diff --git a/.github/workflows/a11y.yml b/.github/workflows/a11y.yml
index a7cfd08169..344592cf3e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/a11y.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/a11y.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ on:
         required: true
         default: 'false'
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: write
+
 jobs:
   axe-linter:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/.github/workflows/backend-review.yml b/.github/workflows/backend-review.yml
index 03b7c135d2..1de3a68f84 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/backend-review.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/backend-review.yml
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ on:
       - 'api/**'
       - 'packages/**'
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 env:
   NODE_ENV: CI
   NODE_OPTIONS: '--max-old-space-size=${{ secrets.NODE_MAX_OLD_SPACE_SIZE || 6144 }}'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index a2131c4b98..9210b80a93 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ name: Linux_Container_Workflow
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 env:
   RUNNER_VERSION: 2.293.0
 
@@ -12,26 +15,26 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       # checkout the repo
       - name: 'Checkout GitHub Action'
-        uses: actions/checkout@main
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
       - name: 'Login via Azure CLI'
-        uses: azure/login@v1
+        uses: azure/login@v2
         with:
           creds: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CREDENTIALS }}
 
       - name: 'Build GitHub Runner container image'
-        uses: azure/docker-login@v1
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
-          login-server: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_LOGIN_SERVER }}
+          registry: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_LOGIN_SERVER }}
           username: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_USERNAME }}
           password: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
       - run: |
           docker build --build-arg RUNNER_VERSION=${{ env.RUNNER_VERSION }} -t ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_LOGIN_SERVER }}/pwd9000-github-runner-lin:${{ env.RUNNER_VERSION }} .
 
       - name: 'Push container image to ACR'
-        uses: azure/docker-login@v1
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
-          login-server: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_LOGIN_SERVER }}
+          registry: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_LOGIN_SERVER }}
           username: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_USERNAME }}
           password: ${{ secrets.REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
       - run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cache-integration-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/cache-integration-tests.yml
index caebbfc445..c8f10f388b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cache-integration-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cache-integration-tests.yml
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@ on:
       - 'redis-config/**'
       - '.github/workflows/cache-integration-tests.yml'
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 jobs:
   cache_integration_tests:
     name: Integration Tests that use actual Redis Cache
diff --git a/.github/workflows/client.yml b/.github/workflows/client.yml
index e3e3e445e4..881efa0ebe 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/client.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/client.yml
@@ -14,31 +14,27 @@ on:
         default: 'Manual publish requested'
 
 permissions:
-  id-token: write  # Required for OIDC trusted publishing
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  build-and-publish:
+  pack:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    environment: publish  # Must match npm trusted publisher config
+    outputs:
+      skip: ${{ steps.check.outputs.skip }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      
+
       - name: Use Node.js
         uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
           node-version: '20.x'
-          registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
-      
-      - name: Update npm for OIDC support
-        run: npm install -g npm@latest  # Must be 11.5.1+ for provenance
-        
+
       - name: Install client dependencies
         run: cd packages/client && npm ci
-        
+
       - name: Build client
         run: cd packages/client && npm run build
-        
+
       - name: Check version change
         id: check
         working-directory: packages/client
@@ -52,13 +48,47 @@ jobs:
             echo "Version changed, proceeding with publish"
             echo "skip=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           fi
-            
+
       - name: Pack package
         if: steps.check.outputs.skip != 'true'
         working-directory: packages/client
-        run: npm pack
-        
-      - name: Publish
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/npm-package"
+          npm pack --pack-destination "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/npm-package"
+
+      - name: Upload package
         if: steps.check.outputs.skip != 'true'
-        working-directory: packages/client
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: librechat-client-package
+          path: npm-package/*.tgz
+          if-no-files-found: error
+          retention-days: 2
+
+  publish-npm:
+    needs: pack
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && needs.pack.outputs.skip != 'true'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    environment: publish  # Must match npm trusted publisher config
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write  # Required for OIDC trusted publishing
+    steps:
+      - name: Use Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '20.x'
+          registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
+
+      - name: Install npm with OIDC support
+        run: npm install -g npm@11.14.1 --ignore-scripts
+
+      - name: Download package
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: librechat-client-package
+          path: npm-package
+
+      - name: Publish
+        working-directory: npm-package
         run: npm publish *.tgz --access public --provenance
diff --git a/.github/workflows/data-provider.yml b/.github/workflows/data-provider.yml
index 9a514b0076..3a9db4d8e5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/data-provider.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/data-provider.yml
@@ -14,11 +14,10 @@ on:
         default: 'Manual publish requested'
 
