diff --git a/.github/manifest.yaml b/.github/manifest.yaml
index cb819d05..b93dabc7 100644
--- a/.github/manifest.yaml
+++ b/.github/manifest.yaml
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ ci:
       - e2e/**
       - go.mod
       - go.sum
-    cli_version: v0.1.0
-    cli_version_sha: 9dc69a1f66753a3865c38c34eca5a931f677c803
+    cli_version: v0.8.0
+    cli_version_sha: 58c3d309faaf5028aa03900aded8424e738afb81
     pin_mode: sha
     manifest_file: .github/manifest.yaml
     manifest_key: ci
diff --git a/.github/workflows/nightly-release.yaml b/.github/workflows/nightly-release.yaml
index 17f3c0c8..68077fe7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nightly-release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nightly-release.yaml
@@ -265,9 +265,13 @@ jobs:
     # rehearsal is always among the newest) and deletes the older accumulated
     # ones, so they cannot pile up and pollute version-calc.
     #
-    # Always on the schedule; on a manual run only when this is not itself a
-    # dry run, so it never races the tag the dispatch job just cut.
-    if: github.event_name == 'schedule' || github.event.inputs.dry_run != 'true'
+    # Always runs, including on a dry-run dispatch: retention only ever deletes
+    # tags OLDER than the newest few, so the tag a concurrent dispatch job is
+    # cutting (always the newest by monotonic run number) can never be among
+    # them even if this job races ahead of that push. Skipping the whole job on
+    # a dry-run dispatch (the previous behavior) left pruning off for as long as
+    # a maintainer kept rehearsing back to back, which is exactly when dry-run
+    # tags accumulate fastest.
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: write
@@ -293,6 +297,25 @@ jobs:
 
           git fetch --tags --force --prune --prune-tags --quiet origin
 
+          # A dry-run release can outlive its tag: if the tag is ever removed
+          # out-of-band (e.g. a manual `git push --delete` that does not also
+          # delete the release object), the release is left dangling with no
+          # ref to find it by. A tag-only scan can never see it again, so it
+          # accumulates invisibly forever. Reconcile those first: with no live
+          # tag there is no in-flight rehearsal chain to protect, so retention
+          # does not apply and each one is deleted unconditionally.
+          mapfile -t releases < <(
+            gh release list -L 200 --json tagName --jq '.[].tagName' \
+              | grep -E "$dryrun_re" || true
+          )
+          for tag in "${releases[@]}"; do
+            if git rev-parse -q --verify "refs/tags/${tag}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+              continue # has a live tag; handled by the retention pass below
+            fi
+            gh release delete "$tag" --yes
+            echo "::notice::Deleted orphaned dry-run release ${tag} (tag already gone)."
+          done
+
           mapfile -t tags < <(git tag -l | grep -E "$dryrun_re" | sort -V || true)
 
           count=${#tags[@]}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/orchestrate.yaml b/.github/workflows/orchestrate.yaml
index 257ef5e4..50b074aa 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/orchestrate.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/orchestrate.yaml
@@ -36,10 +36,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: Setup CLI
-        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@9dc69a1f66753a3865c38c34eca5a931f677c803 # v0.1.0
+        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@58c3d309faaf5028aa03900aded8424e738afb81 # v0.8.0
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.CASCADE_STATE_TOKEN }}
-          version: v0.1.0
+          version: v0.8.0
       - name: Run Setup
         id: setup
         run: |
@@ -109,10 +109,10 @@ jobs:
             echo "_No outputs produced_" >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
           fi
       - name: Setup CLI
-        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@9dc69a1f66753a3865c38c34eca5a931f677c803 # v0.1.0
+        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@58c3d309faaf5028aa03900aded8424e738afb81 # v0.8.0
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.CASCADE_STATE_TOKEN }}
-          version: v0.1.0
+          version: v0.8.0
       - name: Generate Changelog
         id: changelog
         env:
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ jobs:
           # The tag-push trigger is unreliable here: the candidate tag can
           # point at a state commit whose message suppresses CI, so an explicit
           # dispatch against the tag is the dependable way to build the candidate.
-          gh workflow run ./.github/workflows/release.yaml \
+          gh workflow run release.yaml \
             --repo "${{ github.repository }}" \
             --ref "$TAG"
       - name: Update Manifest
diff --git a/.github/workflows/promote.yaml b/.github/workflows/promote.yaml
index 314fd5e1..b73368bd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/promote.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/promote.yaml
@@ -93,10 +93,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: Setup CLI
-        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@9dc69a1f66753a3865c38c34eca5a931f677c803 # v0.1.0
+        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@58c3d309faaf5028aa03900aded8424e738afb81 # v0.8.0
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.CASCADE_STATE_TOKEN }}
-          version: v0.1.0
+          version: v0.8.0
       - name: Run Preflight
         id: preflight
         env:
@@ -128,10 +128,10 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@9c091bb21b7c1c1d1991bb908d89e4e9dddfe3e0 # v7.0.0
       - name: Setup CLI
-        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@9dc69a1f66753a3865c38c34eca5a931f677c803 # v0.1.0
+        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@58c3d309faaf5028aa03900aded8424e738afb81 # v0.8.0
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.CASCADE_STATE_TOKEN }}
-          version: v0.1.0
+          version: v0.8.0
       - name: Validate Promotion
         env:
           MODE: ${{ github.event.inputs.mode }}
@@ -155,10 +155,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: Setup CLI
-        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@9dc69a1f66753a3865c38c34eca5a931f677c803 # v0.1.0
+        uses: stablekernel/cascade/.github/actions/setup-cli@58c3d309faaf5028aa03900aded8424e738afb81 # v0.8.0
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.CASCADE_STATE_TOKEN }}
-          version: v0.1.0
+          version: v0.8.0
       - name: Generate Changelog
         id: changelog
         env:
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           # Dispatch the configured release-build workflow against the
           # published tag so it can build and attach release binaries.
-          gh workflow run ./.github/workflows/release.yaml \
+          gh workflow run release.yaml \
             --repo "${{ github.repository }}" \
             --ref "$TAG"
 
