diff --git a/.mokogitea/workflows/auto-release.yml b/.mokogitea/workflows/auto-release.yml
index 5c16f426..663c4aad 100644
--- a/.mokogitea/workflows/auto-release.yml
+++ b/.mokogitea/workflows/auto-release.yml
@@ -82,71 +82,33 @@ jobs:
           cd /tmp/moko-platform-api
           composer install --no-dev --no-interaction --quiet
 
-      - name: Rename source branch to rc
+      - name: Rename branch to rc
         run: |
-          SOURCE_BRANCH="${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref || 'dev' }}"
-          API_BASE="${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITEA_ORG}/${GITEA_REPO}"
-          PR_NUM="${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}"
           php /tmp/moko-platform-api/cli/branch_rename.php \
-            --from "$SOURCE_BRANCH" --to rc \
+            --from "${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref || 'dev' }}" --to rc \
             --token "${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}" \
-            --api-base "${API_BASE}" \
-            --pr "$PR_NUM"
+            --api-base "${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITEA_ORG}/${GITEA_REPO}" \
+            --pr "${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}"
 
-      - name: Set RC version on renamed branch
+      - name: Checkout rc and configure git
         run: |
-          # Checkout the new rc branch
           git fetch origin rc
           git checkout rc
-          API_BASE="${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITEA_ORG}/${GITEA_REPO}"
-          MOKO_CLI="/tmp/moko-platform-api/cli"
+          git config --local user.email "gitea-actions[bot]@mokoconsulting.tech"
+          git config --local user.name "gitea-actions[bot]"
+          git remote set-url origin "https://x-access-token:${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}@git.mokoconsulting.tech/${{ github.repository }}.git"
 
-          VERSION=$(php ${MOKO_CLI}/version_read.php --path .) || true
-          [ -z "$VERSION" ] && { echo "No version — skipping"; exit 0; }
-
-          php ${MOKO_CLI}/version_set_platform.php \
-            --path . --version "$VERSION" --branch rc --stability rc 2>/dev/null || true
-          php ${MOKO_CLI}/version_check.php --path . --fix 2>/dev/null || true
-
-          if ! git diff --quiet || ! git diff --cached --quiet; then
-            git config --local user.email "gitea-actions[bot]@mokoconsulting.tech"
-            git config --local user.name "gitea-actions[bot]"
-            git add -A
-            git commit -m "chore(version): set RC stability suffix [skip ci]" \
-              --author="gitea-actions[bot] <gitea-actions[bot]@mokoconsulting.tech>"
-            git push origin rc
-          fi
-
-      - name: Build RC release
+      - name: Publish RC release
         run: |
-          API_BASE="${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITEA_ORG}/${GITEA_REPO}"
-          MOKO_CLI="/tmp/moko-platform-api/cli"
-          VERSION=$(php ${MOKO_CLI}/version_read.php --path .) || true
-
-          php ${MOKO_CLI}/release_create.php \
-            --path . --version "$VERSION" --tag "release-candidate" \
-            --token "${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}" --api-base "$API_BASE" \
-            --repo "${GITEA_REPO}" --branch rc 2>&1 || true
-
-          php ${MOKO_CLI}/release_package.php \
-            --path . --version "$VERSION" --tag "release-candidate" \
-            --token "${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}" --api-base "$API_BASE" \
-            --repo "${GITEA_REPO}" --output /tmp 2>&1 || true
-
-      - name: Cascade lesser channels
-        continue-on-error: true
-        run: |
-          API_BASE="${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITEA_ORG}/${GITEA_REPO}"
-          php /tmp/moko-platform-api/cli/release_cascade.php \
-            --stability release-candidate \
-            --token "${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}" \
-            --api-base "${API_BASE}"
+          php /tmp/moko-platform-api/cli/release_publish.php \
+            --path . --stability rc --bump minor --branch rc \
+            --token "${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}"
 
       - name: Summary
         if: always()
         run: |
           echo "## Promoted to Release Candidate" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "Draft PR opened — branch renamed to rc, RC release built" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "Branch renamed to rc, minor bump, RC + lesser stream releases built, updates.xml synced" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
 
   # ── Merged PR → Build & Release (or promote RC to stable) ────────────────────
   release:
@@ -390,64 +352,14 @@ jobs:
           echo "Release created: ${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
 
