diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
index b1fc653..9ffcdbc 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -30,8 +30,10 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           last_commit=$(git log -1 --pretty=%B)
-          if printf '%s' "$last_commit" | grep -qi '\[skip-release\]'; then
-            echo "skipping — commit marked [skip-release]"
+          # Delegated to bin/should-skip-release so the rule is covered by
+          # tests/release_skip_test.sh rather than living untested in YAML.
+          if printf '%s\n' "$last_commit" | sh bin/should-skip-release; then
+            echo "skipping — commit carries the Skip-Release trailer"
             echo "skip=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
             exit 0
           fi
@@ -73,8 +75,8 @@ jobs:
           if [ "$current" != "$version" ]; then
             sed -i "s/\"version\"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*\"$current\"/\"version\": \"$version\"/" "$manifest"
             git add "$manifest"
-            # [skip-release] stops this push from re-triggering the tagger.
-            git commit -m "chore(release): plugin.json version $version [skip-release]"
+            # The trailer below stops this push from re-triggering the tagger.
+            git commit -m "chore(release): plugin.json version $version" -m "Skip-Release: true"
             git push origin HEAD:main
             echo "bumped $manifest to $version"
           fi
diff --git a/bin/should-skip-release b/bin/should-skip-release
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4a27d76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/should-skip-release
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# should-skip-release — reads a commit message on stdin. Exits 0 when the
+# release tagger should skip this commit, 1 when it should tag.
+#
+# Skipping is opt-in via a git trailer:
+#
+#   Skip-Release: true
+#
+# It is a TRAILER, matched anchored to its own line, deliberately. The first
+# version searched the whole message for a bracketed marker as a substring,
+# and the very commit that introduced the manifest-bump step described that
+# marker in its body — so the tagger read its own documentation as an
+# instruction and skipped the release. Success, no tag, no bump, no error
+# (run 15, 2026-08-23). A marker you cannot mention without triggering is a
+# footgun, not a mechanism.
+
+set -u
+
+msg=$(cat)
+
+if printf '%s\n' "$msg" | grep -qiE '^[[:space:]]*Skip-Release:[[:space:]]*true[[:space:]]*$'; then
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+exit 1
diff --git a/tests/release_skip_test.sh b/tests/release_skip_test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8a3f608
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/release_skip_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Tests for bin/should-skip-release.
+#
+# The regression these exist for: an unanchored substring match let a commit
+# that merely *described* the skip marker skip its own release.
+
+set -u
+
+ROOT=$(CDPATH= cd -- "$(dirname -- "$0")/.." && pwd)
+SUT="$ROOT/bin/should-skip-release"
+
+pass=0
+fail=0
+
+if [ ! -f "$SUT" ]; then
+  printf 'FAIL: %s does not exist\n' "$SUT"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# expect <skip|tag> <label> <<message on stdin>>
+expect() {
+  _want=$1
+  _label=$2
+  _msg=$3
+  printf '%s\n' "$_msg" | sh "$SUT"
+  _rc=$?
+  if [ "$_want" = skip ]; then _wrc=0; else _wrc=1; fi
+  if [ "$_rc" -eq "$_wrc" ]; then
+    pass=$((pass + 1)); printf '  ok   %s\n' "$_label"
+  else
+    fail=$((fail + 1)); printf '  FAIL %s (want %s, rc=%s)\n' "$_label" "$_want" "$_rc"
+  fi
+}
+
+expect skip 'trailer on its own line' 'chore(release): bump
+
+Skip-Release: true'
+
+expect skip 'trailer, case-insensitive' 'chore: x
+
+skip-release: TRUE'
+
+expect tag 'ordinary commit' 'feat: add a thing
+
+Bump-Type: minor'
+
+# --- the actual regression -------------------------------------------------
+expect tag 'prose MENTIONING the marker must still tag' 'docs+ci: document the release flow
+
+CI commits the manifest bump with a Skip-Release: true trailer so it does
+not re-trigger the tagger. The old [skip-release] marker was a substring
+match, which is exactly why this commit would have skipped itself.
+
+Bump-Type: patch'
+
+expect tag 'legacy bracketed marker no longer skips' 'chore: something [skip-release]'
+
+expect tag 'empty message' ''
+
+printf '\nrelease_skip: %d passed, %d failed\n' "$pass" "$fail"
+[ "$fail" -eq 0 ]