diff --git a/.github/workflows/prepare-release-as-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/prepare-release-as-pr.yml
index 89a6561e3..8a1fca6ba 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/prepare-release-as-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/prepare-release-as-pr.yml
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ jobs:
         id: app-token
         uses: actions/create-github-app-token@bcd2ba49218906704ab6c1aa796996da409d3eb1 # v3.2.0
         with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_APP_ID }}
+          client-id: ${{ secrets.OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_CLIENT_ID }}
           private-key: ${{ secrets.OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_PRIVATE_KEY }}
           owner: ${{ github.repository_owner }}
           repositories: ${{ github.event.repository.name }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-please.yml b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
index 98731be82..20af9d957 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-please.yml
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ steps.release-artifact-guard.outputs.skip_release_please != 'true' }}
         uses: actions/create-github-app-token@bcd2ba49218906704ab6c1aa796996da409d3eb1 # v3.2.0
         with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_APP_ID }}
+          client-id: ${{ secrets.OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_CLIENT_ID }}
           private-key: ${{ secrets.OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_PRIVATE_KEY }}
           owner: ${{ github.repository_owner }}
           repositories: ${{ github.event.repository.name }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml b/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml
index 76f23a24e..90ea9c441 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ jobs:
         id: app-token
         uses: actions/create-github-app-token@bcd2ba49218906704ab6c1aa796996da409d3eb1 # v3.2.0
         with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_TAG_APP_ID }}
+          client-id: ${{ secrets.OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_TAG_CLIENT_ID }}
           private-key: ${{ secrets.OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_TAG_PRIVATE_KEY }}
           owner: ${{ github.repository_owner }}
           repositories: ${{ github.event.repository.name }}
diff --git a/docs/contribute/release-management.md b/docs/contribute/release-management.md
index e3978ac09..c49472d48 100644
--- a/docs/contribute/release-management.md
+++ b/docs/contribute/release-management.md
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ Release-please remains the source of truth for release notes. After release-plea
 
 Keep `CHANGELOG.md` generated by release-please. Put hand-written release summaries, migration notes, and operator-facing callouts in `release-notes/X.Y.Z.md`; the website release generator and draft GitHub Release creation prepend that file to the generated changelog entry for the matching version.
 
+For patch releases, make the source that release-please sees match the release note you want. Prefer one cherry-picked conventional commit per user-facing fix. If a backport PR is squash-merged, make the squash title deliberately user-facing because it becomes the generated changelog entry. Use `release-notes/X.Y.Z.md` for extra context, but do not hand-edit generated `CHANGELOG.md` sections.
+
 </Callout>
 
 <DecisionTable
@@ -159,13 +161,22 @@ Keep `CHANGELOG.md` generated by release-please. Put hand-written release summar
     {
       cells: [
         "Post-release",
-        "GitHub Release exists, assets verify, provenance evidence is recorded, Artifact Hub metadata is visible, and announcement links are captured.",
+        "GitHub Release exists, assets verify, provenance evidence is recorded, Artifact Hub metadata is visible, no unexpected release-please PR or branch remains, and announcement links are captured.",
       ],
       emphasis: "caution",
     },
   ]}
 />
 
+<CommandBlock
+  language="bash"
+  label="verify"
+  title="Run post-release verification"
+  code={`VERSION=X.Y.Z REPO=dc-tec/openbao-operator hack/ci/verify-post-release.sh`}
+>
+  Requires `gh`, `jq`, `git`, Docker Buildx, and `cosign`. Checks the remote tag, published GitHub Release assets, checksum signature, OCI Helm chart publication and signature, and leftover release-please PRs or branches.
+</CommandBlock>
+
 <CommandBlock
   language="bash"
   label="verify"
@@ -193,14 +204,14 @@ jq '.release, .identity_constraints, .images, .chart, .release_artifacts.checksu
 
 ## Verifying artifacts {#5-verifying-artifacts}
 
-Use the verification skeleton above as the default post-release evidence pack. Keep the exact workflow identity, tag ref, and digest-pinned subjects aligned with the artifacts that were just published.
+Run `hack/ci/verify-post-release.sh` first and use the verification skeleton above for deeper spot checks or release evidence capture. Keep the exact workflow identity, tag ref, and digest-pinned subjects aligned with the artifacts that were just published. Once the release is fully published, delete the matching `release-please--branches--<base>` branch unless release-please still has an active release PR for that base branch.
 
