diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index bde2ad2..13e408d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -1,15 +1,43 @@
 name: Release binaries
 
-# Manual trigger only — never runs on a push, so a release only happens when someone deliberately clicks
-# "Run workflow". Builds a standalone sessionforge binary per platform (Node's Single Executable
-# Application feature — no Node.js needed on the machine that runs it) and attaches them to a GitHub
-# Release matching packages/cli/package.json's current version. This is the only distribution channel —
-# sessionforge is not published to npm (see packages/cli/package.json's "private" field).
+# Triggered by pushing a version tag: `git tag v0.3.0 && git push origin v0.3.0`. The tag IS the version —
+# the single source of truth, nothing to keep in sync with packages/cli/package.json (whose own version
+# field is unrelated and never read for this; this package is never published to npm, see its "private"
+# field). workflow_dispatch stays available for re-running the pipeline manually (e.g. while iterating on
+# this workflow itself) via an explicit `version` input, without needing to push a throwaway tag.
+#
+# Builds a standalone sessionforge binary per platform (Node's Single Executable Application feature — no
+# Node.js needed on the machine that runs it) and packages the Paseo plugin, attaching both to a GitHub
+# Release.
 on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - "v*"
   workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: "Version to release (no leading v), e.g. 0.3.0"
+        required: true
 
 jobs:
+  version:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      version: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.version }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Resolve version from the trigger (tag ref, or the manual input)
+        id: resolve
+        env:
+          MANUAL_VERSION: ${{ inputs.version }}
+        run: |
+          if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
+            echo "version=$MANUAL_VERSION" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "version=${GITHUB_REF#refs/tags/v}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
   build-binaries:
+    needs: version
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
@@ -43,6 +71,8 @@ jobs:
 
       - run: npm install
       - run: npm run build:binary --workspace packages/cli
+        env:
+          SESSIONFORGE_VERSION: ${{ needs.version.outputs.version }}
 
       - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
         with:
@@ -73,7 +103,7 @@ jobs:
           if-no-files-found: error
 
   release:
-    needs: [build-binaries, package-plugin]
+    needs: [version, build-binaries, package-plugin]
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: write
@@ -84,14 +114,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           path: artifacts
 
-      - name: Read version from packages/cli/package.json
-        id: version
-        run: echo "version=$(node -p "require('./packages/cli/package.json').version")" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-
       - name: Create release and upload binaries
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-          VERSION: ${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+          VERSION: ${{ needs.version.outputs.version }}
         run: |
           gh release create "v$VERSION" \
             --title "sessionforge v$VERSION" \
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 954df9a..aecb3a6 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -49,17 +49,30 @@ with nvm, not by reading release notes, so re-verify empirically before ever low
 
 ## Releasing (maintainers)
 
-`.github/workflows/release.yml` is manual-trigger only (`workflow_dispatch` from the Actions tab) — it
-never runs on a push. Builds a standalone `sessionforge` binary (Node SEA) natively per platform — Linux,
-macOS Intel, macOS Apple Silicon, Windows — and also packages the Paseo plugin (`scripts/package-plugin.mjs`
-— a self-contained directory with a real, non-symlinked copy of the built `@aadaa88/sessionforge` package
-baked into `node_modules`, since npm workspace symlinks don't survive being extracted on someone else's
-machine; verified by actually installing the packaged output via `paseo plugin install`, not just built).
-All of these are attached to a new GitHub Release tagged from `packages/cli/package.json`'s current
-version. This is the only distribution channel; there is no npm publish step. `sessionforge wire-paseo`
-downloads that same plugin asset and installs it — keep its version-matched download URL (see
-`packages/cli/src/core/paseo-wire.server.ts`) in sync with this workflow's release tag format if either
-changes.
+`.github/workflows/release.yml` triggers on pushing a version tag:
+
+```bash
+git tag v0.3.0
+git push origin v0.3.0
+```
+
+The tag *is* the version — the single source of truth, deliberately not synced with
+`packages/cli/package.json`'s own version field (that field is unrelated and unused by the release
+pipeline; this package is never published to npm). `workflow_dispatch` also works, for re-running the
+pipeline manually (e.g. while iterating on the workflow itself) via an explicit `version` input, without
+pushing a throwaway tag.
+
+It builds a standalone `sessionforge` binary (Node SEA) natively per platform — Linux, macOS Intel, macOS
+Apple Silicon, Windows — with the version baked in via `SESSIONFORGE_VERSION` (see
+`packages/cli/scripts/build-binary.mjs`; a build with that env var unset, e.g. a local dev build, reports
+itself as `dev-main`). It also packages the Paseo plugin (`scripts/package-plugin.mjs` — a self-contained
+directory with a real, non-symlinked copy of the built `@aadaa88/sessionforge` package baked into
+`node_modules`, since npm workspace symlinks don't survive being extracted on someone else's machine;
+verified by actually installing the packaged output via `paseo plugin install`, not just built). All of
+these are attached to a new GitHub Release matching the tag. This is the only distribution channel; there
+is no npm publish step. `sessionforge wire-paseo` downloads that same plugin asset and installs it — keep
+its version-matched download URL (see `packages/cli/src/core/paseo-wire.server.ts`) in sync with this
+workflow's release tag format if either changes.
 
