diff --git a/.github/actions/release/generate-changelog/action.yml b/.github/actions/release/generate-changelog/action.yml
index 42df8d7..fba7795 100644
--- a/.github/actions/release/generate-changelog/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/release/generate-changelog/action.yml
@@ -36,6 +36,15 @@ runs:
           echo "::notice::Using existing CHANGELOG section for ${tag}"
           body="${existing}"
         else
+          # Refuse rather than bury a hand-curated section under an auto-generated one-liner and
+          # commit that back. The tag-resolves gate spares a tagless shallow checkout a false alarm.
+          if git rev-parse -q --verify "refs/tags/${tag}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            newest="$(grep -m1 -oE '^## v?[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+([-+][0-9A-Za-z.-]+)*' CHANGELOG.md 2>/dev/null | sed -E 's/^## v?//')"
+            if [ -n "${newest}" ] && [ "${newest}" != "${tag}" ] && ! git rev-parse -q --verify "refs/tags/${newest}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+              echo "::error::CHANGELOG.md's newest section is '## v${newest}', but you are releasing '${tag}' and '${newest}' was never tagged. A hand-curated section's version was likely not bumped to the release tag. Rename it to '## v${tag}' (or delete it to auto-generate from commits), then re-tag."
+              exit 1
+            fi
+          fi
           echo "::notice::Auto-generating CHANGELOG section for ${tag}"
           prev_tag="$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 HEAD^ 2>/dev/null || true)"
           commits_range="${prev_tag:+${prev_tag}..}HEAD"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/security-gate.yml b/.github/workflows/security-gate.yml
index 40c4ca1..900dfa5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/security-gate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/security-gate.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ permissions:
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  supply-chain:
+  scan-supply-chain:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ jobs:
       - if: ${{ steps.detect.outputs.ecosystem == 'other' }}
         uses: coroboros/ci/.github/actions/security/osv-scanner@v0
 
-  secret-scan:
+  scan-secrets:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
diff --git a/.github/workflows/security.yml b/.github/workflows/security.yml
index a3ab33e..269b511 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/security.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/security.yml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ permissions:
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  dependency-review:
+  review-dependencies:
     if: ${{ github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ jobs:
           fail-on-severity: high
           comment-summary-in-pr: never
 
-  licenses:
+  check-licenses:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     # Advisory — reports a non-allowed license, never blocks the release.
     continue-on-error: true
diff --git a/.github/workflows/self-lint.yml b/.github/workflows/self-lint.yml
index 3febeed..fd8746d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/self-lint.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/self-lint.yml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ env:
   YAMLLINT_VERSION: "1.38.0"
 
 jobs:
-  actionlint:
+  check-actions:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: actionlint -color
 
-  yamllint:
+  check-yaml:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: yamllint -f colored .
 
-  shellcheck:
+  check-shell:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
diff --git a/.github/workflows/self-release.yml b/.github/workflows/self-release.yml
index 7c5d2d5..1f817cc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/self-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/self-release.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ permissions:
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  rolling-tag:
+  move-rolling-tag:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: write   # force-push the rolling major tag
diff --git a/.github/workflows/self-security.yml b/.github/workflows/self-security.yml
index cbedfe2..44020ee 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/self-security.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/self-security.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ permissions:
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  gitleaks:
+  scan-secrets:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - uses: ./.github/actions/security/gitleaks
 
-  osv-scanner:
+  scan-deps:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
diff --git a/.github/workflows/self-test.yml b/.github/workflows/self-test.yml
index 7903695..0b66149 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/self-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/self-test.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ permissions:
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  verify-tag:
+  test-verify-tag:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ jobs:
           [ "${{ steps.moved.outcome }}" = "failure" ] || { echo "::error::verify-tag must fail when HEAD != GITHUB_SHA"; exit 1; }
           echo "::notice::verify-tag passes on match, fails on divergence"
 
