diff --git a/.github/workflows/create-release.yml b/.github/workflows/create-release.yml
index 69e3847f..fe0cb61e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/create-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/create-release.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          # Use PAT with bypass permissions for pushing to protected branch
+          token: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_TOKEN }}
 
       - name: Validate version format
         run: |