diff --git a/.github/workflows/badges-documentation-update.yml b/.github/workflows/badges-documentation-update.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ce74f205e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/badges-documentation-update.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+name: "Badges: Documentation Update"
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [develop]
+    paths:
+      - "docs/**/*.md"
+      - "**.md"
+      - ".github/automation/badges.schema.yml"
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      target_files:
+        description: "Glob pattern for files to update (default: all)"
+        required: false
+        default: ""
+      dry_run:
+        description: "Dry run mode (no commits)"
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
+
+jobs:
+  update-badges:
+    name: "Update Documentation Badges"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      pull-requests: write
+      issues: write
+      actions: read
+
+    env:
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+    steps:
+      - name: "Checkout repository"
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: "Setup Node.js"
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: "18"
+          cache: "npm"
+
+      - name: "Install dependencies"
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: "Detect changed files"
+        id: changed
+        run: |
+          if [[ "${{ github.event_name }}" == "push" ]]; then
+            # Get files changed in this push
+            git diff-tree --no-commit-id --name-only -r "${{ github.event.before }}" "${{ github.event.after }}" > changed_files.txt
+          elif [[ -n "${{ inputs.target_files }}" ]]; then
+            # Use provided glob pattern with proper escaping
+            target_pattern="${{ inputs.target_files }}"
+            find . -path "${target_pattern}" -type f > changed_files.txt
+          else
+            # Find all markdown files with frontmatter
+            find docs instructions . -name "*.md" -type f | head -50 > changed_files.txt
+          fi
+
+          # Filter to only markdown files
+          grep '\.md$' changed_files.txt || true
+
+          count=$(grep -c '\.md$' changed_files.txt || echo 0)
+          echo "count=$count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "files=$(cat changed_files.txt | tr '\n' ',' | sed 's/,$//')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: "Validate badge schema"
+        id: validate
+        run: |
+          if [[ ! -f ".github/automation/badges.schema.yml" ]]; then
+            echo "::warning::Badge schema not found - skipping badge generation"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          # Basic YAML validation
+          npm run validate:badges-schema 2>/dev/null || {
+            echo "::warning::Badge schema validation failed - will attempt generation anyway"
+          }
+
+      - name: "Generate and update badges"
+        id: generate
+        run: |
+          # Check if we have files to process
+          if [[ ! -f changed_files.txt ]]; then
+            echo "No files to process"
+            echo "updated_count=0" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          updated_count=0
+          failed_count=0
+
+          while IFS= read -r file; do
+            [[ -z "$file" ]] && continue
+            [[ ! -f "$file" ]] && continue
+
+            echo "Processing: $file"
+
+            # Check if file has badge markers
+            if grep -q "<!-- BADGES-START -->" "$file" 2>/dev/null; then
+              # Use node script to generate and insert badges with schema
+              npm run generate:badges -- "$file" 2>/dev/null && {
+                echo "  ✓ Badges generated"
+                ((updated_count++))
+              } || {
+                echo "  ✗ Badge generation failed"
+                ((failed_count++))
+              }
+            else
+              # Skip files without markers
+              echo "  ○ No badge markers - skipping"
+            fi
+          done < changed_files.txt
+
+          echo "updated_count=$updated_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "failed_count=$failed_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: "Commit badge updates"
+        if: steps.generate.outputs.updated_count > 0 && !inputs.dry_run
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+
+          git add docs/**/*.md *.md 2>/dev/null || true
+
+          if git diff --cached --quiet; then
+            echo "No changes to commit"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          git commit -m "docs: Update badges in documentation [skip ci]" || {
+            echo "::warning::No changes to commit"
+            exit 0
+          }
+
+          git push origin HEAD:"${{ github.ref_name }}"
+
+      - name: "Report results"
+        if: always()
+        run: |
+          echo "## 📊 Badge Update Results"
+          echo ""
+          echo "- **Files Scanned:** ${{ steps.changed.outputs.count }}"
+          echo "- **Files Updated:** ${{ steps.generate.outputs.updated_count }}"
+          echo "- **Failed Updates:** ${{ steps.generate.outputs.failed_count }}"
+          echo "- **Dry Run:** ${{ inputs.dry_run }}"
+          echo ""
+          echo "### Files Processed"
+          echo "\`\`\`"
+          cat changed_files.txt 2>/dev/null || echo "No files processed"
+          echo "\`\`\`"
+
+      - name: "Log errors"
+        if: failure()
+        run: |
+          echo "::error::Badge update workflow failed"
+          echo "Check logs above for details"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/badges-health-check.yml b/.github/workflows/badges-health-check.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7873894dfd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/badges-health-check.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,227 @@
+name: "Badges: Health Check"
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    # Run weekly on Tuesday at 02:00 UTC
+    - cron: "0 2 * * 2"
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      report_only:
+        description: "Report findings without creating issues"
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
+
+jobs:
+  health-check:
+    name: "Validate All Badge Links"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      issues: write
+
+    env:
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+    steps:
+      - name: "Checkout repository"
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 1
+
+      - name: "Setup Node.js"
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: "18"
+          cache: "npm"
+
+      - name: "Install dependencies"
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: "Find markdown files with badges"
+        id: find
+        run: |
+          echo "Finding markdown files with badge markers..."
