diff --git a/.claude/commands/release.md b/.claude/commands/release.md
index 420f41e9..1b00abad 100644
--- a/.claude/commands/release.md
+++ b/.claude/commands/release.md
@@ -3,13 +3,14 @@ description: Friday release ritual — create git tag, GitHub release (auto-gene
 allowed-tools: Bash, Write, Read, Skill
 ---
 
-You are running the Friday release ritual for TryPost. Three artifacts are produced:
+You are running the Friday release ritual for TryPost. Four artifacts are produced:
 
 1. A git tag (semver)
 2. A GitHub release with the **auto-generated** changelog (PR list + authors via GitHub's native generator — flat, technical, for developers)
 3. A **customer-facing email draft** in Cal.com style (themed prose, end-user voice, no commit/PR references)
+4. A **changelog thumbnail** (1200×630 PNG) rendered from the email's headline and themes, using the TryPost brand template
 
-Plus local mirrors in `releases/<version>/`.
+Plus local mirrors in `releases/<version>/` (changelog, email, and thumbnail), versioned via the artifacts PR.
 
 **Always confirm with the user before any push/tag/release.**
 
@@ -189,18 +190,45 @@ Run the email body through the `humanizer` skill before previewing:
 
 The humanizer skill itself covers all patterns. Trust it.
 
+### Step 5b — Render the changelog thumbnail
+
+Derive these inputs from the release. The **headline and the chips play different roles — never make one restate the other**:
+
+- **version** — always pass the release version (e.g. `v1.0.6`). It is stamped in the badge as a mono segment (`★ CHANGELOG | v1.0.6`) so every release image is consistent. Not optional.
+- **headline** — a crafted marketing hero line (2-6 words, at most two lines), in the voice of the marketing site's hero (`Run your social media on autopilot`). It sells the *benefit* of the release's biggest wins; it is the loudest thing on the image. Do **NOT** paste the subject line, and do **NOT** just list the theme/chip words — the chips already name the areas, so the headline sits one level above them. Read the email's themes **and** the "New features" bullets, find the strongest story, and write a fresh benefit line. A little rhythm helps (a parallel pair reads well, e.g. `Speak every language, reach every reader`). Sentence case, no version number in the headline itself (it lives in the badge), no period.
+  - ❌ `Your language, mobile, and per-image alt text` (this is just the chip labels)
+  - ✅ `Speak every language, reach every reader` (benefit-driven, distinct from the chips)
+- **underline** — a short emphasis phrase *inside* the headline (1-3 words) to carry the hand-drawn violet squiggle, usually the last / most important phrase (e.g. `every reader`). Must appear in the headline verbatim. Optional; omit for no squiggle.
+- **themes** — 2-4 short chip labels naming the concrete areas that shipped, condensed to 1-2 words each (e.g. `Languages`, `Mobile`, `Alt text & previews`). These are secondary supporting labels, rendered smaller than the headline; the template auto-colors them (violet / green / sky / orange / rose, in order). Keep them concrete and distinct from the headline's wording.
+
+Create the directory and render the thumbnail so the user can preview it before confirming:
+
+```bash
+mkdir -p releases/<version>
+node .claude/release-assets/render-thumbnail.mjs \
+  --version "<version>" \
+  --headline "<headline>" \
+  --underline "<emphasis phrase>" \
+  --themes "<label 1>,<label 2>,<label 3>" \
+  --out releases/<version>/thumbnail.png
+```
+
+This uses the shared brand template (`.claude/release-assets/thumbnail.template.html`) + TryPost logo. It mirrors the marketing-site hero / OG image: a warm cream→lavender wash, an ink dot-grid, an Instrument Serif headline with a hand-drawn violet squiggle under the emphasis phrase, an amber "Changelog" sticker badge with the version stamped in mono, and colored ink-bordered theme chips with solid offset shadows. 1200×630. It needs Playwright + chromium (already installed for browser tests). If the render fails, report and stop before tagging.
+
 ### Step 6 — Confirm with the user
 
