.13\.1/VER/g' | sort)
+   ```
+
 5. **Stable vs prerelease** — a tag containing `-rc`, `-beta`, `-alpha`, `-dev`,
-   or `-snapshot` is auto-classified as prerelease. Stable tags trigger the
-   Homebrew + Winget bump workflows.
+   or `-snapshot` is auto-classified as prerelease. Only stable tags run the
+   Homebrew + Winget bump workflows (and those are no-ops until the one-time
+   bootstrap PRs land — see § Bootstrap).
 
 ### Dry-run (no tag push)
 
@@ -473,11 +487,11 @@ distributes; the official Amethyst rollout for each is in
 | Channel | How it ships | Push or pull |
 |---|---|---|
 | **GitHub Releases** | The release workflow builds + signs all assets and attaches them to the tag's Release | Automatic (CI) |
-| **Maven Central** | Same workflow runs `publishAllPublicationsToMavenCentral` for `quartz` | Automatic (CI) |
+| **Maven Central** | Same workflow runs `publishAllPublicationsToMavenCentral` for `quartz` — a *step* at the end of the `deploy-android` job, not a job of its own, so it does not appear in a job list | Automatic (CI) |
 | **Google Play** | Download the signed `amethyst-googleplay-<version>.aab` from the GH Release and upload it in Play Console | **Manual push** |
 | **F-Droid** | F-Droid's build server detects the new tag and **builds the `fdroid` flavor from source** per its recipe in the external [`fdroiddata`](https://gitlab.com/fdroid/fdroiddata) repo, then signs + publishes itself | **Pull (build-from-source)** |
 | **Zapstore** | The [`zsp`](https://zapstore.dev/) CLI reads [`zapstore.yaml`](zapstore.yaml) and publishes a Nostr software-release event signed with the app's nsec | **Manual push (Nostr)** |
-| **Homebrew + Winget** | `bump-homebrew.yml` / `bump-winget.yml` open version-bump PRs on stable tags | Automatic (CI) |
+| **Homebrew + Winget** | `bump-homebrew.yml` / `bump-winget.yml` open version-bump PRs on stable tags — **currently no-ops**: neither package has been bootstrapped upstream yet (§ Bootstrap) | Automatic (CI), inactive |
 
 Two channels need the build to stay split into product flavors (see
 `amethyst/build.gradle.kts` → `productFlavors`):
@@ -498,6 +512,15 @@ reads an optional per-release changelog from
 
 ## Bootstrap runbook (one-time)
 
+> **Status as of v1.13.1: neither Homebrew nor Winget has been bootstrapped.**
+> `https://formulae.brew.sh/api/cask/amethyst-nostr.json` and
+> `microsoft/winget-pkgs/manifests/v/VitorPamplona/Amethyst` both 404, so
+> **Amethyst does not currently ship through either channel.** The bump
+> workflows detect this and skip with a `::warning::` instead of failing, so a
+> green release run does *not* mean Homebrew/Winget shipped. The two subsections
+> below are the work that activates them; until then treat the desktop app as
+> GitHub-Releases-only on macOS and Windows.
+
 ### Secrets to provision in GitHub repo settings
 
 The full secret inventory is in [§ Secrets the CI needs](#secrets-the-ci-needs).
@@ -510,8 +533,11 @@ their token type and scope:
 | `WINGET_TOKEN` | Submit Winget manifests | Classic PAT — `public_repo` — 90d expiry (dedicated bot account preferred; `vedantmgoyal9/winget-releaser` does not support fine-grained) |
 
 Rotate both on a 90-day cadence. Owner: assigned via `RELEASE_OPS.md`
-or equivalent issue tracker. On rotation, paste new token and run
-`gh workflow run bump-homebrew.yml` on the most recent stable tag to verify.
+or equivalent issue tracker. On rotation, paste the new token and run
+`gh workflow run bump-homebrew.yml -f tag=<most-recent-stable-tag>` to verify
+(the `tag` input is required — that dispatch path exists for exactly this).
+Note the verification is only meaningful once the cask exists upstream;
+before that the run skips the token-using step entirely.
 
 ### Homebrew cask (one-time initial PR)
 
diff --git a/RELEASE_OPS.md b/RELEASE_OPS.md
index 1f0975423e..ab641f769c 100644
--- a/RELEASE_OPS.md
+++ b/RELEASE_OPS.md
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ specific to shipping the official Amethyst artifacts.
