diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-relay.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-relay.yml
index 15637840a..7712bd66c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy-relay.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-relay.yml
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 name: Deploy Relay
 
 on:
-  push:
-    branches: [main]
-    paths:
-      - "packages/relay/**"
-      - ".github/workflows/deploy-relay.yml"
+  # Manual-only while relay.paseo.sh bridges traffic to the Fly deployment.
+  # A release or main push must not redeploy the temporary Cloudflare bridge.
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 jobs:
diff --git a/docs/release.md b/docs/release.md
index 7ca078a20..668ba5782 100644
--- a/docs/release.md
+++ b/docs/release.md
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ This bumps the version across all workspaces, runs checks, publishes to npm, and
 
 The Docker workflow builds images from the checked-out source tree on pull requests and on `main` as non-publishing checks. Stable `vX.Y.Z` tag pushes publish `ghcr.io/getpaseo/paseo:X.Y.Z` and `ghcr.io/getpaseo/paseo:latest`; beta `vX.Y.Z-beta.N` tag pushes publish only `ghcr.io/getpaseo/paseo:X.Y.Z-beta.N` and never move `latest`.
 
+Relay deployment is manual-only while `relay.paseo.sh` bridges traffic to the Fly deployment. Releases and pushes to `main` do not deploy the Cloudflare relay worker. Deploy it explicitly with `gh workflow run deploy-relay.yml` only when the production bridge should change.
+
 **Releases are always patch.** "Release paseo", "release stable", "ship stable", and similar always mean a patch bump from the previous stable. Never bump minor or major to trigger a build, ever — minor and major bumps are reserved for genuinely larger product cuts and require an explicit user instruction with the word "minor" or "major". If you find yourself reaching for `release:minor` to retrigger a failed build, you are doing the wrong thing — push a retry tag instead (see "Fixing a failed release build" below).
 
 **Stable means stable.** If the user says "stable" or "ship stable", do not ask whether they want a beta first. They picked stable; treat it as a direct stable release. Only run the beta flow when the user explicitly says "beta".