+
+          find . -type f -name "*.md" \
+            ! -path "*/node_modules/*" \
+            ! -path "*/.git/*" \
+            ! -path "*/.github/*" \
+            -exec grep -l "<!-- BADGES-START -->" {} \; > /tmp/files_with_badges.txt
+
+          count=$(grep -c . /tmp/files_with_badges.txt || echo 0)
+          echo "files_count=$count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          echo "Found $count files with badges"
+
+      - name: "Extract badge URLs"
+        id: extract
+        run: |
+          echo "Extracting badge URLs from markdown files..."
+
+          total_badges=0
+          total_files=$(grep -c . /tmp/files_with_badges.txt || echo 0)
+
+          > /tmp/all_badges.txt
+
+          while IFS= read -r file; do
+            [[ -z "$file" ]] && continue
+
+            echo "Processing: $file"
+
+            # Extract badge URLs only (img.shields.io and github.com/...badge.svg)
+            grep -oP '(?:https?://img\.shields\.io/|https?://github\.com/)[^)]+' "$file" | sort -u >> /tmp/all_badges.txt
+
+          done < /tmp/files_with_badges.txt
+
+          # Remove duplicates
+          sort -u /tmp/all_badges.txt > /tmp/unique_badges.txt
+          mv /tmp/unique_badges.txt /tmp/all_badges.txt
+
+          total_badges=$(grep -c . /tmp/all_badges.txt || echo 0)
+          echo "badges_count=$total_badges" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          echo "Found $total_badges unique badge URLs"
+
+      - name: "Validate badge URLs"
+        id: validate
+        run: |
+          echo "Validating badge URLs..."
+
+          broken_count=0
+          timeout_count=0
+          working_count=0
+
+          > /tmp/broken_links.txt
+          > /tmp/timeout_links.txt
+
+          while IFS= read -r url; do
+            [[ -z "$url" ]] && continue
+
+            echo -n "  Testing: $url ... "
+
+            # Test URL with 10 second timeout
+            response=$(timeout 10 curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "$url" 2>/dev/null || echo "timeout")
+
+            case "$response" in
+              200|301|302|304)
+                echo "✓ OK"
+                ((++working_count))
+                ;;
+              404)
+                echo "✗ BROKEN (404)"
+                echo "$url" >> /tmp/broken_links.txt
+                ((++broken_count))
+                ;;
+              403|410)
+                echo "✗ BROKEN ($response)"
+                echo "$url" >> /tmp/broken_links.txt
+                ((++broken_count))
+                ;;
+              timeout)
+                echo "⚠ TIMEOUT"
+                echo "$url" >> /tmp/timeout_links.txt
+                ((++timeout_count))
+                ;;
+              *)
+                echo "? UNKNOWN ($response)"
+                ((++working_count))
+                ;;
+            esac
+          done < /tmp/all_badges.txt
+
+          echo "broken_count=$broken_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "timeout_count=$timeout_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "working_count=$working_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: "Generate health report"
+        id: report
+        run: |
+          echo "# Badge Health Check Report" > /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "**Scan Date:** $(date -u '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S UTC')" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "## Summary" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "| Metric | Count |" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "|--------|-------|" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "| Files Scanned | ${{ steps.find.outputs.files_count }} |" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "| Badge URLs | ${{ steps.extract.outputs.badges_count }} |" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "| Working | ${{ steps.validate.outputs.working_count }} |" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "| Broken | ${{ steps.validate.outputs.broken_count }} |" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "| Timeouts | ${{ steps.validate.outputs.timeout_count }} |" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+
+          if [[ ${{ steps.validate.outputs.broken_count }} -gt 0 ]]; then
