diff --git a/.cnb.yml b/.cnb.yml
index 4ef6ec69..1a9abfdf 100644
--- a/.cnb.yml
+++ b/.cnb.yml
@@ -145,6 +145,11 @@ $:
               tag_name="$(git describe --tags --exact-match 2>/dev/null || true)"
             fi
             version="${tag_name#v}"
+            cargo_version="$(grep -E '^version = "' Cargo.toml | head -n1 | sed -E 's/^version = "([^"]+)".*/\1/')"
+            if [ -n "$tag_name" ] && [ "$version" != "$cargo_version" ]; then
+              echo "ERROR: tag ${tag_name} does not match Cargo.toml version ${cargo_version}" >&2
+              exit 1
+            fi
             commit_sha="${CNB_COMMIT:-$(git rev-parse HEAD)}"
             {
               echo "# ${tag_name:-CNB release}"
diff --git a/docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md b/docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md
index ac8138ac..96c8b303 100644
--- a/docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md
+++ b/docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md
@@ -38,14 +38,15 @@ not enumerate.
 
 ## 2. Version pins are in sync
 
-- [ ] `Cargo.toml` workspace `version` is bumped.
-- [ ] All per-crate `crates/*/Cargo.toml` path-dependency `version = "..."`
-      pins match the new workspace version.
-- [ ] `npm/codewhale/package.json` `version` AND `codewhaleBinaryVersion`
-      are both bumped.
+- [ ] Run `./scripts/release/prepare-release.sh X.Y.Z` — it bumps the
+      workspace version, every per-crate dependency pin,
+      `npm/codewhale/package.json` (`version` + `codewhaleBinaryVersion`),
+      the README install-tag examples, refreshes `Cargo.lock`, regenerates
+      `crates/tui/CHANGELOG.md` and `web/lib/facts.generated.ts`, and ends
+      by running `check-versions.sh`. Write the CHANGELOG entry **before**
+      running it.
 - [ ] `npm/deepseek-tui/package.json` remains private/compatibility-only and
       is **not** bumped or published.
-- [ ] `Cargo.lock` is refreshed (`cargo update --workspace --offline`).
 - [ ] `./scripts/release/check-versions.sh` reports
       `Version state OK: workspace=X.Y.Z, npm=X.Y.Z, lockfile in sync.`
 - [ ] `./scripts/release/check-ohos-deps.sh` reports that the OpenHarmony
diff --git a/docs/RELEASE_RUNBOOK.md b/docs/RELEASE_RUNBOOK.md
index 0f511f19..a96996cd 100644
--- a/docs/RELEASE_RUNBOOK.md
+++ b/docs/RELEASE_RUNBOOK.md
@@ -113,9 +113,12 @@ Crate publishing to crates.io is **manual** — there is no automated
 `scripts/release/` from a developer workstation that has `cargo login`
 configured.
 
-1. Update the workspace version in [Cargo.toml](../Cargo.toml).
-2. Run `./scripts/release/check-versions.sh` and
-   `./scripts/release/publish-crates.sh dry-run` locally; both must be clean.
+1. Write the CHANGELOG entry, then run
+   `./scripts/release/prepare-release.sh X.Y.Z` — it bumps every
+   version-bearing file (workspace + crate pins + npm wrapper + README
+   install tags), refreshes the lockfile and generated files, and runs
+   `check-versions.sh`.
+2. Run `./scripts/release/publish-crates.sh dry-run` locally; it must be clean.
 3. Tag the release as `vX.Y.Z` (typically by pushing the version bump to
    `main` and letting `auto-tag.yml` create the tag — see the npm wrapper
    release section below for the `RELEASE_TAG_PAT` requirement).
diff --git a/scripts/release/check-versions.sh b/scripts/release/check-versions.sh
index 6d48c038..23c4ec83 100755
--- a/scripts/release/check-versions.sh
+++ b/scripts/release/check-versions.sh
@@ -149,7 +149,24 @@ if grep -qF "hmbown.dev@gmail.com" SECURITY.md; then
   fail=1
 fi
 