diff --git a/e2e/scenarios/38-promote-breaking-gate-release-build.yaml b/e2e/scenarios/38-promote-breaking-gate-release-build.yaml
index 2d7dffcd..debfa854 100644
--- a/e2e/scenarios/38-promote-breaking-gate-release-build.yaml
+++ b/e2e/scenarios/38-promote-breaking-gate-release-build.yaml
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ steps:
             - "    if: ${{ github.event.inputs.dry_run != 'true' }}\n"
             # Follow-on release-build dispatch against the published tag.
             - "      - name: Trigger Release Build\n"
-            - "          gh workflow run ./.github/workflows/release-build.yaml \\\n"
+            - "          gh workflow run release-build.yaml \\\n"
           not_contains:
             # The promote path uses the CLI gate, not the release bash step.
             - "      - name: Check Breaking Changes\n"
diff --git a/internal/generate/candidate_dispatch_test.go b/internal/generate/candidate_dispatch_test.go
index c8e2fcb8..5437e48b 100644
--- a/internal/generate/candidate_dispatch_test.go
+++ b/internal/generate/candidate_dispatch_test.go
@@ -76,8 +76,9 @@ func TestGenerator_CandidateDispatchStep(t *testing.T) {
 				require.Contains(t, content, "- name: Dispatch Release Candidate Build",
 					"expected the candidate dispatch step in dispatch mode with a release workflow")
 				body := stepRunBody(t, content, "Dispatch Release Candidate Build")
-				assert.Contains(t, body, "gh workflow run ./.github/workflows/release.yaml",
-					"the step must dispatch the configured release workflow, normalized")
+				assert.Contains(t, body, "gh workflow run release.yaml",
+					"the step must dispatch the configured release workflow by its bare file name; "+
+						"gh workflow run 404s on a \"./\"-prefixed repo path")
 				assert.Contains(t, body, `--ref "$TAG"`,
 					"the dispatch must target the candidate tag")
 			} else {
@@ -89,7 +90,9 @@ func TestGenerator_CandidateDispatchStep(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 // TestGenerator_CandidateDispatchNormalizesBareFilename asserts a bare release
-// workflow filename is normalized to a repo-relative path in the dispatch.
+// workflow filename dispatches unchanged: gh workflow run addresses a same-repo
+// workflow by file name (or numeric ID), never by a "./"-prefixed repository
+// path, so an already-bare name needs no further normalization.
 func TestGenerator_CandidateDispatchNormalizesBareFilename(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg, tmpDir := candidateDispatchConfig(t, true, &config.ReleaseConfig{Workflow: "release.yaml"})
 
@@ -97,6 +100,6 @@ func TestGenerator_CandidateDispatchNormalizesBareFilename(t *testing.T) {
 	require.NoError(t, err)
 
 	body := stepRunBody(t, content, "Dispatch Release Candidate Build")
-	assert.Contains(t, body, "gh workflow run ./.github/workflows/release.yaml",
-		"a bare release workflow filename must normalize to a repo-relative path")
+	assert.Contains(t, body, "gh workflow run release.yaml",
+		"a bare release workflow filename must dispatch unchanged")
 }
diff --git a/internal/generate/generator.go b/internal/generate/generator.go
index 6dc057c8..1ec6ae08 100644
--- a/internal/generate/generator.go
+++ b/internal/generate/generator.go
@@ -60,6 +60,24 @@ func normalizeWorkflowPath(path string) string {
 	return "./.github/workflows/" + filepath.Base(path)
 }
 
