diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 54f5823..8e9a66c 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -10,3 +10,4 @@ test*.sh
 temp
 tool
 .env
+.release-manifests/
diff --git a/gh-cli/README.md b/gh-cli/README.md
index 02b03aa..d054286 100644
--- a/gh-cli/README.md
+++ b/gh-cli/README.md
@@ -500,6 +500,18 @@ test11-team/test11111-team/textxxx-team
 
 ```
 
+### delete-draft-releases.sh
+
+Deletes intermediate draft releases and their exact tags using the latest merge manifest. It deletes only a unique draft created after the recorded merge whose target contains that merge commit, then deletes the tag named by that verified draft.
+
+Requires `gh` authentication with Contents write permission and `jq`.
+
+```bash
+./delete-draft-releases.sh --max-age-minutes 15 --no-prompt
+```
+
+Run this after an intermediate dependency merge has created its draft, then run the merge script for the next dependency. `--max-age-minutes` skips older drafts as an additional safety guard. Do not run it after the final merge.
+
 ### delete-packages-in-organization.sh
 
 Deletes all packages in an organization for a given package type.
@@ -1564,7 +1576,7 @@ Creates a (mostly) empty migration for a given organization repository so that i
 
 ### merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
 
-Finds and merges pull requests matching a title pattern across multiple repositories. Supports batch merging Dependabot PRs, bumping npm patch versions, and enabling auto-merge. Repositories can be specified via a file list or dynamically via `--owner` with optional `--topic` filtering.
+Finds and merges pull requests matching a title pattern across multiple repositories. Supports batch merging Dependabot PRs, bumping npm patch versions, and enabling auto-merge. Successful immediate merges are automatically recorded in the ignored `.release-manifests/latest.json` file for safely publishing generated drafts. Repositories can be specified via a file list or dynamically via `--owner` with optional `--topic` filtering.
 
 ```bash
 # Merge PRs matching a wildcard title pattern
@@ -1578,6 +1590,7 @@ Finds and merges pull requests matching a title pattern across multiple reposito
 
 # Search by owner and topic instead of file list
 ./merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh --owner joshjohanning --topic node-action "chore(deps)*" --dry-run
+
 ```
 
 Input file format (`repos.txt`):
@@ -1588,6 +1601,8 @@ https://github.com/joshjohanning/repo2
 https://github.com/joshjohanning/repo3
 ```
 
+Automatic manifest output requires `jq` and applies only to immediate merges, not dry runs, version bumps, or auto-merge.
+
 ### merge-pull-requests-from-list.sh
 
 Merges a list of pull requests from a file containing PR URLs with customizable commit messages. Useful for batch merging similar PRs across multiple repositories (e.g., Dependabot updates). Supports dry-run mode to preview merges.
@@ -1633,6 +1648,18 @@ The script has three parameters:
 - `target-org` - The target organization name to which teams will be updated OR created
 - `create parent(s) if not exist` - OPTIONAL (default `false`) if set to true, the teams which have parents that do not exist in the target org, they will be created. (also creates parents of parents) otherwise it will print a message parent doesn't exist and it will skipped.
 
+### publish-draft-releases.sh
+
+Publishes only draft releases associated with PRs in a manifest written by `merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh`. A draft must be newer than its PR merge, its target must contain the merge commit, and it must be the only matching draft for that repository.
+
+Requires `gh` authentication with Contents write permission and `jq`.
+
+```bash
+./publish-draft-releases.sh
+```
+
+The script defaults to `.release-manifests/latest.json`; pass a different manifest path only when publishing from a saved prior run.
