diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 9978cce..c91347b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -3,10 +3,17 @@ name: Release
 # Builds and publishes the Docker image to GitHub Container Registry.
 # - push to main        -> ghcr.io/<owner>/study-helper:main + :edge
 # - push a v* git tag   -> :1.2.3, :1.2, :1, :latest (semver)
+#
+# workflow_dispatch exists so version-bump.yml can trigger this explicitly:
+# GITHUB_TOKEN-authored pushes (which is how version-bump.yml pushes its
+# release commit + tag) do not fire push-triggered workflow runs — GitHub
+# suppresses that to prevent recursion — but an explicit workflow_dispatch
+# call is exempt from that restriction.
 on:
   push:
     branches: [main]
     tags: ["v*"]
+  workflow_dispatch:
 
 env:
   REGISTRY: ghcr.io
diff --git a/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml b/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml
index 9d6ce0e..9d44039 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 name: Version Bump
 
 # Bumps the app version and tags the release the moment a PR is merged into
-# main, so release.yml (which listens for pushes to main and v* tags)
-# builds and publishes a new Docker image automatically. No manual release
-# step is needed for normal PRs — see docs/releasing.md.
+# main, then explicitly triggers release.yml to build and publish the
+# Docker image. No manual release step is needed for normal PRs — see
+# docs/releasing.md.
 #
 # Bump type is derived from the PR title (Conventional Commits):
 #   - a "!" after the type, e.g. "feat!: ..." or "fix!: ..."  -> major
@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@ name: Version Bump
 #
 # Add the "skip-release" label to a PR to opt it out entirely (e.g. a
 # docs-only or CI-only change that shouldn't ship a new image).
+#
+# Note: the commit + tag below are pushed using the default GITHUB_TOKEN.
+# GitHub does not let GITHUB_TOKEN-authored pushes trigger other workflows'
+# push events (anti-recursion protection), so release.yml would otherwise
+# never run for these pushes — that's why the last step dispatches it
+# explicitly via `gh workflow run`, which IS allowed from a GITHUB_TOKEN.
 
 on:
   pull_request:
@@ -20,6 +26,7 @@ on:
 
 permissions:
   contents: write
+  actions: write
 
 concurrency:
   group: version-bump
@@ -85,3 +92,9 @@ jobs:
           gh release create "v${VERSION}" \
             --title "v${VERSION}" \
             --notes "${TITLE} (#${PR_NUMBER})"
+
+      - name: Trigger Docker image build
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          VERSION: ${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+        run: gh workflow run release.yml --ref "v${VERSION}"
diff --git a/docs/releasing.md b/docs/releasing.md
index 37053ac..5d80284 100644
--- a/docs/releasing.md
+++ b/docs/releasing.md
@@ -17,18 +17,22 @@ GitHub Actions. In the normal case there is nothing to do manually.
      Release is created.
    - Add the **`skip-release`** label to a PR to opt it out entirely (e.g. a
      docs-only or CI-only change that shouldn't ship a new image).
+   - The commit + tag are pushed with the default `GITHUB_TOKEN`, and GitHub
+     does not let `GITHUB_TOKEN`-authored pushes trigger other workflows'
+     `push` events (anti-recursion protection). So the last step explicitly
+     runs `gh workflow run release.yml --ref vX.Y.Z` to kick off the image
+     build — `workflow_dispatch` calls are exempt from that restriction.
 
-2. **On the resulting push to `main` and the `vX.Y.Z` tag**
-   ([`.github/workflows/release.yml`](../.github/workflows/release.yml)):
+2. **`release.yml`** builds and publishes the image:
 
-   | Git event | Published image tags |
+   | Trigger | Published image tags |
    | --- | --- |
-   | Push to `main` | `ghcr.io/veniplex/study-helper:main`, `:edge` |
-   | Push a tag `vX.Y.Z` | `:X.Y.Z`, `:X.Y`, `:X`, `:latest` |
+   | Push to `main` (a normal PR merge) | `ghcr.io/veniplex/study-helper:main`, `:edge` |
+   | `workflow_dispatch` on tag `vX.Y.Z` (from step 1) or a manual `v*` tag push | `:X.Y.Z`, `:X.Y`, `:X`, `:latest` |
 
-   So merging a PR produces both events back to back — `:main`/`:edge`
-   update immediately, and the versioned tags (including `:latest`) follow
-   right after once the tag is pushed.
+   So merging a PR produces both back to back — `:main`/`:edge` update from
+   the merge itself, and the versioned tags (including `:latest`) follow
+   once `version-bump.yml` tags and dispatches the release build.
 
 3. **Update the deployment** (e.g. Portainer):
    - If the stack uses `:latest` (default), re-pull the image and