 permissions:
-  id-token: write  # Required for OIDC trusted publishing
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  build:
+  pack:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -27,21 +26,42 @@ jobs:
           node-version: 20
       - run: cd packages/data-provider && npm ci
       - run: cd packages/data-provider && npm run build
+      - name: Pack package
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p npm-package
+          cd packages/data-provider
+          npm pack --pack-destination "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/npm-package"
+      - name: Upload package
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: librechat-data-provider-package
+          path: npm-package/*.tgz
+          if-no-files-found: error
+          retention-days: 2
 
   publish-npm:
-    needs: build
+    needs: pack
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     environment: publish  # Must match npm trusted publisher config
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write  # Required for OIDC trusted publishing
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
           node-version: 20
           registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
-      
-      - name: Update npm for OIDC support
-        run: npm install -g npm@latest  # Must be 11.5.1+ for provenance
-      
-      - run: cd packages/data-provider && npm ci
-      - run: cd packages/data-provider && npm run build
-      - run: cd packages/data-provider && npm publish --provenance
+
+      - name: Install npm with OIDC support
+        run: npm install -g npm@11.14.1 --ignore-scripts
+
+      - name: Download package
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: librechat-data-provider-package
+          path: npm-package
+
+      - name: Publish package
+        working-directory: npm-package
+        run: npm publish *.tgz --provenance
diff --git a/.github/workflows/data-schemas.yml b/.github/workflows/data-schemas.yml
index 882dc4f4b6..977a6eb4c3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/data-schemas.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/data-schemas.yml
@@ -14,31 +14,27 @@ on:
         default: 'Manual publish requested'
 
