diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5407bb2..7a01293 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -33,8 +33,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Security
 - Kept release-time git checks and branch/tag validation in shared release flow to reduce accidental publish risk.
-
-
+  
 <!-- 
 Template for new releases:
 
diff --git a/utils/Force-AmendTaggedCommit/Force-AmendTaggedCommit.bat b/utils/Force-AmendTaggedCommit/Force-AmendTaggedCommit.bat
index a2c4bda..20029f8 100644
--- a/utils/Force-AmendTaggedCommit/Force-AmendTaggedCommit.bat
+++ b/utils/Force-AmendTaggedCommit/Force-AmendTaggedCommit.bat
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 @echo off
-powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1"
-pause
\ No newline at end of file
+pwsh -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1"
+pause
diff --git a/utils/Force-AmendTaggedCommit/Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1 b/utils/Force-AmendTaggedCommit/Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1
index bca2946..d338a36 100644
--- a/utils/Force-AmendTaggedCommit/Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1
+++ b/utils/Force-AmendTaggedCommit/Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
 <#
 .SYNOPSIS
     Amends the latest commit, recreates its associated tag, and force pushes both to remote.
@@ -16,10 +19,10 @@
     If specified, shows what would be done without making changes.
 
 .EXAMPLE
-    .\Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1
+    pwsh -File .\Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1
     
 .EXAMPLE
-    .\Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1 -DryRun
+    pwsh -File .\Force-AmendTaggedCommit.ps1 -DryRun
 
 .NOTES
     CONFIGURATION (scriptsettings.json):
diff --git a/utils/Generate-CoverageBadges/Generate-CoverageBadges.bat b/utils/Generate-CoverageBadges/Generate-CoverageBadges.bat
index 4569dab..2790074 100644
--- a/utils/Generate-CoverageBadges/Generate-CoverageBadges.bat
+++ b/utils/Generate-CoverageBadges/Generate-CoverageBadges.bat
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 @echo off
-powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0Generate-CoverageBadges.ps1"
+pwsh -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0Generate-CoverageBadges.ps1"
 pause
diff --git a/utils/Generate-CoverageBadges/Generate-CoverageBadges.ps1 b/utils/Generate-CoverageBadges/Generate-CoverageBadges.ps1
index 115eaf1..24f7d09 100644
--- a/utils/Generate-CoverageBadges/Generate-CoverageBadges.ps1
+++ b/utils/Generate-CoverageBadges/Generate-CoverageBadges.ps1
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
 <#
 .SYNOPSIS
     Generates SVG coverage badges for README.
@@ -20,7 +23,7 @@
     dotnet tool install -g dotnet-reportgenerator-globaltool
 
 .EXAMPLE
-    .\Generate-CoverageBadges.ps1
+    pwsh -File .\Generate-CoverageBadges.ps1
     Runs tests and generates coverage badges (and optionally HTML report if configured).
 
 .OUTPUTS
@@ -185,7 +188,7 @@ foreach ($badge in $Settings.badges) {
     $color = Get-BadgeColor $metricValue
     $svg = New-Badge -label $badge.label -value "$metricValue%" -color $color
     $path = Join-Path $BadgesDir $badge.name
-    $svg | Out-File -FilePath $path -Encoding utf8
+    $svg | Out-File -FilePath $path -Encoding utf8NoBOM
     Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "$($badge.name): $($badge.label) = $metricValue%"
 }
 
diff --git a/utils/GitTools.psm1 b/utils/GitTools.psm1
index 5b795c9..405f408 100644
--- a/utils/GitTools.psm1
+++ b/utils/GitTools.psm1
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
 #
 # Shared Git helpers for utility scripts.
 #
diff --git a/utils/Logging.psm1 b/utils/Logging.psm1
index 28be784..a0cbb3d 100644
--- a/utils/Logging.psm1
+++ b/utils/Logging.psm1
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
 function Get-LogTimestampInternal {
     return (Get-Date).ToString("yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss")
 }
diff --git a/utils/Release-NuGetPackage/Release-NuGetPackage.bat b/utils/Release-NuGetPackage/Release-NuGetPackage.bat
deleted file mode 100644
index 7fa08e9..0000000
--- a/utils/Release-NuGetPackage/Release-NuGetPackage.bat
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-@echo off
-powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0Release-NuGetPackage.ps1"
-pause
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/utils/Release-NuGetPackage/Release-NuGetPackage.ps1 b/utils/Release-NuGetPackage/Release-NuGetPackage.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index e03eadd..0000000
--- a/utils/Release-NuGetPackage/Release-NuGetPackage.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,747 +0,0 @@
-<#
-.SYNOPSIS
-    Release script for MaksIT.Core NuGet package and GitHub release.
-
-.DESCRIPTION
-    This script automates the release process for MaksIT.Core library.
-    The script is IDEMPOTENT - you can safely re-run it if any step fails.
-    It will skip already-completed steps (NuGet and GitHub) and only create what's missing.
-    
-    Features:
-    - Validates environment and prerequisites
-    - Checks if version already exists on NuGet.org (skips if released)
-    - Checks if GitHub release exists (skips if released)
-    - Scans for vulnerable packages (security check)
-    - Builds and tests the project (Windows + Linux via Docker)
-    - Collects code coverage with Coverlet (threshold enforcement optional)
-    - Generates test result artifacts (TRX format) and coverage reports
-    - Displays test results with pass/fail counts and coverage percentage
-    - Publishes to NuGet.org
-    - Creates a GitHub release with changelog and NuGet package assets
-    - Shows timing summary for all steps
-
-.REQUIREMENTS
-    Environment Variables:
-    - NUGET_MAKS_IT        : NuGet.org API key for publishing packages
-    - GITHUB_MAKS_IT_COM   : GitHub Personal Access Token (needs 'repo' scope)
-
-    Tools (Required):
-    - dotnet CLI           : For building, testing, and packing
-    - git                  : For version control operations
-    - gh (GitHub CLI)      : For creating GitHub releases
-    - docker               : For cross-platform Linux testing
-
-.WORKFLOW
-    1. VALIDATION PHASE
-       - Check required environment variables (NuGet key, GitHub token)
-       - Check required tools are installed (dotnet, git, gh, docker)
-       - Verify no uncommitted changes in working directory
-       - Authenticate GitHub CLI
-
-    2. VERSION & RELEASE CHECK PHASE (Idempotent)
-       - Read latest version from CHANGELOG.md
-       - Find commit with matching version tag
-       - Validate tag is on configured release branch (from scriptsettings.json)
-       - Check if already released on NuGet.org (mark for skip if yes)
-       - Check if GitHub release exists (mark for skip if yes)
-       - Read target framework from MaksIT.Core.csproj
-       - Extract release notes from CHANGELOG.md for current version
-
-    3. SECURITY SCAN
-       - Check for vulnerable packages (dotnet list package --vulnerable)
-       - Fail or warn based on $failOnVulnerabilities setting
-
-    4. BUILD & TEST PHASE
-       - Clean previous builds (delete bin/obj folders)
-       - Restore NuGet packages
-       - Windows: Build main project -> Build test project -> Run tests with coverage
-       - Analyze code coverage (fail if below threshold when configured)
-       - Linux (Docker): Build main project -> Build test project -> Run tests (TRX report)
-       - Rebuild for Windows (Docker may overwrite bin/obj)
-       - Create NuGet package (.nupkg) and symbols (.snupkg)
-       - All steps are timed for performance tracking
-
-    5. CONFIRMATION PHASE
-       - Display release summary
-       - Prompt user for confirmation before proceeding
-
-    6. NUGET RELEASE PHASE (Idempotent)
-       - Skip if version already exists on NuGet.org
-       - Otherwise, push package to NuGet.org
-
-    7. GITHUB RELEASE PHASE (Idempotent)
-       - Skip if release already exists
-       - Push tag to remote if not already there
-       - Create GitHub release with:
-         * Release notes from CHANGELOG.md
-         * .nupkg and .snupkg as downloadable assets
-
-    8. COMPLETION PHASE
-       - Display timing summary for all steps
-       - Display test results summary
-       - Display success summary with links
-       - Open NuGet and GitHub release pages in browser
-       - TODO: Email notification (template provided)
-       - TODO: Package signing (template provided)
-
-.USAGE
-    Before running:
-    1. Ensure Docker Desktop is running (for Linux tests)
-    2. Update version in MaksIT.Core.csproj
-    3. Run .\Generate-Changelog.ps1 to update CHANGELOG.md and LICENSE.md
-    4. Review and commit all changes
-    5. Create version tag: git tag v1.x.x
-    6. Run: .\Release-NuGetPackage.ps1
-    
-    Note: The script finds the commit with the tag matching CHANGELOG.md version.
-    You can run it from any branch/commit - it releases the tagged commit.
