diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index d73e6aa6a..6ff26187f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ jobs:
         run: node tests/plugin-manifest.test.js
 
       - name: Validate Grok marketplace source pin
-        run: node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js
+        run: node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js --release
 
       - name: Check npm publish state
         id: npm_publish_state
diff --git a/.github/workflows/reusable-release.yml b/.github/workflows/reusable-release.yml
index a4c4daf7f..99372e05e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/reusable-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/reusable-release.yml
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ jobs:
         run: node tests/plugin-manifest.test.js
 
       - name: Validate Grok marketplace source pin
-        run: node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js
+        run: node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js --release
 
       - name: Check npm publish state
         id: npm_publish_state
diff --git a/.grok-plugin/README.md b/.grok-plugin/README.md
index c26b75d5a..8461ee91e 100644
--- a/.grok-plugin/README.md
+++ b/.grok-plugin/README.md
@@ -25,6 +25,13 @@ node scripts/uninstall.js --target grok
 rollback use the same canonical apply path; pass `--source-sha <40-hex>` to
 reapply a previous pinned commit.
 
+The marketplace pin advances with releases, not every source commit. Ordinary
+CI validates the SHA and its ancestry. `scripts/release.sh` commits the release
+metadata, pins that source commit in a separate catalog commit, and validates
+the result before tagging. Release workflows also run
+`node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js --release` to reject unpublished source
+changes after the pinned snapshot.
+
 Grok CLI marketplace add / install / enable is **discovery only**.
 `grok plugin install --trust` skips Grok's confirmation prompt; it is **not
 ECC capability consent** and does not write an ECC receipt. `plugin.json`
diff --git a/.grok-plugin/marketplace.json b/.grok-plugin/marketplace.json
index 7725d83c3..2d9063084 100644
--- a/.grok-plugin/marketplace.json
+++ b/.grok-plugin/marketplace.json
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     {
       "name": "ecc",
       "description": "Harness-native ECC operator layer - 68 agents, 286 skills, 94 legacy command shims, reusable hooks, rules, selective install profiles, and production-ready workflows for Grok Build, Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Cursor, and related agent harnesses",
-      "version": "2.2.1",
+      "version": "2.2.2",
       "author": {
         "name": "Affaan Mustafa",
         "email": "me@affaanmustafa.com"
diff --git a/.grok-plugin/plugin.json b/.grok-plugin/plugin.json
index f8bae0102..341b76f40 100644
--- a/.grok-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/.grok-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "ecc",
-  "version": "2.2.1",
+  "version": "2.2.2",
   "description": "Harness-native ECC plugin for engineering teams - 68 agents, 286 skills, 94 legacy command shims, reusable hooks, rules, MCP conventions, and operator workflows for Grok Build plus adjacent agent harnesses",
   "author": {
     "name": "Affaan Mustafa",
diff --git a/scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js b/scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js
index b58438c36..7025fcac4 100644
--- a/scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js
+++ b/scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ function git(root, args) {
   }).trim();
 }
 
-function validateGrokPin(root = path.resolve(__dirname, '../..')) {
+function validateGrokPin(root = path.resolve(__dirname, '../..'), { release = false } = {}) {
   const marketplace = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, MARKETPLACE_PATH), 'utf8'));
   const source = marketplace.plugins && marketplace.plugins[0] && marketplace.plugins[0].source;
   const sha = source && source.sha;
@@ -30,18 +30,28 @@ function validateGrokPin(root = path.resolve(__dirname, '../..')) {
   } catch {
     throw new Error(`Grok marketplace pin ${sha} is not an ancestor of HEAD ${head}`);
   }
-  try {
-    git(root, ['diff', '--quiet', sha, 'HEAD', '--', '.', `:(exclude)${MARKETPLACE_PATH}`]);
-  } catch {
-    throw new Error(`Grok marketplace pin ${sha} is stale; source changes exist after the pinned commit`);
+  // Development retains the last pinned snapshot; releases must include all source changes.
+  if (release) {
+    try {
+      git(root, ['diff', '--quiet', sha, 'HEAD', '--', '.', `:(exclude)${MARKETPLACE_PATH}`]);
+    } catch {
+      throw new Error(`Grok marketplace pin ${sha} is stale; source changes exist after the pinned commit`);
+    }
   }
   return { sha, head };
 }
 