 permissions:
-  id-token: write  # Required for OIDC trusted publishing
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  build-and-publish:
+  pack:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    environment: publish  # Must match npm trusted publisher config
+    outputs:
+      skip: ${{ steps.check.outputs.skip }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      
+
       - name: Use Node.js
         uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with:
           node-version: '20.x'
-          registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
-      
-      - name: Update npm for OIDC support
-        run: npm install -g npm@latest  # Must be 11.5.1+ for provenance
-          
+
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: cd packages/data-schemas && npm ci
-        
+
       - name: Build
         run: cd packages/data-schemas && npm run build
-        
+
       - name: Check version change
         id: check
         working-directory: packages/data-schemas
@@ -52,13 +48,47 @@ jobs:
             echo "Version changed, proceeding with publish"
             echo "skip=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           fi
-            
+
       - name: Pack package
         if: steps.check.outputs.skip != 'true'
         working-directory: packages/data-schemas
-        run: npm pack
-        
-      - name: Publish
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/npm-package"
+          npm pack --pack-destination "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE/npm-package"
+
+      - name: Upload package
         if: steps.check.outputs.skip != 'true'
-        working-directory: packages/data-schemas
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: librechat-data-schemas-package
+          path: npm-package/*.tgz
+          if-no-files-found: error
+          retention-days: 2
+
+  publish-npm:
+    needs: pack
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && needs.pack.outputs.skip != 'true'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    environment: publish  # Must match npm trusted publisher config
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write  # Required for OIDC trusted publishing
+    steps:
+      - name: Use Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '20.x'
+          registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
+
+      - name: Install npm with OIDC support
+        run: npm install -g npm@11.14.1 --ignore-scripts
+
+      - name: Download package
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: librechat-data-schemas-package
+          path: npm-package
+
+      - name: Publish
+        working-directory: npm-package
         run: npm publish *.tgz --access public --provenance
diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-dev.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-dev.yml
index a255932e3e..57875bc513 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy-dev.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-dev.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ on:
       - completed
   workflow_dispatch:
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 jobs:
   deploy:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -29,7 +32,7 @@ jobs:
         DO_HOST: ${{ secrets.DO_HOST }}
         DO_USER: ${{ secrets.DO_USER }}
       run: |
-        ssh -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no ${DO_USER}@${DO_HOST} << EOF
+        ssh ${DO_USER}@${DO_HOST} << EOF
         sudo -i -u danny bash << 'EEOF'
         cd ~/LibreChat && \
         git fetch origin main && \
diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
index 5c143b4531..e4b73da617 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ name: Deploy_GHRunner_Linux_ACI
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 env:
   RUNNER_VERSION: 2.293.0
   ACI_RESOURCE_GROUP: 'Demo-ACI-GitHub-Runners-RG'
@@ -20,7 +23,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
       - name: 'Login via Azure CLI'
-        uses: azure/login@v1
+        uses: azure/login@v2
         with:
           creds: ${{ secrets.AZURE_CREDENTIALS }}
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dev-branch-images.yml b/.github/workflows/dev-branch-images.yml
index 9d40cd3fc4..464f6ce55a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dev-branch-images.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dev-branch-images.yml
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ on:
       - 'client/**'
       - 'packages/**'
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  packages: write
+
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
@@ -43,7 +47,7 @@ jobs:
 
       # Log in to GitHub Container Registry
       - name: Log in to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@v2
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
           registry: ghcr.io
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dev-images.yml b/.github/workflows/dev-images.yml
index a6417556aa..a9fbef8929 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dev-images.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dev-images.yml
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ on:
       - 'client/**'
       - 'packages/**'
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  packages: write
+
 jobs:
   build:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -39,7 +43,7 @@ jobs:
 
       # Log in to GitHub Container Registry
       - name: Log in to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@v2
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
           registry: ghcr.io
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dev-staging-images.yml b/.github/workflows/dev-staging-images.yml
index e63dc5f0af..7bb06e5298 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dev-staging-images.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dev-staging-images.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ name: Docker Dev Staging Images Build
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  packages: write
+
 jobs:
   build:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -31,7 +35,7 @@ jobs:
 
