diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index b48bd0b2..a52ad3ed 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -10,7 +10,27 @@ env:
   FORCE_JAVASCRIPT_ACTIONS_TO_NODE24: true
 
 jobs:
+  sync-main:
+    name: Sync main branch
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # Only runs on v* tag pushes (release trigger). Uses force-push because main
+    # is a release-only mirror of develop — any commits on main not in develop
+    # are stale snapshots that should be overwritten by the current release.
+    if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: develop
+
+      - name: Push to main
+        run: |
+          git push origin HEAD:main --force
+          echo "✅ main synced to develop at ${{ github.sha }}"
+
   build-release:
+    needs: sync-main
     name: Build ${{ matrix.target }}
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     strategy:
@@ -152,18 +172,16 @@ jobs:
             printf '| Windows (x86_64) | `cora-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc-%s.zip` |\n\n' "${{ steps.version.outputs.TAG }}"
             printf '### 🚀 Quick Start\n\n'
             printf '```bash\n'
-            printf '# Install via cargo\n'
+            printf '# Quick install (Linux / macOS)\n'
+            printf 'curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codecoradev/cora-cli/main/install.sh | sh\n\n'
+            printf '# Or via cargo\n'
             printf 'cargo install cora\n\n'
-            printf '# Or download binary (extracts as '\''cora'\'')\n'
-            printf 'curl -fsSL https://github.com/codecoradev/cora-cli/releases/latest/download/cora-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu-%s.tar.gz | tar xz\n' "${{ steps.version.outputs.TAG }}"
-            printf 'chmod +x cora\n'
-            printf 'sudo mv cora /usr/local/bin/\n\n'
             printf '# Init project\n'
             printf 'cora init\n\n'
             printf '# Review staged changes\n'
             printf 'CORA_API_KEY=your-key cora review --staged\n'
             printf '```\n\n'
-            printf '**Full changelog:** https://github.com/codecoradev/cora-cli/blob/develop/CHANGELOG.md\n'
+            printf '**Full changelog:** https://github.com/codecoradev/cora-cli/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md\n'
           } > release-notes.md
 
       - name: Create GitHub Release
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9afba1fc..da1b49a5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -46,6 +46,12 @@ Installs to `~/.local/bin`. Add to PATH if needed:
 echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc
 ```
 
+Pin a specific version with `CORA_VERSION`:
+
+```bash
+CORA_VERSION=v0.4.0 curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codecoradev/cora-cli/main/install.sh | sh
+```
+
 ### Pre-built Binaries
 
 Download from [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/codecoradev/cora-cli/releases):
@@ -358,11 +364,9 @@ jobs:
 Or install manually:
 
 ```yaml
-# Manual install in CI
+# Manual install in CI (using install script)
 - name: Install cora-cli
-  run: |
-    curl -fsSL https://github.com/codecoradev/cora-cli/releases/latest/download/cora-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz | tar xz
-    sudo mv cora /usr/local/bin/
+  run: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codecoradev/cora-cli/main/install.sh | sh
 ```
 
 ### GitLab CI
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index d0f53d17..63f95a83 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -100,14 +100,35 @@ install() {
     TEMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
     ARCHIVE="${TEMP_DIR}/${ARCHIVE_NAME}"
 
+    CHECKSUMS_URL="https://github.com/${REPO}/releases/download/${VERSION}/checksums-sha256.txt"
+    CHECKSUM_FILE="${TEMP_DIR}/checksums-sha256.txt"
+
     info "Downloading from: $DOWNLOAD_URL"
     if ! curl -fsSL "$DOWNLOAD_URL" -o "$ARCHIVE"; then
         error "Failed to download ${ARCHIVE_NAME}"
     fi
 
+    # Verify SHA256 checksum (prevents MITM / corrupted download).
+    info "Downloading checksums..."
+    if curl -fsSL "$CHECKSUMS_URL" -o "$CHECKSUM_FILE"; then
+        info "Verifying SHA256 checksum..."
+        EXPECTED=$(grep -F "$ARCHIVE_NAME" "$CHECKSUM_FILE" | awk '{print $1}')
+        if [ -n "$EXPECTED" ]; then
+            ACTUAL=$(sha256sum "$ARCHIVE" | awk '{print $1}')
+            if [ "$ACTUAL" != "$EXPECTED" ]; then
+                error "Checksum mismatch! Expected: ${EXPECTED}, got: ${ACTUAL}"
+            fi
+            info "Checksum verified: $EXPECTED"
+        else
+            warn "Checksum for ${ARCHIVE_NAME} not found in checksums file — skipping verification"
+        fi
+    else
+        warn "Failed to download checksums — skipping verification"
+    fi
+
     # Verify archive contents before extraction (CWE-22 path traversal).
     # Reject any entry with an absolute path or a ".." component.
-    info "Verifying archive..."
+    info "Verifying archive integrity..."
     if tar -tzf "$ARCHIVE" | grep -qE '^/|(^|/)\.\.(/|$)'; then
         error "Archive contains unsafe paths (absolute or directory traversal) — refusing to extract"
     fi