diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 261aece1d1..f053574295 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ jobs:
 
           # Keep in sync with the service-lifecycle.yml trigger paths. src/cli.ts is
           # the pre-restructure compat stub that durable launchers still execute.
-          if printf '%s\n' "$changed_files" | grep -Eq '^(src/service\.ts|src/cli\.ts|src/cli/index\.ts|src/lib/bun-runtime\.ts|package\.json|bun\.lock|\.github/workflows/service-lifecycle\.yml)$'; then
+          if printf '%s\n' "$changed_files" | grep -Eq '^(src/service\.ts|src/cli\.ts|src/cli/index\.ts|src/lib/bun-runtime\.ts|package\.json|bun\.lock|\.github/workflows/service-lifecycle\.yml|\.github/workflows/release\.yml)$'; then
             service_url="$(
               gh run list \
                 --workflow service-lifecycle.yml \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/service-lifecycle.yml b/.github/workflows/service-lifecycle.yml
index 8e0513b459..df37f60561 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/service-lifecycle.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/service-lifecycle.yml
@@ -14,6 +14,10 @@ on:
       - "package.json"
       - "bun.lock"
       - ".github/workflows/service-lifecycle.yml"
+      # release.yml gates on THIS workflow having run for the release SHA. A release-branch
+      # commit that touches only release.yml (e.g. the v2.40.0 permissions carry, #3263/#3264)
+      # produced no run and the gate dead-ended until a manual dispatch.
+      - ".github/workflows/release.yml"
   push:
     paths:
       - "src/service.ts"
@@ -24,6 +28,10 @@ on:
       - "package.json"
       - "bun.lock"
       - ".github/workflows/service-lifecycle.yml"
+      # release.yml gates on THIS workflow having run for the release SHA. A release-branch
+      # commit that touches only release.yml (e.g. the v2.40.0 permissions carry, #3263/#3264)
+      # produced no run and the gate dead-ended until a manual dispatch.
+      - ".github/workflows/release.yml"
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:
diff --git a/devlog/_plan/260902_windows_ci_release/080_release_automation_followups.md b/devlog/_plan/260902_windows_ci_release/080_release_automation_followups.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5c38f123f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/devlog/_plan/260902_windows_ci_release/080_release_automation_followups.md
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# 080 — Release automation follow-ups: bot PR creation, service-lifecycle trigger
+
+## Provenance: was "Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests" turned off?
+
+No. It was never on.
+
+| date | source | `can_approve_pull_request_reviews` |
+|---|---|---|
+| 2026-07-27 | chat tool log (`gh api …/actions/permissions/workflow`) | false |
+| 2026-08-01 | chat tool log, Windows CI server session | false |
+| 2026-09-02 | this train, after release 33617573070 | false |
+
+No commit, devlog note, or chat turn in the recall index mentions disabling it. GitHub creates
+repositories with this toggle OFF, so the value is the default, not a maintainer decision.
+#3013 (open bumps as PRs) and #3129 (call the bump from release.yml) both assumed the bot could
+open a PR with `GITHUB_TOKEN`; neither was exercised by a live release until v2.40.0, which is
+why the gap surfaced only now.
+
+## Decision
+
+Flip the repository toggle (option a). Rejected: a PAT secret for `gh pr create` (option b) —
+a long-lived write credential in Actions is a wider blast radius than a repo-scoped toggle.
+
+What the toggle grants: any workflow running with `GITHUB_TOKEN` may create pull requests and
+submit approving reviews. What still holds: `Protect dev` requires a reviewed pull request and
+blocks direct pushes; `MAINTAINERS.md` forbids self-approval; `dev-version-bump.yml` runs only as
+a `workflow_call` from `release.yml` (no `workflow_dispatch`), with `contents: write` scoped to
+the unprotected `codex/dev-version-*` branch. A bot-created PR cannot merge itself; it waits for
+the same admin merge every bump has had by hand (#3045, #3076, #3127, #3265).
+
+Route: REST `PUT /repos/{owner}/{repo}/actions/permissions/workflow` with
+`can_approve_pull_request_reviews=true` (the user's `gh` session is an admin). Aside against the
+Settings page only if the API refuses.
+
+Verification: re-read the setting; the exact failing step (`gh pr create` under `GITHUB_TOKEN`)
+is proven live by the next release's bump job — a synthetic probe would need its own workflow on
+`dev` and is not worth landing for one step.
+
+Applied 2026-09-02 via `gh api -X PUT repos/lidge-jun/opencodex/actions/permissions/workflow
+-f default_workflow_permissions=read -F can_approve_pull_request_reviews=true`; the API accepted
+it, so Aside was not needed. Read-back: `{"default_workflow_permissions":"read",
+"can_approve_pull_request_reviews":true}`. Default token permission stays `read`.
+
+## service-lifecycle trigger
+
+`release.yml`'s gate requires a successful `service-lifecycle.yml` run for the release SHA when
+any of its watched paths changed since the previous tag. `service-lifecycle.yml`'s own
+`push.paths` did not include `.github/workflows/release.yml`, so #3263/#3264 (workflow-only
+cherry-picks onto main/preview) produced no run and both v2.40.0 dispatches needed a manual
+`workflow_dispatch`. Add `.github/workflows/release.yml` to both trigger path lists and to the
+regex the gate applies, so the two stay in sync as the file comment already demands.