       # Log in to GitHub Container Registry
       - name: Log in to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@v2
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
           registry: ghcr.io
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
@@ -63,4 +67,3 @@ jobs:
             ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/${{ matrix.image_name }}:latest
           platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
           target: ${{ matrix.target }}
-
diff --git a/.github/workflows/frontend-review.yml b/.github/workflows/frontend-review.yml
index 05b3f4154f..0021124192 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/frontend-review.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/frontend-review.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ on:
       - 'client/**'
       - 'packages/data-provider/**'
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 env:
   NODE_OPTIONS: '--max-old-space-size=${{ secrets.NODE_MAX_OLD_SPACE_SIZE || 6144 }}'
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/generate_embeddings.yml b/.github/workflows/generate_embeddings.yml
index c514f9c1d6..3c6f2717c3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/generate_embeddings.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/generate_embeddings.yml
@@ -7,14 +7,17 @@ on:
     paths:
       - 'docs/**'
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 jobs:
   generate:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - uses: supabase/embeddings-generator@v0.0.5
         with:
           supabase-url: ${{ secrets.SUPABASE_URL }}
           supabase-service-role-key: ${{ secrets.SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY }}
           openai-key: ${{ secrets.OPENAI_DOC_EMBEDDINGS_KEY }}
-          docs-root-path: 'docs'
\ No newline at end of file
+          docs-root-path: 'docs'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/gitnexus-index.yml b/.github/workflows/gitnexus-index.yml
index ac7de2973b..d3b8ca95e2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/gitnexus-index.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/gitnexus-index.yml
@@ -25,9 +25,13 @@ on:
         type: string
         default: ''
       pr_ref:
-        description: 'PR head SHA or ref to check out (set by /gitnexus command)'
+        description: 'Optional PR head ref to check out; defaults to refs/pull/<pr_number>/head when pr_number is set'
         type: string
         default: ''
+      deploy_after:
+        description: 'Dispatch GitNexus Deploy after a successful index run'
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -61,10 +65,35 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 25
     steps:
+      - name: Validate dispatch inputs
+        if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch'
+        env:
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ inputs.pr_number }}
+          PR_REF: ${{ inputs.pr_ref }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          if [ -n "$PR_NUMBER" ]; then
+            if [[ ! "$PR_NUMBER" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+              echo "::error::pr_number must be numeric"
+              exit 1
+            fi
+            EXPECTED_REF="refs/pull/${PR_NUMBER}/head"
+            if [ -n "$PR_REF" ] && [ "$PR_REF" != "$EXPECTED_REF" ]; then
+              echo "::error::pr_ref must match ${EXPECTED_REF}"
+              exit 1
+            fi
+          elif [ -n "$PR_REF" ]; then
+            echo "::error::pr_ref requires pr_number"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
       - name: Resolve GitNexus flags
         id: flags
         env:
+          EVENT_NAME: ${{ github.event_name }}
+          ENABLE_EMBEDDINGS_INPUT: ${{ inputs.embeddings }}
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          PR_NUM: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
 
@@ -79,15 +108,14 @@ jobs:
           #                           (default false). This also covers the
           #                           /gitnexus index [embeddings] command.
           ENABLE_EMBEDDINGS=false
-          case "${{ github.event_name }}" in
+          case "$EVENT_NAME" in
             workflow_dispatch)
-              [ "${{ inputs.embeddings }}" = "true" ] && ENABLE_EMBEDDINGS=true
+              [ "$ENABLE_EMBEDDINGS_INPUT" = "true" ] && ENABLE_EMBEDDINGS=true
               ;;
             push)
               ENABLE_EMBEDDINGS=true
               ;;
             pull_request)
-              PR_NUM="${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}"
               CHANGED=$(gh api "repos/${{ github.repository }}/pulls/$PR_NUM/files" \
                 --paginate --jq '.[].filename' 2>/dev/null || echo "")
               if printf '%s\n' "$CHANGED" | grep -qE '^(api/|client/|packages/)'; then
@@ -145,13 +173,15 @@ jobs:
           # repo for every PR, so checkout works for fork PRs too. When
           # pr_ref is empty (native push/pull_request), fall back to the
           # default ref actions/checkout would use.
-          ref: ${{ inputs.pr_ref || '' }}
+          ref: ${{ inputs.pr_ref || (inputs.pr_number != '' && format('refs/pull/{0}/head', inputs.pr_number) || '') }}
           fetch-depth: 1
           persist-credentials: false
 
       - name: Run GitNexus Analyze
         working-directory: ${{ runner.temp }}
         env:
+          ENABLE_EMBEDDINGS: ${{ steps.flags.outputs.enable_embeddings }}
+          FORCE: ${{ inputs.force }}
           GITNEXUS_BIN: ${{ runner.temp }}/gitnexus-cli/node_modules/.bin/gitnexus
           NPM_CONFIG_AUDIT: false
           NPM_CONFIG_CACHE: ${{ runner.temp }}/gitnexus-npm-cache
@@ -163,10 +193,10 @@ jobs:
           set -euo pipefail
           FLAGS=(--skip-agents-md --verbose)
 