 if (require.main === module) {
   try {
-    const { sha, head } = validateGrokPin();
-    console.log(`Grok marketplace pin ${sha} matches source at ${head}`);
+    const args = process.argv.slice(2);
+    if (args.length > 1 || (args.length === 1 && args[0] !== '--release')) {
+      throw new Error('Usage: node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js [--release]');
+    }
+    const release = args[0] === '--release';
+    const { sha, head } = validateGrokPin(undefined, { release });
+    console.log(release
+      ? `Grok marketplace pin ${sha} matches source at ${head}`
+      : `Grok marketplace pin ${sha} is a valid ancestor of ${head}`);
   } catch (error) {
     console.error(error.message);
     process.exitCode = 1;
diff --git a/scripts/release.sh b/scripts/release.sh
index 3da2f3704..d3ff96da0 100755
--- a/scripts/release.sh
+++ b/scripts/release.sh
@@ -354,9 +354,10 @@ node -e '
   plugin.source.sha = sha;
   fs.writeFileSync(file, `${JSON.stringify(marketplace, null, 2)}\n`);
 ' "$GROK_MARKETPLACE_JSON" "$GROK_SOURCE_SHA"
-node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js
+node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js --release
 git add "$GROK_MARKETPLACE_JSON"
 git commit -m "chore: pin Grok marketplace to release source"
+node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js --release
 git tag "v$VERSION"
 git push origin main "v$VERSION"
 
diff --git a/tests/ci/grok-pin.test.js b/tests/ci/grok-pin.test.js
index d0d474cc3..1d51f1f70 100644
--- a/tests/ci/grok-pin.test.js
+++ b/tests/ci/grok-pin.test.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 'use strict';
 
 const assert = require('assert');
-const { execFileSync } = require('child_process');
+const { execFileSync, spawnSync } = require('child_process');
 const fs = require('fs');
 const os = require('os');
 const path = require('path');
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ function writeMarketplace(root, sha) {
   const directory = path.join(root, '.grok-plugin');
   fs.mkdirSync(directory, { recursive: true });
   fs.writeFileSync(path.join(directory, 'marketplace.json'), JSON.stringify({
-    plugins: [{ source: { sha } }],
+    plugins: [{ name: 'ecc', source: { sha } }],
   }));
 }
 
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ function createFixture() {
   git(root, 'init', '--quiet');
   git(root, 'config', 'user.name', 'ECC test');
   git(root, 'config', 'user.email', 'ecc-test@example.invalid');
+  const validatorPath = path.join(root, 'scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js');
+  fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(validatorPath), { recursive: true });
+  fs.copyFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname, '../../scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js'), validatorPath);
   fs.writeFileSync(path.join(root, 'payload.txt'), 'verified source\n');
   writeMarketplace(root, '0'.repeat(40));
   git(root, 'add', '.');
@@ -57,22 +60,131 @@ test('accepts a pin commit that differs only by the pin update', () => {
   const fixture = createFixture();
   try {
     assert.strictEqual(validateGrokPin(fixture.root).sha, fixture.sha);
+    assert.strictEqual(validateGrokPin(fixture.root, { release: true }).sha, fixture.sha);
   } finally {
     fs.rmSync(fixture.root, { recursive: true, force: true });
   }
 });
 
