diff --git a/deno.json b/deno.json
index 985554cf63..ea686947e4 100644
--- a/deno.json
+++ b/deno.json
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@
     "build:storybook": "npm --prefix storybook run build-storybook",
     "storybook:check": "deno test --no-lock --config=scripts/test.deno.json --no-check --allow-read scripts/storybook/storybook-workbench.test.ts",
     "lint": "DENO_NO_PACKAGE_JSON=1 deno lint && deno lint --config=scripts/test.deno.json scripts/test/ scripts/build/dnt-meta-property-safety.ts scripts/build/dnt-meta-property-safety.test.ts scripts/build/dnt-polyfill.ts scripts/build/dnt-polyfill.test.ts scripts/build/npm-package-metadata.test.ts scripts/build/prepare-framework-sources.test.ts && deno lint --config=scripts/codemods/deno.json scripts/codemods/",
-    "lint:ci": "deno task lint && deno task lint:core-deps && deno task lint:cross-runtime-jsr && deno task lint:dependency-boundaries && deno task lint:module-boundaries && deno task lint:client-bundle && deno task lint:extension-contracts && deno task lint:extension-capabilities && deno task lint:ban-test-only && deno task lint:sanitizer-baseline && deno task lint:skipped-tests && deno task lint:chat-ratchets && deno task lint:chat-composability && deno task lint:rfc-status && deno task lint:esm-sh-codemod && deno task lint:test-typecheck && deno task lint:cwd-relative-test-reads && deno task lint:dnt-meta-properties && deno task storybook:check && deno task docs:api-reference:check && deno task docs:errors:check && deno task docs:public:check && deno test --frozen --config=scripts/test.deno.json --no-check --allow-read --allow-write --allow-run=bash scripts/ci/setup-deno-workflow.test.ts scripts/ci/prepare-rc-build.test.ts scripts/build/generated-artifact-checks.test.ts",
+    "lint:ci": "deno task lint && deno task lint:core-deps && deno task lint:cross-runtime-jsr && deno task lint:dependency-boundaries && deno task lint:module-boundaries && deno task lint:client-bundle && deno task lint:extension-contracts && deno task lint:extension-capabilities && deno task lint:ban-test-only && deno task lint:sanitizer-baseline && deno task lint:skipped-tests && deno task lint:chat-ratchets && deno task lint:chat-composability && deno task lint:rfc-status && deno task lint:esm-sh-codemod && deno task lint:test-typecheck && deno task lint:cwd-relative-test-reads && deno task lint:dnt-meta-properties && deno task storybook:check && deno task docs:api-reference:check && deno task docs:errors:check && deno task docs:public:check && deno test --frozen --config=scripts/test.deno.json --no-check --allow-read --allow-write --allow-run=bash scripts/ci/setup-deno-workflow.test.ts scripts/ci/prepare-rc-build.test.ts scripts/build/generated-artifact-checks.test.ts scripts/release.test.ts",
     "fmt": "deno fmt src/ cli/ react/ templates/ && deno fmt --config=scripts/test.deno.json scripts/test/ scripts/build/dnt-meta-property-safety.ts scripts/build/dnt-meta-property-safety.test.ts scripts/build/dnt-polyfill.ts scripts/build/dnt-polyfill.test.ts scripts/build/prepare-framework-sources.test.ts && deno fmt --config=scripts/codemods/deno.json scripts/codemods/",
     "fmt:check": "deno fmt --check src/ cli/ react/ templates/ && deno fmt --check --config=scripts/test.deno.json scripts/test/ scripts/build/dnt-meta-property-safety.ts scripts/build/dnt-meta-property-safety.test.ts scripts/build/dnt-polyfill.ts scripts/build/dnt-polyfill.test.ts scripts/build/prepare-framework-sources.test.ts && deno fmt --check --config=scripts/codemods/deno.json scripts/codemods/",
     "typecheck": "deno task generate:manifests:check && deno check src/index.ts cli/main.ts src/server/index.ts src/routing/api/index.ts src/rendering/index.ts src/platform/index.ts src/platform/adapters/index.ts src/build/index.ts src/build/production-build/index.ts src/transforms/index.ts src/config/index.ts src/utils/index.ts src/data/index.ts src/security/index.ts src/middleware/index.ts src/server/handlers/dev/index.ts src/server/handlers/request/api/index.ts src/rendering/cache/index.ts src/rendering/cache/stores/index.ts src/rendering/rsc/actions/index.ts src/html/index.ts src/html/hydration-script-builder/runtime/main.ts src/modules/index.ts src/proxy/main.ts src/react/components/ui/index.ts src/chat/index.ts src/markdown/index.ts src/mdx/index.ts src/fs/index.ts src/oauth/index.ts src/agent/index.ts src/agent/service/route-export.check.ts src/eval/index.ts src/tool/index.ts src/workflow/index.ts src/prompt/index.ts src/resource/index.ts src/runs/index.ts src/mcp/index.ts src/provider/index.ts",
diff --git a/scripts/release-version.ts b/scripts/release-version.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..631e36681a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release-version.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+/**
+ * Version rewriting for the release task.
+ *
+ * Kept apart from release.ts so it can be tested without pulling in that
+ * module's runtime dependencies.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Replace the version in deno.json source text, leaving everything else byte for
+ * byte as it was.
+ *
+ * Re-serialising the parsed object instead reflows the whole file -- it expands
+ * inline arrays such as `"dependencies": ["build:npm"]` across several lines --
+ * burying the one meaningful line under churn a human then has to revert.
+ */
+export function bumpDenoJsonVersion(source: string, newVersion: string): string {
+	const versionField = /("version"\s*:\s*")[^"]*(")/;
+	if (!versionField.test(source)) {
+		throw new Error('Could not find a "version" field in deno.json');
+	}
+	return source.replace(versionField, `$1${newVersion}$2`);
+}
diff --git a/scripts/release.test.ts b/scripts/release.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8c35fae540
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+import { assertEquals, assertStringIncludes, assertThrows } from "#std/assert";
+import { describe, it } from "#std/testing/bdd";
+import { bumpDenoJsonVersion } from "./release-version.ts";
+
+// A deno.json shaped like the real one: an inline array is what re-serialising
+// used to reflow, so it has to survive a bump untouched.
+const DENO_JSON = `{
+  "name": "veryfront",
+  "version": "0.1.1236",
+  "tasks": {
+    "test:node": {
+      "command": "node ./tests/node/run-tests.mjs",
+      "dependencies": ["build:npm"]
+    },
+    "test:bun": {
+      "command": "node ./tests/bun/run-tests.mjs",
+      "dependencies": ["build:npm"]
+    }
+  }
+}
+`;
+
+describe("scripts/release", () => {
+  describe("bumpDenoJsonVersion", () => {
+    it("changes the version and nothing else", () => {
+      const bumped = bumpDenoJsonVersion(DENO_JSON, "0.1.1237");
+
+      assertStringIncludes(bumped, '"version": "0.1.1237"');
+      assertEquals(
+        bumped.split("\n").filter((line, index) => line !== DENO_JSON.split("\n")[index]),
+        ['  "version": "0.1.1237",'],
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("leaves inline arrays inline", () => {
+      // The regression: JSON.stringify expanded these across three lines each,
+      // so a one-line release commit arrived carrying unrelated reformatting.
+      const bumped = bumpDenoJsonVersion(DENO_JSON, "0.1.1237");
+
+      assertEquals(
+        bumped.match(/"dependencies": \["build:npm"\]/g)?.length,
+        2,
+      );
+      assertEquals(bumped.includes('"dependencies": [\n'), false);
+    });
+
+    it("keeps the file otherwise byte for byte", () => {
+      const bumped = bumpDenoJsonVersion(DENO_JSON, "0.1.1237");
+
+      assertEquals(
+        bumped.replace('"version": "0.1.1237"', '"version": "0.1.1236"'),
+        DENO_JSON,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it("refuses a file with no version field", () => {
+      assertThrows(
+        () => bumpDenoJsonVersion('{\n  "name": "veryfront"\n}\n', "0.1.1237"),
+        Error,
+        'Could not find a "version" field',
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("release ordering", () => {
+    it("regenerates version artifacts before committing", async () => {
+      // hydration-runtime.generated.ts embeds its own VERSION and cannot be
+      // reached by the regex pass, so the generate step has to run before the
+      // commit. Reordering these silently reintroduces a stale-artifact release
+      // that fails generate:manifests:check on the required typecheck shard.
+      const source = await Deno.readTextFile(new URL("./release.ts", import.meta.url));
+      const generateAt = source.indexOf('"deno", "task", "generate"');
+      const commitAt = source.indexOf('"git", "commit"');
+
+      assertEquals(generateAt > -1, true, "release must run deno task generate");
+      assertEquals(commitAt > -1, true, "release must create the commit");
+      assertEquals(
+        generateAt < commitAt,
+        true,
+        "deno task generate must run before the release commit",
+      );
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/scripts/release.ts b/scripts/release.ts
index 955053b018..d344a8eb07 100644
--- a/scripts/release.ts
+++ b/scripts/release.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
  */
 