 <Callout type="note" title="release-please token requirements">
 
 Release automation must use non-default tokens so the resulting tag and GitHub Release can trigger downstream workflows. Use two repo-scoped GitHub Apps:
 
-- `OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_APP_ID` and `OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_PRIVATE_KEY` for PR-only `release-please`
-- `OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_TAG_APP_ID` and `OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_TAG_PRIVATE_KEY` for the custom `Release Tag` workflow
+- `OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_CLIENT_ID` and `OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_PR_PRIVATE_KEY` for PR-only `release-please`
+- `OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_TAG_CLIENT_ID` and `OPENBAO_OPERATOR_RELEASE_TAG_PRIVATE_KEY` for the custom `Release Tag` workflow
 
 The tag app should be the only actor with semver tag ruleset bypass, and it only needs repository `contents: write`.
 
diff --git a/hack/ci/verify-post-release.sh b/hack/ci/verify-post-release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..5f1753d4b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/ci/verify-post-release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+usage() {
+  cat >&2 <<'USAGE'
+usage: VERSION=X.Y.Z [REPO=dc-tec/openbao-operator] hack/ci/verify-post-release.sh
+
+Verifies the post-release invariants that should hold after the Release workflow
+has published a stable release.
+
+Environment:
+  VERSION       Required release version, for example 0.3.0.
+  REPO          GitHub repository. Default: dc-tec/openbao-operator.
+  GIT_REMOTE    Git remote used for branch/tag checks. Default: https://github.com/${REPO}.git.
+  ALLOW_DRAFT   Set to 1 to allow a draft GitHub Release. Default: 0.
+USAGE
+}
+
+fail() {
+  echo "error: $*" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
+info() {
+  echo "==> $*"
+}
+
+require_cmd() {
+  local cmd="$1"
+  command -v "${cmd}" >/dev/null 2>&1 || fail "required command not found: ${cmd}"
+}
+
+VERSION="${VERSION:-${1:-}}"
+REPO="${REPO:-dc-tec/openbao-operator}"
+OWNER="${REPO%%/*}"
+GIT_REMOTE="${GIT_REMOTE:-https://github.com/${REPO}.git}"
+ALLOW_DRAFT="${ALLOW_DRAFT:-0}"
+
+if [[ "${VERSION}" == "-h" || "${VERSION}" == "--help" ]]; then
+  usage
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+if [[ -z "${VERSION}" ]]; then
+  usage
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+if ! [[ "${VERSION}" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+([-.+][0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?$ ]]; then
+  fail "VERSION must be SemVer, got '${VERSION}'"
+fi
+
+for cmd in gh jq git docker cosign; do
+  require_cmd "${cmd}"
+done
+
+required_assets=(
+  install.yaml
+  crds.yaml
+  checksums.txt
+  checksums.txt.bundle
+  checksums.txt.sigstore.json
+  checksums.intoto.jsonl
+  sbom-openbao-operator.spdx.json
+  sbom-openbao-init.spdx.json
+  sbom-openbao-backup.spdx.json
+  sbom-openbao-upgrade.spdx.json
+  provenance-index.json
+)
+
+info "checking remote tag ${VERSION}"
+git ls-remote --exit-code --tags "${GIT_REMOTE}" "refs/tags/${VERSION}" >/dev/null ||
+  fail "release tag ${VERSION} was not found on ${GIT_REMOTE}"
+
+info "checking GitHub Release ${VERSION}"
+release_json="$(
+  gh release view "${VERSION}" \