+
 ### remove-branch-protection-status-check-contexts.sh
 
 Removes specific branch protection status check(s) from a branch protection rule
diff --git a/gh-cli/delete-draft-releases.sh b/gh-cli/delete-draft-releases.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..8e52e95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gh-cli/delete-draft-releases.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,229 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Deletes intermediate draft releases created for PRs recorded by merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
+#
+# Usage:
+#   ./delete-draft-releases.sh [manifest_file] [--max-age-minutes <minutes>] [--no-prompt]
+#
+# Examples:
+#   ./delete-draft-releases.sh
+#   ./delete-draft-releases.sh --max-age-minutes 15 --no-prompt
+#   ./delete-draft-releases.sh .release-manifests/previous.json --max-age-minutes 15
+#
+# Requirements:
+#   - gh authenticated with Contents: write permission for each repository
+#   - jq installed
+#
+# Safety:
+#   - Only draft releases created after the recorded PR merge are considered
+#   - The draft target must contain the recorded merge commit
+#   - Only the exact tag named by the verified draft is deleted
+#   - Exactly one draft must match each manifest entry
+
+print_help() {
+  echo "Delete intermediate draft releases associated with a merge manifest"
+  echo ""
+  echo "Usage: $0 [manifest_file] [--max-age-minutes <minutes>] [--no-prompt]"
+  echo ""
+  echo "Defaults to .release-manifests/latest.json"
+}
+
+no_prompt=false
+max_age_minutes=""
+manifest_file=".release-manifests/latest.json"
+manifest_provided=false
+
+args=("$@")
+i=0
+while [ $i -lt ${#args[@]} ]; do
+  arg="${args[$i]}"
+  case "$arg" in
+    -h|--help)
+      print_help
+      exit 0
+      ;;
+    --no-prompt)
+      no_prompt=true
+      ;;
+    --max-age-minutes)
+      ((i++))
+      max_age_minutes="${args[$i]}"
+      if ! [[ "$max_age_minutes" =~ ^[1-9][0-9]*$ ]]; then
+        echo "Error: --max-age-minutes requires a positive integer"
+        exit 1
+      fi
+      ;;
+    --*)
+      echo "Error: Unknown flag '$arg'"
+      exit 1
+      ;;
+    *)
+      if [ "$manifest_provided" = true ]; then
+        echo "Error: Only one manifest file may be provided"
+        exit 1
+      fi
+      manifest_file="$arg"
+      manifest_provided=true
+      ;;
+  esac
+  ((i++))
+done
+
+if [ ! -f "$manifest_file" ]; then
+  echo "Error: Manifest file does not exist: $manifest_file"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v gh > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: gh is required but not installed"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v jq > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: jq is required but not installed"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! jq -e '.schemaVersion == 1 and (.pullRequests | type == "array")' "$manifest_file" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: Invalid or unsupported release manifest: $manifest_file"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ "$no_prompt" = false ] && { ! [[ -t 1 ]] || ! [[ -r /dev/tty ]]; }; then
+  echo "Error: No TTY available for interactive prompt - use --no-prompt"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+deleted_count=0
+skipped_count=0
+failed_count=0
+
+while IFS=$'\t' read -r repo pr_url merged_at merge_sha; do
+  if [ "$deleted_count" -gt 0 ] || [ "$skipped_count" -gt 0 ] || [ "$failed_count" -gt 0 ]; then
+    echo ""
+  fi
+  echo "Checking $pr_url"
+
+  default_branch=$(gh api "/repos/$repo" --jq '.default_branch' 2>/dev/null)
+  if [ -z "$default_branch" ]; then
+    echo "  ❌ Could not read repository metadata"
+    ((failed_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  matching_drafts=""
+  release_query_error=$(mktemp)
+  releases=$(gh api --paginate "/repos/$repo/releases?per_page=100" \
+    --jq ".[] | select(.draft == true and .created_at >= \"$merged_at\") | [.id, .tag_name, (.target_commitish // \"\"), .created_at, .html_url] | @tsv" 2>"$release_query_error")
+  release_query_status=$?