-# 8) Cargo.lock in sync.
+# 8) Generated web facts carry the workspace version.
+facts_version="$(grep -oE '"version": "[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+"' web/lib/facts.generated.ts | head -n1 | sed -E 's/.*"([0-9.]+)".*/\1/')"
+if [[ "${facts_version}" != "${workspace_version}" ]]; then
+  echo "::error::web/lib/facts.generated.ts version (${facts_version}) does not match workspace (${workspace_version}). Run: node web/scripts/derive-facts.mjs" >&2
+  fail=1
+fi
+
+# 9) README install-tag examples point at the current release.
+for readme in README.md README.zh-CN.md README.ja-JP.md README.vi.md; do
+  stale_tags="$(grep -nE -- "--tag v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+" "${readme}" | grep -v -- "--tag v${workspace_version}" || true)"
+  if [[ -n "${stale_tags}" ]]; then
+    echo "::error::${readme} has install examples pinned to an old tag (want v${workspace_version}):" >&2
+    echo "${stale_tags}" >&2
+    fail=1
+  fi
+done
+
+# 10) Cargo.lock in sync.
 if ! cargo metadata --locked --format-version 1 --no-deps >/dev/null 2>&1; then
   echo "::error::Cargo.lock is out of sync with the manifests. Run 'cargo update -p codewhale-tui' or 'cargo build' and commit the result." >&2
   fail=1
diff --git a/scripts/release/prepare-release.sh b/scripts/release/prepare-release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..4181f094
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release/prepare-release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Bump every version-bearing file for a release in one shot.
+#
+# Usage: ./scripts/release/prepare-release.sh <new-version>
+#
+# Touches: Cargo.toml (workspace version), crates/*/Cargo.toml (internal
+# codewhale-* dependency pins), npm/codewhale/package.json (version +
+# codewhaleBinaryVersion), README*.md install-tag examples, Cargo.lock,
+# crates/tui/CHANGELOG.md (via sync-changelog.sh) and
+# web/lib/facts.generated.ts (via derive-facts.mjs).
+#
+# It does NOT write the CHANGELOG entry — add the `## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD`
+# section first (see docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md), then run this script, then
+# let check-versions.sh (run at the end here) confirm everything agrees.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+new="${1:?usage: $0 <new-version>}"
+if ! [[ "${new}" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+  echo "error: '${new}' is not a plain X.Y.Z version" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+repo="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)"
+cd "${repo}"
+
+old="$(grep -E '^version = "' Cargo.toml | head -n1 | sed -E 's/^version = "([^"]+)".*/\1/')"
+if [[ "${old}" == "${new}" ]]; then
+  echo "workspace is already at ${new}; nothing to bump"
+  exit 0
+fi
+echo "Bumping ${old} -> ${new}"
+
+if ! grep -q "^## \[${new}\]" CHANGELOG.md; then
+  echo "warning: CHANGELOG.md has no '## [${new}]' entry yet — add it before tagging" >&2
+fi
+
+OLD_VERSION="${old}" NEW_VERSION="${new}" python3 - <<'PY'
+import os, pathlib, re, sys
+
+old, new = os.environ["OLD_VERSION"], os.environ["NEW_VERSION"]
+old_re = re.escape(old)
+
+def bump(path, pattern, repl, minimum):
+    p = pathlib.Path(path)
+    text = p.read_text()
+    out, n = re.subn(pattern, repl, text)
+    if n < minimum:
+        sys.exit(f"error: expected >= {minimum} replacement(s) in {path}, made {n}")
+    p.write_text(out)
+    print(f"  {path}: {n} replacement(s)")
+
+# 1) Workspace version.
+bump("Cargo.toml", rf'^version = "{old_re}"$', f'version = "{new}"', 1)
+
+# 2) Internal codewhale-* dependency pins in every crate manifest.
+total = 0
+for manifest in sorted(pathlib.Path("crates").glob("*/Cargo.toml")):
+    text = manifest.read_text()
+    out, n = re.subn(
+        rf'(codewhale-[a-z0-9-]+\s*=\s*\{{[^}}]*version = "){old_re}(")',
+        rf"\g<1>{new}\g<2>",
+        text,
+    )
+    if n:
+        manifest.write_text(out)
+        print(f"  {manifest}: {n} pin(s)")
+        total += n
+if total == 0:
+    sys.exit("error: no internal dependency pins were bumped — wrong old version?")
+
+# 3) npm wrapper.
+bump(
+    "npm/codewhale/package.json",
+    rf'("(?:version|codewhaleBinaryVersion)": "){old_re}(")',
+    rf"\g<1>{new}\g<2>",
+    2,
+)
+
+# 4) README install-tag examples (all translations).
+for readme in ["README.md", "README.zh-CN.md", "README.ja-JP.md", "README.vi.md"]:
+    bump(readme, rf"--tag v{old_re}\b", f"--tag v{new}", 1)
+PY
+
+echo "Refreshing Cargo.lock..."
+cargo update --workspace --offline >/dev/null
+
+echo "Regenerating crates/tui/CHANGELOG.md slice..."
+./scripts/sync-changelog.sh
+
+echo "Regenerating web/lib/facts.generated.ts..."
+node web/scripts/derive-facts.mjs
+
+echo "Validating..."
+./scripts/release/check-versions.sh
+echo "Done. Review 'git diff', commit, and follow docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md."