+    --repo "${REPO}" \
+    --json assets,isDraft,isPrerelease,tagName,url
+)"
+
+release_tag="$(jq -r '.tagName' <<<"${release_json}")"
+if [[ "${release_tag}" != "${VERSION}" ]]; then
+  fail "GitHub Release tagName is '${release_tag}', expected '${VERSION}'"
+fi
+
+is_draft="$(jq -r '.isDraft' <<<"${release_json}")"
+if [[ "${is_draft}" == "true" && "${ALLOW_DRAFT}" != "1" ]]; then
+  fail "GitHub Release ${VERSION} is still a draft"
+fi
+
+mapfile -t asset_names < <(jq -r '.assets[].name' <<<"${release_json}" | LC_ALL=C sort)
+missing_assets=()
+for asset in "${required_assets[@]}"; do
+  if ! printf '%s\n' "${asset_names[@]}" | grep -Fxq "${asset}"; then
+    missing_assets+=("${asset}")
+  fi
+done
+if (( ${#missing_assets[@]} > 0 )); then
+  printf 'missing release assets:\n' >&2
+  printf '  - %s\n' "${missing_assets[@]}" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+release_url="$(jq -r '.url' <<<"${release_json}")"
+info "release assets present: ${release_url}"
+
+tmpdir="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "${tmpdir}"' EXIT
+
+info "downloading signature evidence"
+gh release download "${VERSION}" \
+  --repo "${REPO}" \
+  --dir "${tmpdir}" \
+  --clobber \
+  --pattern checksums.txt \
+  --pattern checksums.txt.bundle \
+  --pattern provenance-index.json
+
+identity="https://github.com/${REPO}/.github/workflows/release.yml@refs/tags/${VERSION}"
+
+info "verifying checksums signature"
+cosign verify-blob \
+  --new-bundle-format=true \
+  --bundle "${tmpdir}/checksums.txt.bundle" \
+  --certificate-identity "${identity}" \
+  --certificate-oidc-issuer "https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com" \
+  "${tmpdir}/checksums.txt" >/dev/null
+
+provenance_tag="$(jq -r '.release.tag' "${tmpdir}/provenance-index.json")"
+if [[ "${provenance_tag}" != "${VERSION}" ]]; then
+  fail "provenance-index.json release tag is '${provenance_tag}', expected '${VERSION}'"
+fi
+
+chart_ref="ghcr.io/${OWNER}/charts/openbao-operator:${VERSION}"
+info "checking Helm chart publication: ${chart_ref}"
+chart_digest="$(
+  docker buildx imagetools inspect "${chart_ref}" --format '{{json .Manifest.Digest}}' | tr -d '"'
+)"
+if [[ -z "${chart_digest}" || "${chart_digest}" == "null" ]]; then
+  fail "could not resolve chart digest for ${chart_ref}"
+fi
+
+info "verifying Helm chart signature"
+cosign verify \
+  --new-bundle-format=true \
+  --certificate-identity "${identity}" \
+  --certificate-oidc-issuer "https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com" \
+  "ghcr.io/${OWNER}/charts/openbao-operator@${chart_digest}" >/dev/null
+
+info "checking for open release-please PRs"
+open_release_prs="$(
+  gh pr list \
+    --repo "${REPO}" \
+    --state open \
+    --json number,title,headRefName,url \
+    --jq '.[] | select(.headRefName | startswith("release-please--branches--")) | "#\(.number) \(.title) [\(.headRefName)] \(.url)"'
+)"
+if [[ -n "${open_release_prs}" ]]; then
+  echo "${open_release_prs}" >&2
+  fail "unexpected open release-please PRs remain"
+fi
+
+info "checking for stale release-please branches"
+stale_branches="$(git ls-remote --heads "${GIT_REMOTE}" 'release-please--branches--*')"
+if [[ -n "${stale_branches}" ]]; then
+  echo "${stale_branches}" >&2
+  fail "stale release-please branches remain"
+fi
+
+info "post-release verification passed for ${VERSION}"