 Show:
 1. **Proposed version** (e.g., `v1.0.9 → v1.1.0` — sequential rollover at 9).
 2. **Changelog preview** (Step 3 output).
 3. **Email preview**: subject line + full body (post-humanizer).
-4. **Files that will be created/pushed**:
+4. **Thumbnail**: `releases/<version>/thumbnail.png` (already rendered in Step 5b — tell the user they can open it to preview).
+5. **Files that will be created/pushed**:
    - Tag `<version>` (pushed to origin)
    - GitHub release `<version>`
    - `releases/<version>/changelog.md`
    - `releases/<version>/email.md`
-   - Branch `chore/release-<version>-artifacts` + a PR versioning the two files above
+   - `releases/<version>/thumbnail.png`
+   - Branch `chore/release-<version>-artifacts` + a PR versioning the three files above
 
 Then ask: **"Create the tag, publish the release, and open the PR with the artifacts?"**
 
@@ -210,36 +238,37 @@ Do **not** proceed without explicit yes.
 
 After confirmation, in this exact order. Steps 4–6 (tag + release) run from `main` so the tag stays on the released `main` commit; steps 7–8 version the artifacts on a separate branch and open a PR.
 
-1. Create local directory: `mkdir -p releases/<version>`
+1. Create local directory: `mkdir -p releases/<version>` (already created in Step 5b).
 2. Write `releases/<version>/changelog.md` with the Step 3 content (raw GitHub markdown).
 3. Write `releases/<version>/email.md` with frontmatter + humanized body.
+   (`releases/<version>/thumbnail.png` was already rendered in Step 5b.)
 4. From `main`, create the annotated tag: `git tag -a <version> -m "Release <version>"`
 5. Push tag: `git push origin <version>`
 6. Create the GitHub release using the changelog file as body:
    ```bash
    gh release create <version> --title "<version>" --notes-file releases/<version>/changelog.md
    ```
-7. Version the artifacts on a branch (the two files carry over from the working tree) and push:
+7. Version the artifacts on a branch (the three files carry over from the working tree) and push:
    ```bash
    git checkout -b chore/release-<version>-artifacts
-   git add releases/<version>/changelog.md releases/<version>/email.md
-   git commit -m "chore(release): add <version> changelog + customer email artifacts"
+   git add releases/<version>/changelog.md releases/<version>/email.md releases/<version>/thumbnail.png
+   git commit -m "chore(release): add <version> changelog, customer email, and thumbnail artifacts"
    git push -u origin chore/release-<version>-artifacts
    ```
-8. Open the PR against `main` (body: what the two files are + a link to the GitHub release):
+8. Open the PR against `main` (body: what the three files are + a link to the GitHub release):
    ```bash
    gh pr create --base main --head chore/release-<version>-artifacts \
-     --title "chore(release): <version> changelog + customer email artifacts" \
-     --body "<short body — the two artifact files + link to the release>"
+     --title "chore(release): <version> changelog, customer email + thumbnail artifacts" \
+     --body "<short body — the three artifact files + link to the release>"
    ```
 9. Report to the user:
    - GitHub release URL (from `gh release` output)
    - PR URL (from `gh pr create` output)
-   - Local paths: `releases/<version>/changelog.md`, `releases/<version>/email.md`
+   - Local paths: `releases/<version>/changelog.md`, `releases/<version>/email.md`, `releases/<version>/thumbnail.png`
 
