diff --git a/GOVERNANCE.md b/GOVERNANCE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e191b9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/GOVERNANCE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+# Release governance
+
+This document records the repository rules that govern release tag creation
+and the sanctioned procedures maintainers follow to cut a release. It
+supplements the step-by-step release workflow in
+[`docs/maintainers/releasing.md`](docs/maintainers/releasing.md).
+
+## Tag protection rulesets
+
+Two repository rulesets protect `refs/tags/v*`:
+
+| ID | Name | Rules | Created (UTC) |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| 21888356 | Protect stable release tags | `update`, `deletion` | 2026-08-31 00:34:47 |
+| 21899500 | Restrict stable release tag creation | `creation` | 2026-08-31 04:47:11 |
+
+Both rulesets target `refs/tags/v*`, enforce `active`, and have no bypass
+actors configured. The `current_user_can_bypass` field reports `never` for
+every caller, including repository admins.
+
+## Inspection: how was v0.1.1 cut?
+
+The `v0.1.1` annotated tag exists with tagger timestamp `2026-08-31T06:32:10Z`,
+which is after both rulesets were created. GitHub does not expose ruleset
+modification timestamps through the REST API or the audit log, so there is no
+way to prove which path was used:
+
+- The ruleset may have had a bypass actor that was later removed.
+- An admin may have temporarily disabled the creation rule and re-enabled it.
+- A different mechanism may have been used before the rulesets were finalised.
+
+**Finding:** the v0.1.1 route is **unprovable** under the current GitHub API
+surface. The status quo ante is recorded; no retrospective judgment is made.
+
+## Sanctioned tag-cut path
+
+Until ruleset 21899500 exposes a bypass actor, no maintainer — including
+repository admins — can push a `refs/tags/v*` tag. The release runbook step
+"cut a new patch tag" is therefore **unexecutable** in the current
+configuration.
+
+### Required admin action
+
+A repository admin must configure exactly one of the following on ruleset
+21899500:
+
+1. **Bypass actor (preferred).** Add a narrowly-scoped bypass actor so that
+   the release tag push is permitted without disabling the rule for everyone
+   else. Acceptable scopes, in order of preference:
+   - A repository role limited to the release maintainer set (for example,
+     a custom `release-manager` role).
+   - The built-in `admin` role, restricted to the two named release
+     maintainers recorded on the release issue.
+   - A GitHub Actions integration if the tag creation is later moved into
+     the Release workflow.
+
+   The rule stays enforced for all other actors. Ad-hoc disabling of the
+   rule remains forbidden.
+
+2. **Documented admin procedure.** If a bypass actor cannot be configured,
+   record an admin-executed procedure here that:
+   - Names the authorised admin.
+   - Requires a second maintainer to witness the tag creation in a
+     synchronous session.
+   - Records the evidence (tag SHA, commit, timestamps) in the release
+     issue within one hour.
+
+   This path is a fallback only; the bypass actor is the intended design.
+
+### Tag-cut procedure (after bypass actor is configured)
+
+1. Confirm the release pull request is merged and the exact commit is on
+   `origin/main`.
+2. From a clean checkout of that commit:
+   ```bash
+   git tag -a -m "Release v0.1.2" v0.1.2
+   git push origin v0.1.2
+   ```
+3. Verify the tag push triggers `.github/workflows/release.yml`.
+4. Record the tag SHA, commit, and workflow run URL in the release issue
+   as release evidence.
+
+### Dry-run validation
+
+Once the bypass actor is in place, validate the sanctioned path with a
+dry-run before the next real release:
+
+1. Create a test tag `v0.0.0-dry-run` from the latest `main` commit.
+2. Confirm the push succeeds without disabling ruleset 21899500.
+3. Delete the test tag immediately after confirmation.
+4. Record the result in the release evidence ledger on the release issue.
+
+## References
+
+- Issue [#163](https://github.com/bytefolk/mem/issues/163) — original
+  inspection and remediation request.
+- Issue [#125](https://github.com/bytefolk/mem/issues/125) — parent
+  governance charter.
+- [`docs/maintainers/releasing.md`](docs/maintainers/releasing.md) —
+  release preparation and publication sequence.
diff --git a/docs/maintainers/releasing.md b/docs/maintainers/releasing.md
index 4af8c0b..23ba60a 100644
--- a/docs/maintainers/releasing.md
+++ b/docs/maintainers/releasing.md
@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ and an independent reviewer approves it.
 
 Before creating a tag or GitHub Release, a maintainer must verify:
 
+- Ruleset 21899500 has a bypass actor configured for the release tag push.
+  See [`GOVERNANCE.md`](../../GOVERNANCE.md) for the sanctioned path.
 - The release pull request is merged into `main`.
 - `CI`, `PR Policy`, and every required repository check passed for the exact
   release commit.
@@ -81,7 +83,9 @@ creates, moves, or replaces a tag.
    `main`, then record its full commit ID and the successful required checks.
 2. From an up-to-date, clean checkout of that exact commit, create one annotated
    tag and push only that new tag. Never reuse a version or move an existing
-   tag.
+   tag. This push requires a bypass actor on ruleset 21899500; see
+   [`GOVERNANCE.md`](../../GOVERNANCE.md) for the sanctioned tag-cut path and
+   the admin action required to configure it.
 3. The tag push starts `.github/workflows/release.yml`. A manual retry must be
    dispatched from the current default branch and must name the same existing
    annotated tag. The workflow resolves that input as the full