diff --git a/.release-please-manifest.json b/.release-please-manifest.json
index 95f894456..ab97ab420 100644
--- a/.release-please-manifest.json
+++ b/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
-  ".": "0.2.44",
+  ".": "0.2.45",
   "packages/modelaudit-picklescan": "0.1.5"
 }
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 52c93efd7..03ab3ff9a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [0.2.45](https://github.com/promptfoo/modelaudit/compare/v0.2.44...v0.2.45) (2026-05-03)
+
+### Bug Fixes
+
+- remove checked-in benchmark files ([#1220](https://github.com/promptfoo/modelaudit/issues/1220)) ([1e258e4](https://github.com/promptfoo/modelaudit/commit/1e258e48f43522853ba167463a5fae8d5533612a))
+
 ## [0.2.44](https://github.com/promptfoo/modelaudit/compare/v0.2.43...v0.2.44) (2026-05-03)
 
 ### Bug Fixes
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index f64ad9cf6..5e013cae6 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 
 [project]
 name = "modelaudit"
-version = "0.2.44"
+version = "0.2.45"
 description = "Static scanning library for detecting malicious code, potential backdoor indicators, and other security risks in ML model files"
 authors = [
     { name = "Ian Webster", email = "ian@promptfoo.dev" },
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index a561a96d2..1dfaea2da 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -2395,7 +2395,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "modelaudit"
-version = "0.2.44"
+version = "0.2.45"
 source = { editable = "." }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "click" },