 ### On failure
 
 - `git push origin <version>` fails: report the exact error, leave the local tag in place, do not retry destructively.
 - `gh release create` fails: the tag is already pushed; tell the user they can recreate manually with `gh release create <version> --title "<version>" --notes-file releases/<version>/changelog.md`.
 - `git push` / `gh pr create` for the artifacts branch fails: the tag and GitHub release are already live; report the error and tell the user they can open the PR manually from `chore/release-<version>-artifacts`.
-- `Skill` or `Write` failure during artifact prep: report and stop. Do not push the tag without the artifacts being prepared.
+- `Skill`, `Write`, or thumbnail render failure during artifact prep: report and stop. Do not push the tag without the artifacts being prepared.
diff --git a/.claude/release-assets/logo.png b/.claude/release-assets/logo.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..db7f9e42
Binary files /dev/null and b/.claude/release-assets/logo.png differ
diff --git a/.claude/release-assets/render-thumbnail.mjs b/.claude/release-assets/render-thumbnail.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8bab47c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.claude/release-assets/render-thumbnail.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+// Render a release changelog thumbnail (1200x630 PNG) from the shared template.
+//
+// Usage:
+//   node .claude/release-assets/render-thumbnail.mjs \
+//     --headline "Your language, mobile, and per-image alt text" \
+//     --underline "alt text" \
+//     --themes "Languages,Mobile,Alt text & previews" \
+//     --out releases/v1.0.6/thumbnail.png
+//
+// Optional:
+//   --version "v1.0.6"   — stamped in the badge as a mono version segment.
+//   --badge "Changelog"  (default) — the amber sticker label, top-right.
+//   --underline "phrase" — a phrase inside the headline to get the hand-drawn
+//                          violet squiggle (mirrors the marketing-site hero).
+//
+// Playwright is resolved from the repo's node_modules, so the script works
+// regardless of where it is invoked.
+
+import { createRequire } from 'module';
+import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, unlinkSync } from 'fs';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
+import { dirname, join } from 'path';
+import { tmpdir } from 'os';
+
+const here = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+const repoRoot = join(here, '..', '..');
+const require = createRequire(join(repoRoot, 'package.json'));
+const { chromium } = require('playwright');
+
+const args = {};
+for (let i = 2; i < process.argv.length; i += 2) {
+    args[process.argv[i].replace(/^--/, '')] = process.argv[i + 1];
+}
+
+if (!args.headline || !args.out) {
+    console.error('usage: render-thumbnail.mjs --headline "..." --themes "a,b,c" --out path.png [--version "v1.0.6"] [--underline "phrase"] [--badge "Changelog"]');
+    process.exit(1);
+}
+
+const escapeHtml = (value) =>
+    String(value)
+        .replaceAll('&', '&amp;')
+        .replaceAll('<', '&lt;')
+        .replaceAll('>', '&gt;')
+        .replaceAll('"', '&quot;');
+
+// Hand-drawn violet squiggle under an emphasis phrase — same path the hero uses.
+const squiggle = (phrase) =>
+    `<span class="ul">${phrase}<svg class="squiggle" viewBox="0 0 200 12" preserveAspectRatio="none" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="4" stroke-linecap="round" aria-hidden="true"><path d="M 5 6 Q 25 0, 50 6 T 100 6 T 150 6 T 195 6" /></svg></span>`;
+
+let headlineHtml = escapeHtml(args.headline);
+if (args.underline) {
+    const escapedPhrase = escapeHtml(args.underline);
+    if (headlineHtml.includes(escapedPhrase)) {
+        headlineHtml = headlineHtml.replace(escapedPhrase, squiggle(escapedPhrase));
+    }
+}
+
+const themes = (args.themes ?? '')
