diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 13b05e0d..bc4e2870 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -28,9 +28,26 @@ lein doc
 - Tutorials:
   - [Modeling Threat Intelligence in CTIM](doc/tutorials/modeling-threat-intel-ctim.md)
 
+## Releases
+
+```clojure
+# snapshot release
+lein deploy
+
+# for releases, set project.clj version to x.y.z-SNAPSHOT
+# this command then releases as x.y.z and bumps to x.y.(z+1)-SNAPSHOT
+# aliased as ./script/release.sh
+lein release :patch
+
+# if release fails partway through, use these commands to recover
+git tag --delete x.y.z
+# you might have a redundant commit "Version x.y.z", undo with:
+git reset --hard SHA_BEFORE_FAILED_RELEASE
+```
+
 ## License
 
-Copyright © 2016-2023 Cisco Systems
+Copyright © 2016-2024 Cisco Systems
 
 Distributed under the Eclipse Public License either version 1.0 or (at
 your option) any later version.
diff --git a/project.clj b/project.clj
index a478e73d..709d4737 100644
--- a/project.clj
+++ b/project.clj
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-(defproject threatgrid/ctim "1.3.21-SNAPSHOT"
+(defproject threatgrid/ctim "1.3.22-SNAPSHOT"
   :description "Cisco Threat Intelligence Model"
   :url "http://github.com/threatgrid/ctim"
   :license {:name "Eclipse Public License"
@@ -24,13 +24,30 @@
   :plugins [[lein-cljsbuild "1.1.7"]
             [com.google.guava/guava "20.0"] ;resolve internal conflict in `lein-doo`
             [lein-doo "0.1.11" :exclusions [org.clojure/clojure]]
+            ;;uncomment for lein-git-down
             #_[reifyhealth/lein-git-down "0.3.5"]]
 
+  ;;uncomment for lein-git-down
   ;:middleware [lein-git-down.plugin/inject-properties]
   ;:repositories [["public-github" {:url "git://github.com"}]
   ;               ["private-github" {:url "git://github.com" :protocol :ssh}]]
 
-
+  :release-tasks [["clean"]
+                  ["doc"]
+                  ;; this command will fail if `lein doc` generates anything new
+                  ;; please commit it and try again
+                  ["vcs" "assert-committed"]
+                  ["change" "version" "leiningen.release/bump-version" "release"]
+                  ;; will fail if project.clj doesn't already have -SNAPSHOT version
+                  ["vcs" "commit"]
+                  ["vcs" "tag" "--no-sign"]
+                  ["deploy" "clojars"]
+                  ["change" "version" "leiningen.release/bump-version"]
+                  ["vcs" "commit"]
+                  ;; fails if no upstream branch is defined
+                  ;; if it fails at this point you can complete the release using:
+                  ;; git push --tags --set-upstream origin release-x.y.z
+                  ["vcs" "push"]]
 
   :aliases  {"doc" ^{:doc "Generate documentation"} ["run" "-m" "ctim.document"]
              "docs" ^{:doc "Generate documentation"} ["doc"]
diff --git a/script/release.sh b/script/release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..a1c085b5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/script/release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -xe
+lein release :patch