 ## Making changes
 
diff --git a/docs/REFERENCE.md b/docs/REFERENCE.md
index ee7b6db..74b1ae7 100644
--- a/docs/REFERENCE.md
+++ b/docs/REFERENCE.md
@@ -59,9 +59,10 @@ main.client.tsx              session browser UI (sidebar panel): search/filter/a
 scripts/package-plugin.mjs   packages the Paseo plugin (this repo's root — see above) into a self-contained
                               directory, then tars it — what `sessionforge wire-paseo` downloads and installs
 
-.github/workflows/           CI (typecheck/test/build on Linux/macOS/Windows) + a manual-trigger release workflow
-                              (builds standalone binaries per platform, packages the Paseo plugin, attaches
-                              both to a GitHub Release)
+.github/workflows/           CI (typecheck/test/build on Linux/macOS/Windows) + a tag-triggered release
+                              workflow (git tag vX.Y.Z && git push origin vX.Y.Z — the tag is the version,
+                              not packages/cli/package.json's own field; builds standalone binaries per
+                              platform, packages the Paseo plugin, attaches both to a GitHub Release)
 ```
 
 ## Why a plugin *and* a CLI — and why they're separate packages
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 7de0e61..0c51618 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -5605,7 +5605,7 @@
     },
     "packages/cli": {
       "name": "@aadaa88/sessionforge",
-      "version": "0.1.0",
+      "version": "0.2.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "tsx": "^4.19.0"
diff --git a/packages/cli/package.json b/packages/cli/package.json
index 3c1676a..d4fb78c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/package.json
+++ b/packages/cli/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@aadaa88/sessionforge",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "0.2.0",
   "description": "Discover, classify, and safely clean up agent coding sessions (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Aider) — as a CLI or as a library. No Paseo dependency.",
   "license": "MIT",
   "author": "aMgLn",
diff --git a/packages/cli/scripts/build-binary.mjs b/packages/cli/scripts/build-binary.mjs
index 3e17cd7..0398c25 100644
--- a/packages/cli/scripts/build-binary.mjs
+++ b/packages/cli/scripts/build-binary.mjs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 // — SEA binaries aren't cross-compilable from one machine — see .github/workflows/release.yml, which runs
 // this once per matrix OS to cover Linux, both macOS architectures, and Windows.
 import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
-import { chmodSync, copyFileSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { chmodSync, copyFileSync, mkdirSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { createRequire } from "node:module";
 import { arch, platform } from "node:os";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
@@ -51,7 +51,11 @@ async function main() {
   rmSync(buildDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
   mkdirSync(buildDir, { recursive: true });
 
-  const { version } = JSON.parse(readFileSync(join(packageRoot, "package.json"), "utf8"));
+  // The tag pushed to trigger release.yml is the single source of truth for the version — CI passes it
+  // through this env var. packages/cli/package.json's own version field is unrelated (this package is
+  // never published to npm) and deliberately not read here anymore, so there's nothing to keep in sync
+  // with the release tag. "dev-main" marks a build that didn't come from release.yml at all.
+  const version = process.env.SESSIONFORGE_VERSION ?? "dev-main";
 
   console.log(`Bundling CLI entry point for ${triple}...`);
   await esbuild.build({
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/cli/bin.ts b/packages/cli/src/cli/bin.ts
index 9088328..d8f6150 100755
