diff --git a/RELEASE-NOTES/0.25.2.md b/RELEASE-NOTES/0.25.2.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b6927aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/RELEASE-NOTES/0.25.2.md
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+commy plugin: release 0.25.2
+
+Patch release of the commy plugin, **0.25.1 → 0.25.2**.
+
+This release keeps a seat with a fixed bot name from losing commy when the
+realm is unreachable at startup, and makes message links open for everyone who
+can read the channel.
+
+## Highlights
+
+- **A seat with `COMMY_BOT_NAME` set rides out a realm outage at startup.**
+  Until now, the server signed in before it answered Claude Code, and any
+  failure to sign in ended it. Claude Code remembers a failed MCP server for the
+  rest of the session, so the seat had no commy until it was restarted. The
+  server now answers Claude Code first and signs in afterwards. It keeps
+  retrying for as long as the realm cannot be reached, is rate-limiting, or is
+  behind a proxy reporting it down. Once it signs in, it picks up its
+  subscriptions and catches up as before. Rejected credentials and other
+  refusals still stop the server at once, with the same message as before.
+- **Message links open for viewers who were not subscribed when the message
+  was sent.** A link commy handed out used to show an empty view to those
+  viewers. Links now name the channel and topic, as Zulip's own "Copy link to
+  message" does, and still find a message whose topic was renamed or resolved.
+
+No action required beyond updating the plugin.
+
+## Maintenance
+
+- Publish to npm from a dedicated GitHub environment.
+- Dependency updates: `@modelcontextprotocol/sdk` 1.31.0, `hono`, `ws`,
+  `turbo`, `@biomejs/biome`, and lockfile maintenance.
+
+---
+
+Eight-way version parity bumped in lockstep (enforced by `manifests.test.ts`).
diff --git a/bun.lock b/bun.lock
index f6db62c..1139f72 100644
--- a/bun.lock
+++ b/bun.lock
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     },
     "clients/claude-code": {
       "name": "commy-plugin",
-      "version": "0.25.1",
+      "version": "0.25.2",
       "dependencies": {
         "@commy/mcp": "workspace:*",
       },
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@
     },
     "packages/mcp": {
       "name": "@commy/mcp",
-      "version": "0.25.1",
+      "version": "0.25.2",
       "dependencies": {
         "@commy/core": "workspace:*",
         "@commy/zulip": "workspace:*",
diff --git a/clients/claude-code/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/clients/claude-code/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index bdeb2bd..5db45c9 100644
--- a/clients/claude-code/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/clients/claude-code/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "commy",
   "description": "Hexagonal MCP plugin exposing commy ports to Claude Code sessions. V1 hard-wired to the Zulip driven adapter.",
-  "version": "0.25.1",
+  "version": "0.25.2",
   "author": {
     "name": "Code For Breakfast",
     "email": "info@codeforbreakfast.co"
diff --git a/clients/claude-code/.mcp.json b/clients/claude-code/.mcp.json
index 6dec089..488cb87 100644
--- a/clients/claude-code/.mcp.json
+++ b/clients/claude-code/.mcp.json
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
   "mcpServers": {
     "commy": {
       "command": "npx",
-      "args": ["-y", "@codeforbreakfast/commy-mcp@0.25.1"],
+      "args": ["-y", "@codeforbreakfast/commy-mcp@0.25.2"],
       "cwd": "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}",
       "env": {
         "ZULIP_SITE": "${user_config.ZULIP_SITE}",
diff --git a/clients/claude-code/package.json b/clients/claude-code/package.json
index bf5fe5d..8bbb756 100644
--- a/clients/claude-code/package.json
+++ b/clients/claude-code/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "commy-plugin",
-  "version": "0.25.1",
+  "version": "0.25.2",
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/clients/hermes/commy/plugin.yaml b/clients/hermes/commy/plugin.yaml
index bf4683b..f2c31de 100644
--- a/clients/hermes/commy/plugin.yaml
+++ b/clients/hermes/commy/plugin.yaml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 name: commy-platform
 kind: platform
-version: 0.25.1
+version: 0.25.2
 description: >
   commy gateway adapter for Hermes Agent (pattern B: inbound-axis
   consumer for non-Claude-Code hosts). Registers the `commy` platform.
diff --git a/clients/hermes/pyproject.toml b/clients/hermes/pyproject.toml
index 4116895..4ea62f9 100644
--- a/clients/hermes/pyproject.toml
+++ b/clients/hermes/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "commy-hermes"
-version = "0.25.1"
+version = "0.25.2"
 description = "commy platform adapter for Hermes Agent (pattern B inbound-axis consumer)"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "Apache-2.0"
diff --git a/clients/hermes/uv.lock b/clients/hermes/uv.lock
index ed3dd1c..f3508fd 100644
--- a/clients/hermes/uv.lock
+++ b/clients/hermes/uv.lock
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "commy-hermes"
-version = "0.25.1"
+version = "0.25.2"
 source = { editable = "." }
 
 [package.dev-dependencies]
diff --git a/packages/mcp/mcp-server.ts b/packages/mcp/mcp-server.ts
index 0409633..0952cd3 100644
--- a/packages/mcp/mcp-server.ts
+++ b/packages/mcp/mcp-server.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { Server } from '@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/index.js'
  * enforced by manifests.test.ts. Update only via the `release-plugin`
  * skill, which edits all three sites and tags the result.
  */
-export const PLUGIN_VERSION = '0.25.1'
+export const PLUGIN_VERSION = '0.25.2'
 
 /**
  * Echoed to every connected MCP client via the server `instructions:`
diff --git a/packages/mcp/package.json b/packages/mcp/package.json
index f150834..15ecf73 100644
--- a/packages/mcp/package.json
+++ b/packages/mcp/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@commy/mcp",
-  "version": "0.25.1",
+  "version": "0.25.2",
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "type": "module",
   "exports": {