diff --git a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
index 5e8d5b0..74c39f3 100644
--- a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
+++ b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
     {
       "name": "ctx",
       "source": "./plugins/ctx",
-      "version": "0.1.0",
       "description": "Context hygiene for AI-assisted codebases. Finds stale, contradictory, and drifting AI context files (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, Serena memories, Cursor rules, and 10+ more tool ecosystems).",
       "keywords": [
         "context",
@@ -39,7 +38,6 @@
     {
       "name": "strip-ansi",
       "source": "./plugins/strip-ansi",
-      "version": "0.1.0",
       "description": "Prevents ANSI escape sequences from polluting agent context, commits, PRs, and file edits. Injects NO_COLOR into Bash tool calls and sanitizes any residual escapes from output.",
       "keywords": [
         "ansi",
@@ -54,7 +52,6 @@
     {
       "name": "codeweaver",
       "source": "./plugins/codeweaver",
-      "version": "0.1.0",
       "description": "Exquisite Context for AI Agents — Semantic code search MCP server with hybrid search, AST-level understanding, and intelligent chunking for 166+ languages.",
       "keywords": [
         "mcp",
diff --git a/.github/workflows/claude-code-review.yml b/.github/workflows/claude-code-review.yml
index b5e8cfd..5ae9a3f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/claude-code-review.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/claude-code-review.yml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ jobs:
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           fetch-depth: 1
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/claude.yml b/.github/workflows/claude.yml
index d300267..94dcce5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/claude.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/claude.yml
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ jobs:
       actions: read # Required for Claude to read CI results on PRs
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           fetch-depth: 1
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 2a7bca5..843f612 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -13,14 +13,15 @@ jobs:
   release:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
+      max-parallel: 1
       matrix:
         plugin: [ctx, strip-ansi, codeweaver]
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
 
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v6
         with:
           node-version: 24
 
@@ -32,16 +33,11 @@ jobs:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
         run: npx semantic-release
 
-      - name: Sync version to marketplace.json and regenerate
-        run: |
-          PKG_VERSION=$(jq -r '.version' plugins/${{ matrix.plugin }}/package.json)
-          jq --arg plugin "${{ matrix.plugin }}" --arg v "$PKG_VERSION" \
-            '(.plugins[] | select(.name == $plugin) | .version) = $v' \
-            .claude-plugin/marketplace.json > tmp.json && mv tmp.json .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
-          node scripts/generate.mjs
+      - name: Regenerate plugin.json from bumped package.json
+        run: node scripts/generate.mjs
 
       - name: Commit version sync
         uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v7
         with:
-          commit_message: "chore(${{ matrix.plugin }}): sync version to marketplace.json and regenerate files"
-          file_pattern: ".claude-plugin/marketplace.json plugins/${{ matrix.plugin }}/.claude-plugin/plugin.json plugins/${{ matrix.plugin }}/package.json"
+          commit_message: "chore(${{ matrix.plugin }}): sync plugin.json version [skip ci]"
+          file_pattern: "plugins/${{ matrix.plugin }}/.claude-plugin/plugin.json"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate.yml b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
index 9392c5a..4501d88 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
@@ -24,11 +24,8 @@ jobs:
         with:
           node-version: 24
 
-      - name: Regenerate and verify no drift
-        run: node scripts/generate.mjs
-
-      - name: Fail if any generated file was modified
-        run: git diff --exit-code
+      - name: Check generated files for drift
+        run: node scripts/generate.mjs --check
 
   commitlint:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 8834979..dfccad2 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -20,19 +20,15 @@ All plugin logic is **markdown prompts** interpreted by Claude Code at runtime.
 
 ### Version sync
 
-Each plugin's version lives in two files that must match:
-- `plugins/<name>/package.json` — semantic-release writes this on merge to main
-- `plugins/<name>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json` — Claude Code reads this at install time
-
-The release workflow auto-syncs `plugin.json` after semantic-release bumps `package.json`. The validation script (`scripts/validate-marketplace.sh`) catches mismatches.
+`package.json` is the sole source of truth for each plugin's version — semantic-release bumps it on merge to main. The generate script reads the version from `package.json` and propagates it to `plugin.json`. The release workflow runs generate after each release to keep them in sync.
 
