diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
index affe341..0b0ce92 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
@@ -177,17 +177,23 @@ jobs:
           # Treat a tag with a pre-release suffix (e.g. v1.0.0-rc.1) as a pre-release.
           prerelease: ${{ contains(needs.prepare.outputs.tag, '-') }}
 
+      # The MCP Registry ranks versions by semver, so a pre-release above the current stable version
+      # (e.g. 1.2.0-beta.1 over 1.1.0) would become its "latest". Only stable tags go to the Registry.
       - name: Update server.json version
+        if: ${{ !contains(needs.prepare.outputs.tag, '-') }}
         run: bash .github/scripts/set-server-json-version.sh "$VERSION"
 
       - name: Install mcp-publisher
+        if: ${{ !contains(needs.prepare.outputs.tag, '-') }}
         run: |
           curl -L "https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/registry/releases/latest/download/mcp-publisher_$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')_$(uname -m | sed 's/x86_64/amd64/;s/aarch64/arm64/').tar.gz" | tar -xzf -
 
       - name: Wait for NuGet.org validation
+        if: ${{ !contains(needs.prepare.outputs.tag, '-') }}
         run: sleep 300
 
       - name: Publish to MCP Registry
+        if: ${{ !contains(needs.prepare.outputs.tag, '-') }}
         uses: nick-fields/retry@v4
         with:
           timeout_minutes: 15
diff --git a/ARCHITECTURE.md b/ARCHITECTURE.md
index cd99071..f3c8028 100644
--- a/ARCHITECTURE.md
+++ b/ARCHITECTURE.md
@@ -128,13 +128,17 @@ Tag push (v*)
           ├── dotnet nuget push libraries + native + any → NuGet.org, GitHub Packages
           ├── wait until NuGet.org lists all 14 tool packages (30 min timeout)
           ├── dotnet nuget push pointer packages → NuGet.org, GitHub Packages
-          ├── Create GitHub Release with every package attached
-          ├── stamp the server.json version (.github/scripts/set-server-json-version.sh)
-          ├── wait 300 s for NuGet.org package validation
-          └── mcp-publisher publish (GitHub OIDC auth, no token required)
-                └── Submits src/ProjGraph.Mcp/.mcp/server.json to the Official MCP Registry
+          ├── Create GitHub Release with every package attached (a pre-release for tags like v1.2.0-beta.1)
+          └── stable tags only (no `-` suffix):
+                ├── stamp the server.json version (.github/scripts/set-server-json-version.sh)
+                ├── wait 300 s for NuGet.org package validation
+                └── mcp-publisher publish (GitHub OIDC auth, no token required)
+                      └── Submits src/ProjGraph.Mcp/.mcp/server.json to the Official MCP Registry
 ```
 
+Pre-release tags skip the MCP Registry: it ranks versions by semver, so `1.2.0-beta.1` would become its
+"latest" over `1.1.0`.
+
 `pack.yml` also runs on pull requests that change a project file under `src/`, the MCP `server.json`,
 `ProjGraph.slnx`, the smoke suite, the packaging scripts, `Directory.*.props`, or `global.json`.
 
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 67e1108..231d0e9 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -90,4 +90,4 @@ Application/
 
 ### Release
 
-Releases are triggered by pushing a `v*` tag. `publish.yml` builds and tests with `-p:Version` from the tag, then calls `pack.yml`. That workflow packs and smoke-tests the Native AOT tool packages on a matching runner for each RID (Alpine for `linux-musl-*`) and packs the libraries, the `any` fallbacks, and the two pointer packages. `publish` then pushes everything except the pointer packages to NuGet.org and GitHub Packages, waits until NuGet.org lists all 14 tool packages, pushes the pointer packages, creates a GitHub Release, and submits to the MCP Registry via `mcp-publisher`. See `ARCHITECTURE.md` ("Tool Packages") before changing `ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers`. The MCP Registry ownership comment (`<!-- mcp-name: io.github.HandyS11/projgraph -->`) must remain at the end of `src/ProjGraph.Mcp/README.md`.
+Releases are triggered by pushing a `v*` tag. `publish.yml` builds and tests with `-p:Version` from the tag, then calls `pack.yml`. That workflow packs and smoke-tests the Native AOT tool packages on a matching runner for each RID (Alpine for `linux-musl-*`) and packs the libraries, the `any` fallbacks, and the two pointer packages. `publish` then pushes everything except the pointer packages to NuGet.org and GitHub Packages, waits until NuGet.org lists all 14 tool packages, pushes the pointer packages, creates a GitHub Release, and submits to the MCP Registry via `mcp-publisher`. Pre-release tags (containing `-`, e.g. `v1.2.0-beta.1`) get a GitHub pre-release and skip the MCP Registry, which would otherwise rank them "latest". See `ARCHITECTURE.md` ("Tool Packages") before changing `ToolPackageRuntimeIdentifiers`. The MCP Registry ownership comment (`<!-- mcp-name: io.github.HandyS11/projgraph -->`) must remain at the end of `src/ProjGraph.Mcp/README.md`.