-          if [ "${{ steps.flags.outputs.enable_embeddings }}" = "true" ]; then
+          if [ "$ENABLE_EMBEDDINGS" = "true" ]; then
             FLAGS+=(--embeddings)
           fi
-          if [ "${{ inputs.force }}" = "true" ]; then
+          if [ "$FORCE" = "true" ]; then
             FLAGS+=(--force)
           fi
           "$GITNEXUS_BIN" analyze "$GITHUB_WORKSPACE" "${FLAGS[@]}"
@@ -206,27 +236,25 @@ jobs:
     if: |
       always() &&
       (inputs.pr_number != '' ||
-       (github.triggering_actor == 'github-actions[bot]' && needs.index.result == 'success'))
+       inputs.deploy_after)
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 5
     permissions:
       contents: read
-      actions: write # dispatch gitnexus-deploy.yml on bot-triggered runs
+      actions: write # dispatch gitnexus-deploy.yml when deploy_after is set
       pull-requests: write # post completion comments for /gitnexus command runs
     steps:
-      # GitHub suppresses workflow_run events for workflow runs whose
-      # triggering actor is GITHUB_TOKEN (to prevent recursive chaining).
-      # That means when this workflow is dispatched by gitnexus-pr-command
-      # via `gh api workflow_dispatch`, the deploy workflow's workflow_run
-      # trigger never fires. Manually dispatch the deploy here in that
-      # specific case — user-triggered runs continue to rely on the
-      # existing workflow_run trigger, so we don't double-deploy.
-      - name: Trigger deploy workflow for bot-triggered runs
-        if: github.triggering_actor == 'github-actions[bot]' && needs.index.result == 'success'
+      # GitHub suppresses workflow_run events for workflow runs triggered
+      # by GITHUB_TOKEN (to prevent recursive chaining). Command-triggered
+      # index runs opt into a deploy by setting deploy_after=true.
+      - name: Trigger deploy workflow after command-triggered runs
+        if: inputs.deploy_after && needs.index.result == 'success'
         uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        env:
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ inputs.pr_number }}
         with:
           script: |
-            core.info('Triggering actor is github-actions[bot]; workflow_run would not fire. Dispatching gitnexus-deploy.yml manually.');
+            core.info('deploy_after=true; dispatching gitnexus-deploy.yml manually.');
             // Pass pr_number through so the deploy workflow knows which
             // PR to post its completion comment on (for /gitnexus
             // command runs this will be set; for other bot dispatches
@@ -237,7 +265,7 @@ jobs:
               workflow_id: 'gitnexus-deploy.yml',
               ref: 'main',
               inputs: {
-                pr_number: '${{ inputs.pr_number }}',
+                pr_number: process.env.PR_NUMBER || '',
               },
             });
 
