diff --git a/.github/workflows/npm-release.yml b/.github/workflows/npm-release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5bd342e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/npm-release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+name: NPM release
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  npm-release:
+    uses: mapbox/gha-public/.github/workflows/workflow-npm-oidc-publish.yml@main
+    permissions:
+      id-token: write
+      contents: write
+    with:
+      create-github-release: true
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2e14b56b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# Contributing to cloudfriend
+
+## Development
+
+```bash
+npm ci
+npm test
+```
+
+## Releasing a new version
+
+Releases are published to npm via GitHub Actions.
+
+### Steps
+
+1. **Bump the version** in `package.json` (follow [semver](https://semver.org))
+2. **Update `CHANGELOG.md`** with a summary of what changed
+3. **Open a PR**, get it reviewed and merged to `master`
+4. **Trigger the release** from the [Actions tab](../../actions/workflows/npm-release.yml):
+   - Select **NPM release** → **Run workflow** → run from `master`
+
+The workflow will publish to npm and create a GitHub release with auto-generated notes.
+
+> **Note:** Only Mapbox maintainers with write access to this repository can trigger the release workflow. External contributors can open and contribute to PRs, but releases are always cut by the owning team.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 32798cbd..4b4e864d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@mapbox/cloudfriend",
-  "version": "9.4.1",
+  "version": "9.4.2",
   "description": "Helper functions for assembling CloudFormation templates in JavaScript",
   "main": "index.js",
   "engines": {
@@ -53,5 +53,8 @@
     "ignorePatterns": [
       "test/fixtures/malformed.json"
     ]
+  },
+  "publishConfig": {
+    "access": "public"
   }
 }