diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
index 16c49ad..0df5e46 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ jobs:
           cache: 'npm'
           registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
 
-      # Trusted publishing needs npm >= 11.5.1; Node 22 ships npm 10.
+      # Staged publishing needs npm >= 11.15.0; Node 22 ships npm 10.
       - name: Upgrade npm
         run: npm install -g npm@latest
 
@@ -59,5 +59,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build
         run: npm run build
 
-      - name: Publish to npm
-        run: npm publish --access public
+      # Staged, not direct: the version is uploaded but stays private until a
+      # maintainer approves it on npmjs.com with 2FA. A compromised workflow can
+      # stage a release, but cannot ship one on its own.
+      - name: Stage publish to npm
+        run: npm stage publish --access public
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index f283cf2..246c376 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -231,16 +231,26 @@ Releases are published by CI, not from a laptop. The flow:
 2. After it merges, create a GitHub release tagged `vX.Y.Z` on `main`
    (`gh release create vX.Y.Z --target main --notes-file ...`).
 3. `.github/workflows/publish.yml` runs on the published release, checks the tag
-   matches `package.json`, builds, and runs `npm publish`.
+   matches `package.json`, builds, and runs `npm stage publish`.
+4. **Approve the staged version.** Nothing is live until a maintainer approves it
+   on npmjs.com (package → Staged Packages → Approve) or with
+   `npm stage approve <stage-id>` (`npm stage list` shows the id). Approval needs
+   2FA. A release isn't done until this step is.
 
 **Authentication is npm trusted publishing (OIDC), not a token.** The package's
 npm settings name this repo and `publish.yml` as its trusted publisher, and the
 workflow's `id-token: write` permission lets npm verify the run. There is no
 `NPM_TOKEN` to rotate — that secret expired once and silently broke a release.
-Two things keep it working:
-
-- **npm must be ≥ 11.5.1.** Node 22 ships npm 10, so the workflow upgrades npm
-  before publishing. Don't remove that step.
+Things that keep it working:
+
+- **The trusted publisher is stage-only, deliberately.** "Allow npm publish" is
+  left unchecked on npmjs.com, so CI can stage a version but never ship one on
+  its own. This CLI runs on users' machines via `npx`, so a compromised release
+  would execute immediately; the human approval is the guard. Switching the
+  workflow back to plain `npm publish` fails with `403 OIDC permission denied
+  for this action` — that is this setting working, not a bug.
+- **npm must be ≥ 11.15.0** (staged publishing). Node 22 ships npm 10, so the
+  workflow upgrades npm before publishing. Don't remove that step.
 - **Renaming `publish.yml` breaks publishing** until the trusted publisher on
   npmjs.com is updated to the new filename.