diff --git a/.github/allowed_signers b/.github/allowed_signers
index 2756428..87ce163 100644
--- a/.github/allowed_signers
+++ b/.github/allowed_signers
@@ -10,5 +10,6 @@
 #
 #   you@example.com namespaces="git" ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAA...
 #
-# Empty until the release manager adds their key (docs/stores.md, "Signing keys"); until then
-# every release tag is refused.
+
+# Ayla Croft (@HackTuah), release manager: SHA256:HqIaFq/thUm844NjYC3a+4Br40cqD2yJHEq1L2iiw4E
+dev@scriptkittyos.com namespaces="git" ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIAiWNJRQYwtCxb7uEMB5i1XdR6k9Xd+hF6+kMQa4nQ3j dev@scriptkittyos.com
diff --git a/MAINTAINERS.md b/MAINTAINERS.md
index 2f1ec4e..e847c4a 100644
--- a/MAINTAINERS.md
+++ b/MAINTAINERS.md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ step.
 
 | Name | GitHub | Roles | Areas | Tag-signing key | Since |
 |---|---|---|---|---|---|
-| Ayla Croft | [@HackTuah](https://github.com/HackTuah) | Lead maintainer, maintainer, release manager, security response lead | Server, extension, docs | Not yet: to be added to `.github/allowed_signers` before the first release tag | 2026-10 |
+| Ayla Croft | [@HackTuah](https://github.com/HackTuah) | Lead maintainer, maintainer, release manager, security response lead | Server, extension, docs | SSH ed25519 `SHA256:HqIaFq/thUm844NjYC3a+4Br40cqD2yJHEq1L2iiw4E` (`.github/allowed_signers`) | 2026-10 |
 | minitru | [@minitru](https://github.com/minitru) | Maintainer | Reviews, triage | None (not a release manager) | 2026-10 |
 
 ## Not yet filled
diff --git a/docs/stores.md b/docs/stores.md
index f7231ce..6752697 100644
--- a/docs/stores.md
+++ b/docs/stores.md
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ Tag it on the release PR's head, whose version is already bumped:
 ```sh
 git fetch origin release-please--branches--main
 git switch --detach origin/release-please--branches--main
-scripts/tag-release.sh --rc 1
+scripts/tag-release.sh --rc 1 --ssh-key ~/.ssh/kotiko_release.pub
 ```
 
 ### Trying the pipeline without releasing
@@ -152,12 +152,17 @@ store credentials.
 
 Each release manager signs tags with their own key; no signing key exists on GitHub.
 
-- **SSH** (simplest): `git config --global gpg.format ssh` and
-  `git config --global user.signingkey ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub`, then add a line to
-  `.github/allowed_signers` in a pull request:
-  `you@example.com namespaces="git" ssh-ed25519 AAAA…`.
+- **SSH** (simplest): make a key just for release tags, with the project's address and
+  not a personal one, since the public key and its comment are published:
+  `ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "dev@scriptkittyos.com" -f ~/.ssh/kotiko_release`. Add a line
+  to `.github/allowed_signers` in a pull request:
+  `you@example.com namespaces="git" ssh-ed25519 AAAA…`. Sign with
+  `scripts/tag-release.sh --ssh-key ~/.ssh/kotiko_release.pub`, which uses the key for that
+  tag only; how git signs your commits stays as it is. (Setting `gpg.format ssh` globally
+  would switch commit signing to that key too.)
 - **GPG**: `git config --global user.signingkey <fingerprint>`, then
-  `gpg --armor --export <fingerprint> >> .github/release-keys.asc` in a pull request.
+  `gpg --armor --export <fingerprint> >> .github/release-keys.asc` in a pull request. The
+  exported key includes every user ID on it, email addresses too, and they become public.
 