 import { createFileSystem } from "../src/platform/compat/fs.ts";
+import { bumpDenoJsonVersion } from "./release-version.ts";
 import { exit, getArgs } from "../src/platform/compat/process.ts";
 import { promptUser } from "../cli/utils/index.ts";
 
@@ -184,6 +185,7 @@ async function updateExampleVersions(newVersion: string) {
 	}
 }
 
+
 async function updateTemplates(newVersion: string) {
 	console.log("\n📝 Updating template versions...");
 	const filesToUpdate = [
@@ -276,11 +278,14 @@ async function runRelease() {
 	// 2. Update deno.json
 	console.log("\n📝 Updating version in deno.json...");
 	if (!DRY_RUN) {
+		// Rewrite the version in place rather than re-serialising the parsed
+		// object. JSON.stringify reflows the whole file -- it expands inline
+		// arrays such as `"dependencies": ["build:npm"]` across several lines --
+		// which buries the one meaningful line under unrelated churn that then
+		// has to be reverted by hand.
+		const source = await fs.readTextFile(denoJsonPath);
+		await fs.writeTextFile(denoJsonPath, bumpDenoJsonVersion(source, newVersion));
 		denoJson.version = newVersion;
-		await fs.writeTextFile(
-			denoJsonPath,
-			JSON.stringify(denoJson, null, 2) + "\n",
-		);
 	}
 
 	// 2.5 Update examples
@@ -295,6 +300,16 @@ async function runRelease() {
 		await runCommand(["deno", "task", "verify:dist"]);
 	}
 
+	// 3.5 Regenerate artifacts that embed the version.
+	//
+	// hydration-runtime.generated.ts is a prebundled artifact carrying its own
+	// `var VERSION = "..."`, so a regex bump cannot reach it. Left stale it
+	// disagrees with version-constant.ts, and `generate:manifests:check` fails
+	// the required typecheck shard -- blocking the publish this task exists to
+	// perform. Every release before this ran `deno task generate` by hand.
+	console.log("\n🔧 Regenerating version-embedding artifacts...");
+	await runCommand(["deno", "task", "generate"]);
+
 	// 4. Git commit, tag, and push (CI will handle npm publish + binary upload)
 	console.log("\n📦 Committing and tagging release...");
 	await runCommand(["git", "add", "."]);