diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 3b39c88a..0161653d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -206,10 +206,19 @@ jobs:
             .claude-plugin/plugin.json .codex-plugin/plugin.json
           if git diff --quiet -- .claude-plugin/plugin.json .codex-plugin/plugin.json; then
             echo "plugin manifests already at $RELEASE_VERSION; nothing to commit"
-            exit 0
+          else
+            git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+            git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+            git commit -m "release: stamp plugin manifests to $RELEASE_VERSION" \
+              -- .claude-plugin/plugin.json .codex-plugin/plugin.json
+            git push origin main
           fi
-          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
-          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
-          git commit -m "release: stamp plugin manifests to $RELEASE_VERSION" \
-            -- .claude-plugin/plugin.json .codex-plugin/plugin.json
-          git push origin main
+          # Advance the stable channel ref to the stamped release commit. The
+          # spacedock-dev/marketplace stable entry pins source.ref=stable (a moving
+          # branch, not a per-release tag), so a fresh `spacedock@spacedock` install
+          # resolves whatever this branch points at — this push is what publishes the
+          # release to the stable channel, replacing a hand-edit of the marketplace
+          # repo. main HEAD is the stamped release commit and stable is a prior
+          # release commit, so this fast-forwards. Same-repo push, so the default
+          # GITHUB_TOKEN suffices (no cross-repo PAT, unlike the homebrew-tap push).
+          git push origin main:refs/heads/stable
diff --git a/internal/release/channel_agreement_guard_test.go b/internal/release/channel_agreement_guard_test.go
index 09a62b00..e3522aa6 100644
--- a/internal/release/channel_agreement_guard_test.go
+++ b/internal/release/channel_agreement_guard_test.go
@@ -30,7 +30,9 @@ const stableChannelBranch = "main"
 // It reads the step's run block, finds the `git switch <branch>` and `git push
 // origin <branch>` commands, and returns the branch only when BOTH name the same
 // branch (a switch/push split would itself be a drift). Returns "" when the step,
-// or either command, is absent.
+// or either command, is absent. The step also pushes the stable channel ref
+// (`git push origin main:refs/heads/stable`); that refspec push (target contains
+// `:`) is skipped here so it does not shadow the bare-branch stamp target.
 func releaseStampTarget(workflow string) string {
 	for _, step := range parseWorkflowSteps(workflow) {
 		if step.name != "Stamp plugin manifests to the release version" {
@@ -42,7 +44,7 @@ func releaseStampTarget(workflow string) string {
 			if len(fields) == 3 && fields[0] == "git" && fields[1] == "switch" {
 				switchTo = fields[2]
 			}
-			if len(fields) == 4 && fields[0] == "git" && fields[1] == "push" && fields[2] == "origin" {
+			if len(fields) == 4 && fields[0] == "git" && fields[1] == "push" && fields[2] == "origin" && !strings.Contains(fields[3], ":") {
 				pushTo = fields[3]
 			}
 		}
@@ -150,6 +152,37 @@ func TestStableChannelBinaryPairAgreesOnMain(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// stampStepAdvancesStableRef reports whether the "Stamp plugin manifests" step
+// pushes the stamped commit to the stable channel ref. It looks for a
+// `git push origin <src>:refs/heads/stable` command in the step's run block.
+func stampStepAdvancesStableRef(workflow string) bool {
+	for _, step := range parseWorkflowSteps(workflow) {
+		if step.name != "Stamp plugin manifests to the release version" {
+			continue
+		}
+		for _, command := range executableShellCommands(step.run) {
+			fields := strings.Fields(command)
+			if len(fields) == 4 && fields[0] == "git" && fields[1] == "push" && fields[2] == "origin" && strings.HasSuffix(fields[3], ":refs/heads/stable") {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// TestStampStepAdvancesStableRef locks the stable-channel publish mechanism: the
+// release stamp step MUST push the release commit to the `stable` ref, because the
+// spacedock-dev/marketplace stable entry pins source.ref=stable. Without this push
+// the stable channel would freeze at the prior release forever (a fresh
+// `spacedock@spacedock` install would resolve the old commit), since the marketplace
+// manifest is intentionally static and no longer hand-edited per release. The
+// command is parsed out of the real release.yml, so dropping the push reds this.
+func TestStampStepAdvancesStableRef(t *testing.T) {
+	if !stampStepAdvancesStableRef(readReleaseWorkflow(t)) {
+		t.Error("release.yml stamp step does not push to refs/heads/stable; the stable marketplace channel (source.ref=stable) would never advance past the prior release")
+	}
+}
+
 // TestEdgeChannelStampsNext locks the channel-separation half: the edge build
 // must keep stamping `next` even as the stable build moves to `main`, so the two
 // channels resolve distinct plugin sources rather than collapsing to one branch.