@@ -249,19 +277,28 @@ jobs:
       - name: Comment on PR — index complete
         if: inputs.pr_number != ''
         uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        env:
+          EMBEDDINGS_INPUT: ${{ inputs.embeddings }}
+          INDEX_RESULT: ${{ needs.index.result }}
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ inputs.pr_number }}
         with:
           script: |
-            const outcome = '${{ needs.index.result }}' === 'success' ? '✅ indexed' : '❌ index failed';
-            const prNum = parseInt('${{ inputs.pr_number }}', 10);
+            const indexSucceeded = process.env.INDEX_RESULT === 'success';
+            const outcome = indexSucceeded ? '✅ indexed' : '❌ index failed';
+            const prNum = parseInt(process.env.PR_NUMBER || '', 10);
+            if (!Number.isSafeInteger(prNum)) {
+              core.setFailed(`Invalid PR number: ${process.env.PR_NUMBER}`);
+              return;
+            }
             const runUrl = `${context.serverUrl}/${context.repo.owner}/${context.repo.repo}/actions/runs/${context.runId}`;
-            const embeddingsFlag = '${{ inputs.embeddings }}' === 'true' ? 'with embeddings' : 'graph-only';
+            const embeddingsFlag = process.env.EMBEDDINGS_INPUT === 'true' ? 'with embeddings' : 'graph-only';
             const body = [
               `### GitNexus: ${outcome}`,
               ``,
               `PR #${prNum} was indexed ${embeddingsFlag}.`,
               `[Index run](${runUrl})`,
               '',
-              '${{ needs.index.result }}' === 'success'
+              indexSucceeded
                 ? '⏳ Waiting for deploy to serve the fresh index…'
                 : '_Index run failed — the previous index (if any) continues to be served._',
             ].join('\n');
diff --git a/.github/workflows/gitnexus-pr-command.yml b/.github/workflows/gitnexus-pr-command.yml
index b299beb3b1..214a526897 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/gitnexus-pr-command.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/gitnexus-pr-command.yml
@@ -94,18 +94,38 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Dispatch gitnexus-index workflow
         uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        env:
+          EMBEDDINGS: ${{ steps.parse.outputs.embeddings }}
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ steps.parse.outputs.pr_number }}
+          PR_REF: ${{ steps.parse.outputs.pr_ref }}
         with:
           script: |
+            const prNumber = process.env.PR_NUMBER || '';
+            const prRef = process.env.PR_REF || '';
+            const embeddings = process.env.EMBEDDINGS || 'false';
+            if (!/^[0-9]+$/.test(prNumber)) {
+              core.setFailed(`Invalid PR number: ${prNumber}`);
+              return;
+            }
+            if (prRef !== `refs/pull/${prNumber}/head`) {
+              core.setFailed(`Invalid PR ref: ${prRef}`);
+              return;
+            }
+            if (!['true', 'false'].includes(embeddings)) {
+              core.setFailed(`Invalid embeddings value: ${embeddings}`);
+              return;
+            }
             await github.rest.actions.createWorkflowDispatch({
               owner: context.repo.owner,
               repo: context.repo.repo,
               workflow_id: 'gitnexus-index.yml',
               ref: 'main',
               inputs: {
-                pr_number: '${{ steps.parse.outputs.pr_number }}',
-                pr_ref: '${{ steps.parse.outputs.pr_ref }}',
-                embeddings: '${{ steps.parse.outputs.embeddings }}',
+                pr_number: prNumber,
+                pr_ref: prRef,
+                embeddings,
                 force: 'false',
+                deploy_after: 'true',
               },
             });
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/helmcharts.yml b/.github/workflows/helmcharts.yml
index b76f088776..9e08c189a7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/helmcharts.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/helmcharts.yml
@@ -40,13 +40,14 @@ jobs:
         env:
           REF_NAME: ${{ github.ref_name }}
         run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
           CHART_VERSION="${REF_NAME#chart-}"
-          SEMVER_REGEX='^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(-[0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?(\+[0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?$'
-          if [[ ! "$CHART_VERSION" =~ $SEMVER_REGEX ]]; then
-            echo "Invalid chart version: $CHART_VERSION" >&2
+          SEMVER_REGEX='^[0-9]+[.][0-9]+[.][0-9]+(-[0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?([+][0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?$'
+          if [[ "$REF_NAME" != chart-* || ! "$CHART_VERSION" =~ $SEMVER_REGEX ]]; then
+            echo "::error::Chart tags must use the form chart-<semver>, for example chart-2.0.3"
             exit 1
           fi
-          echo "CHART_VERSION=${CHART_VERSION}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          printf 'CHART_VERSION=%s\n' "$CHART_VERSION" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
       # Log in to GitHub Container Registry
       - name: Log in to GitHub Container Registry
diff --git a/.github/workflows/i18n-unused-keys.yml b/.github/workflows/i18n-unused-keys.yml
index 8f773532d3..6341c19d14 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/i18n-unused-keys.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/i18n-unused-keys.yml
@@ -18,10 +18,11 @@ jobs:
   detect-unused-i18n-keys:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
+      contents: read
       pull-requests: write
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
       - name: Find unused i18next keys
         id: find-unused
@@ -140,7 +141,7 @@ jobs:
 