-  generate-changelog:
+  test-generate-changelog:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ jobs:
           [ "${{ steps.gate.outcome }}" = "failure" ] || { echo "::error::SemVer gate must reject the non-SemVer ref '${GITHUB_REF_NAME}'"; exit 1; }
           echo "::notice::generate-changelog SemVer gate rejects non-tag refs"
 
-  commit-artifacts:
+  test-commit-artifacts:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ jobs:
             || { echo "::error::no-op branch pushed unexpectedly"; exit 1; }
           echo "::notice::commit-artifacts no-op left main untouched"
 
-  cargo-deny-guard:
+  test-cargo-deny:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ jobs:
           [ "${{ steps.reject.outcome }}" = "failure" ] || { echo "::error::cargo-deny must reject a consumer deny.exceptions.toml"; exit 1; }
           echo "::notice::cargo-deny rejects consumer deny.exceptions.toml"
 
-  install-dist:
+  test-install-dist:
     # cargo-dist packages the Windows zip flat (dist.exe at root) but the Linux/macOS
     # tarballs nested — extraction differs per OS, so the smoke covers all three.
     strategy:
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ jobs:
           dist --version || { echo "::error::dist not on PATH after install-dist"; exit 1; }
           echo "::notice::install-dist OK — $(dist --version)"
 
-  native-deps-target:
+  test-native-deps:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ jobs:
           [ "${got}" = "aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu" ] || { echo "::error::ci/setup.sh saw '${got}', expected the exported target"; exit 1; }
           echo "::notice::native-deps passes CARGO_DIST_TARGET through to ci/setup.sh"
 
-  test-deps:
+  test-test-deps:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ jobs:
           [ "${FOO:-}" = "1" ] || { echo "::error::ci/test.env did not propagate FOO to the job env"; exit 1; }
           echo "::notice::test-deps runs test-setup.sh and propagates test.env"
 
-  javascript-base:
+  test-javascript-base:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     env:
       NPM_CONFIG_FILE: "registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/"
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ jobs:
           done
           echo "::notice::javascript/base ran install (sfw + frozen lockfile), lint, build, test on the fixture"
 
-  rust-base:
+  test-rust-base:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10  # v6.0.3
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 267a2e8..1e842ee 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## v0.2.6 - 09/06/2026
+
+### Fixes
+- `generate-changelog` — fail loud when the newest `CHANGELOG.md` section's version was never tagged and ≠ the release tag, instead of auto-generating a degraded one-liner over a mis-bumped hand-curated section and committing it back. Gated on the release tag resolving locally, so a shallow checkout can't false-positive.
+
+### Refactor
+- All workflows — align every remaining job id to the `verb-noun` convention: `self-lint` → `check-actions`/`check-yaml`/`check-shell`; `self-security` → `scan-secrets`/`scan-deps`; `self-release` → `move-rolling-tag`; `self-test` → `test-<composite>`; `security-gate` → `scan-supply-chain`/`scan-secrets`; `security` → `review-dependencies`/`check-licenses`. Job ids only — consumers `uses:` the workflows, so `@v0` references are unaffected.
+
 ## v0.2.5 - 09/06/2026
 
 ### Refactor
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index d4b7a2c..ed9c9cc 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -9,10 +9,10 @@ Reusable GitHub Actions workflows + composite actions for the Coroboros stack.
 