 ### Key files
 
-- `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` — Discovery manifest listing all plugins with source paths
+- `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` — Discovery manifest listing all plugins with metadata (description, keywords, etc. — but NOT version)
 - `plugins/<name>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json` — Per-plugin manifest (name, version, description, mcpServers, userConfig)
-- `plugins/<name>/package.json` — npm package with `semantic-release-monorepo` config
+- `plugins/<name>/package.json` — npm package; version source of truth, release config generated centrally
 - `.commitlintrc.json` — Enforces conventional commits; `scope-enum` must list all plugin names
-- `.github/workflows/release.yml` — Per-plugin semantic-release via matrix; `matrix.plugin` must list all plugin names
+- `.github/workflows/release.yml` — Per-plugin semantic-release via matrix (max-parallel: 1); `matrix.plugin` must list all plugin names
 - `.github/workflows/validate.yml` — PR gate: runs marketplace validation + commitlint
 
 ### Plugin component types
@@ -87,11 +83,9 @@ The Stop event re-fires if the hook's output is treated as new model feedback. L
 
 ## Adding a new plugin
 
-Four files must be updated in sync:
-1. Create `plugins/<name>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json` and `plugins/<name>/package.json` with matching versions
-2. Add entry to `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` `plugins` array
-3. Add plugin name to `scope-enum` in `.commitlintrc.json`
-4. Add plugin name to `matrix.plugin` in `.github/workflows/release.yml`
+1. Add the plugin entry to `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` `plugins` array (name, source, description, keywords, etc.)
+2. Run `npm run generate` — this creates all derived files (`plugin.json`, `package.json`, `.commitlintrc.json`, `release.yml`)
+3. Optionally run `npm run generate -- --new <name>` to also scaffold `commands/` directory and `README.md`
 