 List the same key's fingerprint in MAINTAINERS.md. Until a key is added, every release tag
 is refused.
diff --git a/scripts/tag-release.sh b/scripts/tag-release.sh
index 632066c..493812d 100755
--- a/scripts/tag-release.sh
+++ b/scripts/tag-release.sh
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@
 #   scripts/tag-release.sh            # v0.3.0, from the merged release commit
 #   scripts/tag-release.sh --rc 1     # v0.3.0-rc.1, a release candidate (no store upload)
 #   scripts/tag-release.sh --dry-run  # every check, no tag
+#   scripts/tag-release.sh --ssh-key ~/.ssh/kotiko_release.pub   # sign this tag with that SSH
+#                                     # key, whatever git signs commits with
 #
 # Checks first: a clean tree; HEAD is origin/main (a candidate may instead be the head of
 # release-please's branch, whose version is already bumped); for a release, HEAD is the
@@ -28,12 +30,14 @@ die() {
 rc=""
 dry_run=false
 remote="origin"
+ssh_key=""
 while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
   case "$1" in
     --rc) rc="$2"; shift 2 ;;
     --dry-run) dry_run=true; shift ;;
     --remote) remote="$2"; shift 2 ;;
-    *) die "unknown option $1 (use --rc N, --dry-run, --remote NAME)" ;;
+    --ssh-key) ssh_key="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+    *) die "unknown option $1 (use --rc N, --dry-run, --remote NAME, --ssh-key FILE)" ;;
   esac
 done
 [ -z "$rc" ] || [[ "$rc" =~ ^[1-9][0-9]*$ ]] || die "--rc takes a number: --rc 1"
@@ -78,10 +82,18 @@ if [ "$dry_run" = true ]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
-[ -n "$(git config user.signingkey || true)" ] ||
-  die "no signing key: set git config user.signingkey (and gpg.format ssh for an SSH key); see docs/stores.md"
+# --ssh-key signs this one tag with an SSH key, leaving how git signs commits (often a GPG
+# key) as it is.
+sign=(git)
+if [ -n "$ssh_key" ]; then
+  [ -f "$ssh_key" ] || die "--ssh-key: $ssh_key isn't a file"
+  sign=(git -c gpg.format=ssh -c "user.signingkey=$ssh_key")
+else
+  [ -n "$(git config user.signingkey || true)" ] ||
+    die "no signing key: pass --ssh-key FILE, or set git config user.signingkey (and gpg.format ssh for an SSH key); see docs/stores.md"
+fi
 
-git tag -s "$tag" -m "Kotiko $version"
+"${sign[@]}" tag -s "$tag" -m "Kotiko $version"
 if ! bash scripts/verify-tag.sh "$tag" --main "$remote/main" --rc-branch "$remote/$rc_branch"; then
   git tag -d "$tag" >/dev/null
   die "the new tag didn't verify (is your key in .github/allowed_signers?); it was deleted, nothing was pushed"
diff --git a/test/unit/release-tags.test.mjs b/test/unit/release-tags.test.mjs
index 4d18b6c..8135808 100644
--- a/test/unit/release-tags.test.mjs
+++ b/test/unit/release-tags.test.mjs
@@ -197,6 +197,18 @@ test("tag-release refuses a commit that isn't the release, a dirty tree, leftove
   assert.equal(run(work, "git", ["rev-parse", "--verify", "--quiet", "refs/tags/v0.3.0"]).status, 1, "the bad tag is deleted");
 });
 
+test("--ssh-key signs the tag with that key, whatever git signs commits with", () => {
+  const { work } = setup();
+  git(work, "config", "--unset", "user.signingkey");
+  git(work, "config", "gpg.format", "openpgp");
+  assert.match(run(work, "bash", ["scripts/tag-release.sh"]).stderr, /no signing key: pass --ssh-key FILE/);
+  assert.match(run(work, "bash", ["scripts/tag-release.sh", "--ssh-key", join(base, "missing.pub")]).stderr, /isn't a file/);
+  const r = run(work, "bash", ["scripts/tag-release.sh", "--ssh-key", join(base, "release.pub")]);
+  assert.equal(r.status, 0, r.stderr);
+  assert.match(r.stdout, /pushed v0\.3\.0/);
+  assert.equal(git(work, "config", "gpg.format"), "openpgp", "the repository's own signing settings are untouched");
+});
+
 test("a release candidate is tagged on release-please's branch and verifies as a pre-release", () => {
   const { work } = setup();
   git(work, "switch", "-q", "-c", "release-please--branches--main");