+            echo "" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+            echo "## Broken Links" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+            cat /tmp/broken_links.txt >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          fi
+
+          if [[ ${{ steps.validate.outputs.timeout_count }} -gt 0 ]]; then
+            echo "" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+            echo "## Timeout Links" >> /tmp/health_report.md
+            cat /tmp/timeout_links.txt >> /tmp/health_report.md
+          fi
+
+          cat /tmp/health_report.md
+          echo "report_generated=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: "Create health check issue"
+        if: steps.validate.outputs.broken_count > 0 && !inputs.report_only
+        continue-on-error: true
+        run: |
+          # Prepend DoR/DoD to health report
+          {
+            echo "## Definition of Ready (DoR)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [x] Badge validation workflow completed"
+            echo "- [x] Broken links identified"
+            echo "- [x] Health report generated"
+            echo ""
+            cat /tmp/health_report.md
+            echo ""
+            echo "## Definition of Done (DoD)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [ ] Broken links investigated"
+            echo "- [ ] Schema corrected or links validated"
+            echo "- [ ] Documentation updated if needed"
+            echo "- [ ] Health check rerun confirms resolution"
+          } > /tmp/issue_body.txt
+
+          gh issue create \
+            --repo "${{ github.repository }}" \
+            --title "🏥 Badge Health Check - ${{ steps.validate.outputs.broken_count }} Broken Links" \
+            --body-file /tmp/issue_body.txt \
+            --label "type:task,area:automation,priority:important" || {
+              echo "::warning::Could not create issue"
+            }
+
+      - name: "Post workflow summary"
+        if: always()
+        run: |
+          echo "## 🏥 Badge Health Check Results"
+          echo ""
+          echo "**Scan Results:**"
+          echo "- Files Checked: ${{ steps.find.outputs.files_count }}"
+          echo "- Badge URLs: ${{ steps.extract.outputs.badges_count }}"
+          echo "- Working: ${{ steps.validate.outputs.working_count }} ✓"
+          echo "- Broken: ${{ steps.validate.outputs.broken_count }} ✗"
+          echo "- Timeouts: ${{ steps.validate.outputs.timeout_count }} ⚠"
+          echo ""
+
+          if [[ ${{ steps.validate.outputs.broken_count }} -eq 0 && ${{ steps.validate.outputs.timeout_count }} -eq 0 ]]; then
+            echo "✅ **All badges are healthy!**"
+          else
+            echo "❌ **Issues detected - see report above**"
+          fi
+
+      - name: "Log detailed results"
+        if: failure()
+        run: |
+          echo "Health check failed with errors."
+          echo ""
+          echo "Broken links:"
+          cat /tmp/broken_links.txt || echo "None"
+          echo ""
+          echo "Timeout links:"
+          cat /tmp/timeout_links.txt || echo "None"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/badges-readme-status.yml b/.github/workflows/badges-readme-status.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c78775586d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/badges-readme-status.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,272 @@
+name: "Badges: README Status Maintenance"
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    # Run daily at 00:00 UTC
+    - cron: "0 0 * * *"
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      force_update:
+        description: "Force update regardless of changes"
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
+
+jobs:
+  update-readme-badges:
+    name: "Update README Status Badges"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      pull-requests: write
+      checks: read
+      issues: write
+
+    env:
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+    steps:
+      - name: "Checkout repository"
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: "Setup Node.js"
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: "18"
+          cache: "npm"
+
+      - name: "Install dependencies"
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: "Get repository metadata"
+        id: repo
+        run: |
+          # Get repository name and owner
+          REPO="${{ github.repository }}"
+          OWNER="${REPO%/*}"
+          REPO_NAME="${REPO#*/}"
+