       # -- STEP 8: Build packages and upload to release ----------------------------
-      - name: "Step 8: Build package and upload"
-        id: package
+      - name: "Publish stable release (+ copies for all lesser streams)"
         if: >-
           steps.version.outputs.skip != 'true' &&
           steps.rc.outputs.promote != 'true'
         run: |
-          VERSION="${{ steps.bump.outputs.version || steps.version.outputs.version }}"
-          RELEASE_TAG="${{ steps.version.outputs.release_tag }}"
-          API_BASE="${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITEA_ORG}/${GITEA_REPO}"
-          php /tmp/moko-platform-api/cli/release_package.php \
-            --path . --version "$VERSION" --tag "$RELEASE_TAG" \
-            --token "${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}" --api-base "$API_BASE" \
-            --repo "${GITEA_REPO}" --output /tmp || true
-
-      # -- STEP 5: Write update stream (after build so SHA-256 is available) -----
-      - name: "Step 5: Write update stream"
-        if: steps.version.outputs.skip != 'true'
-        run: |
-          VERSION="${{ steps.bump.outputs.version || steps.version.outputs.version }}"
-          SHA256="${{ steps.package.outputs.sha256_zip }}"
-
-          # Fetch latest updates.xml from main so preserve logic has current channels
-          GITEA_TOKEN="${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}"
-          API="${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/repos/${{ github.repository }}"
-          curl -sf -H "Authorization: token ${GITEA_TOKEN}" \
-            "${API}/contents/updates.xml?ref=main" 2>/dev/null | \
-            php -r "\$d=json_decode(file_get_contents('php://stdin'),true); echo base64_decode(\$d['content'] ?? '');" \
-            > updates.xml 2>/dev/null || rm -f updates.xml
-
-          SHA_FLAG=""
-          [ -n "$SHA256" ] && SHA_FLAG="--sha ${SHA256}"
-
-          php /tmp/moko-platform-api/cli/updates_xml_build.php \
-            --path . --version "${VERSION}" --stability stable \
-            --gitea-url "${GITEA_URL}" --org "${GITEA_ORG}" --repo "${GITEA_REPO}" \
-            ${SHA_FLAG} --github-output
-
-          # Commit updates.xml if changed
-          if ! git diff --quiet updates.xml 2>/dev/null; then
-            git add updates.xml
-            git commit -m "chore: update stable channel ${VERSION} [skip ci]" \
-              --author="gitea-actions[bot] <gitea-actions[bot]@mokoconsulting.tech>"
-            git push origin HEAD:refs/heads/main 2>&1 || true
-          fi
-
-      # -- STEP 8b: Update release description with changelog ----------------------
-      - name: "Step 8b: Update release body"
-        if: steps.version.outputs.skip != 'true'
-        continue-on-error: true
-        run: |
-          VERSION="${{ steps.bump.outputs.version || steps.version.outputs.version }}"
-          RELEASE_TAG="${{ steps.version.outputs.release_tag }}"
-          php /tmp/moko-platform-api/cli/release_body_update.php \
-            --path . --version "${VERSION}" --tag "${RELEASE_TAG}" \
-            --token "${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}" \
-            --gitea-url "${GITEA_URL}" --org "${GITEA_ORG}" --repo "${GITEA_REPO}" \
-            2>&1 || true
-          echo "Release body updated" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          php /tmp/moko-platform-api/cli/release_publish.php \
+            --path . --stability stable --branch main \
+            --token "${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}"
 
       # -- STEP 9: Mirror to GitHub (stable only) --------------------------------
       - name: "Step 9: Mirror release to GitHub"
@@ -484,33 +396,17 @@ jobs:
             && echo "main branch pushed to GitHub mirror" \
             || echo "WARNING: GitHub mirror push failed"
 
-      # -- Clean up lesser pre-releases (cascade) ---------------------------------
-      # stable → deletes all | rc → beta,alpha,dev | beta → alpha,dev | alpha → dev
-      - name: "Delete lesser pre-release channels"
-        continue-on-error: true
-        run: |
-          VERSION="${{ steps.bump.outputs.version || steps.version.outputs.version }}"
-          API_BASE="${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITEA_ORG}/${GITEA_REPO}"
-          php /tmp/moko-platform-api/cli/release_cascade.php \
-            --stability stable \
-            --version "${VERSION}" \
-            --token "${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}" \
-            --api-base "${API_BASE}" 2>/dev/null || true
-
-      - name: "Step 11: Clean up pre-release branches and recreate dev from main"
+      - name: "Step 11: Delete rc branch and recreate dev from main"
         if: steps.version.outputs.skip != 'true'
         continue-on-error: true
         run: |
           API_BASE="${GITEA_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITEA_ORG}/${GITEA_REPO}"
           TOKEN="${{ secrets.MOKOGITEA_TOKEN }}"
 
-          # Delete ephemeral pre-release branches (rc, alpha, beta)
-          for EPHEMERAL in rc alpha beta; do
-            curl -sf -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token ${TOKEN}" \
-              "${API_BASE}/branches/${EPHEMERAL}" 2>/dev/null \
-              && echo "Deleted ${EPHEMERAL} branch" \
-              || echo "${EPHEMERAL} branch not found"
-          done
+          # Delete rc branch (ephemeral — created by promote-rc)
+          curl -sf -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token ${TOKEN}" \
+            "${API_BASE}/branches/rc" 2>/dev/null \
+            && echo "Deleted rc branch" || echo "rc branch not found"
 
           # Delete dev branch
           curl -sf -X DELETE -H "Authorization: token ${TOKEN}" \