           gh api "repos/${{ github.repository }}/issues/${PR_NUMBER}/comments" \
             -f body="$COMMENT_BODY" \
-            -H "Authorization: token ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}"
+            -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN"
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/locize-i18n-sync.yml b/.github/workflows/locize-i18n-sync.yml
index f34648dfd9..a745414460 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/locize-i18n-sync.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/locize-i18n-sync.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ on:
   repository_dispatch:
     types: [locize/versionPublished]
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
 jobs:
   sync-translations:
     name: Sync Translation Keys with Locize
@@ -13,6 +16,8 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout Repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
 
       - name: Set Up Node.js
         uses: actions/setup-node@v4
@@ -25,9 +30,12 @@ jobs:
       # Sync translations (Push missing keys & remove deleted ones)
       - name: Sync Locize with Repository
         if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' }}
+        env:
+          LOCIZE_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.LOCIZE_API_KEY }}
+          LOCIZE_PROJECT_ID: ${{ secrets.LOCIZE_PROJECT_ID }}
         run: |
           cd client/src/locales
-          locize sync --api-key ${{ secrets.LOCIZE_API_KEY }} --project-id ${{ secrets.LOCIZE_PROJECT_ID }} --language en
+          locize sync --api-key "$LOCIZE_API_KEY" --project-id "$LOCIZE_PROJECT_ID" --language en
 
       # When triggered by repository_dispatch, skip sync step.
       - name: Skip sync step on non-push events
@@ -39,12 +47,13 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     needs: sync-translations
     permissions:
-      contents: write
-      pull-requests: write
+      contents: read
     steps:
       # 1. Check out the repository.
       - name: Checkout Repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
 
       # 2. Download translation files from locize.
       - name: Download Translations from locize
@@ -53,12 +62,14 @@ jobs:
           project-id: ${{ secrets.LOCIZE_PROJECT_ID }}
           path: "client/src/locales"
 
-      # 3. Create a Pull Request using built-in functionality.
+      # 3. Create a Pull Request using a dedicated fine-grained PAT so this
+      # workflow does not depend on the global GITHUB_TOKEN PR-creation setting.
       - name: Create Pull Request
         uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@v7
         with:
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          sign-commits: true
+          token: ${{ secrets.LOCIZE_PR_TOKEN }}
+          add-paths: |
+            client/src/locales/**
           commit-message: "🌍 i18n: Update translation.json with latest translations"
           base: main
           branch: i18n/locize-translation-update
@@ -69,4 +80,4 @@ jobs:
             - 🎯 **Objective**: Update `translation.json` with the latest translations from locize.
             - 🔍 **Details**: This PR is automatically generated upon receiving a versionPublished event with version "latest". It reflects the newest translations provided by locize.
             - ✅ **Status**: Ready for review.
-          labels: "🌍 i18n"
\ No newline at end of file
+          labels: "🌍 i18n"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/main-image-workflow.yml b/.github/workflows/main-image-workflow.yml
index 43c9d95753..348012de22 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main-image-workflow.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main-image-workflow.yml
@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ name: Docker Compose Build Latest Main Image Tag (Manual Dispatch)
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
 
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  packages: write
+
 jobs:
   build:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -19,11 +23,20 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: main
+          fetch-depth: 0
 
       - name: Fetch tags and set the latest tag
         run: |
-          git fetch --tags
-          echo "LATEST_TAG=$(git describe --tags `git rev-list --tags --max-count=1`)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          set -euo pipefail
+          git fetch --tags --force
+          LATEST_TAG=$(git tag --list 'v[0-9]*' --sort=-v:refname | grep -E '^v[0-9]+[.][0-9]+[.][0-9]+$' | head -n 1)
+          if [ -z "$LATEST_TAG" ]; then
+            echo "::error::No stable v<semver> tag found"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          printf 'LATEST_TAG=%s\n' "$LATEST_TAG" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
 