+          echo "owner=${OWNER}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "name=${REPO_NAME}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "full_name=${REPO}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: "Query workflow status"
+        id: workflows
+        run: |
+          # Get list of critical workflows
+          WORKFLOWS=(
+            "checks.yml"
+            "docs-validation.yml"
+            "gitleaks.yml"
+            "main-branch-guard.yml"
+            "labeling-governance.yml"
+            "metadata-governance.yml"
+            "release.yml"
+            "template-enforcement.yml"
+            "validate-pr-template.yml"
+          )
+
+          # Initialize badges list
+          BADGES=""
+
+          for workflow in "${WORKFLOWS[@]}"; do
+            workflow_name="${workflow%.yml}"
+
+            # Get latest run status from GitHub API
+            status=$(gh run list \
+              --repo "${{ steps.repo.outputs.full_name }}" \
+              --workflow "$workflow" \
+              --limit 1 \
+              --json conclusion \
+              --jq '.[0].conclusion // "unknown"' 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
+
+            # Convert status to badge color and text
+            case "$status" in
+              success)
+                badge_color="success"
+                badge_text="passing"
+                ;;
+              failure)
+                badge_color="failure"
+                badge_text="failing"
+                ;;
+              cancelled)
+                badge_color="inactive"
+                badge_text="cancelled"
+                ;;
+              *)
+                badge_color="lightgrey"
+                badge_text="unknown"
+                ;;
+            esac
+
+            # Create badge markdown
+            badge_url="https://img.shields.io/badge/${workflow_name}-${badge_text}-${badge_color}.svg"
+            badge_link="https://github.com/${{ steps.repo.outputs.full_name }}/actions/workflows/${workflow}"
+            badge_md="[![${workflow_name}](${badge_url})](${badge_link})"
+
+            BADGES="${BADGES}${badge_md}"$'\n'
+
+            echo "  ✓ $workflow_name: $badge_text"
+          done
+
+          # Save badges to file
+          echo "$BADGES" > /tmp/badges.txt
+          echo "badge_count=$(echo "$BADGES" | grep -c "^\[" || echo 0)" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: "Update README.md"
+        id: update
+        run: |
+          README_FILE="./README.md"
+
+          if [[ ! -f "$README_FILE" ]]; then
+            echo "::warning::README.md not found - skipping update"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          # Check if README has badge markers
+          if ! grep -q "<!-- BADGES-START -->" "$README_FILE"; then
+            echo "::warning::Badge markers not found in README.md - skipping update"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          # Read new badges
+          NEW_BADGES=$(cat /tmp/badges.txt)
+
+          # Replace badges between markers
+          TEMP_FILE="${README_FILE}.tmp"
+          awk '
+            BEGIN { in_badges = 0 }
+            /<!-- BADGES-START -->/ {
+              print
+              in_badges = 1
+              while ((getline < "/tmp/badges.txt") > 0) {
+                print
+              }
+              next
+            }
+            /<!-- BADGES-END -->/ {
+              in_badges = 0
+              print
+              next
+            }
+            !in_badges || /<!-- BADGES-/ { print }
+          ' "$README_FILE" > "$TEMP_FILE"
+
+          # Check if file changed
+          if diff -q "$README_FILE" "$TEMP_FILE" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "changed=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            rm "$TEMP_FILE"
+          else
+            echo "changed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            mv "$TEMP_FILE" "$README_FILE"
+          fi
+
+      - name: "Commit changes"
+        if: steps.update.outputs.changed == 'true'
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+
+          git add README.md
+          git commit -m "docs: Update README status badges [skip ci]"
+          git push origin HEAD:${{ github.ref_name }}
+
+      - name: "Validate badge URLs"
+        id: validate
+        continue-on-error: true
+        run: |
+          echo "Validating badge URLs..."
