diff --git a/.github/workflows/node-simple-pnpm.yaml b/.github/workflows/node-simple-pnpm.yaml
index 46bc96ae..74e58eb7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/node-simple-pnpm.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/node-simple-pnpm.yaml
@@ -358,14 +358,30 @@ on:
 
       require-package-path-bump:
         description: |
-          Opt-in gate (block repos): require the package at `package-path` to
-          be DIRECTLY bumped by a changeset on `pull_request` events. When true
-          and the package is not bumped — no empty changeset present and no
-          `skip-changelog` label on the PR — the `check for changesets` check
-          goes RED and blocks merge via branch protection. Sibling/devDependency
-          cascade bumps do NOT satisfy it. Not enforced in the merge queue; the
-          build/test jobs keep running regardless so CI stays usable while
-          iterating.
+          Opt-in gate (block repos): on `pull_request` events, require both
+          halves of the release contract to hold.
+
+            1. The package at `package-path` is DIRECTLY bumped by a changeset.
+               Required on every PR, whether or not that package's own files
+               changed. Sibling/devDependency cascade bumps do NOT satisfy it.
+            2. Every other workspace package whose own files the PR edits is
+               bumped too. Private packages are skipped — they are never
+               published — and a dependency or catalog version bump does not
+               count as editing a package.
+
+          Neither half implies the other: half 1 ignores the diff, half 2
+          ignores untouched packages. Half 2 only bites in a repo with more than
+          one publishable package — in a block repo the private
+          `model`/`ui`/`workflow`/`test` siblings are skipped and `block` is
+          already covered by half 1.
+
+          Either half failing turns the `check for changesets` check RED, which
+          blocks merge via branch protection. Two ways out, each waiving the gate
+          as a whole: an empty changeset added in the branch
+          (`pnpm changeset --empty`), which is the in-repo "no release needed"
+          statement, or the `skip-changelog` label on the PR. Not enforced in the
+          merge queue; the build/test jobs keep running regardless so CI stays
+          usable while iterating.
         type: boolean
         required: false
         default: false
@@ -613,8 +629,9 @@ jobs:
           run: |
             pnpm changeset status --since="origin/${BRANCH_NAME}"
 
-      # Block mode: the `package-path` package must be bumped DIRECTLY (empty
-      # changeset waives; the bypass label is handled by the job `if` above).
+      # Block mode, half 1: the `package-path` package must be bumped DIRECTLY,
+      # on every PR, whether or not its own files changed (empty changeset
+      # waives; the bypass label is handled by the job `if` above).
       # PR-only — merge_group / push need no enforcement here.
       - name: Require package bump by changeset
         if: ${{ inputs.require-package-path-bump && github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
@@ -623,53 +640,11 @@ jobs:
           package-path: ${{ inputs.package-path }}
           base-branch: ${{ inputs.changeset-default-branch }}
 
-  changeset-coverage:
-    name: changeset coverage (diagnostic)
-    runs-on: ${{ inputs.gha-runner-label }}
-    # Diagnostic only: surface per-package changeset gaps as a red check, never block.
-    # The check-coverage step omits continue-on-error, so a gap (exit 1) fails this
-    # job and its check turns red. Job-level continue-on-error keeps the run green and
-    # the merge available. Separate from check-changesets so the native
-    # `changeset status` gate keeps blocking. Keep this job out of required checks.
-    continue-on-error: true
-    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' || github.event_name == 'merge_group'
-    needs:
-      - metadata
-    steps:
-      - id: context
-        uses: milaboratory/github-ci/actions/context@v4-beta
-
-      - uses: milaboratory/github-ci/actions/env@v4-beta
-        with:
-          inputs: ${{ inputs.env }}
-          secrets: ${{ secrets.env }}
-
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          lfs: ${{ inputs.checkout-git-lfs }}
-          submodules: ${{ inputs.checkout-submodules }}
-          fetch-depth: '0'
-
-      - name: Prepare environment for building a NodeJS application
-        uses: milaboratory/github-ci/actions/node/prepare-pnpm@v4-beta
-        env:
-          PNPM_VERSION: ${{ needs.metadata.outputs.pnpm-version }}
-        with:
-          node-version: ${{ inputs.node-version }}
-          cache-version: ${{ inputs.cache-version }}
-          pnpm-version: ${{ env.PNPM_VERSION || inputs.pnpm-version }}
-          cache-hashfiles-search-path: ${{ inputs.cache-hashfiles-search-path }}
-          npmrc-config: ${{ inputs.npmrc-config }}
-          cache-s3-access-key: ${{ env.HZ_CI_CACHE_S3_ACCESS_KEY }}
-          cache-s3-secret-key: ${{ env.HZ_CI_CACHE_S3_SECRET_KEY }}
-
-      - name: Install NodeJS packages with pnpm
-        uses: milaboratory/github-ci/actions/shell@v4-beta
-        with:
-          run: |
-            pnpm install --frozen-lockfile --prefer-offline
-
-      - name: Check changeset coverage
+      # Block mode, half 2: every other workspace package the PR edits must be
+      # bumped as well. Runs even when half 1 already failed, so one red check
+      # reports the complete set of missing bumps instead of one at a time.
+      - name: Require changeset coverage for every edited package
+        if: ${{ !cancelled() && inputs.require-package-path-bump && github.event_name == 'pull_request' }}
         uses: milaboratory/github-ci/actions/changeset/check-coverage@v4-beta
         with:
           base-branch: ${{ inputs.changeset-default-branch }}
diff --git a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/action.yaml b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/action.yaml
index 17ec6121..515557e0 100644
--- a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/action.yaml
+++ b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/action.yaml
@@ -12,8 +12,19 @@ description: |
   chain automatically at `changeset version` time. Flagging consumers of a
   bumped catalog dependency would over-report relative to `pnpm changeset`.
 
