diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..29b3635
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+name: Release
+env:
+  DEBUG: napi:*
+  APP_NAME: aic-sdk
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+'on':
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - '[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+*'
+concurrency:
+  group: release-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+jobs:
+  checks:
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/check.yml
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    secrets:
+      AIC_SDK_LICENSE: ${{ secrets.AIC_SDK_LICENSE }}
+  publish:
+    name: Publish
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: checks
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      id-token: write
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
+      - name: setup pnpm
+        uses: pnpm/action-setup@v6
+      - name: Setup node
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v7
+        with:
+          node-version: 22
+          cache: pnpm
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: pnpm install
+      - name: Download all artifacts
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v8
+        with:
+          path: artifacts
+      - name: create npm dirs
+        run: pnpm napi create-npm-dirs
+      - name: Move artifacts
+        run: pnpm artifacts
+      - name: List packages
+        run: ls -R ./npm
+        shell: bash
+      - name: Install an npm with trusted publishing support
+        run: npm install -g npm@latest
+      - name: Publish
+        run: |
+          VERSION="${GITHUB_REF_NAME#v}"
+          PACKAGE_VERSION="$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")"
+          if [ "$VERSION" != "$PACKAGE_VERSION" ]; then
+            echo "::error::Tag $GITHUB_REF_NAME does not match package.json version $PACKAGE_VERSION"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          PACKAGE_NAME="$(node -p "require('./package.json').name")"
+          if npm view "$PACKAGE_NAME@$VERSION" version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "$PACKAGE_NAME@$VERSION is already published, skipping"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          case "$VERSION" in
+            *-*) npm publish --tag next --access public ;;
+            *) npm publish --access public ;;
+          esac
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+      - name: Create the GitHub release
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          VERSION="${GITHUB_REF_NAME#v}"
+          node scripts/changelog-section.mjs "$VERSION" > release-notes.md
+          case "$VERSION" in
+            *-*) PRERELEASE=--prerelease ;;
+            *) PRERELEASE= ;;
+          esac
+          if gh release view "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            gh release edit "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" --title "$VERSION" --notes-file release-notes.md $PRERELEASE
+          else
+            gh release create "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" --title "$VERSION" --notes-file release-notes.md $PRERELEASE
+          fi
diff --git a/.github/workflows/CI.yml b/.github/workflows/check.yml
similarity index 83%
rename from .github/workflows/CI.yml
rename to .github/workflows/check.yml
index d307a37..353b796 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/CI.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check.yml
@@ -1,21 +1,22 @@
-name: CI
+name: Checks
 env:
   DEBUG: napi:*
   APP_NAME: aic-sdk
   MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET: '10.13'
   CARGO_INCREMENTAL: '1'
 permissions:
-  contents: write
-  id-token: write
+  contents: read
 'on':
   push:
     branches:
       - main
-    tags:
-      - '[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+*'
   pull_request: null
+  workflow_call:
+    secrets:
+      AIC_SDK_LICENSE:
+        required: false
 concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  group: checks-${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
 jobs:
   lint:
@@ -348,70 +349,3 @@ jobs:
       - name: Check the enhanced file was written
         if: steps.license.outputs.available == 'true'
         run: test -s example-input_enhanced.wav
-  publish:
-    name: Publish
-    if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs:
-      - lint
-      - test-macOS-windows-binding
-      - test-linux-binding
-      - run-examples
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v7
-      - name: setup pnpm
-        uses: pnpm/action-setup@v6
-      - name: Setup node
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v7
-        with:
-          node-version: 22
-          cache: pnpm
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: pnpm install
-      - name: Download all artifacts
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v8
-        with:
-          path: artifacts
-      - name: create npm dirs
-        run: pnpm napi create-npm-dirs
-      - name: Move artifacts
-        run: pnpm artifacts
-      - name: List packages
-        run: ls -R ./npm
-        shell: bash
-      - name: Install an npm with trusted publishing support
-        run: npm install -g npm@latest
-      - name: Publish
-        run: |
-          VERSION="${GITHUB_REF_NAME#v}"
-          PACKAGE_VERSION="$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")"
-          if [ "$VERSION" != "$PACKAGE_VERSION" ]; then
-            echo "::error::Tag $GITHUB_REF_NAME does not match package.json version $PACKAGE_VERSION"
-            exit 1
-          fi
-          PACKAGE_NAME="$(node -p "require('./package.json').name")"
-          if npm view "$PACKAGE_NAME@$VERSION" version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            echo "$PACKAGE_NAME@$VERSION is already published, skipping"
-            exit 0
-          fi
-          case "$VERSION" in
-            *-*) npm publish --tag next --access public ;;
-            *) npm publish --access public ;;
-          esac
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-      - name: Create the GitHub release
-        env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-        run: |
-          VERSION="${GITHUB_REF_NAME#v}"
-          node scripts/changelog-section.mjs "$VERSION" > release-notes.md
-          case "$VERSION" in
-            *-*) PRERELEASE=--prerelease ;;
-            *) PRERELEASE= ;;
-          esac
-          if gh release view "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            gh release edit "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" --title "$VERSION" --notes-file release-notes.md $PRERELEASE
-          else
-            gh release create "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" --title "$VERSION" --notes-file release-notes.md $PRERELEASE
-          fi
diff --git a/DEVELOPMENT.md b/DEVELOPMENT.md
index eaac992..162ebe3 100644
--- a/DEVELOPMENT.md
+++ b/DEVELOPMENT.md
@@ -43,5 +43,10 @@ tag.
 Publishing uses npm trusted publishing over OIDC, so there is no npm token in the
 repository. Each of the seven published packages (`@ai-coustics/aic-sdk` and its six
 platform packages) needs a trusted publisher on npmjs.com naming this repository and the
-workflow file `CI.yml`. npm rejects a publish whose workflow file does not match, with a
-404 on the `PUT` rather than a permission error.
+workflow file `build.yml`, with direct `npm publish` allowed. A mismatched trusted
+publisher can cause authentication errors such as `ENEEDAUTH`.
+
+`check.yml` runs builds, lint, tests, and examples with read-only repository permissions.
+It runs on main-branch pushes and pull requests, and is called by `build.yml` for release
+tags. Only the publish job in `build.yml` receives `contents: write` for GitHub releases
+and `id-token: write` for npm trusted publishing.