diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-v1x.yml b/.github/workflows/release-v1x.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3bebc9b50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-v1x.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+# Publish v1.x releases when a v1.* tag is pushed
+# This allows releasing from the v1.x branch without switching GitHub's default branch
+#
+# Automatic (latest v1.x):
+#   git checkout v1.x
+#   npm version patch  # bumps version and creates tag
+#   git push origin v1.x --tags
+#
+# Manual (for older minor versions like v1.23.x):
+#   1. Create a release branch: git checkout -b release/1.23 v1.23.1
+#   2. Apply your fixes
+#   3. Bump version: npm version patch  # creates v1.23.2 tag
+#   4. Push: git push origin release/1.23 --tags
+#   5. Run this workflow manually from GitHub Actions, specifying the tag
+#
+# The workflow will automatically build, test, and publish to npm.
+
+name: Publish v1.x
+
+on:
+    push:
+        tags:
+            - 'v1.*'
+    workflow_dispatch:
+        inputs:
+            ref:
+                description: 'Git ref to release (tag, e.g., v1.23.2)'
+                required: true
+                type: string
+
+permissions:
+    contents: read
+
+concurrency: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ inputs.ref || github.ref }}
+
+jobs:
+    build:
+        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+        steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+              with:
+                  ref: ${{ inputs.ref || github.ref }}
+            - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+              with:
+                  node-version: 24
+                  cache: npm
+
+            - run: npm ci
+            - run: npm run check
+            - run: npm run build
+
+    test:
+        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+        strategy:
+            fail-fast: false
+            matrix:
+                node-version: [18, 24]
+
+        steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+              with:
+                  ref: ${{ inputs.ref || github.ref }}
+            - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+              with:
+                  node-version: ${{ matrix.node-version }}
+                  cache: npm
+
+            - run: npm ci
+            - run: npm test
+
+    publish:
+        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+        needs: [build, test]
+        environment: release
+
+        permissions:
+            contents: read
+            id-token: write
+
+        steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+              with:
+                  ref: ${{ inputs.ref || github.ref }}
+            - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+              with:
+                  node-version: 24
+                  cache: npm
+                  registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
+
+            - run: npm ci
+
+            - name: Determine npm tag
+              id: npm-tag
+              run: |
+                  VERSION=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
+                  # Use "release-X.Y" as tag for v1.x releases
+                  # This allows users to install specific minor versions:
+                  #   npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk@release-1.25
+                  MAJOR_MINOR=$(echo "$VERSION" | cut -d. -f1,2)
+                  echo "tag=release-${MAJOR_MINOR}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+            - run: npm publish --provenance --access public --tag ${{ steps.npm-tag.outputs.tag }}
+              env:
+                  NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 64c8ab140..767c3f0d4 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -60,6 +60,48 @@ pnpm --filter @modelcontextprotocol/examples-server exec tsx src/simpleStreamabl
 pnpm --filter @modelcontextprotocol/examples-client exec tsx src/simpleStreamableHttp.ts
 ```
 
+## Releasing v1.x Patches
+
+The `v1.x` branch contains the stable v1 release. To release a patch:
+
+### Latest v1.x (e.g., v1.25.3)
+
+```bash
+git checkout v1.x
+git pull origin v1.x
+# Apply your fix or cherry-pick commits
+npm version patch      # Bumps version and creates tag (e.g., v1.25.3)
+git push origin v1.x --tags
+```
+
+The tag push automatically triggers the release workflow.
+
+### Older minor versions (e.g., v1.23.2)
+
+For patching older minor versions that aren't on the `v1.x` branch:
+
+```bash
+# 1. Create a release branch from the last release tag
+git checkout -b release/1.23 v1.23.1
+
+# 2. Apply your fixes (cherry-pick or manual)
+git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
+
+# 3. Bump version and push
+npm version patch      # Creates v1.23.2 tag
+git push origin release/1.23 --tags
+```
+
+Then manually trigger the "Publish v1.x" workflow from [GitHub Actions](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/typescript-sdk/actions/workflows/release-v1x.yml), specifying the tag (e.g., `v1.23.2`).
+
+### npm Tags
+
+v1.x releases are published with `release-X.Y` npm tags (e.g., `release-1.25`), not `latest`. To install a specific minor version:
+
+```bash
+npm install @modelcontextprotocol/sdk@release-1.25
+```
+
 ## Code of Conduct
 
 This project follows our [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md). Please review it before contributing.