diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 75f4e91..8388990 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ which records not just what changed but what each drill run proved.
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+## 0.8.0 — 2026-07-19
+
 ### Added
 
 - **Merging the release PR IS the release — and the release re-arms main
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index c0ab427..a3df0a6 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.7.1-dev
+0.8.0