-
-    Re-run release (idempotent - skips NuGet/GitHub if already released):
-        .\Release-NuGetPackage.ps1
-
-    Generate changelog and update LICENSE year:
-        .\Generate-Changelog.ps1
-
-.CONFIGURATION
-    All settings are stored in scriptsettings.json:
-    - qualityGates: Coverage threshold, vulnerability checks
-    - packageSigning: Code signing certificate configuration
-    - emailNotification: SMTP settings for release notifications
-
-.NOTES
-    Author: Maksym Sadovnychyy (MAKS-IT)
-    Repository: https://github.com/MAKS-IT-COM/maksit-core
-#>
-
-# No parameters - behavior is controlled by current branch (configured in scriptsettings.json):
-# - dev branch     -> Local build only (no tag required, uncommitted changes allowed)
-# - release branch -> Full release to GitHub (tag required, clean working directory)
-
-# Get the directory of the current script (for loading settings and relative paths)
-$scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
-
-#region Import Modules
-
-# Import TestRunner module
-$utilsDir = Split-Path $scriptDir -Parent
-
-$testRunnerModulePath = Join-Path $utilsDir "TestRunner.psm1"
-if (-not (Test-Path $testRunnerModulePath)) {
-    Write-Error "TestRunner module not found at: $testRunnerModulePath"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-Import-Module $testRunnerModulePath -Force
-
-# Import ScriptConfig module
-$scriptConfigModulePath = Join-Path $utilsDir "ScriptConfig.psm1"
-if (-not (Test-Path $scriptConfigModulePath)) {
-    Write-Error "ScriptConfig module not found at: $scriptConfigModulePath"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-Import-Module $scriptConfigModulePath -Force
-
-# Import Logging module
-$loggingModulePath = Join-Path $utilsDir "Logging.psm1"
-if (-not (Test-Path $loggingModulePath)) {
-    Write-Error "Logging module not found at: $loggingModulePath"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-Import-Module $loggingModulePath -Force
-
-
-# Import GitTools module
-$gitToolsModulePath = Join-Path $utilsDir "GitTools.psm1"
-if (-not (Test-Path $gitToolsModulePath)) {
-    Write-Error "GitTools module not found at: $gitToolsModulePath"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-Import-Module $gitToolsModulePath -Force
-
-#endregion
-
-#region Load Settings
-$settings = Get-ScriptSettings -ScriptDir $scriptDir
-
-#endregion
-
-#region Configuration
-
-# GitHub configuration
-$githubReleseEnabled = $settings.github.enabled
-$githubTokenEnvVar = $settings.github.githubToken
-$githubToken = [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable($githubTokenEnvVar)
-
-# NuGet configuration
-$nugetReleseEnabled = $settings.nuget.enabled
-$nugetApiKeyEnvVar = $settings.nuget.nugetApiKey
-$nugetApiKey = [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable($nugetApiKeyEnvVar)
-$nugetSource = if ($settings.nuget.source) { $settings.nuget.source } else { "https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json" }
-
-# Paths from settings (resolve relative to script directory)
-$csprojPaths = @()
-$rawCsprojPaths = @()
-
-if ($settings.paths.csprojPaths) {
-    if ($settings.paths.csprojPaths -is [System.Collections.IEnumerable] -and -not ($settings.paths.csprojPaths -is [string])) {
-        $rawCsprojPaths += $settings.paths.csprojPaths
-    }
-    else {
-        $rawCsprojPaths += $settings.paths.csprojPaths
-    }
-}
-else {
-    Write-Error "No csproj path configured. Set 'paths.csprojPaths' (preferred) or 'paths.csprojPath' in scriptsettings.json."
-    exit 1
-}
-
-foreach ($path in $rawCsprojPaths) {
-    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($path)) {
-        continue
-    }
-
-    $resolvedPath = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $scriptDir $path))
-    $csprojPaths += $resolvedPath
-}
-
-if ($csprojPaths.Count -eq 0) {
-    Write-Error "No valid csproj paths configured in scriptsettings.json."
-    exit 1
-}
-
-$testResultsDir = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $scriptDir $settings.paths.testResultsDir))
-$releaseDir = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $scriptDir $settings.paths.releaseDir))
-$changelogPath = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $scriptDir $settings.paths.changelogPath))
-$testProjectPath = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $scriptDir $settings.paths.testProject))
-
-# Release naming pattern
-$zipNamePattern = $settings.release.zipNamePattern
-$releaseTitlePattern = $settings.release.releaseTitlePattern
-
-# Branch configuration
-$releaseBranch = $settings.branches.release
-$devBranch = $settings.branches.dev
-
-#endregion
-
-#region Helpers
-
-# Helper: extract a csproj property (first match)
-function Get-CsprojPropertyValue {
-    param(
-        [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][xml]$csproj,
-        [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)][string]$propertyName
-    )
-
-    $propNode = $csproj.Project.PropertyGroup |
-        Where-Object { $_.$propertyName } |
-        Select-Object -First 1
-
-    if ($propNode) {
-        return $propNode.$propertyName
-    }
-
-    return $null
-}
-
-# Helper: check for uncommitted changes
-function Assert-WorkingTreeClean {
-    param(
-        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
-        [bool]$IsReleaseBranch
-    )
-
-    $gitStatus = Get-GitStatusShort
-    if ($gitStatus) {
-        if ($IsReleaseBranch) {
-            Write-Error "Working directory has uncommitted changes. Commit or stash them before releasing."
-            Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Uncommitted files:"
-            $gitStatus | ForEach-Object { Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  $_" }
-            exit 1
-        }
-        else {
-            Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Uncommitted changes detected (allowed on dev branch)."
-        }
-    }
-    else {
-        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Working directory is clean."
-    }
-}
-
-# Helper: read versions from csproj files
-function Get-CsprojVersions {
-    param(
-        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
-        [string[]]$CsprojPaths
-    )
-
-    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "Reading version(s) from csproj(s)..."
-    $projectVersions = @{}
-
-    foreach ($projPath in $CsprojPaths) {
-        if (-not (Test-Path $projPath -PathType Leaf)) {
-            Write-Error "Csproj file not found at: $projPath"
-            exit 1
-        }
-
-        if ([System.IO.Path]::GetExtension($projPath) -ne ".csproj") {
-            Write-Error "Configured path is not a .csproj file: $projPath"
-            exit 1
-        }
-
-        [xml]$csproj = Get-Content $projPath
-        $version = Get-CsprojPropertyValue -csproj $csproj -propertyName "Version"
-
-        if (-not $version) {
-            Write-Error "Version not found in $projPath"
-            exit 1
-        }
-
-        $projectVersions[$projPath] = $version
-        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  $([System.IO.Path]::GetFileName($projPath)): $version"
-    }
-
-    return $projectVersions
-}
-
-#endregion
-
-#region Validate CLI Dependencies
-
-Assert-Command dotnet
-Assert-Command git
-Assert-Command docker
-# gh command check deferred until after branch detection (only needed on release branch)
-
-#endregion
-
-#region Main
-
-Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "=================================================="
-Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "RELEASE BUILD"
-Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "=================================================="
-
-#region Preflight
-
-$isDevBranch = $false
-$isReleaseBranch = $false
-
-# 1. Detect current branch and determine release mode
-$currentBranch = Get-CurrentBranch
-
-$isDevBranch = $currentBranch -eq $devBranch
-$isReleaseBranch = $currentBranch -eq $releaseBranch
-
-if (-not $isDevBranch -and -not $isReleaseBranch) {
-    Write-Error "Releases can only be created from '$releaseBranch' or '$devBranch' branches. Current branch: $currentBranch"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-# 2. Check for uncommitted changes (required on release branch, allowed on dev)
-Assert-WorkingTreeClean -IsReleaseBranch:$isReleaseBranch
-
-# 3. Get version from csproj (source of truth)
-$projectVersions = Get-CsprojVersions -CsprojPaths $csprojPaths
-
-# Use the first project's version as the release version
-$version = $projectVersions[$csprojPaths[0]]
-
-# 4. Handle tag based on branch
-if ($isReleaseBranch) {
-    # Release branch: tag is required and must match version
-    $tag = Get-CurrentCommitTag -Version $version
-    
-    if ($tag -notmatch '^v(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)$') {
-        Write-Error "Tag '$tag' does not match expected format 'vX.Y.Z' (e.g., v$version)."
-        exit 1
-    }
-
-    $tagVersion = $Matches[1]
-    
-    if ($tagVersion -ne $version) {
-        Write-Error "Tag version ($tagVersion) does not match csproj version ($version)."
-        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Either update the tag or the csproj version."
-        exit 1
-    }
-
-    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Tag found: $tag (matches csproj)"
-}
-else {
-    # Dev branch: no tag required, use version from csproj
-    $tag = "v$version"
-    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Using version from csproj (no tag required on dev)."
-}
-
-# 5. Verify CHANGELOG.md has matching version entry
-Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "Verifying CHANGELOG.md..."
