diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fa1385d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+* -text
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e5fb6dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+name: release-pack
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - '20*'   # date-based: 2026.05.25 etc.
+
+jobs:
+  pack:
+    runs-on: linux-amd64
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Build pack
+        run: bash tools/build_pack.sh --tag "${{ github.ref_name }}"
+
+      - name: Publish release (Gitea API direct; no action dependency)
+        env:
+          GITEA_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+          TAG:  ${{ github.ref_name }}
+          API:  ${{ github.server_url }}/api/v1
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          # Create the release (or reuse if it already exists for this tag).
+          RID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token $GITEA_TOKEN" \
+            "$API/repos/$REPO/releases/tags/$TAG" 2>/dev/null \
+            | jq -r '.id // empty')
+          if [ -z "$RID" ]; then
+            RID=$(curl -sf -X POST -H "Authorization: token $GITEA_TOKEN" \
+              -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+              "$API/repos/$REPO/releases" \
+              -d "$(jq -nc --arg t "$TAG" '{tag_name:$t,name:$t,draft:false,prerelease:false}')" \
+              | jq -r '.id')
+          fi
+          echo "release id: $RID"
+          # Upload every dist/*.zip
+          for f in dist/*.zip; do
+            name=$(basename "$f")
+            echo "uploading $name"
+            curl -sf -X POST -H "Authorization: token $GITEA_TOKEN" \
+              -F "attachment=@$f" \
+              "$API/repos/$REPO/releases/$RID/assets?name=$name" \
+              | jq -r '"  -> " + .browser_download_url'
+          done
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7f15fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+.env
+.DS_Store
+.release
+.install
+.lua/*
+.vscode
+.idea
+dist/
+tmp/
+staging/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 027c603..682456f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,92 @@
 # coa-pack
 
-Bundles every Exiles/coa-* addon's latest release into one ExilesPack-<YYYY.MM.DD>.zip for guildies.
\ No newline at end of file
+Bundles every `Exiles/coa-*` addon's latest Gitea release into one
+`ExilesPack-<YYYY.MM.DD>.zip` for guildies. This repo is not itself an addon;
+it's the pack builder.
+
+The output zip unpacks straight into `Interface/AddOns/` - every entry at the
+top level of the zip is an addon folder.
+
+## Cut a release
+
+```
+git tag 2026.05.25
+git push --tags
+```
+
+The `.gitea/workflows/release.yml` workflow picks up any tag starting with
+`20*`, runs `tools/build_pack.sh --tag <tag>`, and attaches the resulting
+`ExilesPack-<tag>.zip` to a Gitea release.
+
+The pack lands at
+[git.sub-net.at/Exiles/coa-pack/releases](https://git.sub-net.at/Exiles/coa-pack/releases).
+
+## Build locally
+
+```
+bash tools/build_pack.sh             # ExilesPack-<UTC date>.zip
+bash tools/build_pack.sh --tag 2026.05.25
+```
+
+Produces `dist/ExilesPack-*.zip` and prints a summary (addon count, size,
+sha256, repos included/skipped).
+
+Dependencies: `bash`, `curl`, `jq`, `unzip`, `zip`. No `yq`.
+
+## Peek at what's currently included
+
+```
+bash tools/list_releases.sh
+```
+
+Lists every `include: true` repo in `manifest.yaml` with its latest release
+tag (or `(no releases)`). Pure read-only against the public Gitea API.
+
+## manifest.yaml
+
+Controls which repos go in the pack. Format:
+
+```yaml
+addons:
+  - repo: coa-decursive
+    include: true
+  - repo: coa-ace3
+    include: false
+    note: "Ace3 libs are already embedded inside each consuming fork."
+```
+
+- `include: true`  - fetch the latest release and unpack its zip assets into
+  the pack.
+- `include: false` - leave it out (libraries, repo-only utilities,
+  not-yet-ready forks, etc.).
+
+To add a new addon: append a `- repo: coa-<name>` block with `include: true`.