 
 ## At a glance
 
-A release is one tag push that fans out to five distribution channels:
+A release is one tag push that fans out to four live distribution channels:
 
 | Channel | Mechanism | Who pushes |
 |---|---|---|
@@ -22,10 +22,11 @@ A release is one tag push that fans out to five distribution channels:
 | **Google Play** | **Manual** — download the signed AAB from the GH Release, upload in Play Console | Maintainer |
 | **F-Droid** | **Pull** — F-Droid's build server builds the `fdroid` flavor from source when it sees the new tag | F-Droid (we just maintain the recipe + metadata) |
 | **Zapstore** | `zsp publish` reads `zapstore.yaml`, signs a Nostr release event with Amethyst's nsec | Maintainer |
-| **Homebrew + Winget** | Automatic — `bump-homebrew.yml` / `bump-winget.yml` fire on stable tags | CI |
+| **Homebrew + Winget** | ⚠️ **Not shipping.** The bump workflows run, but skip: neither package exists upstream yet | Nobody (see § 3) |
 
 Maven Central (the `quartz` library) also publishes automatically from the same
-workflow.
+workflow — as a *step* at the end of the `deploy-android` job, not a job of its
+own, so don't expect to find it in the run's job list.
 
 ---
 
@@ -61,8 +62,10 @@ workflow.
    `scripts/translators.sh --seed` with `CROWDIN_PROJECT_ID` /
    `CROWDIN_PERSONAL_TOKEN` set, which refreshes the file.)
 
-3. **Publish the release-notes note on Nostr** with Amethyst's account and paste
-   its event id into `amethyst/build.gradle.kts`:
+3. **Publish the release-notes note on Nostr** — *minor releases only.* In
+   practice this id has only ever been bumped on `x.y.0` (1.11.0, 1.12.0,
+   1.13.0); patch releases leave it pointing at their minor's note. Publish with
+   Amethyst's account and paste the event id into `amethyst/build.gradle.kts`:
    ```kotlin
    buildConfigField("String", "RELEASE_NOTES_ID", "\"<new-event-id-hex>\"")
    ```
@@ -85,17 +88,33 @@ workflow.
 Commit, tag, push — see [`BUILDING.md` § Release runbook](BUILDING.md#release-runbook)
 for the exact commands. The tag must equal `app` from the catalog (the workflow
 asserts this and fails fast otherwise). A clean `vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` tag is
-classified **stable** and triggers the Homebrew/Winget bumps; anything with a
-`-rc`/`-beta`/`-alpha`/`-dev` suffix is a prerelease and skips them.
+classified **stable** and runs the Homebrew/Winget bump workflows; anything with
+a `-rc`/`-beta`/`-alpha`/`-dev` suffix is a prerelease and skips them.
+
+Heads-up on the `git push`: this repo has `git-credential-manager` configured as
+a credential helper, and it blocks on an interactive prompt (a plain
+`GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT=0` does **not** stop it — the push just hangs). If that
+happens, push using `gh`'s helper for the one command:
+
+```bash
+git -c credential.helper= -c credential.helper='!gh auth git-credential' push upstream main
+```
 
 When the `Create Release Assets` workflow finishes (~25–30 min) the GH Release
-holds, per the asset-name contract:
+holds **31 assets**, per the asset-name contract:
 
-- **Android:** 5 Google Play APKs + 5 F-Droid APKs + 2 AABs
-  (`amethyst-googleplay-*-v…apk` / `.aab`, `amethyst-fdroid-*-v…apk` / `.aab`)
-- **Desktop:** 8 assets (DMG/MSI/DEB/RPM/AppImage/zip/tar.gz)
-- **CLI:** the `amy` artifacts
-- **Maven Central:** `com.vitorpamplona.quartz:quartz:<version>` published
+- **Android (13):** 5 Google Play APKs + 5 F-Droid APKs + 2 AABs + the F-Droid
+  `.apks` set for Accrescent
+  (`amethyst-googleplay-*-v…apk` / `.aab`, `amethyst-fdroid-*-v…apk` / `.aab` / `.apks`)
+- **Desktop (8):** DMG (macOS **arm64 only** — there is no Intel DMG),
+  MSI + zip, DEB, RPM, AppImage, flatpak, tar.gz
+- **CLI (5):** the `amy` artifacts
+- **Relay (5):** the `geode` artifacts, plus the geode Docker image
+- **Maven Central:** `com.vitorpamplona.quartz:quartz:<version>` published.