-if (-not (Test-Path $changelogPath)) {
-    Write-Error "CHANGELOG.md not found at: $changelogPath"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-$changelog = Get-Content $changelogPath -Raw
-
-if ($changelog -notmatch '##\s+v(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)') {
-    Write-Error "No version entry found in CHANGELOG.md"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-$changelogVersion = $Matches[1]
-
-if ($changelogVersion -ne $version) {
-    Write-Error "Csproj version ($version) does not match latest CHANGELOG.md version ($changelogVersion)."
-    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Update CHANGELOG.md or the csproj version."
-    exit 1
-}
-
-Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  CHANGELOG.md version matches: v$changelogVersion"
-
-
-
-Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "All pre-flight checks passed!"
-
-#endregion
-
-#region Test
-
-Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Running tests..."
-
-# Run tests using TestRunner module
-$testResult = Invoke-TestsWithCoverage -TestProjectPath $testProjectPath -ResultsDirectory $testResultsDir -Silent
-
-if (-not $testResult.Success) {
-    Write-Error "Tests failed. Release aborted."
-    Write-Log -Level "ERROR" -Message "  Error: $($testResult.Error)"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  All tests passed!"
-Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Line Coverage:   $($testResult.LineRate)%"
-Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Branch Coverage: $($testResult.BranchRate)%"
-Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Method Coverage: $($testResult.MethodRate)%"
-
-#endregion
-
-#region Build And Publish
-
-# 7. Prepare release directory
-if (!(Test-Path $releaseDir)) {
-    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $releaseDir | Out-Null
-}
-
-
-# 8. Pack NuGet package and resolve produced .nupkg/.snupkg files
-$packageProjectPath = $csprojPaths[0]
-Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Packing NuGet package..."
-dotnet pack $packageProjectPath -c Release -o $releaseDir --nologo `
-    -p:IncludeSymbols=true `
-    -p:SymbolPackageFormat=snupkg
-if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
-    Write-Error "dotnet pack failed for $packageProjectPath."
-    exit 1
-}
-
-$packageFile = Get-ChildItem -Path $releaseDir -Filter "*.nupkg" |
-    Where-Object {
-        $_.Name -like "*$version*.nupkg" -and
-        $_.Name -notlike "*.symbols.nupkg" -and
-        $_.Name -notlike "*.snupkg"
-    } |
-    Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending |
-    Select-Object -First 1
-
-if (-not $packageFile) {
-    Write-Error "Could not locate generated NuGet package for version $version in: $releaseDir"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Package ready: $($packageFile.FullName)"
-
-# Find the symbols package if available
-$symbolsPackageFile = Get-ChildItem -Path $releaseDir -Filter "*.snupkg" |
-    Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*$version*.snupkg" } |
-    Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending |
-    Select-Object -First 1
-
-if ($symbolsPackageFile) {
-    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Symbols package ready: $($symbolsPackageFile.FullName)"
-}
-else {
-    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Symbols package (.snupkg) not found for version $version."
-}
-
-# 9. Create release archive with NuGet package artifacts
-Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Creating release archive..."
-$resolvedZipNamePattern = if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($zipNamePattern)) { "release-{version}.zip" } else { $zipNamePattern }
-$zipFileName = $resolvedZipNamePattern -replace '\{version\}', $version
-$zipPath = Join-Path $releaseDir $zipFileName
-
-if (Test-Path $zipPath) {
-    Remove-Item $zipPath -Force
-}
-
-$archiveArtifacts = @($packageFile.FullName)
-if ($symbolsPackageFile) {
-    $archiveArtifacts += $symbolsPackageFile.FullName
-}
-
-Compress-Archive -Path $archiveArtifacts -DestinationPath $zipPath -CompressionLevel Optimal -Force
-
-if (-not (Test-Path $zipPath)) {
-    Write-Error "Failed to create release archive at: $zipPath"
-    exit 1
-}
-
-Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Release archive ready: $zipPath"
-
-# 10. Extract release notes from CHANGELOG.md
-Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Extracting release notes..."
-$pattern = "(?ms)^##\s+v$([regex]::Escape($version))\b.*?(?=^##\s+v\d+\.\d+\.\d+|\Z)"
-$match = [regex]::Match($changelog, $pattern)
-
-if (-not $match.Success) {
-    Write-Error "Changelog entry for version $version not found."
-    exit 1
-}
-
-$releaseNotes = $match.Value.Trim()
-Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Release notes extracted."
-
-# 11. Get repository info
-$configuredGithubRepository = $settings.github.repository
-$repoSource = $null
-
-if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($configuredGithubRepository)) {
-    $repoSource = $configuredGithubRepository.Trim()
-}
-else {
-    $remoteUrl = git config --get remote.origin.url
-    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0 -or -not $remoteUrl) {
-        Write-Error "Could not determine git remote origin URL."
-        exit 1
-    }
-
-    $repoSource = $remoteUrl
-}
-
-if ($repoSource -match "(?i)github\.com[:/](?<owner>[^/]+)/(?<repo>[^/.]+)(\.git)?$") {
-    $owner = $matches['owner']
-    $repoName = $matches['repo']
-    $repo = "$owner/$repoName"
-}
-elseif ($repoSource -match "^(?<owner>[^/]+)/(?<repo>[^/]+)$") {
-    $owner = $matches['owner']
-    $repoName = $matches['repo']
-    $repo = "$owner/$repoName"
-}
-else {
-    Write-Error "Could not parse GitHub repo from source: $repoSource. Use 'github.repository' in scriptsettings.json (owner/repo or github URL)."
-    exit 1
-}
-
-$releaseName = $releaseTitlePattern -replace '\{version\}', $version
-
-Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Release Summary:"
-Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Repository: $repo"
-Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Tag: $tag"
-Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Title: $releaseName"
-
-# 12. Check if tag is pushed to remote (skip on dev branch)
-
-if (-not $isDevBranch) {
-
-    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Verifying tag is pushed to remote..."
-    $remoteTagExists = Test-RemoteTagExists -Tag $tag -Remote "origin"
-    if (-not $remoteTagExists) {
-        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Tag $tag not found on remote. Pushing..."
-        Push-TagToRemote -Tag $tag -Remote "origin"
-    }
-    else {
-        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Tag exists on remote."
-    }
-
-
-
-    # Release to GitHub
-    if ($githubReleseEnabled) {
-
-        Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "  Release branch ($releaseBranch) - will publish to GitHub."
-        Assert-Command gh
-
-        # 6. Check GitHub authentication
-       
-        Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "Checking GitHub authentication..."
-        if (-not $githubToken) {
-            Write-Error "GitHub token is not set. Set '$githubTokenEnvVar' and rerun."
-            exit 1
-        }
-
-        # gh release subcommands do not support custom auth headers.
-        # Scope GH_TOKEN to this block so commands authenticate with the configured token.
-        $previousGhToken = $env:GH_TOKEN
-        $env:GH_TOKEN = $githubToken
-
-        try {
-            $ghVersion = & gh --version 2>&1
-            if ($ghVersion) {
-                Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  gh version: $($ghVersion[0])"
-            }
-
-            Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Auth env var: $githubTokenEnvVar (set)"
-            Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Target repository: $repo"
-
-            # Validate that the provided token can access the target repository.
-            $authArgs = @("api", "repos/$repo", "--jq", ".full_name")
-            Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Running: gh $($authArgs -join ' ')"
-            $authOutput = & gh @authArgs 2>&1
-            $authExitCode = $LASTEXITCODE
-
-            if ($authExitCode -ne 0 -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace(($authOutput | Out-String))) {
-                Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  gh auth check failed (exit code: $authExitCode)."
-                if ($authOutput) {
-                    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  gh api output:"
-                    $authOutput | ForEach-Object { Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "    $_" }
-                }
-
-                $authStatus = & gh auth status --hostname github.com 2>&1
-                if ($authStatus) {
-                    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  gh auth status output:"
-                    $authStatus | ForEach-Object { Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "    $_" }
-                }
-
-                Write-Error "GitHub CLI authentication failed for repository '$repo'. Ensure '$githubTokenEnvVar' is valid and has access to this repository."
-                exit 1
-            }
-
-            Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  GitHub token validated for repository: $($authOutput | Select-Object -First 1)"
-
-            # 13. Create or update GitHub release
-            Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Creating GitHub release..."
-
-            # Check if release already exists
-            $releaseViewArgs = @(
-                "release", "view", $tag,
-                "--repo", $repo
-            )
-            & gh @releaseViewArgs 2>$null
-
-            if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
-                Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Release $tag already exists. Deleting..."
-                $releaseDeleteArgs = @("release", "delete", $tag, "--repo", $repo, "--yes")
-                & gh @releaseDeleteArgs
-                if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
-                    Write-Error "Failed to delete existing release $tag."