-  Runs after `pnpm install`. Requires the runner to have `pnpm` and `jq` on
-  PATH — both pre-installed on GitHub-hosted ubuntu-latest images.
+  An empty changeset (`pnpm changeset --empty`) added in the branch is a
+  deliberate, in-repo "no release needed" opt-out and waives the requirement for
+  every missing package at once — the same rule require-package-bump applies to
+  its own half of the gate. A stale empty changeset already on the base branch
+  does not count.
+
+  This action is label-agnostic; the `skip-changelog` bypass is handled by the
+  caller workflow's job-level `if` (PR labels are only available on
+  `pull_request` events).
+
+  Runs after `pnpm install`. Requires the runner to have `pnpm`, `jq` and `git`
+  on PATH — all pre-installed on GitHub-hosted ubuntu-latest images. `git` needs
+  full history (`fetch-depth: 0`) to see which changesets the branch added.
 
 inputs:
   base-branch:
diff --git a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/check-coverage.sh b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/check-coverage.sh
index 0014ab86..25c04187 100755
--- a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/check-coverage.sh
+++ b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/check-coverage.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 # it edits. Exit 1 on a coverage gap; exit 2 on tooling failure; exit 0
 # otherwise.
 #
+# An empty changeset added in this branch (`pnpm changeset --empty`) waives the
+# requirement — see section 4.
+#
 # "Modified" means a direct edit to a workspace package's own files, detected
 # via `pnpm --filter '[<base>]' list` — pnpm runs the per-package git-diff
 # check itself. Root-level paths (`.github/`, `docs/`, `pnpm-workspace.yaml`,
@@ -149,11 +152,53 @@ if [ "${#missing[@]}" -eq 0 ]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 4. Empty-changeset opt-out.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# A changeset ADDED in this branch whose front matter names no package
+# (`pnpm changeset --empty`) is a deliberate, committed "no release needed"
+# statement and waives the requirement for every missing package at once.
+#
+# Scoped to ADDED files, so a stale empty changeset sitting on the base branch
+# cannot silently satisfy a new PR.
+#
+# require-package-bump.sh applies the same rule to its own half of the gate.
+# Both halves must accept the same declaration — an author who states "no
+# release" should not be failed by one half and passed by the other. Change one
+# and change the other.
+is_empty_changeset() {
+  awk '
+    NR==1 && /^---[[:space:]]*$/ { infm=1; next }
+    infm && /^---[[:space:]]*$/  { exit (found ? 1 : 0) }
+    infm && /[^[:space:]]/       { found=1 }
+    END { if (!infm) exit 2; exit (found ? 1 : 0) }
+  ' "$1"
+}
+
+while IFS= read -r f; do
+  [ -z "${f}" ] && continue
+  case "${f}" in
+    .changeset/README.md) continue ;;
+    .changeset/*.md) ;;
+    *) continue ;;
+  esac
+  [ -f "${f}" ] || continue
+  if is_empty_changeset "${f}"; then
+    log "✓ Empty changeset added in this branch: ${f} — coverage requirement waived."
+    exit 0
+  fi
+done < <(
+  git diff --name-only --diff-filter=A "origin/${BASE_BRANCH}...HEAD" -- .changeset 2>/dev/null || true
+)
+
 err 'Changeset coverage gap. The following packages were modified but not bumped:'
 for pkg in "${missing[@]}"; do
   reason="${required_reason[${pkg}]%; }"
   err "  - ${pkg}  (${reason})"
 done
 err ''
-err "Add a changeset entry — run \`pnpm changeset\` and select the missing packages."
+err 'Do one of:'
+err "  - Bump them: run \`pnpm changeset\` and select the missing packages."
+err '  - Deliberately skip a release: `pnpm changeset --empty` (an empty changeset).'
+err '  - Bypass this check: add the `skip-changelog` label to the PR.'
 exit 1
diff --git a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/README.md b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/README.md
index e959a052..39d6445c 100644
--- a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/README.md
+++ b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/README.md
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ and a couple of git ops.
   the tar copy), commits, and synthesizes an `origin/main` ref.
 - Each test (`setup`) tars the base into `$BATS_TEST_TMPDIR/ws`, switches
   to a `feature` branch, applies mutations via the helpers
-  (`touch_file`, `add_changeset`, `bump_catalog`), and runs the script
+  (`touch_file`, `add_changeset`, `add_empty_changeset`, `bump_catalog`),
+  and runs the script
   with `BASE_BRANCH=main`. The test asserts on the script's exit code and
   the captured `$output`.
 