-test('rejects source changes after the pinned snapshot', () => {
+test('ordinary source commits keep a valid historical pin but cannot be released', () => {
   const fixture = createFixture();
   try {
     fs.writeFileSync(path.join(fixture.root, 'payload.txt'), 'changed source\n');
     git(fixture.root, 'add', 'payload.txt');
     git(fixture.root, 'commit', '--quiet', '-m', 'change source without repinning');
-    assert.throws(() => validateGrokPin(fixture.root), /pin .* is stale/);
+    assert.strictEqual(validateGrokPin(fixture.root).sha, fixture.sha);
+    assert.throws(() => validateGrokPin(fixture.root, { release: true }), /pin .* is stale/);
+
+    const validator = path.join(fixture.root, 'scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js');
+    const normal = spawnSync(process.execPath, [validator], { encoding: 'utf8' });
+    assert.strictEqual(normal.status, 0, normal.stderr);
+    assert.doesNotMatch(normal.stdout, /matches source/);
+    const release = spawnSync(process.execPath, [validator, '--release'], { encoding: 'utf8' });
+    assert.strictEqual(release.status, 1);
+    assert.match(release.stderr, /pin .* is stale/);
+
+    const sourceSha = git(fixture.root, 'rev-parse', 'HEAD');
+    const releaseScript = fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname, '../../scripts/release.sh'), 'utf8');
+    const updater = releaseScript.slice(releaseScript.indexOf('GROK_SOURCE_SHA='))
+      .match(/node -e '([\s\S]*?)' "\$GROK_MARKETPLACE_JSON" "\$GROK_SOURCE_SHA"/);
+    assert.ok(updater, 'exercise the pin updater shipped in release.sh');
+    const updated = spawnSync(process.execPath, ['-e', updater[1],
+      path.join(fixture.root, '.grok-plugin/marketplace.json'), sourceSha,
+    ], { encoding: 'utf8' });
+    assert.strictEqual(updated.status, 0, updated.stderr);
+    git(fixture.root, 'add', '.');
+    git(fixture.root, 'commit', '--quiet', '-m', 'pin updated source');
+    assert.strictEqual(git(fixture.root, 'diff', '--name-only', 'HEAD^', 'HEAD'),
+      '.grok-plugin/marketplace.json');
+    assert.strictEqual(validateGrokPin(fixture.root, { release: true }).sha, sourceSha);
+    const repinned = spawnSync(process.execPath, [validator, '--release'], { encoding: 'utf8' });
+    assert.strictEqual(repinned.status, 0, repinned.stderr);
+    assert.match(repinned.stdout, /matches source/);
   } finally {
     fs.rmSync(fixture.root, { recursive: true, force: true });
   }
 });
 