 ## Important files
 
-- `.github/workflows/javascript-npm-packages.yml` — bundled NPM pipeline (`preflight` / `security-gate` / `publish` / `security`).
-- `.github/workflows/rust-packages.yml` — bundled Cargo pipeline (`preflight` matrix / `security-gate` / `package` / `publish` / `security`) + opt-in cargo-dist binary layer (`dist-plan` / `dist-build` / `dist-host` / `dist-publish`, gated on `[package.metadata.dist]` or `[workspace.metadata.dist]`).
-- `.github/workflows/security-gate.yml` — blocking gate `publish` `needs:`. `supply-chain` (auto-routed: `Cargo.toml` → `security/rust/cargo-deny` advisories+bans+sources, else `security/osv-scanner`) + `secret-scan` (gitleaks). A separate reusable workflow so the caller's `publish` can `needs:` the whole gate as one job, running each scan once. Imposed via the package workflows, importable standalone by a non-package repo.
-- `.github/workflows/security.yml` — advisory layer, never blocks: `dependency-review` (PR-only) + `licenses` (Rust, `continue-on-error`, `security/rust/cargo-deny` `checks: licenses`). License/quality policy lives here, off the gate.
+- `.github/workflows/javascript-npm-packages.yml` — bundled NPM pipeline (`preflight` / `security-gate` / `publish-package` / `security`).
+- `.github/workflows/rust-packages.yml` — bundled Cargo pipeline (`preflight` matrix / `security-gate` / `verify-package` / `publish-package` / `security`) + opt-in cargo-dist binary layer (`dist-plan` / `dist-build` / `dist-host` / `dist-publish`, gated on `[package.metadata.dist]` or `[workspace.metadata.dist]`).
+- `.github/workflows/security-gate.yml` — blocking gate `publish-package` `needs:`. `scan-supply-chain` (auto-routed: `Cargo.toml` → `security/rust/cargo-deny` advisories+bans+sources, else `security/osv-scanner`) + `scan-secrets` (gitleaks). A separate reusable workflow so the caller's `publish` can `needs:` the whole gate as one job, running each scan once. Imposed via the package workflows, importable standalone by a non-package repo.
+- `.github/workflows/security.yml` — advisory layer, never blocks: `review-dependencies` (PR-only) + `check-licenses` (Rust, `continue-on-error`, `security/rust/cargo-deny` `checks: licenses`). License/quality policy lives here, off the gate.
 - `.github/workflows/{self-lint,self-test,self-security,self-release}.yml` — self-CI: lint, the security composites + `security-gate`/`security` workflows via local `./`, the `v0` rolling-tag move, and `self-test` smoke-testing every composite (plus `javascript/base`/`rust/base` on `test/fixtures/`) every PR. Workflow self-tests resolve their `@v0` composites against the released `v0`, so a brand-new composite is testable only once a release moves `v0` onto it.
 - `.github/actions/{check-docs,javascript/base,rust/{base,native-deps,test-deps,install-dist,pin-version},security/{gitleaks,osv-scanner,rust/cargo-deny},release/{verify-tag,generate-changelog,github-release,commit-artifacts}}/action.yml` — composites.
 - `.github/dependabot.yml` — auto-PRs for pinned action SHAs. `renovate.json` + `.github/workflows/renovate.yml` — self-hosted Renovate (needs the `RENOVATE_TOKEN` PAT secret, scope `repo` + `workflow`) auto-bumps the version-pinned tooling; `.github/renovate/sync-tool-sha.sh` re-syncs each paired tarball SHA-256 in the same PR.
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ Reusable GitHub Actions workflows + composite actions for the Coroboros stack.
   - Env values quoted: `KEY: "value"`.
   - GH workflow log commands: `::error::`, `::warning::`, `::notice::`. No ANSI codes.
   - Declare env keys only where consumed.
+  - Job ids: `verb-noun`, kebab-case (imperative verb + object), mirroring the GitLab CI pipelines — `verify-package`, `publish-package`, `generate-changelog`, `commit-artifacts`, `verify-tag`. Phase call-jobs that `uses:` another workflow may stay single-word (`preflight`, `security-gate`, `security`); the cargo-dist `dist-plan`/`dist-build`/`dist-host`/`dist-publish` jobs mirror its subcommands. Reusable-workflow job ids are consumer-visible — rename deliberately.
 - **Action and workflow files = implementation only.** Rationale lives in `CLAUDE.md` or `CHANGELOG.md`.
 
 ## Adding a workflow or composite
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 29d0423..94601e9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -223,8 +223,8 @@ Calls the advisory [`security.yml`](#securityyml). Reports, never blocks.
 