-                    exit 1
-                }
-            }
-
-            # Create release using the existing tag
-            # Write release notes to a temp file to avoid shell interpretation issues with special characters
-            $notesFilePath = Join-Path $releaseDir "release-notes-temp.md"
-            [System.IO.File]::WriteAllText($notesFilePath, $releaseNotes, [System.Text.UTF8Encoding]::new($false))
-
-            $releaseAssets = @($packageFile.FullName)
-            if ($symbolsPackageFile) {
-                $releaseAssets += $symbolsPackageFile.FullName
-            }
-
-            $createReleaseArgs = @("release", "create", $tag) + $releaseAssets + @(
-                "--repo", $repo
-                "--title", $releaseName
-                "--notes-file", $notesFilePath
-            )
-            & gh @createReleaseArgs
-
-            $ghExitCode = $LASTEXITCODE
-
-            # Cleanup temp notes file
-            if (Test-Path $notesFilePath) {
-                Remove-Item $notesFilePath -Force
-            }
-
-            if ($ghExitCode -ne 0) {
-                Write-Error "Failed to create GitHub release for tag $tag."
-                exit 1
-            }
-        }
-        finally {
-            if ($null -ne $previousGhToken) {
-                $env:GH_TOKEN = $previousGhToken
-            }
-            else {
-                Remove-Item Env:GH_TOKEN -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-            }
-        }
-
-        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  GitHub release created successfully."
-    }
-    else {
-        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Skipping GitHub release (disabled)."
-    }
-
-
-    # Release to NuGet
-
-    if ($nugetReleseEnabled) {
-        Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Pushing to NuGet.org..."
-        dotnet nuget push $packageFile.FullName -k $nugetApiKey -s $nugetSource --skip-duplicate
-
-        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
-            Write-Error "Failed to push the package to NuGet."
-            exit 1
-        }
-
-        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  NuGet push completed."
-    }
-    else {
-        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Skipping NuGet publish (disabled)."
-    }
-
-}
-else {
-    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Skipping remote tag verification and GitHub release (dev branch)."
-}
-
-#endregion
-
-#region Cleanup
-if (Test-Path $testResultsDir) {
-    Remove-Item $testResultsDir -Recurse -Force
-    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Cleaned up test results directory."
-}
-
-Get-ChildItem -Path $releaseDir -File |
-    Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*$version*.nupkg" -or $_.Name -like "*$version*.snupkg" } |
-    Remove-Item -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
-#endregion
-
-#region Summary
-Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "=================================================="
-if ($isDevBranch) {
-    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "DEV BUILD COMPLETE"
-}
-else {
-    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "RELEASE COMPLETE"
-}
-Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "=================================================="
-
-if (-not $isDevBranch) {
-    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Release URL: https://github.com/$repo/releases/tag/$tag"
-}
-
-Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "Artifacts location: $releaseDir"
-
-if ($isDevBranch) {
-    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "To publish to GitHub, switch to '$releaseBranch', merge dev, tag, and run this script again:"
-    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  git checkout $releaseBranch"
-    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  git merge dev"
-    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  git tag v$version"
-    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  .\Release-NuGetPackage.ps1"
-}
-
-#endregion
-
-#endregion
diff --git a/utils/Release-NuGetPackage/scriptsettings.json b/utils/Release-NuGetPackage/scriptsettings.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 7a7953d..0000000
--- a/utils/Release-NuGetPackage/scriptsettings.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,73 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema",
-  "title": "Release NuGet Package Script Settings",
-  "description": "Configuration file for Release-NuGetPackage.ps1 script.",
-
-  "github": {
-    "enabled": true,
-    "githubToken": "GITHUB_MAKS_IT_COM"
-  },
-
-  "nuget": {
-    "enabled": true,
-    "nugetApiKey": "NUGET_MAKS_IT",
-    "source": "https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json"
-  },
-
-  "branches": {
-    "release": "main",
-    "dev": "dev"
-  },
-
-  "paths": {
-    "csprojPaths": [
-      "..\\..\\src\\MaksIT.Core\\MaksIT.Core.csproj"
-    ],
-    "testResultsDir": "..\\..\\testResults",
-    "releaseDir": "..\\..\\release",
-    "changelogPath": "..\\..\\CHANGELOG.md",
-    "testProject": "..\\..\\src\\MaksIT.Core.Tests"
-  },
-
-  "qualityGates": {
-    "coverageThreshold": 0,
-    "failOnVulnerabilities": true
-  },
-
-  "release": {
-    "zipNamePattern": "maksit.dapr-{version}.zip",
-    "releaseTitlePattern": "Release {version}"
-  },
-
-
-  "_comments": {
-    "github": {
-      "enabled": "Enable/disable GitHub release creation.",
-      "githubToken": "Environment variable name containing GitHub token used by gh CLI."
-    },
-    "nuget": {
-      "enabled": "Enable/disable NuGet publish step.",
-      "nugetApiKey": "Environment variable name containing NuGet API key.",
-      "source": "NuGet feed URL passed to dotnet nuget push."
-    },
-    "branches": {
-      "release": "Branch that requires tag and allows full publish flow.",
-      "dev": "Branch for local/dev build flow (no tag required)."
-    },
-    "paths": {
-      "csprojPaths": "List of project files used for version discovery and publish output.",
-      "testResultsDir": "Directory where test artifacts are written.",
-      "releaseDir": "Output directory for release archives and artifacts.",
-      "changelogPath": "Path to CHANGELOG.md used for version and release notes extraction.",
-      "testProject": "Test project path used by TestRunner."
-    },
-    "qualityGates": {
-      "coverageThreshold": "Coverage threshold percent for quality gate (0 disables threshold check).",
-      "failOnVulnerabilities": "If true, fail when vulnerable packages are detected."
-    },
-    "release": {
-      "zipNamePattern": "Archive name pattern. Supports {version} placeholder.",
-      "releaseTitlePattern": "GitHub release title pattern. Supports {version} placeholder."
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/CleanupArtifacts.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/CleanupArtifacts.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..43dc044
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/CleanupArtifacts.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    Cleanup plugin for removing generated artifacts after pipeline completion.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This plugin removes files from the configured artifacts directory using
+    glob patterns. It is typically placed at the end of the Release stage so
+    cleanup becomes explicit and opt-in per repository.
+#>
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Import-PluginDependency -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force -Global -ErrorAction Stop
+    }
+}
+
+function Get-CleanupPatternsInternal {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
+        $ConfiguredPatterns
+    )
+
+    if ($null -eq $ConfiguredPatterns) {
+        return @('*.nupkg', '*.snupkg')
+    }
+
+    if ($ConfiguredPatterns -is [System.Collections.IEnumerable] -and -not ($ConfiguredPatterns -is [string])) {
+        return @($ConfiguredPatterns | Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$_) })
+    }
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$ConfiguredPatterns)) {
+        return @('*.nupkg', '*.snupkg')
+    }
+
+    return @([string]$ConfiguredPatterns)
+}
+
+function Get-ExcludePatternsInternal {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
+        $ConfiguredPatterns
+    )
+
+    if ($null -eq $ConfiguredPatterns) {
+        return @()
+    }
+
+    if ($ConfiguredPatterns -is [System.Collections.IEnumerable] -and -not ($ConfiguredPatterns -is [string])) {
+        return @($ConfiguredPatterns | Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$_) })
+    }
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$ConfiguredPatterns)) {
+        return @()
+    }
+
+    return @([string]$ConfiguredPatterns)
+}
+
+function Invoke-Plugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Settings
+    )
+
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "Logging" -RequiredCommand "Write-Log"
+
+    $pluginSettings = $Settings
+    $sharedSettings = $Settings.Context
+    $artifactsDirectory = $sharedSettings.ArtifactsDirectory
+    $patterns = Get-CleanupPatternsInternal -ConfiguredPatterns $pluginSettings.includePatterns
+    $excludePatterns = Get-ExcludePatternsInternal -ConfiguredPatterns $pluginSettings.excludePatterns
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($artifactsDirectory)) {
+        throw "CleanupArtifacts plugin requires an artifacts directory in the shared context."
+    }
+
+    if (-not (Test-Path $artifactsDirectory -PathType Container)) {
+        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Artifacts directory not found: $artifactsDirectory"
+        return
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Cleaning generated artifacts..."
+
+    $itemsToRemove = @()
+    foreach ($pattern in $patterns) {
+        $matchedItems = @(
+            Get-ChildItem -Path $artifactsDirectory -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
+                Where-Object { $_.Name -like $pattern }
+        )
+
+        if ($excludePatterns.Count -gt 0) {
+            $matchedItems = @(
+                $matchedItems |
+                    Where-Object {
+                        $item = $_
+                        -not ($excludePatterns | Where-Object { $item.Name -like $_ } | Select-Object -First 1)
+                    }
+            )
+        }
+
+        $itemsToRemove += @($matchedItems)
+    }
+
+    $itemsToRemove = @($itemsToRemove | Sort-Object FullName -Unique)
+
+    if ($itemsToRemove.Count -eq 0) {
+        Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  No artifacts matched cleanup rules."