+// workflowDispatchTarget returns the value cascade passes as the positional
+// target of "gh workflow run" to dispatch a same-repo workflow. Every call site
+// in this package always passes --repo explicitly and targets the current
+// repository, so gh needs only the bare workflow file name (or a numeric
+// workflow ID); the "./"-prefixed repository path normalizeWorkflowPath
+// produces is correct for a uses: reusable-workflow reference but 404s against
+// gh workflow run ("workflow ... not found on the default branch"). A leading
+// "@ref" cross-repo suffix (valid for uses:, meaningless for gh workflow run,
+// whose target repo comes from --repo) is stripped defensively so a
+// misconfigured external-style value still degrades to a usable file name
+// rather than a broken dispatch argument.
+func workflowDispatchTarget(path string) string {
+	if idx := strings.Index(path, "@"); idx != -1 {
+		path = path[:idx]
+	}
+	return filepath.Base(path)
+}
+
 // envGHAName returns the GitHub Environment name for a given cascade environment
 // name. When the config has an EnvironmentConfig entry for that env whose
 // GHAEnvironment field is non-empty, that value is returned; otherwise the
@@ -1925,7 +1943,7 @@ func (g *Generator) writeCandidateDispatchStep(sb *strings.Builder) {
 	sb.WriteString("          # The tag-push trigger is unreliable here: the candidate tag can\n")
 	sb.WriteString("          # point at a state commit whose message suppresses CI, so an explicit\n")
 	sb.WriteString("          # dispatch against the tag is the dependable way to build the candidate.\n")
-	sb.WriteString("          gh workflow run " + normalizeWorkflowPath(g.config.Release.Workflow) + " \\\n")
+	sb.WriteString("          gh workflow run " + workflowDispatchTarget(g.config.Release.Workflow) + " \\\n")
 	sb.WriteString("            --repo \"${{ github.repository }}\" \\\n")
 	sb.WriteString("            --ref \"$TAG\"\n")
 }
diff --git a/internal/generate/promote.go b/internal/generate/promote.go
index 1882c7ef..3a2a3e1f 100644
--- a/internal/generate/promote.go
+++ b/internal/generate/promote.go
@@ -1236,7 +1236,7 @@ func (g *PromoteGenerator) writeFinalizeJob(sb *strings.Builder) {
 		sb.WriteString("        run: |\n")
 		sb.WriteString("          # Dispatch the configured release-build workflow against the\n")
 		sb.WriteString("          # published tag so it can build and attach release binaries.\n")
-		sb.WriteString("          gh workflow run " + normalizeWorkflowPath(g.config.Release.Workflow) + " \\\n")
+		sb.WriteString("          gh workflow run " + workflowDispatchTarget(g.config.Release.Workflow) + " \\\n")
 		sb.WriteString("            --repo \"${{ github.repository }}\" \\\n")
 		sb.WriteString("            --ref \"$TAG\"\n\n")
 	}
@@ -1264,7 +1264,7 @@ func (g *PromoteGenerator) writeFinalizeJob(sb *strings.Builder) {
 			bName := b.Name
 			sb.WriteString("          ARTIFACT_ID_" + strings.ToUpper(strings.ReplaceAll(bName, "-", "_")))
 			sb.WriteString("=$(yq eval \".$MANIFEST_KEY.state.$SOURCE_ENV.builds." + bName + ".artifact_id // \\\"\\\"\" \"$MANIFEST_FILE\")\n")
-			sb.WriteString("          gh workflow run " + normalizeWorkflowPath(g.config.Publish.Workflow) + " \\\n")
+			sb.WriteString("          gh workflow run " + workflowDispatchTarget(g.config.Publish.Workflow) + " \\\n")
 			sb.WriteString("            --repo \"${{ github.repository }}\" \\\n")
 			sb.WriteString("            --ref \"$NEW_VERSION\" \\\n")
 			sb.WriteString("            -f build_name=" + bName + " \\\n")
diff --git a/internal/generate/release_build_dispatch_test.go b/internal/generate/release_build_dispatch_test.go
index de0cd6c8..575d029e 100644
--- a/internal/generate/release_build_dispatch_test.go
+++ b/internal/generate/release_build_dispatch_test.go
@@ -48,13 +48,13 @@ func TestPromoteGenerator_ReleaseBuildDispatch(t *testing.T) {
 			name:         "release workflow configured emits a dispatch to it",
 			release:      &config.ReleaseConfig{Workflow: ".github/workflows/release-build.yaml"},
 			wantStep:     true,
-			wantDispatch: "gh workflow run ./.github/workflows/release-build.yaml",
+			wantDispatch: "gh workflow run release-build.yaml",
 		},
 		{
-			name:         "bare release workflow filename is normalized",
+			name:         "bare release workflow filename dispatches unchanged",
 			release:      &config.ReleaseConfig{Workflow: "release-build.yaml"},
 			wantStep:     true,
-			wantDispatch: "gh workflow run ./.github/workflows/release-build.yaml",
+			wantDispatch: "gh workflow run release-build.yaml",
 		},
 	}