diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-pipeline.yml b/.github/workflows/release-pipeline.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..019590c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-pipeline.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+name: Release pipeline
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      version-command:
+        description: >
+          Override for version detection (e.g., `poetry version --short`).
+          Auto-detects from VERSION/package.json/pyproject.toml if empty.
+        type: string
+        default: ""
+      force_pr:
+        description: Force pull request creation
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
+
+    outputs:
+      created-tag:
+        description: The tag if one was created (truthy means release shipped)
+        value: ${{ jobs.detect_release.outputs.created-tag }}
+      current-version:
+        description: The current version from detect_release
+        value: ${{ jobs.detect_release.outputs.current-version }}
+
+jobs:
+  detect_release:
+    name: Detect release
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 2
+
+      - id: version-command
+        run: |
+          custom="${{ inputs.version-command }}"
+          if [ -n "$custom" ]; then
+            echo "cmd=$custom" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          elif [ -f package.json ]; then
+            echo "cmd=node -p \"require('./package.json').version\"" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          elif [ -f pyproject.toml ]; then
+            echo "cmd=grep -Po '(?<=^version = \")([^\"]+)' pyproject.toml" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          elif [ -f VERSION ]; then
+            echo "cmd=cat VERSION" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          else
+            echo "::error::No version source found. Set version-command input or add VERSION/package.json/pyproject.toml."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+        shell: bash
+
+      - id: tag
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: salsify/action-detect-and-tag-new-version@v2
+        with:
+          version-command: ${{ steps.version-command.outputs.cmd }}
+          tag-annotation-template: |
+            chore(release): {VERSION}
+
+    outputs:
+      created-tag: ${{ steps.tag.outputs.tag }}
+      current-version: ${{ steps.tag.outputs.current-version }}
+
+  build_changelog:
+    name: Build changelog
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: detect_release
+    if: "!needs.detect_release.outputs.created-tag"
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - id: changelog
+        uses: flowcanon/release-builder/build-changelog@v2
+
+    outputs:
+      has-prs: ${{ steps.changelog.outputs.has-prs }}
+      previous-version: ${{ steps.changelog.outputs.previous-version }}
+      next-version: ${{ steps.changelog.outputs.next-version }}
+      notes: ${{ steps.changelog.outputs.notes }}
+      release: ${{ steps.changelog.outputs.release }}
+
+  create_pr:
+    if: inputs.force_pr || needs.build_changelog.outputs.has-prs
+    name: Create pull request
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: build_changelog
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: flowcanon/release-builder/package-version@v2
+        with:
+          version: ${{ needs.build_changelog.outputs.next-version }}
+
+      - uses: flowcanon/release-builder/pull-request@v2
+        with:
+          next-version: ${{ needs.build_changelog.outputs.next-version }}
+          notes: ${{ needs.build_changelog.outputs.notes }}
+          previous-version: ${{ needs.build_changelog.outputs.previous-version }}
+          release: ${{ needs.build_changelog.outputs.release }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 8005e55..9bd0e95 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -39,6 +39,8 @@ jobs:
   build_changelog:
     name: Build changelog
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: detect_release
+    if: "!needs.detect_release.outputs.created-tag"
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 6f9149b..09d6bf0 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ Each directory contains an `action.yml` (the composite action definition) and su
 
 ## Release pipeline
 
+**Downstream repos should use the reusable workflow** (`.github/workflows/release-pipeline.yml`) rather than assembling jobs from composite actions. The reusable workflow enforces correct job ordering (`detect_release → build_changelog → create_pr`) and prevents race conditions where `build_changelog` runs in parallel with `detect_release`. This repo's own dogfood workflow (`.github/workflows/release.yml`) can't use the reusable workflow because it references actions via `./` local paths, so it handles ordering with explicit `needs` and `if` conditions.
+
 The actions are designed to run in this order:
 
 1. **build-changelog** — Finds merged PRs since the last git tag, generates release notes, determines version bump type (major/minor/patch) from PR title keywords, calculates the next semantic version.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 19f3c8b..b617502 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -223,6 +223,77 @@ Sends Slack notifications about release status. Can send an initial "pending" me
 
 ---
 
+## Reusable Workflow (Recommended)
+
+The easiest way to use release-builder is with the reusable workflow. It encapsulates the full pipeline with correct job ordering, preventing race conditions between tag detection and changelog building.
+
+### Simple repo
+
+```yaml
+name: Release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      force_pr:
+        description: Force pull request
+        type: boolean
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  release:
+    uses: flowcanon/release-builder/.github/workflows/release-pipeline.yml@v2
+    with:
+      force_pr: ${{ inputs.force_pr || false }}
+```
+
+### With deploy step
+
+For repos that deploy on release, add a job that depends on the reusable workflow's outputs:
+
+```yaml
+jobs:
+  release:
+    uses: flowcanon/release-builder/.github/workflows/release-pipeline.yml@v2
+    with:
+      force_pr: ${{ inputs.force_pr || false }}
+
+  deploy:
+    if: needs.release.outputs.created-tag
+    needs: release
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - run: ./script/deploy
+```
+
+### Inputs
+
+| Input | Type | Default | Description |
+|-------|------|---------|-------------|
+| `version-command` | string | `""` | Override for version detection (e.g., `poetry version --short`). Auto-detects from VERSION/package.json/pyproject.toml if empty. |
+| `force_pr` | boolean | `false` | Force PR creation even if no PRs are found |
+
+### Outputs
+
+| Output | Description |
+|--------|-------------|
+| `created-tag` | The tag if one was created (truthy means a release shipped) |
+| `current-version` | The current version from detect_release |
+
+### Why use the reusable workflow?
+
+When using composite actions directly, `detect_release` and `build_changelog` can run in parallel. If a PR title was renamed after the release PR was created, `build_changelog` may calculate a different version than what was tagged, opening a bogus release PR. The reusable workflow enforces `detect_release → build_changelog → create_pr` ordering, so `build_changelog` is skipped when a tag is created.
+
+## Composite Actions
+
+If you need more control (e.g., custom deploy steps between detection and changelog), you can use the composite actions directly. See the sections below.
+
 ## Example
 
 This repository uses its own actions for releases. See [`.github/workflows/release.yml`](.github/workflows/release.yml) for a working implementation.