+        return
+    }
+
+    foreach ($item in $itemsToRemove) {
+        Remove-Item -Path $item.FullName -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Removed: $($item.Name)"
+    }
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Invoke-Plugin
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/CreateArchive.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/CreateArchive.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54cce44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/CreateArchive.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    Creates a release zip from prepared build artifacts.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This plugin compresses the release artifact inputs prepared by an earlier
+    producer plugin (for example DotNetPack or DotNetPublish) into a zip file
+    and exposes the resulting release assets for later publisher plugins.
+#>
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Import-PluginDependency -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force -Global -ErrorAction Stop
+    }
+}
+
+function Invoke-Plugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Settings
+    )
+
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "Logging" -RequiredCommand "Write-Log"
+
+    $pluginSettings = $Settings
+    $sharedSettings = $Settings.Context
+    $artifactsDirectory = $sharedSettings.ArtifactsDirectory
+    $version = $sharedSettings.Version
+    $archiveInputs = @()
+
+    if ($sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['ReleaseArchiveInputs'] -and $sharedSettings.ReleaseArchiveInputs) {
+        $archiveInputs = @($sharedSettings.ReleaseArchiveInputs)
+    }
+    elseif ($sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['PackageFile'] -and $sharedSettings.PackageFile) {
+        $archiveInputs = @($sharedSettings.PackageFile.FullName)
+        if ($sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['SymbolsPackageFile'] -and $sharedSettings.SymbolsPackageFile) {
+            $archiveInputs += $sharedSettings.SymbolsPackageFile.FullName
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($archiveInputs.Count -eq 0) {
+        throw "CreateArchive plugin requires prepared artifacts. Run a producer plugin (for example DotNetPack or DotNetPublish) first."
+    }
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($artifactsDirectory)) {
+        throw "CreateArchive plugin requires an artifacts directory in the shared context."
+    }
+
+    if (-not (Test-Path $artifactsDirectory -PathType Container)) {
+        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $artifactsDirectory | Out-Null
+    }
+
+    $zipNamePattern = if ($pluginSettings.PSObject.Properties['zipNamePattern'] -and -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$pluginSettings.zipNamePattern)) {
+        [string]$pluginSettings.zipNamePattern
+    }
+    else {
+        "release-{version}.zip"
+    }
+
+    $zipFileName = $zipNamePattern -replace '\{version\}', $version
+    $zipPath = Join-Path $artifactsDirectory $zipFileName
+
+    if (Test-Path $zipPath) {
+        Remove-Item -Path $zipPath -Force
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Creating release archive..."
+    Compress-Archive -Path $archiveInputs -DestinationPath $zipPath -CompressionLevel Optimal -Force
+
+    if (-not (Test-Path $zipPath -PathType Leaf)) {
+        throw "Failed to create release archive at: $zipPath"
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Release archive ready: $zipPath"
+
+    $releaseAssetPaths = @($zipPath)
+    if ($sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['PackageFile'] -and $sharedSettings.PackageFile) {
+        $releaseAssetPaths += $sharedSettings.PackageFile.FullName
+    }
+    if ($sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['SymbolsPackageFile'] -and $sharedSettings.SymbolsPackageFile) {
+        $releaseAssetPaths += $sharedSettings.SymbolsPackageFile.FullName
+    }
+
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName ReleaseDir -NotePropertyValue $artifactsDirectory -Force
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName ReleaseArchivePath -NotePropertyValue $zipPath -Force
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName ReleaseAssetPaths -NotePropertyValue $releaseAssetPaths -Force
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Invoke-Plugin
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/DotNetPack.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/DotNetPack.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8353217
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/DotNetPack.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    .NET pack plugin for producing package artifacts.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This plugin creates package output for the release pipeline.
+    It packs the configured .NET project, resolves the generated
+    package artifacts, and publishes them into shared runtime context
+    for later plugins.
+#>
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Import-PluginDependency -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        # Load this globally only as a fallback. Re-importing PluginSupport in its own execution path
+        # can invalidate commands already resolved by the release engine.
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force -Global -ErrorAction Stop
+    }
+}
+
+function Invoke-Plugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Settings
+    )
+
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "Logging" -RequiredCommand "Write-Log"
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "ScriptConfig" -RequiredCommand "Assert-Command"
+
+    $sharedSettings = $Settings.Context
+    $projectFiles = $sharedSettings.ProjectFiles
+    $artifactsDirectory = $sharedSettings.ArtifactsDirectory
+    $version = $sharedSettings.Version
+    $packageProjectPath = $null
+    $releaseArchiveInputs = @()
+
+    Assert-Command dotnet
+
+    if (-not $sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['ProjectFiles'] -or $projectFiles.Count -eq 0) {
+        throw "DotNetPack plugin requires project files in the shared context."
+    }
+
+    $outputDir = $artifactsDirectory
+
+    if (!(Test-Path $outputDir)) {
+        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $outputDir | Out-Null
+    }
+
+    # The release context guarantees ProjectFiles is an array, so index 0 is the first project path,
+    # not the first character of a string.
+    $packageProjectPath = $projectFiles[0]
+    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Packing NuGet package..."
+    dotnet pack $packageProjectPath -c Release -o $outputDir --nologo `
+        -p:IncludeSymbols=true `
+        -p:SymbolPackageFormat=snupkg
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+        throw "dotnet pack failed for $packageProjectPath."
+    }
+
+    # dotnet pack can leave older packages in the artifacts directory.
+    # Pick the newest file matching the current version rather than assuming a clean folder.
+    $packageFile = Get-ChildItem -Path $outputDir -Filter "*.nupkg" |
+        Where-Object {
+            $_.Name -like "*$version*.nupkg" -and
+            $_.Name -notlike "*.symbols.nupkg" -and
+            $_.Name -notlike "*.snupkg"
+        } |
+        Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending |
+        Select-Object -First 1
+
+    if (-not $packageFile) {
+        throw "Could not locate generated NuGet package for version $version in: $outputDir"
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Package ready: $($packageFile.FullName)"
+    $releaseArchiveInputs = @($packageFile.FullName)
+
+    $symbolsPackageFile = Get-ChildItem -Path $outputDir -Filter "*.snupkg" |
+        Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*$version*.snupkg" } |
+        Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Descending |
+        Select-Object -First 1
+
+    if ($symbolsPackageFile) {
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Symbols package ready: $($symbolsPackageFile.FullName)"
+        $releaseArchiveInputs += $symbolsPackageFile.FullName
+    }
+    else {
+        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Symbols package (.snupkg) not found for version $version."
+    }
+
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName PackageFile -NotePropertyValue $packageFile -Force
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName SymbolsPackageFile -NotePropertyValue $symbolsPackageFile -Force
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName ReleaseArchiveInputs -NotePropertyValue $releaseArchiveInputs -Force
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Invoke-Plugin
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/DotNetPublish.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/DotNetPublish.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8acb8bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/DotNetPublish.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    .NET publish plugin for producing application release artifacts.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This plugin publishes the configured .NET project into a release output
+    directory and exposes that published directory to the shared release
+    context so later release-stage plugins can archive and publish it.
+#>
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Import-PluginDependency -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force -Global -ErrorAction Stop
+    }
+}
+
+function Invoke-Plugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Settings
+    )
+
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "Logging" -RequiredCommand "Write-Log"
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "ScriptConfig" -RequiredCommand "Assert-Command"
+
+    $sharedSettings = $Settings.Context
+    $projectFiles = $sharedSettings.ProjectFiles
+    $artifactsDirectory = $sharedSettings.ArtifactsDirectory
+    $publishProjectPath = $null
+
+    Assert-Command dotnet
+
+    if (-not $sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['ProjectFiles'] -or $projectFiles.Count -eq 0) {
+        throw "DotNetPublish plugin requires project files in the shared context."
+    }
+
+    if (!(Test-Path $artifactsDirectory)) {
+        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $artifactsDirectory | Out-Null
+    }
+
+    # The first configured project remains the canonical release artifact source.
+    $publishProjectPath = $projectFiles[0]
+    $publishDir = Join-Path $artifactsDirectory ([System.IO.Path]::GetFileNameWithoutExtension($publishProjectPath))
+
+    if (Test-Path $publishDir) {
+        Remove-Item -Path $publishDir -Recurse -Force
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Publishing release artifact..."
+    dotnet publish $publishProjectPath -c Release -o $publishDir --nologo
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+        throw "dotnet publish failed for $publishProjectPath."
