diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index cb0c939a..be14282b 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.5.2
+0.5.3
diff --git a/nostr_core/nostr_core.h b/nostr_core/nostr_core.h
index 752910a7..2b0a602c 100644
--- a/nostr_core/nostr_core.h
+++ b/nostr_core/nostr_core.h
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
 #define NOSTR_CORE_H
 
 // Version information (auto-updated by increment_and_push.sh)
-#define VERSION "v0.5.2"
+#define VERSION "v0.5.3"
 #define VERSION_MAJOR 0
 #define VERSION_MINOR 5
-#define VERSION_PATCH 2
+#define VERSION_PATCH 3
 
 /*
  * NOSTR Core Library - Complete API Reference