diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 34104e2a..94ef0af7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -1,22 +1,57 @@
 name: Release
 
+# Replaces semantic-release. Instead of publishing on every qualifying merge,
+# release-please maintains a single "Release PR" that accumulates the Conventional
+# Commits landing on master (bumping every package to the same version and updating
+# CHANGELOG.md). Merging that PR creates the git tag (vX.Y.Z) and GitHub Release,
+# which then triggers the publish job below.
 on:
-  workflow_run:
-    workflows: ["Build and Test"]
+  push:
     branches: [master]
-    types:
-      - completed
 
 permissions:
-  id-token: write # Required for OIDC
-  contents: write # To create releases
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
 
 jobs:
-  release:
+  release-please:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    if: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.conclusion == 'success' }}
+    outputs:
+      release_created: ${{ steps.release.outputs.release_created }}
+      tag_name: ${{ steps.release.outputs.tag_name }}
     steps:
-      - name: "Generate token"
+      # App token (not GITHUB_TOKEN) so the Release PR triggers the Build and Test
+      # checks; PRs opened by GITHUB_TOKEN do not start workflows.
+      - name: Generate token
+        id: generate_token
+        uses: tibdex/github-app-token@v1
+        with:
+          app_id: ${{ secrets.BOT_APP_ID }}
+          private_key: ${{ secrets.BOT_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
+      - name: Run release-please
+        id: release
+        uses: googleapis/release-please-action@v4
+        with:
+          # Reads release-please-config.json and .release-please-manifest.json from
+          # the repo root. The root package drives one version/tag/changelog and the
+          # config's extra-files bump every published package in lockstep.
+          token: ${{ steps.generate_token.outputs.token }}
+
+  # Runs only when merging the Release PR just cut a release. Publishing reuses the
+  # exact steps from the previous semantic-release setup (yarn npm publish, which
+  # rewrites the workspace:* dependency ranges to concrete versions). At this point
+  # the package versions are already bumped by the merged Release PR, so there is no
+  # version step here.
+  publish:
+    needs: release-please
+    if: ${{ needs.release-please.outputs.release_created == 'true' }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write
+    steps:
+      - name: Generate token
         id: generate_token
         uses: tibdex/github-app-token@v1
         with:
@@ -26,8 +61,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.release-please.outputs.tag_name }}
           persist-credentials: false
-          fetch-depth: 0
           token: ${{ steps.generate_token.outputs.token }}
 
       - name: Set up Node.js
@@ -57,7 +92,5 @@ jobs:
               npmRegistryServer: "https://registry.npmjs.org"
           EOF
 
-      - name: Semantic Release
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ steps.generate_token.outputs.token }}
-        run: npx semantic-release
+      - name: Publish packages
+        run: yarn workspaces foreach -A --no-private npm publish --access public --tag latest
diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate-branch.yml b/.github/workflows/validate-branch.yml
index ea08b8ca..40d42069 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validate-branch.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate-branch.yml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           PR_TITLE=$(printf "%s" "${{ github.event.pull_request.title }}")
           echo "PR title: $PR_TITLE"
-          if [[ ! "$PR_TITLE" =~ ^(feat|fix|chore|docs|refactor|style|test|tests|perf|build)(\(.+\))?:\ .+ ]]; then
+          if [[ ! "$PR_TITLE" =~ ^(feat|fix|chore|docs|refactor|style|test|tests|perf|build|revert|ci)(\(.+\))?:\ .+ ]]; then
             echo "::error::Invalid PR title: $PR_TITLE"
             echo "::error::PR title must follow Conventional Commits, e.g., 'feat(api): add user login'"
             exit 1
diff --git a/.release-please-manifest.json b/.release-please-manifest.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5677a32d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  ".": "1.16.0"
+}
diff --git a/.releaserc.json b/.releaserc.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 7aae5023..00000000
--- a/.releaserc.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,35 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "branches": [
-    "master",
-    {
-      "name": "develop",
-      "prerelease": "next",
-      "channel": "next"
-    }
-  ],
-  "plugins": [
-    "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer",
-    "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator",
-    "@semantic-release/changelog",
-    [
-      "@semantic-release/exec",
-      {
-        "prepareCmd": "yarn workspaces foreach -A --no-private version ${nextRelease.version}"
-      }
-    ],
-    [
-      "@semantic-release/exec",
-      {
-        "publishCmd": "yarn workspaces foreach -A --no-private npm publish --access public --tag $( [ \"${nextRelease.channel}\" = \"next\" ] && echo next || echo latest )"
-      }
-    ],
-    [
-      "@semantic-release/git",
-      {
-        "assets": ["CHANGELOG.md", "package.json", "packages/**/package.json"],
-        "message": "chore(release): ${nextRelease.version} [skip ci]\n\n${nextRelease.notes}"
-      }
-    ],
-    "@semantic-release/github"
-  ]
-}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2e4de9da..810efb0b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "sidequest-monorepo",
   "private": true,
+  "version": "1.16.0",
   "type": "module",
   "description": "Monorepo for Sidequest.js",
   "engines": {
diff --git a/release-please-config.json b/release-please-config.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..54e37cbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/release-please-config.json
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/release-please/main/schemas/config.json",
+  "packages": {
+    ".": {
+      "release-type": "node",
+      "package-name": "sidequest",
+      "changelog-path": "CHANGELOG.md",
+      "include-component-in-tag": false,
+      "include-v-in-tag": true,
+      "changelog-sections": [
+        { "type": "feat", "section": "Features" },
+        { "type": "fix", "section": "Bug Fixes" },
+        { "type": "perf", "section": "Performance Improvements" },
+        { "type": "refactor", "section": "Code Refactoring" },
+        { "type": "revert", "section": "Reverts" },
+        { "type": "docs", "section": "Documentation", "hidden": true },
+        { "type": "chore", "hidden": true },
+        { "type": "ci", "hidden": true },
+        { "type": "test", "hidden": true },
+        { "type": "build", "hidden": true },
+        { "type": "style", "hidden": true }
+      ],
+      "extra-files": [
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/sidequest/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/engine/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/core/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/dashboard/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/cli/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/backends/backend/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/backends/backend-test/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/backends/postgres/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/backends/mysql/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/backends/sqlite/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" },
+        { "type": "json", "path": "packages/backends/mongo/package.json", "jsonpath": "$.version" }
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+}