 The blocking gate, split from the advisory layer so it can be owned as a black box. Two parallel jobs, both fail the release through the caller's `needs:` graph — a dev can't bypass them:
 
-- **`supply-chain`** — auto-routed by ecosystem: a `Cargo.toml` repo runs [`security/rust/cargo-deny`](#composable-actions) (advisories + bans + sources); any other runs [`security/osv-scanner`](#composable-actions). One tool per repo, never both, so a crate isn't vuln-scanned twice. A repo with no supported manifest skips (osv's no-manifest path).
-- **`secret-scan`** — [`security/gitleaks`](#composable-actions), full git history, canonical ruleset.
+- **`scan-supply-chain`** — auto-routed by ecosystem: a `Cargo.toml` repo runs [`security/rust/cargo-deny`](#composable-actions) (advisories + bans + sources); any other runs [`security/osv-scanner`](#composable-actions). One tool per repo, never both, so a crate isn't vuln-scanned twice. A repo with no supported manifest skips (osv's no-manifest path).
+- **`scan-secrets`** — [`security/gitleaks`](#composable-actions), full git history, canonical ruleset.
 
 Imposed on every package pipeline (a `security-gate` job `needs:`-ed by `publish-package`) and importable directly by a non-package repo. Holds only what *blocks*: a compromised dependency or a leaked secret. License and quality policy live in `security.yml`.
 
@@ -232,8 +232,8 @@ Imposed on every package pipeline (a `security-gate` job `needs:`-ed by `publish
 
 The advisory layer — reports, never blocks (parity with GitLab's `allow_failure: true`):
 
-- **`dependency-review`** — PR-only; needs repo's **Dependency graph** enabled. Fails on high-severity CVE introduced by the dep diff. Uses `actions/dependency-review-action@v4`.
-- **`licenses`** — Rust-only (`continue-on-error`): [`security/rust/cargo-deny`](#composable-actions) `checks: licenses` against the canonical allow-list. A non-allowed license is surfaced, never blocks the release. Skips a repo with no `Cargo.toml`.
+- **`review-dependencies`** — PR-only; needs repo's **Dependency graph** enabled. Fails on high-severity CVE introduced by the dep diff. Uses `actions/dependency-review-action@v4`.
+- **`check-licenses`** — Rust-only (`continue-on-error`): [`security/rust/cargo-deny`](#composable-actions) `checks: licenses` against the canonical allow-list. A non-allowed license is surfaced, never blocks the release. Skips a repo with no `Cargo.toml`.
 