 ## Commit convention
 
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 0c643e8..0f9e1f6 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
         "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer": "^13.0.1",
         "@semantic-release/git": "^10.0.1",
         "@semantic-release/github": "^12.0.6",
+        "@semantic-release/npm": "^13.1.1",
         "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator": "^14.1.0",
         "semantic-release": "^25.0.3",
         "semantic-release-monorepo": "^8.0.2"
@@ -31,6 +32,7 @@
             "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer": "^13.0.1",
             "@semantic-release/git": "^10.0.1",
             "@semantic-release/github": "^12.0.6",
+            "@semantic-release/npm": "^13.1.1",
             "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator": "^14.1.0",
             "semantic-release": "^25.0.3",
             "semantic-release-monorepo": "^8.0.2"
@@ -7633,15 +7635,18 @@
     },
     "plugins/codeweaver": {
       "name": "@knitli/codeweaver",
-      "version": "0.1.0"
+      "version": "1.0.1",
+      "license": "MIT OR Apache-2.0"
     },
     "plugins/ctx": {
       "name": "@knitli/ctx",
-      "version": "0.1.0"
+      "version": "1.2.0",
+      "license": "MIT"
     },
     "plugins/strip-ansi": {
       "name": "@knitli/strip-ansi",
-      "version": "0.1.0"
+      "version": "1.0.0",
+      "license": "MIT"
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 6b4ac15..fc84be2 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
         "@semantic-release/changelog": "^6.0.3",
         "@semantic-release/git": "^10.0.1",
         "@semantic-release/github": "^12.0.6",
+        "@semantic-release/npm": "^13.1.1",
         "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer": "^13.0.1",
         "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator": "^14.1.0",
         "@commitlint/cli": "^20.5.0",
@@ -26,6 +27,7 @@
     "@semantic-release/changelog": "^6.0.3",
     "@semantic-release/git": "^10.0.1",
     "@semantic-release/github": "^12.0.6",
+    "@semantic-release/npm": "^13.1.1",
     "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer": "^13.0.1",
     "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator": "^14.1.0",
     "@commitlint/cli": "^20.5.0",
diff --git a/plugins/codeweaver/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/plugins/codeweaver/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index deb4c63..d9ee7ee 100644
--- a/plugins/codeweaver/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/plugins/codeweaver/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     }
   },
   "name": "codeweaver",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "1.0.1",
   "description": "Exquisite Context for AI Agents — Semantic code search MCP server with hybrid search, AST-level understanding, and intelligent chunking for 166+ languages.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Knitli Inc.",
diff --git a/plugins/codeweaver/package.json b/plugins/codeweaver/package.json
index f4b04b3..b1659f7 100644
--- a/plugins/codeweaver/package.json
+++ b/plugins/codeweaver/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@knitli/codeweaver",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "1.0.1",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Exquisite Context for AI Agents — Semantic code search MCP server with hybrid search, AST-level understanding, and intelligent chunking for 166+ languages.",
   "author": {
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@
       "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer",
       "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator",
       "@semantic-release/changelog",
+      [
+        "@semantic-release/npm",
+        {
+          "npmPublish": false
+        }
+      ],
       "@semantic-release/git",
       "@semantic-release/github"
     ]
diff --git a/plugins/ctx/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/plugins/ctx/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index ef731ef..f7348d2 100644
--- a/plugins/ctx/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/plugins/ctx/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "ctx",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "1.2.0",
   "description": "Context hygiene for AI-assisted codebases. Finds stale, contradictory, and drifting AI context files (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, Serena memories, Cursor rules, and 10+ more tool ecosystems).",
   "author": {
     "name": "Knitli Inc.",
diff --git a/plugins/ctx/package.json b/plugins/ctx/package.json
index 461fcee..a8dd1a4 100644
--- a/plugins/ctx/package.json
+++ b/plugins/ctx/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@knitli/ctx",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "1.2.0",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Context hygiene for AI-assisted codebases. Finds stale, contradictory, and drifting AI context files (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, Serena memories, Cursor rules, and 10+ more tool ecosystems).",
   "author": {
@@ -29,6 +29,12 @@
       "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer",
       "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator",
       "@semantic-release/changelog",
+      [
+        "@semantic-release/npm",
+        {
+          "npmPublish": false
+        }
+      ],
       "@semantic-release/git",
       "@semantic-release/github"
     ]
diff --git a/plugins/strip-ansi/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/plugins/strip-ansi/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index c1edbc0..4a92146 100644
--- a/plugins/strip-ansi/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/plugins/strip-ansi/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "strip-ansi",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
   "description": "Prevents ANSI escape sequences from polluting agent context, commits, PRs, and file edits. Injects NO_COLOR into Bash tool calls and sanitizes any residual escapes from output.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Knitli Inc.",
diff --git a/plugins/strip-ansi/package.json b/plugins/strip-ansi/package.json
index 35802b9..8f57087 100644
--- a/plugins/strip-ansi/package.json
+++ b/plugins/strip-ansi/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@knitli/strip-ansi",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Prevents ANSI escape sequences from polluting agent context, commits, PRs, and file edits. Injects NO_COLOR into Bash tool calls and sanitizes any residual escapes from output.",
   "author": {
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@
       "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer",
       "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator",
       "@semantic-release/changelog",
+      [
+        "@semantic-release/npm",
+        {
+          "npmPublish": false
+        }
+      ],
       "@semantic-release/git",
       "@semantic-release/github"
     ]
diff --git a/scripts/generate.mjs b/scripts/generate.mjs
index b4106ea..d73f41e 100644
--- a/scripts/generate.mjs
+++ b/scripts/generate.mjs
@@ -114,11 +114,34 @@ const updatedReleaseYml = releaseYml.replace(
 writeOrCheck(releaseYmlPath, updatedReleaseYml);
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// 3. plugins/<name>/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+// Shared release config — generated for every plugin's package.json.
+// Includes @semantic-release/npm (npmPublish: false) so that semantic-release
+// actually bumps the version in package.json on each release.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+const RELEASE_CONFIG = {
+  extends: 'semantic-release-monorepo',
+  plugins: [
+    '@semantic-release/commit-analyzer',
+    '@semantic-release/release-notes-generator',
+    '@semantic-release/changelog',
+    ['@semantic-release/npm', { npmPublish: false }],
+    '@semantic-release/git',
+    '@semantic-release/github',
+  ],
+};
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// 3. Per-plugin: .claude-plugin/plugin.json  +  package.json
+//
+// Version source of truth: package.json (managed by semantic-release).
+// The generate script reads the version from the existing package.json
+// and propagates it to plugin.json.  New plugins default to "0.0.0".
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 for (const plugin of plugins) {
   const pluginDir = join(ROOT, plugin.source.replace(/^\.\//, ''));
+  const pkgJsonPath = join(pluginDir, 'package.json');
   const dotClaudePluginDir = join(pluginDir, '.claude-plugin');
   const pluginJsonPath = join(dotClaudePluginDir, 'plugin.json');
 
