diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11d5172
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+name: Release
+
+# Publishes the gem to rubygems.org via trusted publishing (OIDC) whenever a
+# version bump lands on main. The check job guards against republishing a
+# version that is already on rubygems.org, so merges that don't change the
+# version (or reverts) are a no-op.
+#
+# One-time setup required on rubygems.org before this workflow can publish —
+# see "Releasing a new version" in the README.
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - "lib/morph-cli/version.rb"
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions: {}
+
+concurrency:
+  group: release
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  check:
+    name: Check if version needs publishing
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    outputs:
+      release: ${{ steps.check.outputs.release }}
+      version: ${{ steps.check.outputs.version }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - name: Compare version against rubygems.org
+        id: check
+        run: |
+          version=$(ruby -Ilib -r morph-cli/version -e 'puts MorphCLI::VERSION')
+          echo "version=$version" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          # A 404 means the gem has never been published; treat that as "no
+          # versions published". Duplicate pushes are also rejected by
+          # rubygems.org itself, so this check failing open is still safe.
+          published=$(curl -fsS "https://rubygems.org/api/v1/versions/morph-cli.json" | jq -r '.[].number' || true)
+          if echo "$published" | grep -Fxq "$version"; then
+            echo "morph-cli $version is already on rubygems.org; nothing to do"
+            echo "release=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "morph-cli $version is not yet published; releasing"
+            echo "release=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
+  release:
+    name: Publish to RubyGems
+    needs: check
+    if: needs.check.outputs.release == 'true'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    environment: rubygems
+    permissions:
+      id-token: write # mandatory for RubyGems trusted publishing
+      contents: write # required for `rake release` to push the release tag
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+      - name: Set up Ruby
+        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
+        with:
+          ruby-version: "3.2"
+          bundler-cache: true
+      - name: Release gem v${{ needs.check.outputs.version }}
+        uses: rubygems/release-gem@v1
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1130113..ce9631b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -61,6 +61,44 @@ and our contributor licence agreement.
 4. Push to the branch (`git push origin feature/my-new-feature`)
 5. Create a new pull request
 
+## Releasing a new version
+
+Releases are published to [rubygems.org](https://rubygems.org/gems/morph-cli)
+automatically by the [release workflow](.github/workflows/release.yml) using
+[RubyGems trusted publishing](https://guides.rubygems.org/trusted-publishing/)
+— no API keys involved. A version bump merged to `main` results in a published
+gem. To release:
+
+1. Create a branch off `main`.
+2. Bump the version number in `lib/morph-cli/version.rb`, following
+   [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org).
+3. Move the relevant entries in `CHANGELOG.md` from "Unreleased" into a new
+   section for the version.
+4. Commit (signed off), open a pull request and get it reviewed and merged as
+   usual.
+5. On merge to `main`, the release workflow checks whether that version is
+   already on rubygems.org. If it isn't, it builds the gem, creates and pushes
+   the `vX.Y.Z` git tag, and publishes the gem. If the version is already
+   published the workflow does nothing, so it is safe to merge non-version
+   changes at any time.
+
+### One-time trusted publishing setup (gem owners)
+
+Before the release workflow can publish, a gem owner needs to configure a
+trusted publisher for morph-cli on rubygems.org (once only):
+
+1. Sign in to rubygems.org and go to the
+   [morph-cli trusted publishers settings](https://rubygems.org/gems/morph-cli/trusted_publishers)
+   (Gem page → Ownership → Trusted publishers).
+2. Create a new **GitHub Actions** trusted publisher with:
+   - **Repository owner:** `openaustralia`
+   - **Repository name:** `morph-cli`
+   - **Workflow filename:** `release.yml`
+   - **Environment:** `rubygems`
+3. In this GitHub repository, create the matching environment: Settings →
+   Environments → New environment → name it `rubygems`. Optionally add
+   required reviewers there to gate publishing behind a manual approval.
+
 ## License
 
 The gem is available as open source under the terms of the