       # Set up QEMU
       - name: Set up QEMU
@@ -35,7 +48,7 @@ jobs:
 
       # Log in to GitHub Container Registry
       - name: Log in to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@v2
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
           registry: ghcr.io
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/tag-images.yml b/.github/workflows/tag-images.yml
index e90f43978a..4477a89c13 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tag-images.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tag-images.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,11 @@ name: Docker Images Build on Tag
 on:
   push:
     tags:
-      - '*'
+      - 'v*'
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  packages: write
 
 jobs:
   build:
@@ -23,6 +27,25 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: Validate release tag
+        id: release-tag
+        env:
+          REF_NAME: ${{ github.ref_name }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          TAG_REGEX='^v[0-9]+[.][0-9]+[.][0-9]+(-rc[0-9]+)?$'
+          STABLE_TAG_REGEX='^v[0-9]+[.][0-9]+[.][0-9]+$'
+          if [[ ! "$REF_NAME" =~ $TAG_REGEX ]]; then
+            echo "::error::Docker release tags must use v<semver> or v<semver>-rcN, for example v0.8.5 or v0.8.5-rc1"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          printf 'image_tag=%s\n' "$REF_NAME" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          if [[ "$REF_NAME" =~ $STABLE_TAG_REGEX ]]; then
+            echo "is_stable=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "is_stable=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
       # Set up QEMU
       - name: Set up QEMU
         uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3
@@ -33,7 +56,7 @@ jobs:
 
       # Log in to GitHub Container Registry
       - name: Log in to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@v2
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
         with:
           registry: ghcr.io
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
@@ -51,6 +74,26 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           cp .env.example .env
 
+      - name: Resolve image tags
+        id: image-tags
+        env:
+          DOCKERHUB_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
+          IMAGE_NAME: ${{ matrix.image_name }}
+          IMAGE_TAG: ${{ steps.release-tag.outputs.image_tag }}
+          IS_STABLE: ${{ steps.release-tag.outputs.is_stable }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          {
+            echo 'tags<<EOF'
+            printf 'ghcr.io/%s/%s:%s\n' "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY_OWNER" "$IMAGE_NAME" "$IMAGE_TAG"
+            printf '%s/%s:%s\n' "$DOCKERHUB_USERNAME" "$IMAGE_NAME" "$IMAGE_TAG"
+            if [ "$IS_STABLE" = "true" ]; then
+              printf 'ghcr.io/%s/%s:latest\n' "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY_OWNER" "$IMAGE_NAME"
+              printf '%s/%s:latest\n' "$DOCKERHUB_USERNAME" "$IMAGE_NAME"
+            fi
+            echo 'EOF'
+          } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
       # Build and push Docker images for each target
       - name: Build and push Docker images
         uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
@@ -58,10 +101,6 @@ jobs:
           context: .
           file: ${{ matrix.file }}
           push: true
-          tags: |
-            ghcr.io/${{ github.repository_owner }}/${{ matrix.image_name }}:${{ github.ref_name }}
-            ghcr.io/${{ github.repository_owner }}/${{ matrix.image_name }}:latest
-            ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/${{ matrix.image_name }}:${{ github.ref_name }}
-            ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/${{ matrix.image_name }}:latest
+          tags: ${{ steps.image-tags.outputs.tags }}
           platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
           target: ${{ matrix.target }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/unused-packages.yml b/.github/workflows/unused-packages.yml
index f67c1d23be..a957bed2e8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unused-packages.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unused-packages.yml
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ jobs:
   detect-unused-packages:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
+      contents: read
       pull-requests: write
 
     steps:
@@ -272,7 +273,7 @@ jobs:
 
           gh api "repos/${{ github.repository }}/issues/${PR_NUMBER}/comments" \
             -f body="$COMMENT_BODY" \
-            -H "Authorization: token ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}"
+            -H "Authorization: token $GITHUB_TOKEN"
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}