+    }
+
+    $publishedItems = @(Get-ChildItem -Path $publishDir -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
+    if ($publishedItems.Count -eq 0) {
+        throw "dotnet publish completed, but no files were produced in: $publishDir"
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Published artifact ready: $publishDir"
+
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName PackageFile -NotePropertyValue $null -Force
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName SymbolsPackageFile -NotePropertyValue $null -Force
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName ReleaseArchiveInputs -NotePropertyValue @($publishDir) -Force
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Invoke-Plugin
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/DotNetTest.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/DotNetTest.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7759fc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/DotNetTest.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    .NET test plugin for executing automated tests.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This plugin resolves the configured .NET test project and optional
+    results directory, runs tests through TestRunner, and stores
+    the resulting test metrics in shared runtime context.
+#>
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Import-PluginDependency -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        # Same fallback pattern as the other plugins: use the existing shared module if it is already loaded.
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force -Global -ErrorAction Stop
+    }
+}
+
+function Invoke-Plugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Settings
+    )
+
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "Logging" -RequiredCommand "Write-Log"
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "TestRunner" -RequiredCommand "Invoke-TestsWithCoverage"
+
+    $pluginSettings = $Settings
+    $sharedSettings = $Settings.Context
+    $testProjectSetting = $pluginSettings.project
+    $testResultsDirSetting = $pluginSettings.resultsDir
+    $scriptDir = $sharedSettings.ScriptDir
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($testProjectSetting)) {
+        throw "DotNetTest plugin requires 'project' in scriptsettings.json."
+    }
+
+    $testProjectPath = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $scriptDir $testProjectSetting))
+    $testResultsDir = $null
+    if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($testResultsDirSetting)) {
+        $testResultsDir = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $scriptDir $testResultsDirSetting))
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Running tests..."
+
+    # Build a splatted hashtable so optional arguments can be added without duplicating the call site.
+    $invokeTestParams = @{
+        TestProjectPath = $testProjectPath
+        Silent = $true
+    }
+    if ($testResultsDir) {
+        $invokeTestParams.ResultsDirectory = $testResultsDir
+    }
+
+    $testResult = Invoke-TestsWithCoverage @invokeTestParams
+
+    if (-not $testResult.Success) {
+        throw "Tests failed. $($testResult.Error)"
+    }
+
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName TestResult -NotePropertyValue $testResult -Force
+
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  All tests passed!"
+    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Line Coverage:   $($testResult.LineRate)%"
+    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Branch Coverage: $($testResult.BranchRate)%"
+    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Method Coverage: $($testResult.MethodRate)%"
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Invoke-Plugin
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/GitHub.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/GitHub.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..38a9386
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/GitHub.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,232 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    GitHub release plugin.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This plugin validates GitHub CLI access, resolves the target
+    repository, and creates the configured GitHub release using the
+    shared release artifacts and extracted release notes.
+#>
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Import-PluginDependency -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force -Global -ErrorAction Stop
+    }
+}
+
+function Get-GitHubRepositoryInternal {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
+        [string]$ConfiguredRepository
+    )
+
+    $repoSource = $ConfiguredRepository
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($repoSource)) {
+        $repoSource = git config --get remote.origin.url
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0 -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($repoSource)) {
+            throw "Could not determine git remote origin URL."
+        }
+    }
+
+    $repoSource = $repoSource.Trim()
+
+    if ($repoSource -match "(?i)github\.com[:/](?<owner>[^/]+)/(?<repo>[^/.]+)(\.git)?$") {
+        return "$($matches['owner'])/$($matches['repo'])"
+    }
+
+    if ($repoSource -match "^(?<owner>[^/]+)/(?<repo>[^/]+)$") {
+        return "$($matches['owner'])/$($matches['repo'])"
+    }
+
+    throw "Could not parse GitHub repo from source: $repoSource. Configure Plugins[].repository with 'owner/repo' or a GitHub URL."
+}
+
+function Get-ReleaseNotesInternal {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$ReleaseNotesFile,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$Version
+    )
+
+    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "Verifying release notes source..."
+    if (-not (Test-Path $ReleaseNotesFile -PathType Leaf)) {
+        throw "Release notes source file not found at: $ReleaseNotesFile"
+    }
+
+    $releaseNotesContent = Get-Content $ReleaseNotesFile -Raw
+    if ($releaseNotesContent -notmatch '##\s+v(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)') {
+        throw "No version entry found in the configured release notes source."
+    }
+
+    $releaseNotesVersion = $Matches[1]
+    if ($releaseNotesVersion -ne $Version) {
+        throw "Project version ($Version) does not match the latest release notes version ($releaseNotesVersion)."
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Release notes version matches: v$releaseNotesVersion"
+
+    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Extracting release notes..."
+    $pattern = "(?ms)^##\s+v$([regex]::Escape($Version))\b.*?(?=^##\s+v\d+\.\d+\.\d+|\Z)"
+    $match = [regex]::Match($releaseNotesContent, $pattern)
+
+    if (-not $match.Success) {
+        throw "Release notes entry for version $Version not found."
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Release notes extracted."
+    return $match.Value.Trim()
+}
+
+function Invoke-Plugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Settings
+    )
+
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "Logging" -RequiredCommand "Write-Log"
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "ScriptConfig" -RequiredCommand "Assert-Command"
+
+    $pluginSettings = $Settings
+    $sharedSettings = $Settings.Context
+    $githubTokenEnvVar = $pluginSettings.githubToken
+    $configuredRepository = $pluginSettings.repository
+    $releaseNotesFileSetting = $pluginSettings.releaseNotesFile
+    $releaseTitlePatternSetting = $pluginSettings.releaseTitlePattern
+    $scriptDir = $sharedSettings.ScriptDir
+    $version = $sharedSettings.Version
+    $tag = $sharedSettings.Tag
+    $releaseDir = $sharedSettings.ReleaseDir
+    $releaseAssetPaths = @()
+
+    Assert-Command gh
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($githubTokenEnvVar)) {
+        throw "GitHub plugin requires 'githubToken' in scriptsettings.json."
+    }
+
+    $githubToken = [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable($githubTokenEnvVar)
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($githubToken)) {
+        throw "GitHub token is not set. Set '$githubTokenEnvVar' and rerun."
+    }
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($releaseNotesFileSetting)) {
+        throw "GitHub plugin requires 'releaseNotesFile' in scriptsettings.json."
+    }
+
+    $releaseNotesFile = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $scriptDir $releaseNotesFileSetting))
+    $releaseNotes = Get-ReleaseNotesInternal -ReleaseNotesFile $releaseNotesFile -Version $version
+
+    if ($sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['ReleaseAssetPaths'] -and $sharedSettings.ReleaseAssetPaths) {
+        $releaseAssetPaths = @($sharedSettings.ReleaseAssetPaths)
+    }
+    elseif ($sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['PackageFile'] -and $sharedSettings.PackageFile) {
+        $releaseAssetPaths = @($sharedSettings.PackageFile.FullName)
+        if ($sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['SymbolsPackageFile'] -and $sharedSettings.SymbolsPackageFile) {
+            $releaseAssetPaths += $sharedSettings.SymbolsPackageFile.FullName
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($releaseAssetPaths.Count -eq 0) {
+        throw "GitHub release requires at least one prepared release asset."
+    }
+
+    $repo = Get-GitHubRepositoryInternal -ConfiguredRepository $configuredRepository
+    $releaseTitlePattern = if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($releaseTitlePatternSetting)) {
+        "Release {version}"
+    }
+    else {
+        $releaseTitlePatternSetting
+    }
+    $releaseName = $releaseTitlePattern -replace '\{version\}', $version
+
+    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  GitHub repository: $repo"
+    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  GitHub tag: $tag"
+    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  GitHub title: $releaseName"
+
+    $previousGhToken = $env:GH_TOKEN
+    $env:GH_TOKEN = $githubToken
+
+    try {
+        $ghVersion = & gh --version 2>&1
+        if ($ghVersion) {
+            Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  gh version: $($ghVersion[0])"
+        }
+
+        Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Auth env var: $githubTokenEnvVar (set)"
+
+        $authArgs = @("api", "repos/$repo", "--jq", ".full_name")
+        $authOutput = & gh @authArgs 2>&1
+        $authExitCode = $LASTEXITCODE
+
+        if ($authExitCode -ne 0 -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace(($authOutput | Out-String))) {
+            Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  gh auth check failed (exit code: $authExitCode)."
+            if ($authOutput) {
+                $authOutput | ForEach-Object { Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "    $_" }
+            }
+
+            $authStatus = & gh auth status --hostname github.com 2>&1
+            if ($authStatus) {
+                $authStatus | ForEach-Object { Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "    $_" }
+            }
+
+            throw "GitHub CLI authentication failed for repository '$repo'. Ensure '$githubTokenEnvVar' is valid and has access to this repository."
+        }
+
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  GitHub token validated for repository: $($authOutput | Select-Object -First 1)"
+        Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Creating GitHub release..."
+
+        $releaseViewArgs = @("release", "view", $tag, "--repo", $repo)
+        & gh @releaseViewArgs 2>$null
+
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+            Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Release $tag already exists. Deleting..."
