diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index f8b1dfdd..689cc682 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ For anything new: prefer what's already pinned in `pyproject.toml` / `frontend/p
 
 **Docs-sync (hard rule, owner-set 2026-06-11):** any change that alters something these docs describe — README.md, `.github/CONTRIBUTING.md`, `.github/SECURITY.md`, `.github/SUPPORT.md`, LICENSE, or `docs/**` (install flows, Docker tag semantics, platform support, versioning/release behavior, review process, supported versions) — must update those docs **in the same PR** as the change. If a doc impact is discovered after merge, the docs fix is the immediate next commit, not backlog. Stale docs are treated as bugs.
 
-**Release notes / changelog (hard rule, owner-set 2026-06-16):** every tagged release gets a **high-quality, user-facing `## [X.Y.Z] — DATE` section in `CHANGELOG.md`** before (or in the same hour as) the tag — never the "Auto-generated release for vX.Y.Z…" fallback. `release.yml` extracts that section verbatim as the GitHub Release body (the `Extract CHANGELOG section for tag` step), so a missing/empty section ships a bare release. Quality bar (owner-restyled 2026-07-17, replaces the old bold-lead paragraphs): **quiet and scannable** — a short `**Highlights**` bullet list first (plain words, one line each), then `### Changed` / `### Added` / `### Docs` / `### Fixed` / `### License` / `### CI` subsections where each entry is a **single one-liner** with the `(#NNN)` issue/PR ref and contributor credit (`— thanks @user!`) where applicable. Written for users, grouped by theme, no multi-line paragraphs, **not** raw commit dumps. This applies to **preview builds too**: preview release notes summarize what's new on `main` since the last stable, in the same style. Workflow: as features merge, keep `## [Unreleased]` current; at release time rename it to the version + date. If a release was already cut with the fallback body, the next action is to backfill `CHANGELOG.md` **and** `gh release edit <tag>` the live body — not backlog.
+**Release notes / changelog (hard rule, owner-set 2026-06-16):** every tagged release gets a **high-quality, user-facing `## [X.Y.Z] — DATE` section in `CHANGELOG.md`** before (or in the same hour as) the tag — never the "Auto-generated release for vX.Y.Z…" fallback. The desktop release workflow extracts that section verbatim as the GitHub Release body, so a missing/empty section ships a bare release. Quality bar (owner-restyled 2026-07-17, replaces the old bold-lead paragraphs): **quiet and scannable change entries** — after an optional tagged-release introduction (see the presentation rule below), a short `**Highlights**` bullet list (plain words, one line each), then `### Changed` / `### Added` / `### Docs` / `### Fixed` / `### License` / `### CI` subsections where each entry is a **single one-liner** with the `(#NNN)` issue/PR ref and contributor credit (`— thanks @user!`) where applicable. Change entries are written for users, grouped by theme, with no multi-line entry paragraphs or raw commit dumps. This applies to **preview builds too**: preview release notes summarize what's new on `main` since the last stable, in the same style. Workflow: as features merge, keep `## [Unreleased]` current; at release time rename it to the version + date. If a release was already cut with the fallback body, the next action is to backfill `CHANGELOG.md` **and** `gh release edit <tag>` the live body — not backlog.
 
 **Release presentation and credits (owner-set 2026-09-17):** Tagged release announcements lead with the biggest user-visible change; redesigns need real UI screenshots and migrations need installer links and steps. Verify all contributor credits from the tag comparison and included PRs; list authors and bug reporters separately (see `docs/RELEASING.md`). Keep Highlights to 3–5 bullets; the release introduction can include prose, images, and a download table before the concise change entries.
 
diff --git a/tests/test_changelog_style.py b/tests/test_changelog_style.py
index 5a648b15..282bea30 100644
--- a/tests/test_changelog_style.py
+++ b/tests/test_changelog_style.py
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 """CHANGELOG.md quiet-style linter — deterministic CI for the release-notes rule.
 
 CLAUDE.md, "Release notes / changelog" (hard rule, owner-restyled 2026-07-17):
-sections are **quiet and scannable** — a short `**Highlights**` bullet list
-first, then `### Changed` / `### Added` / … subsections where each entry is a
+change entries are **quiet and scannable** — an optional tagged-release
+introduction may precede the short `**Highlights**` bullet list, followed by `### Changed` / `### Added` / … subsections where each entry is a
 single one-liner carrying its `(#NNN)` ref and `— thanks @user!` credit where
 applicable. No multi-line paragraphs, no raw commit dumps.