+To drop one without deleting the entry, flip its flag to `false` (and add a
+`note:` so the reason survives).
+
+## Asset selection rules
+
+For each included repo, the builder grabs the latest release and chooses
+which zip(s) to extract:
+
+1. If a `<repo>-all.zip` asset is present (umbrella zip with every addon
+   folder side-by-side), use just that.
+2. Otherwise, download every `*.zip` asset attached to the release.
+
+Each chosen zip is unpacked straight into `staging/`, where it should
+produce one or more `<AddonFolder>/` entries. The per-repo zips don't carry
+repo metadata (`.git`, `README.md`, `.gitea/`), so the pack stays clean.
+
+## Failure modes
+
+- Repo has no releases yet: warned and skipped (the pack still builds).
+- Asset download fails: one retry, then warned and skipped.
+- All repos skip: build errors out (`staging is empty`).
+
+This means cutting a pack release while some addons are still tagless will
+produce a smaller-than-final pack rather than a hard failure. Re-tag once
+all repos have shipped.
+
+## License
+
+[0BSD](LICENSE). Matches the rest of the Exiles addon repos.
diff --git a/manifest.yaml b/manifest.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a4c3c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/manifest.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+pack:
+  name: ExilesPack
+  default_branch: master
+  source: https://git.sub-net.at/Exiles
+
+# Repos to include in the pack. `include: false` means the repo is in the org but
+# either contains libraries only (coa-ace3) or isn't an end-user addon.
+addons:
+  - repo: coa-ace3                 # canonical Ace3 bundle - libs, not deployed as addon
+    include: false
+    note: "Ace3 libs are already embedded inside each consuming fork; the pack doesn't need them again."
+
+  - repo: coa-ai-voiceover
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-altoholic
+    include: true
+    # If a repo has a *-all.zip release asset, prefer it over individual zips. Otherwise take all per-addon zips.
+
+  - repo: coa-atlasloot
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-bagnon
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-bartender
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-chatter
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-clique
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-dbm
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-decursive
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-details
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-elvui
+    include: true
+    note: "Repo-only - not part of the default Exiles install. Set include:false if you want a slimmer pack."
+
+  - repo: coa-exporter
+    include: true
+    note: "Guild-only addon (CoaExporter)."
+
+  - repo: coa-kui-nameplates
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-leatrix-plus
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-moveanything
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-omen
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-pawn
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-professionmenu
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-quartz
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-ratingbuster
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-sexymap
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-shadowedunitframes
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-tsm
+    include: true
+
+  - repo: coa-vanillaguide
+    include: true
+    note: "Repo-only - not part of the default Exiles install."
+
+  - repo: coa-weakauras
+    include: true
diff --git a/tools/build_pack.sh b/tools/build_pack.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f4477ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/build_pack.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,204 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# build_pack.sh - assemble ExilesPack-<YYYY.MM.DD>.zip (or ExilesPack-<tag>.zip with --tag)
+#
+# Reads manifest.yaml, fetches the latest release of every `include: true` repo
+# from git.sub-net.at/Exiles, downloads the chosen zip asset(s), unpacks them
+# into staging/, and rolls the combined result up into dist/ExilesPack-*.zip.
+#
+# We unpack the per-addon release zips (which contain just the addon folder,
+# nothing else), so .git/.github/.gitea/README.md never enter the pack.
+#
+# Deps: bash, curl, jq, unzip, zip.   No yq needed - the manifest is parsed
+# with a tiny awk pass tailored to its simple shape.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Paths + args
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+MANIFEST="$REPO_ROOT/manifest.yaml"
+TMP_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/tmp"
+STAGING_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/staging"
+DIST_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/dist"
+
+API="https://git.sub-net.at/api/v1"
+ORG="Exiles"
+
+TAG=""
+while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+  case "$1" in
+    --tag) TAG="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+    --tag=*) TAG="${1#--tag=}"; shift ;;
+    -h|--help)
+      cat <<USAGE
+Usage: $0 [--tag <tag>]
+
+Without --tag, the pack is named ExilesPack-<UTC YYYY.MM.DD>.zip.
