diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
index 7cd1cf4..9ac3f36 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
@@ -42,8 +42,43 @@ jobs:
           registry-url: https://registry.npmjs.org/
           cache: npm
 
+      # OIDC trusted publishing needs npm >= 11.5.1; Node 22 LTS bundles
+      # npm 10.x, so upgrade globally before `npm ci` so all later npm
+      # invocations (including publish) use the new version.
+      - name: Upgrade npm for OIDC trusted publishing
+        run: npm install -g npm@^11.5.1
+
       - run: npm ci
 
+      # Preflight for OIDC trusted publishing. There is no long-lived
+      # NPM_TOKEN anymore — each run mints a short-lived OIDC token from
+      # GitHub, which npm exchanges with the registry. The two things that
+      # can break:
+      #   1. The workflow lost `permissions: id-token: write` (no OIDC
+      #      endpoint exposed -> ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL is unset).
+      #   2. npm CLI is too old to know how to do the exchange.
+      # Both surface here, instead of as an opaque registry rejection
+      # halfway through a publish.
+      #
+      # To (re)configure the npm side: npmjs.com -> each package
+      # (@openhop/server, @openhop/web, openhop) -> Settings -> Trusted
+      # Publisher -> GitHub Actions, with repo `naorsabag/openhop` and
+      # workflow `publish.yml`.
+      - name: Verify OIDC trusted publishing is wired up
+        run: |
+          if [ -z "${ACTIONS_ID_TOKEN_REQUEST_URL:-}" ]; then
+            echo "::error::OIDC unavailable — workflow is missing 'permissions: id-token: write'."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          npm_version=$(npm --version)
+          # `sort -V -C` returns success iff the input is already version-sorted,
+          # so feeding "11.5.1\n$npm_version" succeeds iff $npm_version >= 11.5.1.
+          if ! printf '%s\n' "11.5.1" "$npm_version" | sort -V -C; then
+            echo "::error::npm $npm_version is too old for OIDC trusted publishing — need >=11.5.1."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "::notice::OIDC ready, npm $npm_version"
+
       - name: Resolve target versions
         id: versions
         run: |
@@ -89,25 +124,28 @@ jobs:
         id: publish_server
         if: steps.server_status.outputs.publish == 'true'
         working-directory: packages/server
+        # No env: OIDC handles auth via id-token. npm >=11.5.1 also
+        # auto-attaches a signed provenance attestation on trusted-publishing
+        # runs — no --provenance flag needed.
         run: npm publish --access public
-        env:
-          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
 
       - name: Publish @openhop/web
         id: publish_web
         if: steps.web_status.outputs.publish == 'true'
         working-directory: packages/web
+        # No env: OIDC handles auth via id-token. npm >=11.5.1 also
+        # auto-attaches a signed provenance attestation on trusted-publishing
+        # runs — no --provenance flag needed.
         run: npm publish --access public
-        env:
-          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
 
       - name: Publish openhop CLI
         id: publish_cli
         if: steps.cli_status.outputs.publish == 'true'
         working-directory: packages/cli
+        # No env: OIDC handles auth via id-token. npm >=11.5.1 also
+        # auto-attaches a signed provenance attestation on trusted-publishing
+        # runs — no --provenance flag needed.
         run: npm publish --access public
-        env:
-          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
 
       # Tag + GitHub Release whenever ANY publish happened. Tag scheme
       # branches on what actually shipped so a one-package bump can't