diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d2b6939
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+name: Release
+
+# Overrides the default run name (the tagged commit's message) so the Actions
+# runs list shows "Release v0.1.0" instead.
+run-name: "Release ${{ gitea.event.inputs.tag || gitea.ref_name }}"
+
+# Publishes the games-api container image to the Gitea container registry AND
+# creates a Gitea Release whose body is the annotated tag's message (generated
+# locally by `make release VERSION=...` via git-cliff). Triggered by a version
+# tag push, or manually via workflow_dispatch with a tag. Pushing to main does
+# nothing, so work-in-progress commits never ship. Each release publishes two
+# image tags: the version (e.g. v0.1.0) and "latest".
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - 'v*'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      tag:
+        description: 'Tag to release (e.g. v0.1.0)'
+        required: true
+        type: string
+
+jobs:
+  build-and-push:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      packages: write
+    env:
+      # Resolve the target tag for both triggers: explicit input on manual
+      # dispatch, otherwise the pushed tag ref.
+      TAG: ${{ gitea.event.inputs.tag || gitea.ref_name }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          # Full history ensures the tag annotation (the release notes) is present.
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          ref: ${{ gitea.event.inputs.tag || gitea.ref }}
+
+      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Login to Gitea Container Registry
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          registry: git.linuxhg.com
+          username: ${{ gitea.actor }}
+          # PAT stored as a repo Actions secret (auto GITHUB_TOKEN lacks package scope in Gitea)
+          password: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Build and push image
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: .
+          file: ./Dockerfile
+          push: true
+          # Publishes both the exact version (e.g. v0.1.0) and the movable "latest" tag.
+          # Deployments default to "latest" via ${IMAGE_TAG:-latest} in docker-compose.yml;
+          # pin or roll back by setting IMAGE_TAG in .env.
+          tags: |
+            git.linuxhg.com/games-database/games-api:${{ env.TAG }}
+            git.linuxhg.com/games-database/games-api:latest
+
+      - name: Create Gitea Release
+        env:
+          # REGISTRY_TOKEN is reused for release creation because Gitea's auto
+          # GITHUB_TOKEN cannot create releases on this instance. The PAT must
+          # carry write:repository scope. Idempotent: re-runs update an existing
+          # release for this tag instead of failing with 409. On any HTTP error
+          # the API response body is printed so a 403 names the missing scope.
+          TOKEN: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_TOKEN }}
+          REPO: ${{ gitea.repository }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          : "${TAG:?TAG is required}"
+          API="https://git.linuxhg.com/api/v1/repos/${REPO}/releases"
+          AUTH="Authorization: token ${TOKEN}"
+          # Release body = the annotated tag's message (the git-cliff notes).
+          BODY="$(git tag -l --format='%(contents)' "${TAG}")"
+
+          # Tags containing a '-' (e.g. v0.1.0-rc1) are published as pre-releases.
+          PRE="false"; case "${TAG}" in *-*) PRE="true";; esac
+
+          PAYLOAD=$(jq -n \
+            --arg t "${TAG}" --arg n "${TAG}" --arg b "${BODY}" --argjson p "${PRE}" \
+            '{tag_name:$t, name:$n, body:$b, draft:false, prerelease:$p}')
+
+          # POST/PATCH the release, surfacing Gitea's error message on failure
+          # (e.g. "token does not have write scope") instead of failing silently.
+          api_call() {
+            local method="$1" url="$2" resp code rbody
+            resp="$(curl -sS -w '\n%{http_code}' -X "${method}" \
+              -H "${AUTH}" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+              -d "${PAYLOAD}" "${url}")"
+            code="$(printf '%s' "${resp}" | tail -n1)"
+            rbody="$(printf '%s' "${resp}" | sed '$d')"
+            if [ "${code}" -ge 400 ]; then
+              echo "::error::Release API ${code} (${method} ${url}): ${rbody}" >&2
+              return 1
+            fi
+          }
+
+          EXISTING_ID="$(curl -sS -H "${AUTH}" "${API}/tags/${TAG}" | jq -r '.id // empty' 2>/dev/null || true)"
+          if [ -n "${EXISTING_ID}" ]; then
+            api_call PATCH "${API}/${EXISTING_ID}"
+            echo "Updated existing release id=${EXISTING_ID} for ${TAG}"
+          else
+            api_call POST "${API}"
+            echo "Created new release for ${TAG}"
+          fi
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c604114
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+.PHONY: help release
+
+# Default target
+help:
+	@echo "Available targets:"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Release:"
+	@echo "  ./release v0.1.0            - Tag, push, and release (notes auto-generated from commits)"
+	@echo "  make release VERSION=v0.1.0 - Same, explicit make form"
+
+# Create an annotated version tag carrying auto-generated release notes (git-cliff)
+# and push it. The tag push triggers .gitea/workflows/release.yml, which builds the
+# image and publishes a Gitea Release whose body is this tag's message. Notes come
+# entirely from Conventional Commits — no hand-written message required.