+  `repo1.maven.org` lags the publish by tens of minutes — a 404 right after the
+  run is normal. Confirm the step's log says "Deployment is being published to
+  Maven Central", and compare against the *previous* version's POM before
+  concluding anything is broken.
 
 ---
 
@@ -165,11 +184,36 @@ RELAY_URLS="wss://relay.zapstore.dev,wss://relay.damus.io,wss://nos.lol,wss://vi
 Keep `wss://relay.zapstore.dev` in the list — that is the relay the Zapstore app
 itself reads from.
 
-### Homebrew + Winget — automatic
-`bump-homebrew.yml` and `bump-winget.yml` fire on stable tags and open PRs
-against `Homebrew/homebrew-cask` (cask `amethyst-nostr`) and
-`microsoft/winget-pkgs` (`VitorPamplona.Amethyst`). No action unless one fails —
-then see BUILDING.md § Bootstrap and § Incident response.
+### Homebrew + Winget — ⚠️ not shipping yet
+
+`bump-homebrew.yml` and `bump-winget.yml` are wired to open PRs against
+`Homebrew/homebrew-cask` (cask `amethyst-nostr`) and `microsoft/winget-pkgs`
+(`VitorPamplona.Amethyst`) — but **neither package has ever been submitted
+upstream**, so both workflows detect that and skip with a `::warning::`. As of
+**v1.13.1** these two channels deliver nothing; macOS and Windows users get the
+desktop app from GitHub Releases only.
+
+Two separate faults kept this invisible until v1.13.1, both now fixed:
+
+1. **The workflows never ran at all** — for *any* release. They triggered on
+   `release: types: [released]`, and GitHub does not raise workflow-triggering
+   events for a release created by `GITHUB_TOKEN`, which is exactly how
+   `create-release.yml` creates it. They now trigger on `workflow_run` after
+   `Create Release Assets` succeeds, which also fixes a latent race — the old
+   event fired while assets were still uploading.
+2. **Nothing exists upstream to bump.** `brew bump-cask-pr` and
+   `winget-releaser` can only *update* an existing package. The first
+   submission is a manual, human-reviewed PR: BUILDING.md § Homebrew cask
+   (one-time initial PR) and § Winget (one-time initial submission).
+
+Until someone does that bootstrap, a green release run means the bump workflows
+*skipped cleanly* — not that Homebrew/Winget shipped. Check the run's warnings
+if you want to confirm which case you're in.
+
+The two `amy` / `geode` Homebrew **formula** workflows are different: they only
+sync the in-repo reference `.rb` files and open a PR against *this* repo, so
+they do real work on every release. Merge those PRs to keep the formulae ready
+for their eventual homebrew-core submission.
 
 ---
 
@@ -222,13 +266,19 @@ Owner assignments and rotation reminders live with the team (issue tracker).
 
 ## 6. Post-release verification
 
-- [ ] GH Release: expected asset count, Intel + ARM DMGs, sizes sane.
-- [ ] Maven Central: `quartz:<version>` resolves (allow propagation time).
+- [ ] GH Release: 31 assets, sizes sane, and the asset-name set matches the
+      previous release (see the `diff` one-liner in BUILDING.md § Release
+      runbook). macOS is arm64-only — do **not** look for an Intel DMG.
+- [ ] Maven Central: `quartz:<version>` resolves (allow tens of minutes of
+      propagation; the publish step's log is the authoritative signal).
 - [ ] Play Console: rollout started, no policy rejection.
 - [ ] Zapstore: release event visible.
 - [ ] F-Droid: new version detected (may lag days).
-- [ ] Homebrew + Winget bump PRs opened (stable only).
-- [ ] In-app "Release Notes" link opens the note matching `RELEASE_NOTES_ID`.
+- [ ] `amy` / `geode` Homebrew formula-sync PRs opened against this repo — merge them.
+- [ ] Homebrew + Winget: **expected to skip** until bootstrapped (§ 3). If they
+      ever start opening real PRs, that means someone landed the bootstrap.
+- [ ] In-app "Release Notes" link opens the note matching `RELEASE_NOTES_ID`
+      (only bumped on minor releases — patches keep pointing at the x.y.0 note).
 - [ ] Push still works on a `play` build (only if the push contract changed —
       see § 4); UnifiedPush still works on an `fdroid` build.