+    .split(',')
+    .map((theme) => theme.trim())
+    .filter(Boolean);
+
+const chips = themes
+    .map((theme) => `<span class="chip">${escapeHtml(theme)}</span>`)
+    .join('\n      ');
+
+const star = `<svg class="star" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="currentColor" aria-hidden="true"><path d="M12 2l2.9 6.26L22 9.27l-5 4.87 1.18 6.88L12 17.77l-6.18 3.25L7 14.14 2 9.27l7.1-1.01z" /></svg>`;
+let badgeInner = `<span class="label">${star}${escapeHtml(args.badge ?? 'Changelog')}</span>`;
+if (args.version) {
+    badgeInner += `<span class="ver">${escapeHtml(args.version)}</span>`;
+}
+
+const logoDataUri = `data:image/png;base64,${readFileSync(join(here, 'logo.png')).toString('base64')}`;
+
+const html = readFileSync(join(here, 'thumbnail.template.html'), 'utf8')
+    .replace('{{LOGO}}', logoDataUri)
+    .replace('{{BADGE_INNER}}', badgeInner)
+    .replace('{{HEADLINE}}', headlineHtml)
+    .replace('{{CHIPS}}', chips);
+
+const tmpFile = join(tmpdir(), `trypost-thumbnail-${process.pid}.html`);
+writeFileSync(tmpFile, html);
+
+const browser = await chromium.launch();
+try {
+    const page = await browser.newPage({
+        viewport: { width: 1200, height: 630 },
+        deviceScaleFactor: 2,
+    });
+    await page.goto(`file://${tmpFile}`, { waitUntil: 'networkidle' });
+    await page.evaluate(() => document.fonts.ready);
+    await page.screenshot({ path: args.out });
+} finally {
+    await browser.close();
+    unlinkSync(tmpFile);
+}
+
+console.log('wrote', args.out);
diff --git a/.claude/release-assets/thumbnail.template.html b/.claude/release-assets/thumbnail.template.html
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..50c0b6eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.claude/release-assets/thumbnail.template.html
@@ -0,0 +1,128 @@
+<!doctype html>
+<html lang="en">
+<head>
+<meta charset="utf-8" />
+<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com" />
+<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin />
+<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Figtree:wght@300..900&family=Instrument+Serif:ital@0;1&family=JetBrains+Mono:wght@400;500;700&display=swap" rel="stylesheet" />
+<style>
+  /* TryPost brand thumbnail — mirrors the marketing-site hero / OG image:
+     warm cream + ink + signature violet, soft peach→lavender wash, ink
+     dot-grid, Instrument Serif headline with a hand-drawn violet squiggle,
+     and ink-bordered sticker cards with Gumroad-style solid offset shadows.
+     Tokens from trypost-site assets/css/tailwind.css. */
+  * { margin: 0; padding: 0; box-sizing: border-box; }
+  html, body { width: 1200px; height: 630px; }
+  body {
+    font-family: 'Figtree', ui-sans-serif, system-ui, sans-serif;
+    position: relative;
+    overflow: hidden;
+    background: #faf8f5;
+    color: #0a0a0a;
+    -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
+  }
+  /* Broad peach (bottom-left) → lavender (top-right) wash. */
+  .wash {
+    position: absolute; inset: 0; pointer-events: none;
+    background: linear-gradient(118deg,
+      rgba(254,215,170,0.34) 0%,
+      rgba(250,248,245,0) 40%,
+      rgba(250,248,245,0) 58%,
+      rgba(196,181,253,0.46) 100%);
+  }
+  /* Soft glow blobs — violet top-right, warm amber bottom-left. */
+  .blob { position: absolute; border-radius: 999px; pointer-events: none; filter: blur(36px); }
+  .blob-violet { top: -160px; right: -120px; width: 560px; height: 560px;
+    background: radial-gradient(circle, rgba(196,181,253,0.60) 0%, rgba(196,181,253,0) 70%); }
+  .blob-warm { bottom: -190px; left: -150px; width: 540px; height: 540px;
+    background: radial-gradient(circle, rgba(253,215,170,0.55) 0%, rgba(253,215,170,0) 70%); }
+  .blob-fuchsia { bottom: 60px; left: 120px; width: 320px; height: 320px;
+    background: radial-gradient(circle, rgba(245,208,254,0.35) 0%, rgba(245,208,254,0) 70%); }