+#
+# git-cliff's --latest needs the tag to exist to scope the notes, so we create a
+# throwaway lightweight tag, generate the notes, replace it with an annotated tag,
+# then push. --cleanup=verbatim keeps the markdown "###" group headers (git's
+# default cleanup would strip lines starting with "#").
+#
+# Requires git-cliff: https://git-cliff.org/install
+# Usage: make release VERSION=v0.1.0
+release:
+	@test -n "$(VERSION)" || { echo "Usage: make release VERSION=v0.1.0"; exit 1; }
+	@command -v git-cliff >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "git-cliff not found — install: https://git-cliff.org/install"; exit 1; }
+	@if git rev-parse "$(VERSION)" >/dev/null 2>&1; then echo "Tag $(VERSION) already exists locally — delete it first: git tag -d $(VERSION)"; exit 1; fi
+	@echo "Generating release notes for $(VERSION)..."
+	@git tag "$(VERSION)" HEAD && \
+		(git cliff --latest --config cliff.toml > .release-notes.tmp && git tag -d "$(VERSION)" >/dev/null) || \
+		{ git tag -d "$(VERSION)" >/dev/null 2>&1; rm -f .release-notes.tmp; echo "git-cliff failed"; exit 1; }
+	@git tag -a --cleanup=verbatim -F .release-notes.tmp "$(VERSION)" HEAD && rm -f .release-notes.tmp
+	@git push origin "$(VERSION)"
+	@echo "Pushed $(VERSION) — Gitea Actions will build the image and publish the Release."
diff --git a/cliff.toml b/cliff.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d74f52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cliff.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+# git-cliff configuration — generates the body of each Gitea Release from
+# Conventional Commits accumulated since the previous tag. Used locally by
+# `make release` with --latest so only the current tag's section is emitted
+# (no full history, no header — the Gitea Release title is the tag).
+# Docs: https://git-cliff.org/docs/configuration
+
+[changelog]
+header = ""
+body = """
+{% for group, commits in commits | group_by(attribute="group") %}\
+### {{ group | upper_first }}
+{% for commit in commits %}\
+- {% if commit.scope %}*({{ commit.scope }})* {% endif %}{{ commit.message | upper_first }} ({{ commit.id | truncate(length=7, end="") }})
+{% endfor %}\
+{% endfor %}\
+"""
+trim = true
+footer = ""
+
+[git]
+conventional_commits = true
+filter_unconventional = false
+require_conventional = false
+split_commits = false
+commit_parsers = [
+  { message = "^feat", group = "Features" },
+  { message = "^fix", group = "Bug Fixes" },
+  { message = "^perf", group = "Performance" },
+  { message = "^refactor", group = "Refactor" },
+  { message = "^docs", group = "Documentation" },
+  { message = "^test", group = "Tests" },
+  { message = "^chore|^ci", group = "Miscellaneous Tasks" },
+  { message = ".*", group = "Other" },
+]
+filter_commits = false
+tag_pattern = "v[0-9].*"
+sort_commits = "oldest"
diff --git a/release b/release
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..365d6d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/release
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env sh
+# Project-attached wrapper around `make release` so you can run:
+#   ./release v0.1.0   (or)   ./release 0.1.0
+# instead of:
+#   make release VERSION=v0.1.0
+# Lives in the repo (no machine-specific alias needed).
+set -eu
+
+[ "$#" -ge 1 ] || { echo "Usage: ./release v0.1.0" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+# Accept "0.1.0" or "v0.1.0"; ensure the tag starts with 'v' (the workflow
+# only triggers on v* tags).
+VERSION="v${1#v}"
+
+exec make release "VERSION=${VERSION}"