diff --git a/.github/check-version.sh b/.github/check-version.sh
index 8e3e9bb..ad0cf91 100755
--- a/.github/check-version.sh
+++ b/.github/check-version.sh
@@ -2,39 +2,61 @@
 #
 # Copyright (c) OpenIPC  https://openipc.org  MIT License
 #
-# check-version.sh — fail a pull request that changes code or the build
-# but not CAMEX_VERSION in src/version.h (#63).  The new version must be
-# MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH without leading zeros, greater than the base one,
-# and have its section in CHANGELOG.md ("## <version> — <date>").
-# src/, android/, the Makefile, ci/ and scripts/ count as code or build;
-# docs, tests, screenshots and the workflows in .github/ do not need a new
-# version.  Same script as OpenIPC/vectis, other paths and version macro.
+# check-version.sh — fail a pull request that changes the code or the build
+# but not CAMEX_VERSION in src/version.h.  A new version must be
+# MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH without leading zeros, greater than the base one, and
+# have its section in CHANGELOG.md ("## <version> — YYYY-MM-DD") that the
+# base branch does not have yet.  src/, android/, the Makefile, ci/,
+# scripts/ and the build workflow (.github/workflows/build.yml) count as code
+# or build, without the Markdown files in them; docs, tests, screenshots and
+# the rest of .github/ (this check and its workflow, version.yml, included)
+# need no new version.  NO_RELEASE=true (the pull request's `no-release`
+# label) lets a change to the code or the build through without a new
+# version, for changes that leave the release files as they are (a test or
+# publication step, a build-script tidy-up, a comment).
 #
-# Usage: .github/check-version.sh [BASE]   (default origin/master)
+# Usage: .github/check-version.sh [BASE]   (default origin/master; CI passes
+# HEAD^1, the base side of the pull request's merge commit)
 #
 
 set -eu
 
 base=${1:-origin/master}
-code="src android Makefile ci scripts"
+header=src/version.h
+code="src android Makefile ci scripts .github/workflows/build.yml"
 
-ver() { sed -n 's/^#define CAMEX_VERSION *"\(.*\)"/\1/p'; }
-
-new=$(ver < src/version.h)
-old=$(git show "$base:src/version.h" | ver)
+# The one CAMEX_VERSION definition. Every "#define CAMEX_VERSION" counts,
+# however it is spaced ("# define" too), and it must be the plain form
+# '#define CAMEX_VERSION "X.Y.Z"' that the release job reads.
+ver() {
+	h=$(cat)
+	n=$(printf '%s\n' "$h" | grep -cE '^[[:space:]]*#[[:space:]]*define[[:space:]]+CAMEX_VERSION([[:space:]]|$)' || true)
+	v=$(printf '%s\n' "$h" | sed -n 's/^#define CAMEX_VERSION "\([^"]*\)"[[:space:]]*$/\1/p')
+	if [ "$n" -ne 1 ] || [ -z "$v" ]; then
+		echo "::error::$1:$header: expected one '#define CAMEX_VERSION \"X.Y.Z\"'," \
+			"found $n definition(s)" >&2
+		exit 1
+	fi
+	printf '%s\n' "$v"
+}
 
-if ! echo "$new" | grep -Eq '^(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)$'; then
-	echo "::error::CAMEX_VERSION \"$new\" is not MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH"
-	exit 1
-fi
+new=$(ver HEAD < "$header")
+old=$(git show "$base:$header" | ver "$base")
 
 # shellcheck disable=SC2086 # $code is a list of paths
-changed=$(git diff --name-only "$base"...HEAD -- $code)
+changed=$(git diff --name-only "$base"...HEAD -- $code ':(exclude,glob)**/*.md')
 
 if [ "$new" = "$old" ]; then
+	if [ -n "$changed" ] && [ "${NO_RELEASE:-}" = true ]; then
+		echo "::notice::code or build changed, CAMEX_VERSION stays $old: the no-release" \
+			"label says the release files do not change"
+		echo "$changed"
+		exit 0
+	fi
 	if [ -n "$changed" ]; then
 		echo "::error::code or build changed, CAMEX_VERSION is still $old:" \
-			"bump PATCH (fix) or MINOR (feature) and add its CHANGELOG.md section"
+			"bump PATCH (fix) or MINOR (feature) and add its CHANGELOG.md section," \
+			"or label the pull request no-release if the release files do not change"
 		echo "$changed"
 		exit 1
 	fi
@@ -42,6 +64,11 @@ if [ "$new" = "$old" ]; then
 	exit 0
 fi
 
+if ! echo "$new" | grep -Eq '^(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)$'; then
+	echo "::error::CAMEX_VERSION \"$new\" is not MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH"
+	exit 1
+fi
+
 top=$(printf '%s\n%s\n' "$old" "$new" | sort -V | tail -n 1)
 if [ "$top" != "$new" ]; then
 	echo "::error::CAMEX_VERSION $new is not greater than $old"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index d2bc133..ea01acd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -34,24 +34,8 @@ env:
   # actions target Node 24 natively (checkout@v5, upload-artifact@v5, download-artifact@v5, gh-release@v3)
 
 jobs:
-  # ---------------------------------------------------------------- version
-  # Pull requests: a change to the code or the build comes with a new
-  # CAMEX_VERSION (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH) and its CHANGELOG.md section (#63)
-  version:
-    name: Version bump
-    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v6
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 0
-
-      - name: Code changes come with a new version
-        env:
-          # through the environment, not pasted into the script
-          BASE: ${{ github.base_ref }}
-        run: .github/check-version.sh "origin/$BASE"
+  # The version check of pull requests runs in version.yml: a label change
+  # re-runs only that check, not the builds.
 
   # ------------------------------------------------------------------ linux
   linux:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/version.yml b/.github/workflows/version.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..428f94a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/version.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#
+# Copyright (c) OpenIPC  https://openipc.org  MIT License
+#
+# version.yml — the version check of pull requests (#63, #68, #69)
+#
+# A change to the code or the build (build.yml included) comes with a new
+# CAMEX_VERSION (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH) and its CHANGELOG.md section, unless the
+# no-release label says the release files do not change. A workflow of its
+# own: adding or removing a label re-runs this check, not the builds.
+#
+
+name: version
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [master, main]
+    # labeled / unlabeled: the check reads the no-release label
+    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened, labeled, unlabeled]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+# a newer event of the same pull request cancels the older check
+concurrency:
+  group: version-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  version:
+    name: Version bump
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      # The checkout is the merge commit; its first parent is the base it was made from.
+      - name: Code changes come with a new version
+        env:
+          # a change that leaves the release files as they are may skip the new version
+          NO_RELEASE: ${{ contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'no-release') }}
+        run: .github/check-version.sh HEAD^1