+test('both modes reject malformed, missing, and non-ancestor pins', () => {
+  const fixture = createFixture();
+  try {
+    for (const marketplace of [{}, { plugins: [] }, { plugins: [{}] }]) {
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(fixture.root, '.grok-plugin/marketplace.json'), JSON.stringify(marketplace));
+      for (const release of [false, true]) {
+        assert.throws(() => validateGrokPin(fixture.root, { release }), /must pin a 40-character/);
+      }
+    }
+    for (const sha of ['main', '0'.repeat(40)]) {
+      writeMarketplace(fixture.root, sha);
+      for (const release of [false, true]) {
+        assert.throws(() => validateGrokPin(fixture.root, { release }));
+      }
+    }
+    // Create a real commit that is not reachable from HEAD, without moving any refs.
+    const tree = git(fixture.root, 'rev-parse', 'HEAD^{tree}');
+    const unrelated = git(fixture.root, 'commit-tree', tree, '-m', 'unrelated history');
+    writeMarketplace(fixture.root, unrelated);
+    for (const release of [false, true]) {
+      assert.throws(() => validateGrokPin(fixture.root, { release }), /not an ancestor/);
+    }
+  } finally {
+    fs.rmSync(fixture.root, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+});
+
+test('CLI rejects unknown options instead of silently disabling release validation', () => {
+  for (const args of [['--relase'], ['--release', 'unexpected']]) {
+    const result = spawnSync(process.execPath, [
+      path.resolve(__dirname, '../../scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js'), ...args,
+    ], { encoding: 'utf8' });
+    assert.strictEqual(result.status, 1);
+    assert.match(result.stderr, /Usage:/);
+  }
+});
+
+// release.sh is a POSIX entrypoint; the validator and updater tests above run on all platforms.
+if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
+  for (const contaminate of [false, true]) {
+    test(contaminate ? 'release blocks tagging when a commit hook changes source'
+      : 'release script tags the verified pin-only commit', () => {
+      const fixture = createFixture();
+      try {
+        fs.writeFileSync(path.join(fixture.root, 'payload.txt'), 'new release source\n');
+        git(fixture.root, 'add', '.');
+        git(fixture.root, 'commit', '--quiet', '-m', 'release source');
+        const sourceSha = git(fixture.root, 'rev-parse', 'HEAD');
+        if (contaminate) {
+          fs.writeFileSync(path.join(fixture.root, '.git/hooks/pre-commit'),
+            '#!/bin/sh\nprintf "unexpected source change\\n" > payload.txt\ngit add payload.txt\n',
+            { mode: 0o755 });
+        }
+        const source = fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(__dirname, '../../scripts/release.sh'), 'utf8');
+        const start = source.indexOf('GROK_SOURCE_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)');
+        const end = source.indexOf('git push origin main', start);
+        assert.ok(start >= 0 && end > start);
+        const result = spawnSync('bash', ['-euo', 'pipefail'], {
+          cwd: fixture.root,
+          input: source.slice(start, end),
+          encoding: 'utf8',
+          env: { ...process.env, GROK_MARKETPLACE_JSON: '.grok-plugin/marketplace.json', VERSION: '9.9.9' },
+        });
+        if (contaminate) {
+          assert.strictEqual(result.status, 1, result.stderr);
+          assert.match(result.stderr, /pin .* is stale/);
+          assert.strictEqual(git(fixture.root, 'tag', '--list'), '');
+        } else {
+          assert.strictEqual(result.status, 0, result.stderr);
+          assert.strictEqual(validateGrokPin(fixture.root, { release: true }).sha, sourceSha);
+          assert.strictEqual(git(fixture.root, 'rev-parse', 'v9.9.9'), git(fixture.root, 'rev-parse', 'HEAD'));
+          assert.strictEqual(git(fixture.root, 'diff', '--name-only', sourceSha, 'HEAD'),
+            '.grok-plugin/marketplace.json');
+        }
+      } finally {
+        fs.rmSync(fixture.root, { recursive: true, force: true });
+      }
+    });
+  }
+}
+
 console.log(`\nResults: Passed: ${passed}, Failed: ${failed}`);
 if (failed > 0) process.exitCode = 1;
diff --git a/tests/scripts/release.test.js b/tests/scripts/release.test.js
index 1a1a508ef..c92a95e1d 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/release.test.js
+++ b/tests/scripts/release.test.js
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ function runTests() {
     const releaseCommitIndex = source.indexOf('git commit -m "chore: bump plugin version to $VERSION"');
     const sourceShaIndex = source.indexOf('GROK_SOURCE_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)');
     const pinUpdateIndex = source.indexOf('plugin.source.sha = sha;');
-    const pinValidationIndex = source.indexOf('node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js');
+    const pinValidationIndex = source.indexOf('node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js --release');
     const pinCommitIndex = source.indexOf('git commit -m "chore: pin Grok marketplace to release source"');
     const tagIndex = source.indexOf('git tag "v$VERSION"');
 
@@ -96,9 +96,24 @@ function runTests() {
     assert.ok(pinUpdateIndex > sourceShaIndex);
     assert.ok(pinValidationIndex > pinUpdateIndex);
     assert.ok(pinCommitIndex > pinValidationIndex);
+    const finalValidationIndex = source.lastIndexOf('node scripts/ci/validate-grok-pin.js --release');
+    assert.ok(finalValidationIndex > pinCommitIndex && finalValidationIndex < tagIndex,
+      'validate the committed release snapshot before tagging');
     assert.ok(tagIndex > pinCommitIndex, 'the release tag must point at the pin-only commit');
   })) passed++; else failed++;
 
+  if (test('release workflows enforce snapshot equality while ordinary CI accepts historical pins', () => {
+    for (const workflow of [releaseWorkflowSource, reusableReleaseWorkflowSource]) {
+      assert.match(workflow, /run: node scripts\/ci\/validate-grok-pin\.js --release/);
+    }
+    const reusableValidation = fs.readFileSync(path.join(
+      __dirname, '../../.github/workflows/reusable-validate.yml'
+    ), 'utf8');
+    for (const workflow of [ciWorkflowSource, reusableValidation]) {
+      assert.match(workflow, /run: node scripts\/ci\/validate-grok-pin\.js\s*\n/);
+    }
+  })) passed++; else failed++;
+
   if (test('release script supports prerelease semver and release heading sync', () => {
     assert.ok(
       source.includes('2.0.0-rc.1'),