+  if [ $release_query_status -ne 0 ]; then
+    echo "  ❌ Failed to list releases: $(cat "$release_query_error")"
+    rm -f "$release_query_error"
+    ((failed_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+  rm -f "$release_query_error"
+
+  while IFS=$'\t' read -r release_id tag_name target created_at release_url; do
+    [ -z "$release_id" ] && continue
+    target="${target:-$default_branch}"
+    target_sha=$(gh api "/repos/$repo/commits/$target" --jq '.sha' 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ -z "$target_sha" ]; then
+      continue
+    fi
+
+    comparison=$(gh api "/repos/$repo/compare/$merge_sha...$target_sha" --jq '.status' 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ "$comparison" = "identical" ] || [ "$comparison" = "ahead" ]; then
+      if [ -n "$matching_drafts" ]; then
+        matching_drafts+=$'\n'
+      fi
+      matching_drafts+="$release_id"$'\t'"$tag_name"$'\t'"$created_at"$'\t'"$release_url"
+    fi
+  done <<< "$releases"
+
+  match_count=$(printf '%s\n' "$matching_drafts" | awk 'NF { count++ } END { print count+0 }')
+  if [ "$match_count" -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo "  ⏭️  No matching draft release found"
+    ((skipped_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+  if [ "$match_count" -gt 1 ]; then
+    echo "  ❌ Found $match_count matching drafts; refusing to guess"
+    printf '%s\n' "$matching_drafts" | while IFS=$'\t' read -r _ tag _ url; do
+      echo "     $tag - $url"
+    done
+    ((failed_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  IFS=$'\t' read -r release_id tag_name created_at release_url <<< "$matching_drafts"
+  if [ -n "$max_age_minutes" ]; then
+    created_epoch=$(date -u -j -f "%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ" "$created_at" "+%s" 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ -z "$created_epoch" ]; then
+      created_epoch=$(date -u -d "$created_at" "+%s" 2>/dev/null)
+    fi
+    if [ -z "$created_epoch" ]; then
+      echo "  ❌ Could not parse draft creation time: $created_at"
+      ((failed_count++))
+      continue
+    fi
+
+    current_epoch=$(date -u "+%s")
+    age_seconds=$((current_epoch - created_epoch))
+    max_age_seconds=$((max_age_minutes * 60))
+    if [ "$age_seconds" -gt "$max_age_seconds" ]; then
+      echo "  ⏭️  Draft is older than $max_age_minutes minutes; skipping $release_url"
+      ((skipped_count++))
+      continue
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  current_release=$(gh api "/repos/$repo/releases/$release_id" --jq '[.draft, .tag_name] | @tsv' 2>/dev/null)
+  if [ "$current_release" != $'true\t'"$tag_name" ]; then
+    echo "  ❌ Release changed during verification; refusing to delete $release_url"
+    ((failed_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  encoded_tag=$(jq -rn --arg value "$tag_name" '$value | @uri')
+  tag_ref=$(gh api "/repos/$repo/git/ref/tags/$encoded_tag" --jq '.ref' 2>/dev/null)
+  if [ "$tag_ref" != "refs/tags/$tag_name" ]; then
+    echo "  ❌ Exact tag $tag_name was not found; refusing partial cleanup"
+    ((failed_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  echo "  📦 Matching draft: $tag_name ($created_at) - $release_url"
+  if [ "$no_prompt" = false ]; then
+    read -r -p "  ❓ Delete this intermediate draft release and tag $tag_name? [y/N] " confirm < /dev/tty
+    if [[ ! "$confirm" =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
+      echo "  ⏭️  Skipped $release_url"
+      ((skipped_count++))
+      continue
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  if gh api --method DELETE "/repos/$repo/releases/$release_id" > /dev/null; then
+    if gh api --method DELETE "/repos/$repo/git/refs/tags/$encoded_tag" > /dev/null; then
+      echo "  ✅ Deleted intermediate draft $release_url and tag $tag_name"
+      ((deleted_count++))
+    else
+      echo "  ❌ Deleted the draft but failed to delete tag $tag_name"
+      ((failed_count++))
+    fi
+  else
+    echo "  ❌ Failed to delete $release_url"
+    ((failed_count++))
+  fi
+done < <(jq -r '.pullRequests[] | [.repository, .pullRequestUrl, .mergedAt, .mergeCommitSha] | @tsv' "$manifest_file")
+
+echo "========================================"
+echo "Summary:"
+printf "  ✅ %-10s %d\n" "Deleted:" "$deleted_count"
+printf "  ❌ %-10s %d\n" "Failed:" "$failed_count"