+  /* Ink dot-grid (over cream, softened by the blobs). */
+  .grid {
+    position: absolute; inset: 0; pointer-events: none; opacity: 0.07;
+    background-image: radial-gradient(circle, #0a0a0a 1px, transparent 1px);
+    background-size: 28px 28px;
+  }
+  .frame {
+    position: relative; z-index: 1;
+    height: 100%; padding: 74px 84px;
+    display: flex; flex-direction: column; justify-content: space-between;
+  }
+  .top { display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: space-between; }
+  .logo { height: 36px; width: auto; }
+  /* "Changelog" sticker — segmented ticket: amber label + mono version, one
+     ink-bordered pill with an offset shadow (mirrors the site's gold
+     "OPEN SOURCE" sticker). The version is always stamped for consistency. */
+  .badge {
+    display: inline-flex; align-items: stretch;
+    border: 2.5px solid #0a0a0a; border-radius: 10px;
+    box-shadow: 4px 4px 0 0 #0a0a0a; overflow: hidden;
+  }
+  .badge .label {
+    display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 9px;
+    background: #fde68a; color: #0a0a0a;
+    padding: 10px 17px;
+    font-size: 15px; font-weight: 900;
+    text-transform: uppercase; letter-spacing: 0.16em;
+  }
+  .badge .star { width: 16px; height: 16px; display: block; }
+  .badge .ver {
+    display: inline-flex; align-items: center;
+    background: #ffffff; color: #0a0a0a;
+    padding: 10px 15px;
+    font-family: 'JetBrains Mono', ui-monospace, monospace;
+    font-size: 15px; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.01em;
+    border-left: 2.5px solid #0a0a0a;
+  }
+  .body { max-width: 1000px; }
+  h1 {
+    font-family: 'Instrument Serif', Georgia, serif;
+    font-weight: 400; font-size: 88px; line-height: 1.04;
+    letter-spacing: -0.02em; color: #0a0a0a; text-wrap: balance;
+  }
+  /* Emphasis phrase carrying the hand-drawn squiggle. */
+  .ul { position: relative; display: inline-block; white-space: nowrap; }
+  .ul > .squiggle {
+    position: absolute; left: 0; right: 0; bottom: -0.16em;
+    width: 100%; height: 0.34em; color: #8b5cf6;
+  }
+  .themes { display: flex; gap: 16px; flex-wrap: wrap; align-items: center; }
+  /* Theme chips — colored sticker cards (brand pastels), ink border, offset
+     shadow, ink text, hand-placed tilt (echoes the floating platform / composer
+     stickers in the hero — bg-violet-300 ... text-foreground). Secondary to the
+     headline: smaller and lighter in weight. */
+  .chip {
+    padding: 10px 18px; border-radius: 10px;
+    color: #0a0a0a;
+    border: 2.5px solid #0a0a0a;
+    box-shadow: 3px 3px 0 0 #0a0a0a;
+    font-size: 18px; font-weight: 600;
+  }
+  .chip:nth-child(1) { background: #ddd6fe; transform: rotate(-2deg); }  /* violet-200 */
+  .chip:nth-child(2) { background: #bbf7d0; transform: rotate(1.5deg); } /* green-200 */
+  .chip:nth-child(3) { background: #bae6fd; transform: rotate(-1deg); }  /* sky-200 */
+  .chip:nth-child(4) { background: #fed7aa; transform: rotate(2deg); }   /* orange-200 */
+  .chip:nth-child(5) { background: #fecdd3; transform: rotate(-1.5deg); }/* rose-200 */
+</style>
+</head>
+<body>
+  <div class="wash"></div>
+  <div class="blob blob-violet"></div>
+  <div class="blob blob-warm"></div>
+  <div class="blob blob-fuchsia"></div>
+  <div class="grid"></div>
+  <div class="frame">
+    <div class="top">
+      <img class="logo" src="{{LOGO}}" alt="TryPost" />
+      <span class="badge">{{BADGE_INNER}}</span>
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="body">
+      <h1>{{HEADLINE}}</h1>
+    </div>
+
+    <div class="themes">{{CHIPS}}</div>
+  </div>
+</body>
+</html>
diff --git a/releases/v1.0.6/thumbnail.png b/releases/v1.0.6/thumbnail.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..79a25204
Binary files /dev/null and b/releases/v1.0.6/thumbnail.png differ