+
+          broken_count=0
+          timeout_count=0
+
+          while IFS= read -r line; do
+            # Extract URLs only from badge markdown (img.shields.io and github.com badge URLs)
+            url=$(echo "$line" | grep -oP '(?:https?://img\.shields\.io/|https?://github\.com/)[^)]+' | head -1)
+
+            if [[ -z "$url" ]]; then
+              continue
+            fi
+
+            # Test URL with timeout
+            response=$(timeout 10 curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" "$url" 2>/dev/null || echo "timeout")
+
+            case "$response" in
+              200|302)
+                echo "  ✓ $url"
+                ;;
+              404)
+                echo "  ✗ $url (404 Not Found)"
+                ((++broken_count))
+                ;;
+              timeout)
+                echo "  ⚠ $url (Timeout)"
+                ((++timeout_count))
+                ;;
+              *)
+                echo "  ? $url (HTTP $response)"
+                ;;
+            esac
+          done < /tmp/badges.txt
+
+          echo "broken_count=$broken_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "timeout_count=$timeout_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: "Create issue for broken badges"
+        if: steps.validate.outputs.broken_count > 0
+        run: |
+          # Create temporary issue body file
+          {
+            echo "## Definition of Ready (DoR)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [x] Broken badge links have been detected"
+            echo "- [x] Validation workflow has completed"
+            echo "- [x] Issue list has been generated"
+            echo ""
+            echo "## Broken Badge Links"
+            echo ""
+            echo "The following badge links returned 404 errors:"
+            echo ""
+            echo "(See validation workflow logs for details)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "## Action Items"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [ ] Verify workflow names in schema"
+            echo "- [ ] Correct workflow names/paths"
+            echo "- [ ] Update .github/automation/badges.schema.yml"
+            echo "- [ ] Re-run badge validation"
+            echo ""
+            echo "## Definition of Done (DoD)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [ ] All broken links identified"
+            echo "- [ ] Schema corrected"
+            echo "- [ ] Validation rerun confirms links work"
+            echo "- [ ] Issue resolved and closed"
+          } > /tmp/issue_body.txt
+
+          gh issue create \
+            --repo "${{ github.repository }}" \
+            --title "Broken Badge Links Detected" \
+            --body-file /tmp/issue_body.txt \
+            --label "type:task,area:automation,priority:normal" || true
+
+      - name: "Report summary"
+        if: always()
+        run: |
+          echo "## 📊 README Status Badges Update"
+          echo ""
+          echo "**Workflow Results:**"
+          echo "- Badges Updated: ${{ steps.update.outputs.changed }}"
+          echo "- Badge Count: ${{ steps.workflows.outputs.badge_count }}"
+          echo "- Broken Links: ${{ steps.validate.outputs.broken_count }}"
+          echo "- Timeouts: ${{ steps.validate.outputs.timeout_count }}"
+          echo ""
+          if [[ "${{ steps.update.outputs.changed }}" == "true" ]]; then
+            echo "✅ README.md updated with latest status badges"
+          else
+            echo "ℹ️ No changes needed"
+          fi
diff --git a/.github/workflows/badges-workflow-audit.yml b/.github/workflows/badges-workflow-audit.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..35db8bdea7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/badges-workflow-audit.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,282 @@
+name: "Badges: Workflow Inventory Audit"
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    # Run daily at 01:00 UTC for faster discovery
+    - cron: "0 1 * * *"
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      auto_update:
+        description: "Auto-update schema with new workflows"
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: true
+
+jobs:
+  audit-workflows:
+    name: "Audit Workflow Inventory & Update Schema"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      pull-requests: write
+      issues: write
+      actions: read
+
+    env:
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+    steps:
+      - name: "Checkout repository"
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: "Setup Node.js"
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: "18"
+          cache: "npm"
+
+      - name: "Install dependencies"
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: "Scan workflow directory"
+        id: scan
+        run: |
+          SCHEMA_FILE=".github/automation/badges.schema.yml"
+
+          if [[ ! -f "$SCHEMA_FILE" ]]; then
+            echo "::error::Badge schema not found at $SCHEMA_FILE"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          # Find all workflow files
+          echo "Scanning .github/workflows/ for workflow files..."
+          find .github/workflows -maxdepth 1 -type f \( -name "*.yml" -o -name "*.yaml" \) | sed 's|.*/||;s|\.ya\?ml$||' | sort > /tmp/all_workflows.txt
+
+          total_count=$(wc -l < /tmp/all_workflows.txt)
+          echo "total_workflows=$total_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          # Extract workflow names from schema using Node.js for reliable YAML parsing
+          echo "Extracting workflow definitions from schema..."
+          node -e "
+            const yaml = require('js-yaml');
+            const fs = require('fs');
+            try {
+              const schema = yaml.load(fs.readFileSync('${SCHEMA_FILE}', 'utf-8'));
+              if (schema.badges && schema.badges.workflow) {
+                const workflows = Object.keys(schema.badges.workflow).sort();
+                workflows.forEach(w => console.log(w));
+              }
+            } catch(e) {
+              console.error('YAML parsing failed:', e.message);
+              process.exit(1);
+            }
+          " > /tmp/schema_workflows.txt
+
+          schema_count=$(wc -l < /tmp/schema_workflows.txt)
+          echo "schema_workflows=$schema_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          # Find new workflows
+          echo "Detecting new workflows..."
+          comm -23 /tmp/all_workflows.txt /tmp/schema_workflows.txt > /tmp/new_workflows.txt || true
+
+          new_count=$(wc -l < /tmp/new_workflows.txt)
+          echo "new_workflows=$new_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          # Find removed workflows
+          echo "Detecting removed workflows..."
