diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 6e9d44913..c5aebbffe 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -60,8 +60,9 @@ Follow that checklist's safety rules:
   justification and a rollback story.
 - Update docs when changing setup, onboarding, runtime behavior, architecture,
   testing guidance, or user-facing workflows.
-- Update `CHANGELOG.md` for user-visible behavior, setup, workflow, or
-  documentation changes that should be release-note ready.
+- Do not edit `CHANGELOG.md` in ordinary contributor PRs. The release workflow
+  owns changelog updates through release commits. If a change is release-note
+  worthy, include concise release-note wording in the PR body instead.
 - For UI or UX changes, include before/after evidence and test relevant
   desktop, narrow, and mobile states.
 - For behavior changes, add or update automated tests where practical and list
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 97b3d894e..08529741c 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -17,8 +17,9 @@ Hermes WebUI is intentionally simple to work on: Python on the server, vanilla J
   and the relevant RFC listed there.
 
 Use those documents as review guardrails: keep the change scoped, preserve the
-no-build-step architecture, update docs/changelog when behavior changes, include
-UI evidence for UI changes, and add tests for behavior changes where practical.
+no-build-step architecture, update docs when behavior changes, put
+release-note-worthy details in the PR body, include UI evidence for UI changes,
+and add tests for behavior changes where practical.
 
 ### Contract-affecting PRs
 
@@ -96,6 +97,10 @@ There is currently no PR template in this repo, so include the important section
 
 If the change is user-visible, include screenshots or a short video.
 
+If the change is release-note-worthy, include concise release-note wording in
+the PR body. Do not edit `CHANGELOG.md` directly in ordinary contributor PRs;
+the release workflow maintains it through release commits.
+
 For UI or UX changes, before/after images are required. PRs that change the interface or interaction flow without before/after images may not receive meaningful review until that evidence is added.
 
 ### 4. AI Usage Disclosure
@@ -120,7 +125,9 @@ Common files:
 - [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md) for shipped features and sprint history
 - [ARCHITECTURE.md](ARCHITECTURE.md) for implementation details and design constraints
 - [TESTING.md](TESTING.md) for manual and automated verification guidance
-- [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) when maintainers want release-note-ready entries
+- [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for release history context. Do not edit it in
+  ordinary contributor PRs; include release-note-ready wording in the PR body
+  so maintainers can carry it into the release workflow.
 
 ## Project-Specific Guidelines
 
diff --git a/docs/CONTRACTS.md b/docs/CONTRACTS.md
index 3eb8b5d08..39a0ccc3d 100644
--- a/docs/CONTRACTS.md
+++ b/docs/CONTRACTS.md
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ source documents and it does not mark proposals as implemented. Follow each
 linked document's status and scope.
 
 Use this file when starting a change so the relevant public contract is visible
-before code is edited. This first version focuses on documentation routing; it
-does not change runtime behavior, maintainer policy, bot behavior, or CI gates.
+before code is edited. This index focuses on documentation routing and
+contributor guidance; it does not change runtime behavior or CI gates.
 
 ## Start here
 
@@ -17,8 +17,9 @@ does not change runtime behavior, maintainer policy, bot behavior, or CI gates.
   PR description expectations, UI evidence, and project-specific constraints.
 - [`README.md`](../README.md): product overview, quick start, architecture map,
   feature inventory, and docs index.
-- [`CHANGELOG.md`](../CHANGELOG.md): release-note-ready history. Update it when
-  maintainers should carry the change into release notes.
+- [`CHANGELOG.md`](../CHANGELOG.md): release history maintained by the release
+  workflow. Read it for context, but do not edit it in ordinary contributor PRs;
+  put release-note-ready wording in the PR body instead.
 
 ## Runtime, durability, and state contracts
 
@@ -168,7 +169,8 @@ Required checks:
 - Onboarding/setup validation used isolated `HERMES_HOME` and
   `HERMES_WEBUI_STATE_DIR`, unless the human operator explicitly requested real
   state.
-- Docs and `CHANGELOG.md` updates are either included or explicitly not needed.
+- Docs updates are included or explicitly not needed, and release-note-worthy
+  changes are described in the PR body rather than by editing `CHANGELOG.md`.
 - After the GitHub write, read the PR back and verify the headings rendered as
   intended.
 
@@ -200,7 +202,8 @@ Before opening a change for review, confirm:
 - `AGENTS.md`, this index, and any linked contract for the touched subsystem were
   read before editing.
 - Behavior, setup, architecture, testing, or workflow changes update the relevant
-  docs; release-note-ready changes update `CHANGELOG.md`.
+  docs; release-note-ready changes include PR-body release-note wording while
+  `CHANGELOG.md` is left to release commits.
 - UI/UX changes include before/after evidence and cover relevant desktop,
   narrow, and mobile states.
 - Runtime, streaming, recovery, replay, compression, or sidebar changes state