diff --git a/.distignore b/.distignore
index 5c1e6592ab..5f438ed69e 100644
--- a/.distignore
+++ b/.distignore
@@ -1,34 +1,47 @@
-/.git/
-/.github/
-/.husky/
-/.cursor/
-/.claude
-/.vscode/
-/.idea/
-/.cache/
-/node_modules/
-/tests/
-/bin/
-/_build/
-
-# Local/dev-only config and lock files
+# Directories
+/.cache
+/.github
+/.wordpress-org
+/.husky
+/.vscode
+/.idea
+/.yarn
+
+/assets/src
+/bin
+
+# Git & config files
 /.editorconfig
 /.gitattributes
 /.gitignore
 /.yarnrc.yml
+
+# Dependency / package files
+/package.json
 /package-lock.json
 /yarn.lock
 /pnpm-lock.yaml
 
-# Dev tooling configs not needed at runtime
+# Composer
+/composer.json
 /composer.lock
-/phpunit.xml*
-/phpcs.xml*
-/webpack.*.js
-/webpack-entry-list.js
 
-# Exclude accidental archive artifacts
-/assets/images/*.zip
+# Testing & coding standards
+/phpunit.xml
+/phpunit.xml.dist
+/phpcs.xml
+/phpcs.xml.dist
+
+# Build & tooling configs
+/postcss.config.js
+/pot.js
+
+/webpack-entry-list.js
+/webpack.common.js
+/webpack.dev.js
+/webpack.dev.vue.js
+/webpack.prod.js
 
-# Dev notes
+# Documentation & notes
+/README.md
 /node-update-notes.md
diff --git a/config.php b/config.php
index 71fc873a83..fb076f747a 100644
--- a/config.php
+++ b/config.php
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <?php
 // Plugin version.
 if ( ! defined( 'ATBDP_VERSION' ) ) {
-    define( 'ATBDP_VERSION', '8.6.1' );
+    define( 'ATBDP_VERSION', '8.6.2' );
 }
 // Plugin Folder Path.
 if ( ! defined( 'ATBDP_DIR' ) ) {
diff --git a/directorist-base.php b/directorist-base.php
index 6769993fd5..fa732b82fe 100644
--- a/directorist-base.php
+++ b/directorist-base.php
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  * Plugin Name: Directorist - Business Directory Solution
  * Plugin URI: https://wpwax.com
  * Description: A comprehensive solution to create professional looking directory site of any kind. Like Yelp, Foursquare, etc.
- * Version: 8.6.1
+ * Version: 8.6.2
  * Author: wpWax
  * Author URI: https://wpwax.com
  * License: GPLv3
diff --git a/readme.txt b/readme.txt
index 21dccb8019..ba4ae4e152 100644
--- a/readme.txt
+++ b/readme.txt
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ Tags: business directory, listings, classifieds, directory plugin, directory
 Requires at least: 4.6
 Tested up to: 6.9
 Requires PHP: 7.0
-Stable tag: 8.6.1
+Stable tag: 8.6.2
 License: GPLv3
 License URI: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html
 
@@ -306,6 +306,11 @@ Directorist comes with an AI-powered directory builder. Use the Create with AI o
 
 == Changelog ==
 
+= 8.6.2 - Mar 10, 2026 =
+
+**Improved**
+ - Excluded `.wordpress-org` folder from distribution package to prevent WordPress.org repository assets from appearing in user installations.
+
 = 8.6.1 - Mar 10, 2026 =
 
 **Improved**