diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 47692f55..47675063 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ on:
         description: 'Release tag (e.g., v1.0.0)'
         required: true
         type: string
+      skip-tests:
+        description: 'Skip the race tests (downloads, the tidy check and builds still run). Only when CI on main is green for this commit.'
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
 
 permissions:
   contents: write
@@ -20,6 +25,8 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
       GOWORK: 'off'
+      # A tag push always runs the tests; only a manual dispatch can skip them.
+      SKIP_TESTS: ${{ github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.skip-tests && 'true' || 'false' }}
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
@@ -55,7 +62,11 @@ jobs:
           go mod tidy
           git diff --exit-code go.mod go.sum
           go build ./...
-          go test -race -count=1 -timeout=60m ./...
+          if [ "$SKIP_TESTS" = "true" ]; then
+            echo "::notice::Skipping the root module's race tests (skip-tests)"
+          else
+            go test -race -count=1 -timeout=60m ./...
+          fi
 
       - name: Verify sub-modules
         run: |
@@ -66,7 +77,9 @@ jobs:
             go mod tidy
             git diff --exit-code go.mod go.sum
             go build ./...
-            if [ "$mod" = "optimization" ]; then
+            if [ "$SKIP_TESTS" = "true" ]; then
+              echo "::notice::Skipping $mod's race tests (skip-tests)"
+            elif [ "$mod" = "optimization" ]; then
               go list ./... > "$RUNNER_TEMP/cortex-release-optimizer-packages.txt"
               packages=()
               while IFS= read -r package; do
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 24173bd8..a67117c2 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -178,10 +178,12 @@ You release by dispatching the workflow. Never push a tag by hand.
 2. Wait for CI on `main` to go green: `gh run list --workflow ci.yml --branch main --limit 1`.
 3. `gh workflow run release.yml --ref main -f tag=vX.Y.Z`
 
+If CI on `main` already passed for that exact commit, you can add `-f skip-tests=true`. The release then skips its race tests but still downloads, checks `go mod tidy` and builds every module. A release started by pushing a tag always runs the tests.
+
 `.github/workflows/release.yml` runs these steps:
 
 1. It tags `main` with the input as `github-actions[bot]` and pushes the tag. Nothing checks the input before that push (`pin-submodules.sh` validates it two steps later), so type the leading `v`.
-2. It verifies the root with `go mod download`, a `go mod tidy` diff, `go build ./...` and `go test -race -count=1 ./...`, then does the same in `api`, `sentinel`, `extension`, `integrations/fabriq`, `integrations/sandbox`, `optimization` and `mcpbridge`.
+2. It verifies the root with `go mod download`, a `go mod tidy` diff, `go build ./...` and `go test -race -count=1 ./...` (the tests are left out with `skip-tests`), then does the same in `api`, `sentinel`, `extension`, `integrations/fabriq`, `integrations/sandbox`, `optimization` and `mcpbridge`.
 3. It runs `scripts/pin-submodules.sh vX.Y.Z`. The script validates the version, then uses `go mod edit -require` to point every `github.com/xraph/cortex...` require in those seven `go.mod` files at the new tag, and it fails the run if it finds a cortex require still at `v0.0.0` (a `v0.0.0-...` pseudo-version counts).
 4. It commits the seven `go.mod` files as `chore: pin sub-modules to vX.Y.Z`, tags that commit `api/vX.Y.Z`, `sentinel/vX.Y.Z`, `extension/vX.Y.Z`, `integrations/fabriq/vX.Y.Z`, `integrations/sandbox/vX.Y.Z`, `optimization/vX.Y.Z` and `mcpbridge/vX.Y.Z` (skipping any that already exist), pushes the tags and runs `git reset --hard HEAD~1`.
 5. In a throwaway module it runs `go get github.com/xraph/cortex/<mod>@vX.Y.Z` against `proxy.golang.org` for each of the seven, so a tag that can't resolve fails the run.