diff --git a/.github/workflows/create-release.yaml b/.github/workflows/create-release.yaml
index 522cd38..3a58ef8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/create-release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/create-release.yaml
@@ -12,6 +12,13 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       contents: write
     steps:
+      - name: Generate app token
+        id: app-token
+        uses: actions/create-github-app-token@1b10c78c7865c340bc4f6099eb2f838309f1e8c3 # v3
+        with:
+          client-id: ${{ secrets.FRAGFORCE_AUTOMATION_APP_ID }}
+          private-key: ${{ secrets.FRAGFORCE_AUTOMATION_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6
 
@@ -50,7 +57,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Create GitHub release
         if: steps.tag-check.outputs.exists == 'false'
         env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}
           TAG: ${{ steps.version.outputs.tag }}
           VERSION: ${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
         run: |
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 10503de..ec2546a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,11 @@ All notable changes to Fragforce Reads will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [1.0.3] - 2026-07-01
+
+### Fixed
+- Release workflow now uses fragforce-automation app token instead of GITHUB_TOKEN. Events triggered by GITHUB_TOKEN [will not create new workflow runs](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/security-guides/automatic-token-authentication#using-the-github_token-in-a-workflow) to prevent recursive workflows, which prevented the prod image workflow from triggering on release events.
+
 ## [1.0.2] - 2026-07-01
 
 ### Fixed
@@ -113,6 +118,7 @@ Initial MVP release of Fragforce Reads - an audio playback service for the VTO B
 - HTML accessibility and CSS deprecation warnings
 - Cognitive complexity in views (SonarCloud)
 
-[1.0.2]: https://github.com/fragforce/read/releases/tag/v1.0.2
-[1.0.1]: https://github.com/fragforce/read/releases/tag/v1.0.1
 [1.0.0]: https://github.com/fragforce/read/releases/tag/v1.0.0
+[1.0.1]: https://github.com/fragforce/read/releases/tag/v1.0.1
+[1.0.2]: https://github.com/fragforce/read/releases/tag/v1.0.2
+[1.0.3]: https://github.com/fragforce/read/releases/tag/v1.0.3
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 8c798f2..b0d5273 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "fragforce-read"
-version = "1.0.2"
+version = "1.0.3"
 description = "Audio playback service for the VTO Book Reading project"
 requires-python = ">=3.13"
 dependencies = [