 ---
 
@@ -248,11 +248,11 @@ The advisory layer — reports, never blocks (parity with GitLab's `allow_failur
 | `rust/test-deps` | Rust | Loads the optional `ci/test.env` into the job env and runs the optional `ci/test-setup.sh` fixture hook before `cargo test`. Used by `rust/base`. No-op when absent. |
 | `rust/install-dist` | Rust | Installs cargo-dist's `dist` binary, prebuilt and SHA-256 verified (Linux/macOS/Windows). Shared by the `dist-plan`, `dist-build`, `dist-host` jobs. |
 | `rust/pin-version` | Rust | Installs version-pinned `cargo-set-version` (cargo-edit) and stamps `Cargo.toml` to the release tag. Shared by `publish-package` and the `dist-*` jobs. |
-| `security/gitleaks` | transverse | Installs gitleaks (SHA-256 verified), scans with the canonical ruleset, emits SARIF. Behind `security-gate.yml`'s `secret-scan` and self-CI. |
-| `security/osv-scanner` | transverse | Scans dependency manifests for known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev); skips a repo with no supported manifest. Behind `security-gate.yml`'s `supply-chain` (non-Rust) and self-CI. |
-| `security/rust/cargo-deny` | Rust | Runs cargo-deny against the canonical imposed `security/deny.toml` (sparse-checked from `coroboros/ci`, no consumer override). The `checks` input selects which checks run — `advisories bans sources` for the `security-gate.yml` supply-chain, `licenses` for the `security.yml` advisory layer. |
+| `security/gitleaks` | transverse | Installs gitleaks (SHA-256 verified), scans with the canonical ruleset, emits SARIF. Behind `security-gate.yml`'s `scan-secrets` and self-CI. |
+| `security/osv-scanner` | transverse | Scans dependency manifests for known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev); skips a repo with no supported manifest. Behind `security-gate.yml`'s `scan-supply-chain` (non-Rust) and self-CI. |
+| `security/rust/cargo-deny` | Rust | Runs cargo-deny against the canonical imposed `security/deny.toml` (sparse-checked from `coroboros/ci`, no consumer override). The `checks` input selects which checks run — `advisories bans sources` for the `security-gate.yml` `scan-supply-chain`, `licenses` for the `security.yml` advisory layer. |
 | `release/verify-tag` | transverse | Fails the release unless the checked-out `main` HEAD matches the tag SHA. Shared by the npm and Rust `publish-package` jobs — the tag-time jobs that check out `main` to push back; the `dist-*` jobs pin to the tag commit (`github.sha`) instead. |
-| `release/generate-changelog` | transverse | SemVer-strict tag guard + generates or reuses the `## vX.Y.Z` section in `CHANGELOG.md` from Conventional Commits. Outputs `body`. Idempotent. |
+| `release/generate-changelog` | transverse | SemVer-strict tag guard + generates or reuses the `## vX.Y.Z` section in `CHANGELOG.md` from Conventional Commits. Outputs `body`. Idempotent. Fails the release when the newest section's version was never tagged and ≠ the release tag — a hand-curated section whose version wasn't bumped. |
 | `release/github-release` | transverse | Creates the GitHub Release for the current tag, optionally as a `draft`. Body typically chained from `release/generate-changelog`. |
 | `release/commit-artifacts` | transverse | Stages the given files and commits them back to `main` as `chore: release ${tag} [skip ci]`. No-op when nothing changed. |
 
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ Nobody pushes directly to protected branches (`main`, `develop`, `release/x.y.z`
 | Other / non-standard | Others |
 | `!:` or `BREAKING CHANGE:` | Breaking Changes (always first) |
 
-Section format: `## vX.Y.Z - DD/MM/YYYY`. Idempotent. Reuses an existing hand-curated section for the tag if present.
+Section format: `## vX.Y.Z - DD/MM/YYYY`. Idempotent. Reuses an existing hand-curated section for the tag if present. Fails loud on a mis-bumped section — newest `## vX.Y.Z` untagged and ≠ the release tag — instead of auto-generating over it.
 
 </details>
 
@@ -305,8 +305,8 @@ Section format: `## vX.Y.Z - DD/MM/YYYY`. Idempotent. Reuses an existing hand-cu
 
 `coroboros/ci` runs a CI on itself — lint, security, and the `v0` release move — plus a test layer that exercises its own composite actions, which are the product:
 
-- **Lint** (`self-lint.yml`) — `actionlint`, `yamllint`, `shellcheck`.
-- **Security** (`self-security.yml`) — the `gitleaks` / `osv-scanner` composites and the `security-gate` / `security` workflows, via local `./` refs.
+- **Lint** (`self-lint.yml`) — `check-actions` (actionlint), `check-yaml` (yamllint), `check-shell` (shellcheck).
+- **Security** (`self-security.yml`) — `scan-secrets` / `scan-deps` (the `gitleaks` / `osv-scanner` composites) and the `security-gate` / `security` workflows, via local `./` refs.
 - **Release** (`self-release.yml`) — moves the rolling `v0` tag onto each stable release.
 - **Test** (`self-test.yml`) — smoke every composite (`release/*`, `rust/*`, `security/*`) against the real checkout, and run `javascript/base` + `rust/base` end-to-end on a `test/fixtures/` package and crate.
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index b8dca1a..b5f2a31 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@coroboros/ci",
-  "version": "0.2.5",
+  "version": "0.2.6",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Reusable GitHub Actions CI for the Coroboros stack.",
   "license": "SEE LICENSE IN LICENSE.md",