+          comm -13 /tmp/all_workflows.txt /tmp/schema_workflows.txt > /tmp/removed_workflows.txt || true
+
+          removed_count=$(wc -l < /tmp/removed_workflows.txt)
+          echo "removed_workflows=$removed_count" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          # Calculate coverage
+          if [[ $total_count -gt 0 ]]; then
+            coverage=$(( (schema_count * 100) / total_count ))
+          else
+            coverage=0
+          fi
+          echo "coverage=$coverage" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          echo ""
+          echo "📊 Workflow Inventory Report:"
+          echo "  Total Workflows: $total_count"
+          echo "  In Schema: $schema_count"
+          echo "  New Workflows: $new_count"
+          echo "  Removed Workflows: $removed_count"
+          echo "  Coverage: ${coverage}%"
+
+      - name: "Add new workflows to schema"
+        if: steps.scan.outputs.new_workflows > 0 && inputs.auto_update
+        id: update
+        run: |
+          SCHEMA_FILE=".github/automation/badges.schema.yml"
+
+          # Read new workflows
+          new_workflows=$(cat /tmp/new_workflows.txt | sort)
+
+          if [[ -z "$new_workflows" ]]; then
+            echo "No new workflows to add"
+            echo "schema_updated=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          # Create backup
+          cp "$SCHEMA_FILE" "${SCHEMA_FILE}.bak"
+
+          # Use Node.js for safe YAML manipulation
+          node -e "
+            const yaml = require('js-yaml');
+            const fs = require('fs');
+            const path = require('path');
+
+            try {
+              const schemaContent = fs.readFileSync('${SCHEMA_FILE}', 'utf-8');
+              const schema = yaml.load(schemaContent);
+
+              if (!schema.badges || !schema.badges.workflow) {
+                throw new Error('Schema missing workflow section');
+              }
+
+              const newWorkflows = \`$new_workflows\`.trim().split('\\n').filter(Boolean);
+              let updated = false;
+
+              for (const workflow of newWorkflows) {
+                if (!schema.badges.workflow[workflow]) {
+                  schema.badges.workflow[workflow] = {
+                    label: workflow.split('-').map(w => w.charAt(0).toUpperCase() + w.slice(1)).join(' '),
+                    description: 'Auto-added workflow (needs review)',
+                    branch: 'develop'
+                  };
+                  updated = true;
+                  console.log('  - ' + workflow);
+                }
+              }
+
+              if (updated) {
+                fs.writeFileSync('${SCHEMA_FILE}', yaml.dump(schema));
+                console.log('schema_updated=true');
+              } else {
+                console.log('schema_updated=false');
+              }
+            } catch(e) {
+              console.error('Error updating schema:', e.message);
+              process.exit(1);
+            }
+          " | grep "^schema_updated=" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT || {
+            echo "schema_updated=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          }
+
+      - name: "Commit schema updates"
+        if: steps.update.outputs.schema_updated == 'true'
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+
+          git add .github/automation/badges.schema.yml
+
+          COMMIT_MSG="chore: Update badge schema with newly discovered workflows"
+          COMMIT_MSG="$COMMIT_MSG"$'\n\n'
+          COMMIT_MSG="$COMMIT_MSG"$'- '$"Auto-added ${{ steps.scan.outputs.new_workflows }} new workflow(s)"$'\n'
+          COMMIT_MSG="$COMMIT_MSG"$'- '$"Coverage: ${{ steps.scan.outputs.coverage }}%"
+
+          git commit -m "$COMMIT_MSG" || echo "No changes to commit"
+          git push origin HEAD:"${{ github.ref_name }}"
+
+      - name: "Create issue for removed workflows"
+        if: steps.scan.outputs.removed_workflows > 0
+        continue-on-error: true
+        run: |
+          # Create temporary issue body file
+          {
+            echo "## Definition of Ready (DoR)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [x] Issue is reproducible"
+            echo "- [x] Removed workflows have been identified"
+            echo "- [x] Schema has been scanned"
+            echo ""
+            echo "## Removed Workflows Detected"
+            echo ""
+            echo "The following workflows are defined in the badge schema but no longer exist:"
