diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9928e56..6a5b9b4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,40 +3,65 @@
 Installs the [Sotto](https://github.com/getsotto/sotto) CLI - end-to-end encrypted secret sync
 for developer teams - and puts it on `PATH`.
 
+> [!WARNING]
+> Sotto is pre-1.0 and has not had a third-party cryptographic audit. It works end to end, but
+> should not yet be trusted with critical production secrets. See
+> [SECURITY.md](https://github.com/getsotto/sotto/blob/main/SECURITY.md).
+
 This action **only installs the binary**. It does not decrypt, export, or otherwise touch secret
-values - that stays entirely under your workflow's control via `sotto run --` /
+values. Secret use stays entirely under your workflow's control via `sotto run --` or
 `sotto export`, using a machine token from `sotto token create` (see
-[the CI docs](https://github.com/getsotto/sotto#readme)).
+[the Sotto README](https://github.com/getsotto/sotto#github-actions)).
+
+## Quick start
 
-## Usage
+Install the merged v1.1 implementation by its full commit SHA:
 
 ```yaml
-- uses: getsotto/sotto-action@v1
-  with:
-    sotto-version: v0.4.0
+name: CI
 
-- run: sotto run -- npm test
-  env:
-    SOTTO_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SOTTO_TOKEN }}
+on:
+  push:
+  pull_request:
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@11d5960a326750d5838078e36cf38b85af677262 # v4.4.0
+      - name: Install Sotto
+        uses: getsotto/sotto-action@543d1af56ac81d1f1511d88c3d269106e8513a28 # merged v1.1 implementation
+        with:
+          sotto-version: v0.4.0
+
+      - name: Run tests with Sotto
+        run: sotto run -- npm test
+        env:
+          SOTTO_SERVER: ${{ vars.SOTTO_SERVER }}
+          SOTTO_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SOTTO_TOKEN }}
 ```
 
-`sotto-version` is **required** - there is no implicit "latest", so a new Sotto release can never
-silently change your CI's behaviour. Pin it the same way you'd pin any other tool version.
+Set the repository variable `SOTTO_SERVER` for a self-hosted Sotto server. Leave it unset to use
+the hosted instance. `sotto-version` is **required** and must be an exact release, so a new Sotto
+release can never silently change your CI's behaviour.
+
+## Inputs and outputs
 
-The action supports x86_64 and ARM64 Linux, x86_64 and ARM64 macOS, and x86_64 Windows.
-Internally it downloads the archive for the selected release, verifies its checksum and Sigstore
-signature, and checks that the installed binary reports the requested version. Signature
-verification is mandatory: a missing or invalid bundle fails the job rather than falling back to
-a checksum-only install. The verification identity is pinned to the selected tag of Sotto's
-release workflow; see
-[SECURITY.md](https://github.com/getsotto/sotto/blob/main/SECURITY.md) for the release model.
+### Inputs
 
-## Outputs
+| Input | Required | Description |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `sotto-version` | Yes | Exact CLI release in `vX.Y.Z` form. Floating, partial, and prerelease values are rejected. |
+
+### Outputs
+
+The inputs and outputs below describe the merged v1.1 implementation used in these examples. A
+mutable ref such as `@v1` may point to an older action until the release workflow moves it.
 