diff --git a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/coverage.bats b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/coverage.bats
index 313fdf35..fc42fc11 100644
--- a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/coverage.bats
+++ b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/coverage.bats
@@ -139,6 +139,78 @@ setup() {
   [[ "${output}" == *'@check-coverage-test/pkg-c'* ]]
 }
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Empty-changeset opt-out.
+#
+# `pnpm changeset --empty` is the committed "no release needed" statement. It
+# waives coverage the same way it waives require-package-bump's half of the
+# gate — an author who declares "no release" must not be failed by one half and
+# passed by the other.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "an empty changeset added in this branch waives a coverage gap" {
+  touch_file 'packages/pkg-a/index.js'
+  add_empty_changeset
+  run_check
+  [ "${status}" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "${output}" == *'coverage requirement waived'* ]]
+}
+
+@test "an empty changeset waives every missing package at once" {
+  touch_file 'packages/pkg-a/index.js'
+  touch_file 'packages/pkg-b/index.js'
+  add_empty_changeset
+  run_check
+  [ "${status}" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+@test "an empty changeset alongside a partial real changeset waives the rest" {
+  touch_file 'packages/pkg-a/index.js'
+  touch_file 'packages/pkg-b/index.js'
+  add_changeset '"@check-coverage-test/pkg-a": patch' 'edit pkg-a'
+  add_empty_changeset
+  run_check
+  [ "${status}" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+# The opt-out is scoped to changesets ADDED in the branch. An empty changeset
+# inherited from the base branch is present in the tree but was not added here,
+# so it must not satisfy a new PR — otherwise one forgotten empty changeset on
+# main would disable the gate for every branch cut afterwards.
+@test "an empty changeset inherited from the base branch does not waive" {
+  git -C "${WORKSPACE}" checkout --quiet main
+  add_empty_changeset 'stale opt-out'
+  git -C "${WORKSPACE}" update-ref refs/remotes/origin/main main
+  git -C "${WORKSPACE}" checkout --quiet -B feature main
+  touch_file 'packages/pkg-a/index.js'
+  run_check
+  [ "${status}" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "${output}" == *'@check-coverage-test/pkg-a'* ]]
+}
+
+# A real changeset added in the branch is not empty and must not be read as the
+# opt-out, or naming one package would waive the requirement for all the others.
+@test "a non-empty changeset is not treated as the opt-out" {
+  touch_file 'packages/pkg-a/index.js'
+  touch_file 'packages/pkg-b/index.js'
+  add_changeset '"@check-coverage-test/pkg-a": patch' 'edit pkg-a'
+  run_check
+  [ "${status}" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "${output}" == *'@check-coverage-test/pkg-b'* ]]
+}
+
+# Exit 2 (tooling broken) must win over the waiver: with no changeset binary the
+# coverage question is unanswerable, and an empty changeset must not convert
+# that into a pass.
+@test "an empty changeset does not mask a tooling failure" {
+  rm -f "${WORKSPACE}/node_modules/.bin/changeset"
+  touch_file 'packages/pkg-a/index.js'
+  add_empty_changeset
+  run_check
+  [ "${status}" -eq 2 ]
+  [[ "${output}" == *'changeset binary not found'* ]]
+}
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Base-branch input.
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/helpers.bash b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/helpers.bash
index 3df0476e..95071aa7 100644
--- a/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/helpers.bash
+++ b/actions/changeset/check-coverage/test/helpers.bash
@@ -76,6 +76,18 @@ EOF
   git -C "${WORKSPACE}" commit --quiet -m "add changeset: ${title}"
 }
 
+# Drop an empty changeset — the shape `pnpm changeset --empty` produces: front
+# matter naming no package. Args: title (optional, only used for the filename
+# and commit message).
+add_empty_changeset() {
+  local title="${1:-no release needed}"
+  local slug
+  slug="$(printf '%s' "${title}" | tr -cs 'a-z0-9' '-' | sed 's/^-\|-$//g')"
+  printf -- '---\n---\n' >"${WORKSPACE}/.changeset/${slug}.md"
+  git -C "${WORKSPACE}" add ".changeset/${slug}.md"
+  git -C "${WORKSPACE}" commit --quiet -m "add empty changeset: ${title}"
+}
+
 # Edit a file under $WORKSPACE, stage and commit. Args: relpath, content (or
 # defaults to appending a comment).
 touch_file() {