+            echo ""
+            cat /tmp/removed_workflows.txt
+            echo ""
+            echo "## Action Items"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [ ] Verify workflows were intentionally removed"
+            echo "- [ ] Remove from schema (.github/automation/badges.schema.yml)"
+            echo "- [ ] Update documentation if needed"
+            echo ""
+            echo "## Definition of Done (DoD)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [ ] Schema updated"
+            echo "- [ ] No stale workflow references remain"
+            echo "- [ ] Documentation reviewed"
+          } > /tmp/removed_issue.txt
+
+          gh issue create \
+            --repo "${{ github.repository }}" \
+            --title "Removed Workflows Detected in Badge Schema" \
+            --body-file /tmp/removed_issue.txt \
+            --label "type:task,area:automation" || true
+
+      - name: "Create issue for new workflows"
+        if: steps.scan.outputs.new_workflows > 0
+        continue-on-error: true
+        run: |
+          # Create temporary issue body file
+          {
+            echo "## Definition of Ready (DoR)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [x] New workflows have been discovered"
+            echo "- [x] Workflows auto-added to schema"
+            echo "- [x] Schema validated"
+            echo ""
+            echo "## New Workflows Discovered"
+            echo ""
+            echo "The following new workflows have been discovered and auto-added:"
+            echo ""
+            cat /tmp/new_workflows.txt
+            echo ""
+            echo "## Review Checklist"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [ ] Verify workflow descriptions are accurate"
+            echo "- [ ] Confirm workflow category assignment"
+            echo "- [ ] Review metadata in schema"
+            echo "- [ ] Validate against BADGES_GOVERNANCE.md coverage rules"
+            echo ""
+            echo "## Definition of Done (DoD)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "- [ ] Descriptions updated for clarity"
+            echo "- [ ] Category assigned correctly"
+            echo "- [ ] Metadata reviewed and approved"
+            echo "- [ ] Schema merged to develop"
+          } > /tmp/new_issue.txt
+
+          gh issue create \
+            --repo "${{ github.repository }}" \
+            --title "New Workflows Added to Badge Schema" \
+            --body-file /tmp/new_issue.txt \
+            --label "type:task,area:automation" || true
+
+      - name: "Report coverage metrics"
+        if: always()
+        run: |
+          echo "## 📈 Workflow Inventory Audit Results"
+          echo ""
+          echo "**Coverage Metrics:**"
+          echo "- Total Workflows Found: ${{ steps.scan.outputs.total_workflows }}"
+          echo "- In Schema: ${{ steps.scan.outputs.schema_workflows }}"
+          echo "- New Workflows: ${{ steps.scan.outputs.new_workflows }}"
+          echo "- Removed Workflows: ${{ steps.scan.outputs.removed_workflows }}"
+          echo "- **Coverage: ${{ steps.scan.outputs.coverage }}%**"
+          echo ""
+          echo "**Actions Taken:**"
+          if [[ "${{ steps.update.outputs.schema_updated }}" == "true" ]]; then
+            echo "✅ Schema updated with ${{ steps.scan.outputs.new_workflows }} new workflow(s)"
+          fi
+          if [[ "${{ steps.scan.outputs.removed_workflows }}" -gt 0 ]]; then
+            echo "⚠️ Issue created for ${{ steps.scan.outputs.removed_workflows }} removed workflow(s)"
+          fi
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 42a0e5d191..50e5c05c61 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ title: "Changelog"
 description: "All notable changes to this project, formatted per Keep a Changelog 1.1.0 and Semantic Versioning"
 file_type: "documentation"
 created_date: "2025-09-20"
-last_updated: "2026-08-07"
+last_updated: "2026-08-09"
 consolidation_phase: "Phase 1 (merged sections)"
 owners:
   - LightSpeed Team
@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Added
 
+- **Phase 4 Implementation Plan — release process refactoring** — Complete implementation plan for Phase 4 with 22 detailed tasks across 5 priority areas (workflow refactoring, agent implementation, WordPress integration, testing, deployment). Includes 18-day timeline (2026-08-08 → 2026-08-25), validation against OPENSPEC analysis covering all 47 requirements and 4 ADRs, and comprehensive OpenSpec Issues Summary with complete task inventory. ([PR #1656](https://github.com/lightspeedwp/.github/pull/1656), [#1640](https://github.com/lightspeedwp/.github/issues/1640))