+printf "  ⏭️  %-10s %d\n" "Skipped:" "$skipped_count"
+echo "========================================"
+
+if [ "$failed_count" -gt 0 ]; then
+  exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/gh-cli/merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh b/gh-cli/merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
index f0815ec..0eab2e8 100755
--- a/gh-cli/merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
+++ b/gh-cli/merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@
 #   https://github.com/joshjohanning/repo3
 #
 # Notes:
+#   - Requires jq for immediate merges because release metadata is recorded automatically
 #   - PRs must be open and in a mergeable state
 #   - Use * as a wildcard in the title pattern (e.g., "chore(deps)*" matches any title starting with "chore(deps)")
 #   - If multiple PRs match in a repo, all will be processed
@@ -61,6 +62,7 @@
 #   - --bump-patch-version only works with same-repo PRs (fork-based PRs are skipped)
 #   - --enable-auto-merge queues PRs to merge once all required checks pass (does not bypass protections)
 #   - By default, merge mode prompts for confirmation before each PR merge; use --no-prompt to skip
+#   - Immediate merges are recorded in .release-manifests/latest.json for safe release publishing
 #
 # TODO:
 #   - Add --delete-branch flag to delete remote branch after merge
@@ -111,6 +113,7 @@ bump_patch_version=false
 enable_auto_merge=false
 no_prompt=false
 search_owner=""
+manifest_file=".release-manifests/latest.json"
 topics=()
 valid_flags=("-h" "--help" "--dry-run" "--bump-patch-version" "--enable-auto-merge" "--no-prompt" "--owner" "--topic")
 args=("$@")
@@ -135,6 +138,7 @@ while [ $i -lt ${#args[@]} ]; do
       echo "Error: --owner requires a value"
       exit 1
     fi
+
     if ! [[ "$search_owner" =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$ ]]; then
       echo "Error: Invalid owner '$search_owner' - must be a valid GitHub username or organization"
       exit 1
@@ -170,6 +174,16 @@ if [ "$dry_run" = true ] && [ "$enable_auto_merge" = true ]; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
+write_manifest=true
+if [ "$dry_run" = true ] || [ "$enable_auto_merge" = true ] || [ "$bump_patch_version" = true ]; then
+  write_manifest=false
+fi
+
+if [ "$write_manifest" = true ] && ! command -v jq > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: jq is required to record immediate merges for release publishing"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # Parse positional args, skipping flags and their values
 positional_args=()
 i=0
@@ -312,6 +326,7 @@ success_count=0
 fail_count=0
 skipped_count=0
 not_found_count=0
+manifest_entries=""
 
 while IFS= read -r repo_url || [ -n "$repo_url" ]; do
   # Skip empty lines and comments
@@ -468,7 +483,7 @@ while IFS= read -r repo_url || [ -n "$repo_url" ]; do
       if [ "$enable_auto_merge" = false ]; then
         failed_checks=$(gh pr checks "$pr_number" --repo "$repo" --json "name,state" --jq '[.[] | select(.state == "FAILURE")] | length' 2>/dev/null)
         if [ -n "$failed_checks" ] && [ "$failed_checks" -gt 0 ] 2>/dev/null; then
-          echo "  ⚠️  Skipping $repo#$pr_number - $failed_checks status check(s) failed"
+          echo "  ⚠️  Skipping $pr_url - $failed_checks status check(s) failed"
           ((skipped_count++))
           continue
         fi
@@ -488,7 +503,7 @@ while IFS= read -r repo_url || [ -n "$repo_url" ]; do
             echo "Error: No TTY available for interactive prompt - use --no-prompt"
             exit 1
           fi
-          read -r -p "  ❓ Merge $repo#$pr_number? [y/N] " confirm < /dev/tty
+          read -r -p "  ❓ Merge $pr_url? [y/N] " confirm < /dev/tty
           if [[ ! "$confirm" =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
             echo "  ⏭️  Skipped $pr_url"
             ((skipped_count++))
@@ -500,6 +515,22 @@ while IFS= read -r repo_url || [ -n "$repo_url" ]; do
             echo "  🔄 Auto-merge enabled for $pr_url"
           else
             echo "  ✅ Successfully merged $pr_url"
+            if [ "$write_manifest" = true ]; then
+              merged_pr=$(gh api "/repos/$repo/pulls/$pr_number" \
+                --jq '[.base.repo.full_name, (.number | tostring), .html_url, .title, .merged_at, .merge_commit_sha] | @tsv' 2>&1)
+              metadata_exit=$?
