diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 6ff0beb..a370b1c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -197,21 +197,24 @@ jobs:
     if: github.event_name == 'push'
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     timeout-minutes: 10
+    # GitHub hides drafts from tokens without push access. The commands below
+    # remain GET-only; expose this token only to the two API-reading steps.
     permissions:
-      contents: read
-    env:
-      GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+      contents: write
     steps:
       # The tagged revision — verify exactly what was packaged, not a moving default.
       - uses: actions/checkout@v7
         with:
           ref: ${{ github.sha }}
+          persist-credentials: false
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v7
         with:
           node-version: "26"
           cache: npm
       - run: npm ci
       - name: List every release, drafts included
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
         # --slurp wraps the paginated pages into one JSON document
         # ([[release,...],[release,...]]); the validator flattens it.
         run: gh api --paginate --slurp "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/releases?per_page=100" > "$RUNNER_TEMP/releases.json"
@@ -219,6 +222,8 @@ jobs:
         # Machine JSON on stdout (release id + asset ids); warnings on stderr.
         run: npx tsx scripts/verify-release.ts select "$RUNNER_TEMP/releases.json" --tag "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" > "$RUNNER_TEMP/draft.json"
       - name: Download the three update feeds
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           mkdir -p "$RUNNER_TEMP/metadata"
diff --git a/docs/desktop-release.md b/docs/desktop-release.md
index b758acb..b061bf2 100644
--- a/docs/desktop-release.md
+++ b/docs/desktop-release.md
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ The three jobs upload distinct updater feeds: `latest-mac.yml`, `latest.yml`, `l
 
 ### The verification job
 
-`verify` runs only on tag pushes (`needs: package`, so after **all three** packaging legs; manual rehearsals upload nothing and skip it). With a read-only `contents: read` token it checks out the tagged revision and runs `scripts/verify-release.ts`, which:
+`verify` runs only on tag pushes (`needs: package`, so after **all three** packaging legs; manual rehearsals upload nothing and skip it). It checks out the tagged revision without persisting credentials and runs `scripts/verify-release.ts`. GitHub requires push access to list **draft** releases, so this job needs `contents: write` even though every API operation is GET-only. The token is exposed only to the release-list and feed-download steps, not dependency installation or the offline validator. The validator:
 
 - finds the draft using the same tag matching as the draft job and electron-builder's publisher — `tag_name` equals `v<version>` **or** the bare `<version>`; zero matches, two matches, or an already-published match fail the run, and a draft matched only via the unprefixed form is flagged with a warning (a later run could create a second draft under the `v`-tag and split the assets — rename before publishing);
 - fails unless the release holds **exactly** these 11 assets — nothing missing, nothing extra (a stale name from an older run is an error), nothing zero-size, nothing still in a non-`uploaded` state:
diff --git a/tests/verify-release.test.ts b/tests/verify-release.test.ts
index 899ca56..ad60656 100644
--- a/tests/verify-release.test.ts
+++ b/tests/verify-release.test.ts
@@ -312,17 +312,38 @@ describe("release gate — workflow wiring", () => {
 	const workflow = yaml.load(fs.readFileSync(path.join(repoRoot, ".github", "workflows", "release.yml"), "utf8"));
 	const verify = workflow.jobs.verify;
 
-	it("runs read-only after ALL packaging jobs, only on real tag pushes", () => {
+	it("can see drafts after ALL packaging jobs, only on real tag pushes", () => {
 		assert.ok(verify);
 		assert.equal(verify.needs, "package");
 		assert.equal(verify.if, "github.event_name == 'push'");
-		assert.deepEqual(verify.permissions, { contents: "read" });
-		assert.equal(verify.env.GH_TOKEN, "${{ github.token }}");
+		// GitHub's release-list API hides drafts from read-only tokens.
+		assert.deepEqual(verify.permissions, { contents: "write" });
+		assert.equal(verify.env?.GH_TOKEN, undefined);
+	});
+
+	it("exposes the elevated token only to the two API-reading steps", () => {
+		const readers = ["List every release, drafts included", "Download the three update feeds"];
+		for (const step of verify.steps) {
+			if (readers.includes(step.name)) assert.equal(step.env?.GH_TOKEN, "${{ github.token }}");
+			else assert.equal(step.env?.GH_TOKEN, undefined, String(step.name ?? step.uses));
+		}
+		assert.equal(verify.steps.filter((step: any) => step.env?.GH_TOKEN).length, 2);
+	});
+
+	it("uses only implicit GET requests, never release-mutating commands", () => {
+		const calls: string[] = verify.steps.flatMap((step: any) =>
+			(step.run ?? "").split("\n").filter((line: string) => /^\s*gh\s/.test(line)),
+		);
+		assert.equal(calls.length, 2);
+		for (const call of calls) {
+			assert.match(call, /^\s*gh api /);
+			assert.doesNotMatch(call, /(?:\s|^)(?:--(?:method|input|field|raw-field)(?:[=\s]|$)|-[XfF])/);
+		}
 	});
 
 	it("checks out the tagged revision and runs select + verify", () => {
 		const checkout = verify.steps.find((step: any) => step.uses?.startsWith("actions/checkout"));
-		assert.deepEqual(checkout.with, { ref: "${{ github.sha }}" });
+		assert.deepEqual(checkout.with, { ref: "${{ github.sha }}", "persist-credentials": false });
 		const select = verify.steps.find((step: any) => step.run?.includes("verify-release.ts select"));
 		const final = verify.steps.find((step: any) => step.run?.includes("verify-release.ts verify"));
 		assert.ok(select && final);