+
+- **Two-PR stacked creation logic for release.agent.js** — Implemented Phase 2 architecture for stacked PR workflow: added `createReleasePRToDevelop(version, branch, options)` for Phase 1 PR creation (release → develop with version bump + changelog), and `createReleasePRToMain(version, options)` for Phase 2 PR creation (stacked PR release → main after develop merge). Enables develop-first release flow with clear two-stage validation. ([PR #1658](https://github.com/lightspeedwp/.github/pull/1658), [#1561](https://github.com/lightspeedwp/.github/issues/1561))
+
 - **Phase 1–3 completion documentation** — Comprehensive project completion report documenting Phase 1 restructuring, Phase 2 label remediation, and Phase 3 validation enforcement. Includes audit findings, 5-phase remediation timeline, and governance architecture. ([PR #1624](https://github.com/lightspeedwp/.github/pull/1624), [Epic #1290](https://github.com/lightspeedwp/.github/issues/1290))
 
 - **Label creation governance in CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md** — Added mandatory label prefix enforcement rules to organisation-wide governance documents. All labels must use canonical prefixes (type:, status:, priority:, area:, etc.) from `.github/labels.yml` (158 canonical labels). One-hot constraint per family except meta:, comp:, lang: which allow multiples. Prevents bare labels and enforces validation at issue/PR creation time. ([PR #1611](https://github.com/lightspeedwp/.github/pull/1611), [#1592](https://github.com/lightspeedwp/.github/issues/1592))
diff --git a/docs/VERSIONING.md b/docs/VERSIONING.md
index 842fd70623..29eb7db6db 100644
--- a/docs/VERSIONING.md
+++ b/docs/VERSIONING.md
@@ -108,12 +108,21 @@ May include identifiers:
 
 ## Release Process
 
-1. **Feature Development**: Work in `feature/*` branches
-2. **Integration**: Merge features into `develop`
-3. **Release Preparation**: Create `release/*` branch from `develop`
-4. **Testing**: Test the release branch
-5. **Release**: Merge to `main` and tag the version
-6. **Hotfixes**: Apply fixes via `hotfix/*` branches
+LightSpeedWP uses a **develop-first stacked PR model** for releases:
+
+1. **Feature Development**: Work in `feature/*` branches, merge to `develop`
+2. **Release Trigger**: Run `release.yml` workflow manually (`workflow_dispatch`)
+3. **Authorization**: Only members of `maintainers` team can trigger releases
+4. **Version Bump**: Release agent bumps `VERSION` file and rolls `CHANGELOG.md`
+5. **PR #1**: Create stacked PR: `release/vX.Y.Z` → `develop` (changelog + version)
+6. **Review & Merge PR #1**: Developer reviews and merges to `develop`
+7. **PR #2**: Create stacked PR: `release/vX.Y.Z` → `main` (for release)
+8. **Review & Merge PR #2**: Developer reviews and merges to `main`
+9. **Release & Tag**: Git tag created, GitHub Release published
+10. **Post-Release Sync**: Automatic sync job merges `main` → `develop` if needed
+11. **Hotfixes**: Apply via `hotfix/*` branches targeting `main`, then sync back to `develop`
+
+**See [RELEASE_PROCESS.md](./RELEASE_PROCESS.md) for complete details** including authorization gating, dry-run mode, and rollback procedures.
 
 ---
 
@@ -153,10 +162,30 @@ Consider tools for version management:
 1.2.3
 ```
 
-## Example: Plugin Version Bump
+## Example: Release via Workflow (Automated)
+
+**Recommended approach:** Use the automated release workflow:
+
+```bash
+# Trigger release workflow (via GitHub UI or CLI)
+gh workflow run release.yml --ref develop -f scope=patch -f dry_run=false
+
+# Workflow automatically:
+# 1. Validates authorization (you must be in maintainers team)
+# 2. Bumps VERSION (patch/minor/major per scope)
+# 3. Updates CHANGELOG.md with [Unreleased] → [X.Y.Z]
+# 4. Creates PR #1: release/vX.Y.Z → develop
+# 5. Waits for PR #1 merge
+# 6. Creates PR #2: release/vX.Y.Z → main
+# 7. Waits for PR #2 merge
+# 8. Creates git tag and publishes GitHub Release
+# 9. Auto-syncs main → develop via post-release-sync
+```
+
+**Manual release (not recommended):**
 
 ```bash
-# Update version in files
+# Update version in files (not needed—workflow handles this)
 npm version patch  # Updates package.json
 # Update plugin header, readme.txt, and frontmatter versions manually