+            $releaseDeleteArgs = @("release", "delete", $tag, "--repo", $repo, "--yes")
+            & gh @releaseDeleteArgs
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+                throw "Failed to delete existing release $tag."
+            }
+        }
+
+        $notesFilePath = Join-Path $releaseDir ("release-notes-{0}.md" -f $version)
+
+        try {
+            [System.IO.File]::WriteAllText($notesFilePath, $releaseNotes, [System.Text.UTF8Encoding]::new($false))
+
+            $createReleaseArgs = @("release", "create", $tag) + $releaseAssetPaths + @(
+                "--repo", $repo,
+                "--title", $releaseName,
+                "--notes-file", $notesFilePath
+            )
+            & gh @createReleaseArgs
+
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+                throw "Failed to create GitHub release for tag $tag."
+            }
+        }
+        finally {
+            if (Test-Path $notesFilePath) {
+                Remove-Item $notesFilePath -Force
+            }
+        }
+
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  GitHub release created successfully."
+        $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName PublishCompleted -NotePropertyValue $true -Force
+    }
+    finally {
+        if ($null -ne $previousGhToken) {
+            $env:GH_TOKEN = $previousGhToken
+        }
+        else {
+            Remove-Item Env:GH_TOKEN -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Invoke-Plugin
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/NuGet.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/NuGet.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4dafc54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/NuGet.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    NuGet publish plugin.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This plugin publishes the package artifact from shared runtime
+    context to the configured NuGet feed using the configured API key.
+#>
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Import-PluginDependency -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force -Global -ErrorAction Stop
+    }
+}
+
+function Invoke-Plugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Settings
+    )
+
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "Logging" -RequiredCommand "Write-Log"
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "ScriptConfig" -RequiredCommand "Assert-Command"
+
+    $pluginSettings = $Settings
+    $sharedSettings = $Settings.Context
+    $nugetApiKeyEnvVar = $pluginSettings.nugetApiKey
+    $packageFile = $sharedSettings.PackageFile
+
+    Assert-Command dotnet
+
+    if (-not $packageFile) {
+        throw "NuGet plugin requires a NuGet package artifact. Ensure DotNetPack produced a .nupkg before running NuGet."
+    }
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($nugetApiKeyEnvVar)) {
+        throw "NuGet plugin requires 'nugetApiKey' in scriptsettings.json."
+    }
+
+    $nugetApiKey = [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable($nugetApiKeyEnvVar)
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($nugetApiKey)) {
+        throw "NuGet API key is not set. Set '$nugetApiKeyEnvVar' and rerun."
+    }
+
+    $nugetSource = if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($pluginSettings.source)) {
+        "https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json"
+    }
+    else {
+        $pluginSettings.source
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Pushing to NuGet.org..."
+    dotnet nuget push $packageFile.FullName -k $nugetApiKey -s $nugetSource --skip-duplicate
+
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+        throw "Failed to push the package to NuGet."
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  NuGet push completed."
+    $sharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName PublishCompleted -NotePropertyValue $true -Force
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Invoke-Plugin
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/QualityGate.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/QualityGate.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..450a468
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/CorePlugins/QualityGate.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,119 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    Quality gate plugin for validating release readiness.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This plugin evaluates quality constraints using shared test
+    results and project files. It enforces coverage thresholds
+    and checks for vulnerable packages before release plugins run.
+#>
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Import-PluginDependency -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force -Global -ErrorAction Stop
+    }
+}
+
+function Test-VulnerablePackagesInternal {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string[]]$ProjectFiles
+    )
+
+    $findings = @()
+
+    foreach ($projectPath in $ProjectFiles) {
+        Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Checking vulnerable packages: $([System.IO.Path]::GetFileName($projectPath))"
+
+        $output = & dotnet list $projectPath package --vulnerable --include-transitive 2>&1
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+            throw "dotnet list package --vulnerable failed for $projectPath."
+        }
+
+        $outputText = ($output | Out-String)
+        if ($outputText -match "(?im)\bhas the following vulnerable packages\b" -or $outputText -match "(?im)^\s*>\s+[A-Za-z0-9_.-]+\s") {
+            $findings += [pscustomobject]@{
+                Project = $projectPath
+                Output = $outputText.Trim()
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return $findings
+}
+
+function Invoke-Plugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Settings
+    )
+
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "Logging" -RequiredCommand "Write-Log"
+    Import-PluginDependency -ModuleName "ScriptConfig" -RequiredCommand "Assert-Command"
+
+    $pluginSettings = $Settings
+    $sharedSettings = $Settings.Context
+    $coverageThresholdSetting = $pluginSettings.coverageThreshold
+    $failOnVulnerabilitiesSetting = $pluginSettings.failOnVulnerabilities
+    $projectFiles = $sharedSettings.ProjectFiles
+    $testResult = $null
+    if ($sharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['TestResult']) {
+        $testResult = $sharedSettings.TestResult
+    }
+
+    if ($null -eq $testResult) {
+        throw "QualityGate plugin requires test results. Run the DotNetTest plugin first."
+    }
+
+    $coverageThreshold = 0
+    if ($null -ne $coverageThresholdSetting) {
+        $coverageThreshold = [double]$coverageThresholdSetting
+    }
+
+    if ($coverageThreshold -gt 0) {
+        Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Checking coverage threshold..."
+        if ([double]$testResult.LineRate -lt $coverageThreshold) {
+            throw "Line coverage $($testResult.LineRate)% is below the configured threshold of $coverageThreshold%."
+        }
+
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Coverage threshold met: $($testResult.LineRate)% >= $coverageThreshold%"
+    }
+    else {
+        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Skipping coverage threshold check (disabled)."
+    }
+
+    Assert-Command dotnet
+
+    $failOnVulnerabilities = $true
+    if ($null -ne $failOnVulnerabilitiesSetting) {
+        $failOnVulnerabilities = [bool]$failOnVulnerabilitiesSetting
+    }
+
+    $vulnerabilities = Test-VulnerablePackagesInternal -ProjectFiles $projectFiles
+
+    if ($vulnerabilities.Count -eq 0) {
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  No vulnerable packages detected."
+        return
+    }
+
+    foreach ($finding in $vulnerabilities) {
+        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Vulnerable packages detected in $([System.IO.Path]::GetFileName($finding.Project))"
+        $finding.Output -split "`r?`n" | ForEach-Object {
+            if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_)) {
+                Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "    $_"
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($failOnVulnerabilities) {
+        throw "Vulnerable packages were detected and failOnVulnerabilities is enabled."
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Vulnerable packages detected, but failOnVulnerabilities is disabled."
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Invoke-Plugin
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/CustomPlugins/.gitkeep b/utils/Release-Package/CustomPlugins/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b13789
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/CustomPlugins/.gitkeep
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/DotNetProjectSupport.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/DotNetProjectSupport.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a510eb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/DotNetProjectSupport.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Write-Log -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $loggingModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "Logging.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $loggingModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $loggingModulePath -Force
+    }
+}
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Get-PluginPathListSetting -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force
+    }
+}
+
+function Get-DotNetProjectPropertyValue {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [xml]$Csproj,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$PropertyName
+    )
+
+    # SDK-style .csproj files can have multiple PropertyGroup nodes.
+    # Use the first group that defines the requested property.
+    $propNode = $Csproj.Project.PropertyGroup |
+        Where-Object { $_.$PropertyName } |
+        Select-Object -First 1
+
+    if ($propNode) {
+        return $propNode.$PropertyName
+    }
+
+    return $null
+}
+
+function Get-DotNetProjectVersions {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string[]]$ProjectFiles
+    )
+
+    Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "Reading version(s) from .NET project files..."
+    $projectVersions = @{}
+
+    foreach ($projectPath in $ProjectFiles) {
+        if (-not (Test-Path $projectPath -PathType Leaf)) {
+            Write-Error "Project file not found at: $projectPath"
+            exit 1
+        }
+
+        if ([System.IO.Path]::GetExtension($projectPath) -ne ".csproj") {
+            Write-Error "Configured project file is not a .csproj file: $projectPath"
+            exit 1
+        }
+
+        [xml]$csproj = Get-Content $projectPath
+        $version = Get-DotNetProjectPropertyValue -Csproj $csproj -PropertyName "Version"
+
+        if (-not $version) {
+            Write-Error "Version not found in $projectPath"
+            exit 1
+        }
+
+        $projectVersions[$projectPath] = $version
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  $([System.IO.Path]::GetFileName($projectPath)): $version"
+    }
+
+    return $projectVersions
+}
+
+function New-DotNetReleaseContext {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [object[]]$Plugins,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$ScriptDir
+    )
+
+    # The array wrapper is intentional: without it, one configured project can collapse to a string,
+    # and later indexing [0] would return only the first character of the path.