--- a/packages/cli/src/cli/bin.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/cli/bin.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env -S npx tsx
-import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { AiderAdapter } from "../core/aider-adapter.server.js";
@@ -27,15 +26,16 @@ import { formatSessionDetail, formatSessionTable, parseOlderThan } from "./forma
 const ADAPTERS = [new ClaudeCodeAdapter(), new CodexAdapter(), new GeminiCliAdapter(), new OpenCodeAdapter(), new AiderAdapter()];
 const ACTOR = "cli";
 
-// Baked in by esbuild's `define` when built into the standalone binary (see build-binary.mjs) — the
-// binary has no package.json on disk at runtime to read its own version from otherwise. Falls back to
-// reading packages/cli/package.json directly when running from raw source (tsx, no esbuild pass).
+// Baked in by esbuild's `define` when built into the standalone binary (see build-binary.mjs), which in
+// turn gets it from the git tag that triggered release.yml — the tag is the single source of truth for
+// version, not packages/cli/package.json (whose own version field is unrelated and never read here).
+// "dev-main" means this binary wasn't built by release.yml at all — a local/dev build, not a release.
 declare const __SESSIONFORGE_VERSION__: string | undefined;
 
+const DEV_VERSION = "dev-main";
+
 function getVersion(): string {
-  if (typeof __SESSIONFORGE_VERSION__ !== "undefined") return __SESSIONFORGE_VERSION__;
-  const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(new URL("../../package.json", import.meta.url), "utf8")) as { version: string };
-  return pkg.version;
+  return typeof __SESSIONFORGE_VERSION__ !== "undefined" ? __SESSIONFORGE_VERSION__ : DEV_VERSION;
 }
 
 interface ParsedArgs {
@@ -265,7 +265,18 @@ async function cmdWirePaseo(args: ParsedArgs): Promise<void> {
   }
   console.log("Plugins are enabled on this daemon.");
 
-  const version = flagString(args.flags, "version") ?? getVersion();
+  const versionFlag = flagString(args.flags, "version");
+  const version = versionFlag ?? getVersion();
+  if (version === DEV_VERSION && !versionFlag) {
+    console.error(
+      `\nThis is a development build (version: ${DEV_VERSION}), not a tagged release — there's no ` +
+        "matching Paseo plugin asset to download.\nPass --version <tag> (e.g. --version 0.2.0) to install " +
+        "a specific release's plugin, or use a released sessionforge binary instead.",
+    );
+    process.exitCode = 1;
+    return;
+  }
+
   const archivePath = join(tmpdir(), PLUGIN_ARCHIVE_NAME);
   console.log(`Downloading the v${version} Paseo plugin release asset...`);
   await downloadPluginArchive(version, archivePath);
@@ -313,6 +324,7 @@ Usage:
   sessionforge audit [id] [--json]           show the audit trail for destructive operations
   sessionforge wire-paseo [--version ...]    download and install the Paseo plugin for this CLI's version
   sessionforge paseo-status                  show whether the Paseo plugin is installed and running
+  sessionforge --version                     print this CLI's own version
 `);
 }
 
@@ -320,6 +332,13 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
   const args = parseArgs(process.argv.slice(2));
   const command = args.positional.shift();
 
+  // parseArgs treats any "--xxx" token as a flag regardless of position, so `sessionforge --version` never
+  // reaches the switch below as a positional "--version" — it lands here instead, with command undefined.
+  if (command === undefined && args.flags.get("version")) {
+    console.log(getVersion());
+    return;
+  }
+
   switch (command) {
     case "discover":
       return cmdDiscover();
@@ -341,6 +360,10 @@ async function main(): Promise<void> {
       return cmdWirePaseo(args);
     case "paseo-status":
       return cmdPaseoStatus();
+    case "version":
+    case "-v":
+      console.log(getVersion());
+      return;
     case undefined:
     case "help":
     case "--help":