+              if [ $metadata_exit -ne 0 ] || [ -z "$merged_pr" ]; then
+                echo "  ❌ Merged PR but failed to retrieve metadata for the manifest"
+                if [ -n "$merged_pr" ]; then
+                  echo "     $merged_pr"
+                fi
+                exit 1
+              fi
+              if [ -n "$manifest_entries" ]; then
+                manifest_entries+=$'\n'
+              fi
+              manifest_entries+="$merged_pr"
+            fi
           fi
           ((success_count++))
         else
@@ -521,6 +552,37 @@ else
   cat "$repo_list_file"
 fi)
 
+if [ "$write_manifest" = true ]; then
+  manifest_dir=$(dirname "$manifest_file")
+  if ! mkdir -p "$manifest_dir"; then
+    echo "Error: Could not create manifest directory: $manifest_dir"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  {
+    printf '{\n  "schemaVersion": 1,\n  "createdAt": "%s",\n  "pullRequests": [' "$(date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")"
+    first_entry=true
+    while IFS=$'\t' read -r manifest_repo manifest_number manifest_url manifest_title manifest_merged_at manifest_sha; do
+      [ -z "$manifest_repo" ] && continue
+      if [ "$first_entry" = false ]; then
+        printf ','
+      fi
+      printf '\n    {'
+      printf '"repository":%s,' "$(printf '%s' "$manifest_repo" | jq -Rs .)"
+      printf '"pullRequestNumber":%s,' "$manifest_number"
+      printf '"pullRequestUrl":%s,' "$(printf '%s' "$manifest_url" | jq -Rs .)"
+      printf '"title":%s,' "$(printf '%s' "$manifest_title" | jq -Rs .)"
+      printf '"mergedAt":%s,' "$(printf '%s' "$manifest_merged_at" | jq -Rs .)"
+      printf '"mergeCommitSha":%s' "$(printf '%s' "$manifest_sha" | jq -Rs .)"
+      printf '}'
+      first_entry=false
+    done <<< "$manifest_entries"
+    printf '\n  ]\n}\n'
+  } > "$manifest_file"
+  echo ""
+  echo "Release manifest: $manifest_file"
+fi
+
 echo "========================================"
 echo "Summary:"
 if [ "$bump_patch_version" = true ]; then
diff --git a/gh-cli/publish-draft-releases.sh b/gh-cli/publish-draft-releases.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..b557b6f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gh-cli/publish-draft-releases.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Publishes draft releases created for PRs recorded by merge-pull-requests-by-title.sh
+#
+# Usage:
+#   ./publish-draft-releases.sh [manifest_file] [--no-prompt]
+#
+# Examples:
+#   ./publish-draft-releases.sh
+#   ./publish-draft-releases.sh .release-manifests/previous.json --no-prompt
+#
+# Requirements:
+#   - gh authenticated with Contents: write permission for each repository
+#   - jq installed
+#
+# Safety:
+#   - A draft must be created after the recorded PR merge
+#   - The draft's target commit must contain the recorded merge commit
+#   - Exactly one unpublished draft must match each manifest entry
+
+print_help() {
+  echo "Publish draft releases associated with a merge manifest"
+  echo ""
+  echo "Usage: $0 [manifest_file] [--no-prompt]"
+  echo ""
+  echo "Defaults to .release-manifests/latest.json"
+}
+
+no_prompt=false
+manifest_file=".release-manifests/latest.json"
+manifest_provided=false
+
+for arg in "$@"; do
+  case "$arg" in
+    -h|--help)
+      print_help
+      exit 0
+      ;;
+    --no-prompt)
+      no_prompt=true
+      ;;
+    --*)
+      echo "Error: Unknown flag '$arg'"
+      exit 1
+      ;;
+    *)
+      if [ "$manifest_provided" = true ]; then
+        echo "Error: Only one manifest file may be provided"
+        exit 1
+      fi
+      manifest_file="$arg"
+      manifest_provided=true
+      ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+if [ ! -f "$manifest_file" ]; then
+  echo "Error: Manifest file does not exist: $manifest_file"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v gh > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: gh is required but not installed"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v jq > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: jq is required but not installed"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! jq -e '.schemaVersion == 1 and (.pullRequests | type == "array")' "$manifest_file" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: Invalid or unsupported release manifest: $manifest_file"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ "$no_prompt" = false ] && { ! [[ -t 1 ]] || ! [[ -r /dev/tty ]]; }; then
+  echo "Error: No TTY available for interactive prompt - use --no-prompt"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+published_count=0
+skipped_count=0
+failed_count=0
+
+while IFS=$'\t' read -r repo pr_number pr_url merged_at merge_sha; do
+  echo "Checking $pr_url"
+
+  repo_info=$(gh api "/repos/$repo" --jq '[.default_branch, .html_url] | @tsv' 2>/dev/null)
+  if [ -z "$repo_info" ]; then
+    echo "  ❌ Could not read repository metadata"
+    ((failed_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+  IFS=$'\t' read -r default_branch repo_url <<< "$repo_info"
+
+  matching_drafts=""
+  release_query_error=$(mktemp)
+  releases=$(gh api --paginate "/repos/$repo/releases?per_page=100" \
+    --jq ".[] | select(.draft == true and .created_at >= \"$merged_at\") | [.id, .tag_name, (.target_commitish // \"\"), .created_at, .html_url] | @tsv" 2>"$release_query_error")
+  release_query_status=$?