+With    --tag, the pack is named ExilesPack-<tag>.zip.
+USAGE
+      exit 0 ;;
+    *) echo "unknown arg: $1" >&2; exit 2 ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+if [ -z "$TAG" ]; then
+  PACK_NAME="ExilesPack-$(date -u +%Y.%m.%d).zip"
+else
+  PACK_NAME="ExilesPack-${TAG}.zip"
+fi
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Helpers
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+log()  { printf '[build_pack] %s\n' "$*"; }
+warn() { printf '[build_pack] WARN: %s\n' "$*" >&2; }
+die()  { printf '[build_pack] ERROR: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+# Parse manifest.yaml -> emit "<repo>" for every `include: true` entry.
+# The manifest is a small fixed-shape YAML (no anchors, no nested lists), so a
+# 20-line awk pass is more honest than pulling in a yq dependency.
+manifest_includes() {
+  awk '
+    /^[[:space:]]*-[[:space:]]*repo:[[:space:]]*/ {
+      sub(/^[[:space:]]*-[[:space:]]*repo:[[:space:]]*/, "")
+      gsub(/[[:space:]]+$/, "")
+      repo = $0
+      include = ""
+      next
+    }
+    /^[[:space:]]+include:[[:space:]]*/ {
+      sub(/^[[:space:]]+include:[[:space:]]*/, "")
+      gsub(/[[:space:]]+$/, "")
+      include = $0
+      if (repo != "" && include == "true") { print repo }
+      repo = ""; include = ""
+    }
+  ' "$MANIFEST"
+}
+
+# Latest release JSON for a repo, or empty string if none.
+latest_release_json() {
+  local repo="$1" json
+  json="$(curl -fsS "$API/repos/$ORG/$repo/releases?limit=1" 2>/dev/null || echo '[]')"
+  # `releases?limit=1` returns an array. Strip the wrapper.
+  if [ "$(printf '%s' "$json" | jq -r 'type')" = "array" ]; then
+    printf '%s' "$json" | jq -c '.[0] // empty'
+  else
+    printf ''
+  fi
+}
+
+# Download one URL with one retry. Stream to file.
+fetch_with_retry() {
+  local url="$1" out="$2"
+  for attempt in 1 2; do
+    if curl -fsSL --retry 0 -o "$out" "$url"; then
+      return 0
+    fi
+    warn "download attempt $attempt failed for $url"
+    sleep 2
+  done
+  return 1
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Reset workspace
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+rm -rf "$TMP_DIR" "$STAGING_DIR"
+mkdir -p "$TMP_DIR" "$STAGING_DIR" "$DIST_DIR"
+
+INCLUDED=0
+SKIPPED=0
+SKIPPED_REPOS=()
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Per-repo: pick assets, download, extract
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+while read -r repo; do
+  [ -z "$repo" ] && continue
+  log "processing $repo"
+
+  rel="$(latest_release_json "$repo")"
+  if [ -z "$rel" ] || [ "$rel" = "null" ]; then
+    warn "$repo has no releases yet - skipping"
+    SKIPPED=$((SKIPPED + 1))
+    SKIPPED_REPOS+=("$repo")
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  tag="$(printf '%s' "$rel" | jq -r '.tag_name')"
+  log "  latest release: $tag"
+
+  # Prefer <repo>-all.zip if present, otherwise take every *.zip asset.