 Give the step an `id` to use the resolved installation details in later steps:
 
 ```yaml
-- uses: getsotto/sotto-action@v1
+- uses: getsotto/sotto-action@543d1af56ac81d1f1511d88c3d269106e8513a28 # merged v1.1 implementation
   id: sotto
   with:
     sotto-version: v0.4.0
@@ -50,15 +75,150 @@ Give the step an `id` to use the resolved installation details in later steps:
 | `target` | Resolved release target | `aarch64-apple-darwin` | `x86_64-pc-windows-msvc` |
 | `binary-path` | Absolute installed binary path | `/Users/runner/work/_temp/sotto-bin/sotto` | `D:\a\_temp\sotto-bin\sotto.exe` |
 
+## Pinning the action
+
+The action ref and the CLI release are independent. The available ref styles are:
+
+- `@v1` is a mutable major tag. Check its target before use because a major tag can lag the
+  implementation documented here.
+- `@vX.Y.Z` selects an exact numbered action release once that tag has been published.
+- `@<40-character commit SHA>` provides the strongest workflow pinning and cannot move when a tag
+  changes.
+
+The examples use the full SHA `543d1af56ac81d1f1511d88c3d269106e8513a28`, which is the merged v1.1
+implementation. For the strongest supply-chain guarantee, use a reviewed full SHA for the action
+and an exact `sotto-version` for the CLI:
+
+```yaml
+- uses: getsotto/sotto-action@543d1af56ac81d1f1511d88c3d269106e8513a28 # merged v1.1 implementation
+  with:
+    sotto-version: v0.4.0
+```
+
+To inspect the current action commit before pinning, resolve it explicitly and fail if GitHub
+returns no ref:
+
+```sh
+action_sha="$(git ls-remote https://github.com/getsotto/sotto-action.git refs/heads/main | awk 'NF { print $1; exit }')"
+test -n "$action_sha" || { echo "error: could not resolve the action commit" >&2; exit 1; }
+printf '%s\n' "$action_sha"
+```
+
+Review the resolved commit before copying it into a workflow. Do not use a short SHA.
+
+## Security model
+
+The merged v1.1 implementation is deliberately small and fails closed:
+
+- It rejects missing, floating, partial, or prerelease CLI versions before downloading anything.
+- It downloads the selected archive, its checksum manifest, and their Sigstore bundles.
+- Signature verification is mandatory. A missing or invalid bundle fails the job rather than falling
+  back to a checksum-only install.
+- It verifies the bundles against Sotto's tagged release workflow, then verifies the archive checksum
+  and the installed binary's reported version.
+- It installs cosign from a pinned action commit, rather than trusting a floating installer ref.
+- It never reads, decrypts, exports, or logs secret values. Only later workflow steps use
+  `SOTTO_SERVER` and `SOTTO_TOKEN`.
+
+The action supports x86_64 and ARM64 Linux, x86_64 and ARM64 macOS, and x86_64 Windows. See
+[SECURITY.md](https://github.com/getsotto/sotto/blob/main/SECURITY.md) for Sotto's release and
+verification model.
+
+## Examples
+
+### Linux, macOS, and Windows matrix
+
+```yaml
+name: Sotto smoke test
+
+on: [push, pull_request]
+
+jobs:
+  smoke:
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest, windows-latest]
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@11d5960a326750d5838078e36cf38b85af677262 # v4.4.0
+      - uses: getsotto/sotto-action@543d1af56ac81d1f1511d88c3d269106e8513a28 # merged v1.1 implementation
+        with:
+          sotto-version: v0.4.0
+      - run: sotto --version
+```
+
+### Windows PowerShell
+
+```yaml
+jobs:
+  windows:
+    runs-on: windows-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@11d5960a326750d5838078e36cf38b85af677262 # v4.4.0
+      - uses: getsotto/sotto-action@543d1af56ac81d1f1511d88c3d269106e8513a28 # merged v1.1 implementation
+        with:
+          sotto-version: v0.4.0
+      - name: Run a command with Sotto
+        shell: pwsh
+        run: sotto run -- powershell -NoProfile -Command "Write-Output 'Sotto is ready'"
+        env:
+          SOTTO_SERVER: ${{ vars.SOTTO_SERVER }}
+          SOTTO_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SOTTO_TOKEN }}
+```
+
+### Reusable workflow
+
+Define the installation once and call it from other workflows:
+
+```yaml
+# .github/workflows/sotto.yml
+name: Sotto
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      sotto-version:
+        required: true
+        type: string
+    secrets:
+      SOTTO_TOKEN:
+        required: true
+
+jobs:
+  check:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@11d5960a326750d5838078e36cf38b85af677262 # v4.4.0
+      - uses: getsotto/sotto-action@543d1af56ac81d1f1511d88c3d269106e8513a28 # merged v1.1 implementation
+        with:
+          sotto-version: ${{ inputs.sotto-version }}
+      - run: sotto run -- npm test
+        env:
+          SOTTO_SERVER: ${{ vars.SOTTO_SERVER }}
+          SOTTO_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SOTTO_TOKEN }}
+```
+
+Call it from a workflow in the same repository and pass only the secret the callee declares:
+
+```yaml
+jobs:
+  ci:
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/sotto.yml
+    with:
+      sotto-version: v0.4.0
+    secrets:
+      SOTTO_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SOTTO_TOKEN }}
+```
+
 ## Versioning
 
-This action is tagged independently of the `sotto` CLI's own version (`v0.1.0`, `v0.2.0`, ...) -
-`sotto-action@v1` and `sotto-version: v0.4.0` are two unrelated version numbers. See
-[getsotto/sotto#67](https://github.com/getsotto/sotto/issues/67) for why.
+This action is tagged independently of the `sotto` CLI's own version (`v0.1.0`, `v0.2.0`, ...).
+The action ref and `sotto-version: v0.4.0` are two unrelated version numbers. The moving major
+tag is updated only after the exact action release has passed the full test matrix and been
+published by the release workflow. Manually pushing tags bypasses the workflow and is not a
+supported release path. Maintainers should follow [RELEASING.md](RELEASING.md).
+
+## Licence
 
-Use `getsotto/sotto-action@v1` to follow the latest validated v1 action release, or pin an exact
-action release such as `getsotto/sotto-action@v1.1.0` for an immutable workflow dependency. The
-`v1` convenience tag moves only after the exact release has passed the full test matrix and been
-published by the release workflow. `v1.1.0` is the first numbered v1 action release; the initial
-bootstrap release used `v1` directly, so there is no `v1.0.0` tag. Manually pushing tags bypasses
-the workflow and is not a supported release path.
+Licensed under the [Apache License, Version 2.0](LICENSE).