diff --git a/.github/workflows/android-release.yml b/.github/workflows/android-release.yml
index 2e82eae..724a547 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/android-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/android-release.yml
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ on:
         description: 'Manual tag to build (e.g. v6.1.1)'
         required: true
 
+env:
+  FORCE_JAVASCRIPT_ACTIONS_TO_NODE24: 'true'
+
 permissions:
   contents: write   # needed to create GitHub releases from the runner
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/auto-version.yml b/.github/workflows/auto-version.yml
index f720d25..f2256dc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/auto-version.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/auto-version.yml
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ on:
   push:
     branches: [main]
 
+# Opt in to Node 24 runtime early (deprecation of Node 20 begins 2026-06-02)
+env:
+  FORCE_JAVASCRIPT_ACTIONS_TO_NODE24: 'true'
+
 permissions:
   contents: write
 
@@ -33,7 +37,14 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          # Use RELEASE_PAT (a Personal Access Token you add as a repo
+          # secret) so the tag push this workflow performs actually
+          # triggers the downstream tag-based workflows (android-release,
+          # docker-publish). GITHUB_TOKEN pushes are deliberately
+          # blocked from triggering other workflows by GitHub.
+          # Fine-grained PAT with "Contents: Read and write" on this
+          # repo is enough.
+          token: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_PAT || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
       - name: Find last semver tag
         id: last
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml
index 47b3ae2..a4756a6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml
@@ -1,27 +1,51 @@
 name: Build & Push Docker Image
 
+# Multi-arch build using NATIVE runners for each platform, then a
+# manifest-list push. No QEMU emulation — amd64 builds on x86 runner,
+# arm64 builds on ubuntu-24.04-arm runner. argon2 and every other
+# native dep compile natively on their target arch.
+#
+# Result: `danielonyejesi/pediatric-ai-scribe-v3:X.Y.Z` (and :latest)
+# is one tag serving the correct variant to amd64 or arm64 hosts.
+
 on:
   push:
     tags: ['v*']
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
       tag:
-        description: 'Docker image tag (e.g. v8, latest)'
+        description: 'Tag to publish (e.g. v6.2.0)'
         required: false
         default: 'latest'
 
+env:
+  FORCE_JAVASCRIPT_ACTIONS_TO_NODE24: 'true'
+  IMAGE: danielonyejesi/pediatric-ai-scribe-v3
+
 jobs:
   build:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      packages: write
-
+    # Build one variant per matrix entry, push by digest only.
+    name: Build ${{ matrix.platform }}
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.runner }}
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - platform: linux/amd64
+            runner: ubuntu-latest
+          - platform: linux/arm64
+            runner: ubuntu-24.04-arm
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+      - name: Docker metadata (for labels)
+        id: meta
+        uses: docker/metadata-action@v5
+        with:
+          images: ${{ env.IMAGE }}
+
+      - name: Set up Buildx
         uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
 
       - name: Login to Docker Hub
@@ -30,8 +54,56 @@ jobs:
           username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
           password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
 
-      - name: Extract version tag
-        id: meta
+      - name: Build & push by digest
+        id: build
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: .
+          platforms: ${{ matrix.platform }}
+          labels: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.labels }}
+          outputs: type=image,name=${{ env.IMAGE }},push-by-digest=true,name-canonical=true,push=true
+          cache-from: type=gha,scope=${{ matrix.platform }}
+          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=${{ matrix.platform }}
+
+      - name: Export digest for the merge job
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p /tmp/digests
+          DIG="${{ steps.build.outputs.digest }}"
+          touch "/tmp/digests/${DIG#sha256:}"
+
+      - name: Upload digest artifact
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: digests-${{ matrix.platform == 'linux/amd64' && 'amd64' || 'arm64' }}
+          path: /tmp/digests/*
+          if-no-files-found: error
+          retention-days: 1
+
+  merge:
+    # Combine the two single-platform digests into one multi-arch manifest
+    # published under the real tags (vX.Y.Z and latest).
+    name: Merge manifests
+    needs: build
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Download digests
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          path: /tmp/digests
+          pattern: digests-*
+          merge-multiple: true
+
+      - name: Set up Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Login to Docker Hub
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Resolve tag
+        id: tag
         run: |
           if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
             echo "tag=${{ github.event.inputs.tag || 'latest' }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
@@ -39,24 +111,27 @@ jobs:
             echo "tag=${GITHUB_REF_NAME}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           fi
 
-      - name: Build and Push
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+      - name: Docker metadata
+        id: meta
+        uses: docker/metadata-action@v5
         with:
-          context: .
-          push: true
+          images: ${{ env.IMAGE }}
           tags: |
-            danielonyejesi/pediatric-ai-scribe-v3:${{ steps.meta.outputs.tag }}
-            danielonyejesi/pediatric-ai-scribe-v3:latest
-          cache-from: type=gha
-          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
-          # x86 only — argon2 native build fails under QEMU ARM64
-          # emulation on a GitHub-hosted amd64 runner (SIGILL / exit 132).
-          # Add linux/arm64 back with a native ARM runner when/if you
-          # actually deploy to ARM hardware.
-          platforms: linux/amd64
+            type=raw,value=${{ steps.tag.outputs.tag }}
+            type=raw,value=latest
+
+      - name: Create manifest list & push
+        working-directory: /tmp/digests
+        run: |
+          docker buildx imagetools create $(jq -cr '.tags | map("-t " + .) | join(" ")' <<< "$DOCKER_METADATA_OUTPUT_JSON") \
+            $(printf "${{ env.IMAGE }}@sha256:%s " *)
+
+      - name: Inspect final image
+        run: docker buildx imagetools inspect ${{ env.IMAGE }}:${{ steps.tag.outputs.tag }}
 
       - name: Summary
         run: |
-          echo "### Docker image published" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "- \`danielonyejesi/pediatric-ai-scribe-v3:${{ steps.meta.outputs.tag }}\`" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "- \`danielonyejesi/pediatric-ai-scribe-v3:latest\`" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "### Multi-arch image published" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "- \`${{ env.IMAGE }}:${{ steps.tag.outputs.tag }}\`" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "- \`${{ env.IMAGE }}:latest\`" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "- Platforms: linux/amd64, linux/arm64 (built on native runners)" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
diff --git a/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml b/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml
index fe648c7..f988019 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ on:
         description: 'Or exact version (e.g. 7.0.0) — overrides bump'
         required: false
 
+env:
+  FORCE_JAVASCRIPT_ACTIONS_TO_NODE24: 'true'
+
 permissions:
   contents: write
 
@@ -33,7 +36,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_PAT || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
       - name: Compute next version
         id: v