+  assets_all="$(printf '%s' "$rel" | jq -r --arg n "${repo}-all.zip" \
+    '.assets[]? | select(.name == $n) | .browser_download_url')"
+  if [ -n "$assets_all" ]; then
+    download_urls="$assets_all"
+    log "  using ${repo}-all.zip"
+  else
+    download_urls="$(printf '%s' "$rel" | jq -r \
+      '.assets[]? | select(.name | endswith(".zip")) | .browser_download_url')"
+  fi
+
+  if [ -z "$download_urls" ]; then
+    warn "$repo release $tag has no .zip assets - skipping"
+    SKIPPED=$((SKIPPED + 1))
+    SKIPPED_REPOS+=("$repo")
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  mkdir -p "$TMP_DIR/$repo"
+  any_ok=0
+  while IFS= read -r url; do
+    [ -z "$url" ] && continue
+    name="$(basename "$url")"
+    log "  downloading $name"
+    if fetch_with_retry "$url" "$TMP_DIR/$repo/$name"; then
+      if unzip -q -o "$TMP_DIR/$repo/$name" -d "$STAGING_DIR"; then
+        any_ok=1
+      else
+        warn "  unzip failed for $name"
+      fi
+    else
+      warn "  could not download $name after retry"
+    fi
+  done <<<"$download_urls"
+
+  if [ "$any_ok" -eq 1 ]; then
+    INCLUDED=$((INCLUDED + 1))
+  else
+    SKIPPED=$((SKIPPED + 1))
+    SKIPPED_REPOS+=("$repo")
+  fi
+done < <(manifest_includes)
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Build the pack
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+if [ ! -d "$STAGING_DIR" ] || [ -z "$(ls -A "$STAGING_DIR" 2>/dev/null)" ]; then
+  die "staging is empty - no addons were successfully fetched"
+fi
+
+OUT="$DIST_DIR/$PACK_NAME"
+rm -f "$OUT"
+( cd "$STAGING_DIR" && zip -qr "$OUT" . )
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Summary
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ADDON_FOLDERS="$(cd "$STAGING_DIR" && find . -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d | wc -l)"
+SIZE="$(stat -c '%s' "$OUT")"
+SHA="$(sha256sum "$OUT" | awk '{print $1}')"
+
+echo
+echo "============================================================"
+echo " pack:        $PACK_NAME"
+echo " path:        $OUT"
+echo " addon dirs:  $ADDON_FOLDERS"
+echo " size:        $SIZE bytes"
+echo " sha256:      $SHA"
+echo " repos in:    $INCLUDED"
+echo " repos out:   $SKIPPED${SKIPPED_REPOS[*]:+ (${SKIPPED_REPOS[*]})}"
+echo "============================================================"
diff --git a/tools/list_releases.sh b/tools/list_releases.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..5892581
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/list_releases.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# List the most-recent release tag for every includable repo in manifest.yaml.
+# Pure read-only via Gitea API. No auth needed - the Exiles org repos are public.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+MANIFEST="$REPO_ROOT/manifest.yaml"
+
+API="https://git.sub-net.at/api/v1"
+ORG="Exiles"
+
+# Same minimal-awk parser as build_pack.sh.
+manifest_includes() {
+  awk '
+    /^[[:space:]]*-[[:space:]]*repo:[[:space:]]*/ {
+      sub(/^[[:space:]]*-[[:space:]]*repo:[[:space:]]*/, "")
+      gsub(/[[:space:]]+$/, "")
+      repo = $0; include = ""; next
+    }
+    /^[[:space:]]+include:[[:space:]]*/ {
+      sub(/^[[:space:]]+include:[[:space:]]*/, "")
+      gsub(/[[:space:]]+$/, "")
+      include = $0
+      if (repo != "" && include == "true") { print repo }
+      repo = ""; include = ""
+    }
+  ' "$MANIFEST"
+}
+
+while read -r repo; do
+  [ -z "$repo" ] && continue
+  json="$(curl -fsS "$API/repos/$ORG/$repo/releases?limit=1" 2>/dev/null || echo '[]')"
+  tag="$(printf '%s' "$json" | jq -r '.[0].tag_name // empty')"
+  date="$(printf '%s' "$json" | jq -r '.[0].published_at // empty' | cut -dT -f1)"
+  if [ -z "$tag" ]; then
+    printf '%-30s (no releases)\n' "$repo"
+  else
+    printf '%-30s %-20s %s\n' "$repo" "$tag" "$date"
+  fi
+done < <(manifest_includes)