@@ -126,13 +149,18 @@ for (const plugin of plugins) {
     mkdirSync(dotClaudePluginDir, { recursive: true });
   }
 
+  // Read existing package.json — its version is the source of truth.
+  const existingPkg = existsSync(pkgJsonPath) ? readJSON(pkgJsonPath) : {};
+  const version = existingPkg.version ?? '0.0.0';
+
+  // --- plugin.json ---
   const extensions = pluginManifestExtensions[plugin.name] ?? {};
 
   // Spread extensions first so canonical fields always win if there's a conflict.
   const pluginJson = {
     ...extensions,
     name: plugin.name,
-    version: plugin.version,
+    version,
     description: plugin.description,
     author: shared.author,
     homepage: plugin.homepage ?? shared.homepage,
@@ -143,26 +171,11 @@ for (const plugin of plugins) {
   };
 
   writeOrCheck(pluginJsonPath, JSON.stringify(pluginJson, null, 2) + '\n');
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// 4. plugins/<name>/package.json
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-for (const plugin of plugins) {
-  const pluginDir = join(ROOT, plugin.source.replace(/^\.\//, ''));
-  const pkgJsonPath = join(pluginDir, 'package.json');
-
-  if (!CHECK_MODE) {
-    mkdirSync(pluginDir, { recursive: true });
-  }
-
-  // Preserve the release config block from the existing file if present.
-  const existing = existsSync(pkgJsonPath) ? readJSON(pkgJsonPath) : {};
 
+  // --- package.json ---
   const pkgJson = {
-    name: existing.name ?? `@${shared.npmScope}/${plugin.name}`,
-    version: plugin.version,
+    name: existingPkg.name ?? `@${shared.npmScope}/${plugin.name}`,
+    version,
     private: shared.private ?? true,
     description: plugin.description,
     author: shared.author,
@@ -173,14 +186,14 @@ for (const plugin of plugins) {
       type: 'git',
       url: shared.repository,
     },
-    ...(existing.release !== undefined && { release: existing.release }),
+    release: RELEASE_CONFIG,
   };
 
   writeOrCheck(pkgJsonPath, JSON.stringify(pkgJson, null, 2) + '\n');
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// 5. --new  scaffolding
+// 4. --new  scaffolding
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 if (NEW_PLUGIN) {
diff --git a/scripts/validate-marketplace.sh b/scripts/validate-marketplace.sh
index d7a1a2e..d2ab63e 100755
--- a/scripts/validate-marketplace.sh
+++ b/scripts/validate-marketplace.sh
@@ -51,16 +51,6 @@ for i in $(seq 0 $((PLUGIN_COUNT - 1))); do
     continue
   fi
 
-  # Version sync: package.json version == plugin.json version
-  if [ -f "$PLUGIN_DIR/package.json" ]; then
-    PKG_VERSION=$(jq -r '.version' "$PLUGIN_DIR/package.json")
-    PLUGIN_VERSION=$(jq -r '.version' "$PLUGIN_DIR/.claude-plugin/plugin.json")
-    if [ "$PKG_VERSION" != "$PLUGIN_VERSION" ]; then
-      echo "    FAIL: version mismatch — package.json=$PKG_VERSION, plugin.json=$PLUGIN_VERSION"
-      ERRORS=$((ERRORS + 1))
-    fi
-  fi
-
   echo "    OK"
 done