diff --git a/docs/reference/RELEASING.md b/docs/reference/RELEASING.md
index 37a97b9ba..527b110b0 100644
--- a/docs/reference/RELEASING.md
+++ b/docs/reference/RELEASING.md
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ When the operator says “release”, immediately do this preflight (no extra qu
 2) **Build & artifacts**
 - [ ] If A2UI inputs changed, run `pnpm canvas:a2ui:bundle` and commit any updated [`src/canvas-host/a2ui/a2ui.bundle.js`](https://github.com/clawdbot/clawdbot/blob/main/src/canvas-host/a2ui/a2ui.bundle.js).
 - [ ] `pnpm run build` (regenerates `dist/`).
+- [ ] Verify npm package `files` includes all required `dist/*` folders (notably `dist/node-host/**` and `dist/acp/**` for headless node + ACP CLI).
 - [ ] Confirm `dist/build-info.json` exists and includes the expected `commit` hash (CLI banner uses this for npm installs).
 - [ ] Optional: `npm pack --pack-destination /tmp` after the build; inspect the tarball contents and keep it handy for the GitHub release (do **not** commit it).