+  if [ $release_query_status -ne 0 ]; then
+    echo "  ❌ Failed to list releases: $(cat "$release_query_error")"
+    rm -f "$release_query_error"
+    ((failed_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+  rm -f "$release_query_error"
+
+  while IFS=$'\t' read -r release_id tag_name target created_at release_url; do
+    [ -z "$release_id" ] && continue
+    target="${target:-$default_branch}"
+    target_sha=$(gh api "/repos/$repo/commits/$target" --jq '.sha' 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ -z "$target_sha" ]; then
+      continue
+    fi
+
+    comparison=$(gh api "/repos/$repo/compare/$merge_sha...$target_sha" --jq '.status' 2>/dev/null)
+    if [ "$comparison" = "identical" ] || [ "$comparison" = "ahead" ]; then
+      if [ -n "$matching_drafts" ]; then
+        matching_drafts+=$'\n'
+      fi
+      matching_drafts+="$release_id"$'\t'"$tag_name"$'\t'"$created_at"$'\t'"$release_url"
+    fi
+  done <<< "$releases"
+
+  match_count=$(printf '%s\n' "$matching_drafts" | awk 'NF { count++ } END { print count+0 }')
+  if [ "$match_count" -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo "  ⏭️  No matching draft release found"
+    ((skipped_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+  if [ "$match_count" -gt 1 ]; then
+    echo "  ❌ Found $match_count matching drafts; refusing to guess"
+    printf '%s\n' "$matching_drafts" | while IFS=$'\t' read -r _ tag _ url; do
+      echo "     $tag - $url"
+    done
+    ((failed_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  IFS=$'\t' read -r release_id tag_name created_at release_url <<< "$matching_drafts"
+  echo "  📦 Matching draft: $tag_name ($created_at) - $release_url"
+
+  if [ "$no_prompt" = false ]; then
+    read -r -p "  ❓ Publish this draft release? [y/N] " confirm < /dev/tty
+    if [[ ! "$confirm" =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
+      echo "  ⏭️  Skipped $release_url"
+      ((skipped_count++))
+      continue
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  current_release=$(gh api "/repos/$repo/releases/$release_id" --jq '[.draft, .tag_name] | @tsv' 2>/dev/null)
+  if [ "$current_release" != $'true\t'"$tag_name" ]; then
+    echo "  ❌ Release changed during verification; refusing to publish $release_url"
+    ((failed_count++))
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  if gh api --method PATCH "/repos/$repo/releases/$release_id" -F draft=false > /dev/null; then
+    echo "  ✅ Published $repo_url/releases/tag/$tag_name"
+    ((published_count++))
+  else
+    echo "  ❌ Failed to publish $release_url"
+    ((failed_count++))
+  fi
+done < <(jq -r '.pullRequests[] | [.repository, .pullRequestNumber, .pullRequestUrl, .mergedAt, .mergeCommitSha] | @tsv' "$manifest_file")
+
+echo "========================================"
+echo "Summary:"
+printf "  ✅ %-10s %d\n" "Published:" "$published_count"
+printf "  ❌ %-10s %d\n" "Failed:" "$failed_count"
+printf "  ⏭️  %-10s %d\n" "Skipped:" "$skipped_count"
+echo "========================================"
+
+if [ "$failed_count" -gt 0 ]; then
+  exit 1
+fi