+    $projectFiles = @(Get-PluginPathListSetting -Plugins $Plugins -PropertyName "projectFiles" -BasePath $ScriptDir)
+    $artifactsDirectory = Get-PluginPathSetting -Plugins $Plugins -PropertyName "artifactsDir" -BasePath $ScriptDir
+
+    if ($projectFiles.Count -eq 0) {
+        Write-Error "No .NET project files configured in plugin settings. Add 'projectFiles' to a relevant plugin."
+        exit 1
+    }
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($artifactsDirectory)) {
+        Write-Error "No artifacts directory configured in plugin settings. Add 'artifactsDir' to a relevant plugin."
+        exit 1
+    }
+
+    $projectVersions = Get-DotNetProjectVersions -ProjectFiles $projectFiles
+    # The first configured project is treated as the canonical version source for the release.
+    $version = $projectVersions[$projectFiles[0]]
+
+    return [pscustomobject]@{
+        ProjectFiles = $projectFiles
+        ArtifactsDirectory = $artifactsDirectory
+        Version = $version
+    }
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Get-DotNetProjectPropertyValue, Get-DotNetProjectVersions, New-DotNetReleaseContext
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/EngineSupport.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/EngineSupport.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3d29f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/EngineSupport.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,165 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Write-Log -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $loggingModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "Logging.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $loggingModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $loggingModulePath -Force
+    }
+}
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Get-CurrentBranch -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $gitToolsModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "GitTools.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $gitToolsModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $gitToolsModulePath -Force
+    }
+}
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Get-PluginStage -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -or -not (Get-Command Test-IsPublishPlugin -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "PluginSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force
+    }
+}
+
+if (-not (Get-Command New-DotNetReleaseContext -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $dotNetProjectSupportModulePath = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "DotNetProjectSupport.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $dotNetProjectSupportModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $dotNetProjectSupportModulePath -Force
+    }
+}
+
+function Assert-WorkingTreeClean {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [bool]$IsReleaseBranch
+    )
+
+    $gitStatus = Get-GitStatusShort
+    if ($gitStatus) {
+        if ($IsReleaseBranch) {
+            Write-Error "Working directory has uncommitted changes. Commit or stash them before releasing."
+            Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Uncommitted files:"
+            $gitStatus | ForEach-Object { Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  $_" }
+            exit 1
+        }
+
+        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Uncommitted changes detected (allowed on dev branch)."
+        return
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Working directory is clean."
+}
+
+function Initialize-ReleaseStageContext {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [object[]]$RemainingPlugins,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [psobject]$SharedSettings,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$ArtifactsDirectory,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$Version
+    )
+
+    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Verifying tag is pushed to remote..."
+    $remoteTagExists = Test-RemoteTagExists -Tag $SharedSettings.Tag -Remote "origin"
+    if (-not $remoteTagExists) {
+        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Tag $($SharedSettings.Tag) not found on remote. Pushing..."
+        Push-TagToRemote -Tag $SharedSettings.Tag -Remote "origin"
+    }
+    else {
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Tag exists on remote."
+    }
+
+    if (-not $SharedSettings.PSObject.Properties['ReleaseDir'] -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$SharedSettings.ReleaseDir)) {
+        $SharedSettings | Add-Member -NotePropertyName ReleaseDir -NotePropertyValue $ArtifactsDirectory -Force
+    }
+}
+
+function New-EngineContext {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [object[]]$Plugins,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$ScriptDir,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$UtilsDir
+    )
+
+    $dotNetContext = New-DotNetReleaseContext -Plugins $Plugins -ScriptDir $ScriptDir
+
+    $currentBranch = Get-CurrentBranch
+    $releaseBranches = @(
+        $Plugins |
+            Where-Object { Test-IsPublishPlugin -Plugin $_ } |
+            ForEach-Object { Get-PluginBranches -Plugin $_ } |
+            Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_) } |
+            Select-Object -Unique
+    )
+
+    $isReleaseBranch = $releaseBranches -contains $currentBranch
+    $isNonReleaseBranch = -not $isReleaseBranch
+
+    Assert-WorkingTreeClean -IsReleaseBranch:$isReleaseBranch
+
+    $version = $dotNetContext.Version
+
+    if ($isReleaseBranch) {
+        $tag = Get-CurrentCommitTag -Version $version
+
+        if ($tag -notmatch '^v(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)$') {
+            Write-Error "Tag '$tag' does not match expected format 'vX.Y.Z' (e.g., v$version)."
+            exit 1
+        }
+
+        $tagVersion = $Matches[1]
+        if ($tagVersion -ne $version) {
+            Write-Error "Tag version ($tagVersion) does not match the project version ($version)."
+            Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "  Either update the tag or the project version."
+            exit 1
+        }
+
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Tag found: $tag (matches project version)"
+    }
+    else {
+        $tag = "v$version"
+        Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "  Using version from the package project (no tag required on non-release branches)."
+    }
+
+    return [pscustomobject]@{
+        ScriptDir = $ScriptDir
+        UtilsDir = $UtilsDir
+        CurrentBranch = $currentBranch
+        Version = $version
+        Tag = $tag
+        ProjectFiles = $dotNetContext.ProjectFiles
+        ArtifactsDirectory = $dotNetContext.ArtifactsDirectory
+        IsReleaseBranch = $isReleaseBranch
+        IsNonReleaseBranch = $isNonReleaseBranch
+        ReleaseBranches = $releaseBranches
+        NonReleaseBranches = @()
+        PublishCompleted = $false
+    }
+}
+
+function Get-PreferredReleaseBranch {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [psobject]$EngineContext
+    )
+
+    if ($EngineContext.ReleaseBranches.Count -gt 0) {
+        return $EngineContext.ReleaseBranches[0]
+    }
+
+    return "main"
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Assert-WorkingTreeClean, Initialize-ReleaseStageContext, New-EngineContext, Get-PreferredReleaseBranch
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/PluginSupport.psm1 b/utils/Release-Package/PluginSupport.psm1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2663f6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/PluginSupport.psm1
@@ -0,0 +1,368 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+if (-not (Get-Command Write-Log -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    $loggingModulePath = Join-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) "Logging.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $loggingModulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        Import-Module $loggingModulePath -Force
+    }
+}
+
+function Import-PluginDependency {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$ModuleName,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$RequiredCommand
+    )
+
+    if (Get-Command $RequiredCommand -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+        return
+    }
+
+    $moduleRoot = Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent
+    $modulePath = Join-Path $moduleRoot "$ModuleName.psm1"
+    if (Test-Path $modulePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        # Import into the global session so the calling plugin can see the exported commands.
+        # Importing only into this module's scope would make the dependency invisible to the plugin.
+        Import-Module $modulePath -Force -Global -ErrorAction Stop
+    }
+
+    if (-not (Get-Command $RequiredCommand -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+        throw "Required command '$RequiredCommand' is still unavailable after importing module '$ModuleName'."
+    }
+}
+
+function Get-ConfiguredPlugins {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [psobject]$Settings
+    )
+
+    if (-not $Settings.PSObject.Properties['Plugins'] -or $null -eq $Settings.Plugins) {
+        return @()
+    }
+
+    # JSON can deserialize a single plugin as one object or multiple plugins as an array.
+    # Always return an array so the engine can loop without special-case logic.
+    if ($Settings.Plugins -is [System.Collections.IEnumerable] -and -not ($Settings.Plugins -is [string])) {
+        return @($Settings.Plugins)
+    }
+
+    return @($Settings.Plugins)
+}
+
+function Get-PluginStage {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Plugin
+    )
+
+    if (-not $Plugin.PSObject.Properties['Stage'] -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$Plugin.Stage)) {
+        return "Release"
+    }
+
+    return [string]$Plugin.Stage
+}
+
+function Get-PluginBranches {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Plugin
+    )
+
+    if (-not $Plugin.PSObject.Properties['branches'] -or $null -eq $Plugin.branches) {
+        return @()
+    }
+
+    # Strings are also IEnumerable in PowerShell, so exclude them or we would split into characters.
+    if ($Plugin.branches -is [System.Collections.IEnumerable] -and -not ($Plugin.branches -is [string])) {
+        return @($Plugin.branches | Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_) })
+    }
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$Plugin.branches)) {
+        return @()
+    }
+
+    return @([string]$Plugin.branches)
+}
+
+function Test-IsPublishPlugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Plugin
+    )
+
+    if ($null -eq $Plugin -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$Plugin.Name)) {
+        return $false
+    }
+
+    return @('GitHub', 'NuGet') -contains ([string]$Plugin.Name)
+}
+
+function Get-PluginSettingValue {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [object[]]$Plugins,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$PropertyName
+    )
+
+    foreach ($plugin in $Plugins) {
+        if ($null -eq $plugin -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($plugin.Name)) {
+            continue
+        }
+
+        if (-not $plugin.PSObject.Properties[$PropertyName]) {
+            continue
+        }
+
+        $value = $plugin.$PropertyName
+        if ($null -eq $value) {
+            continue
+        }
+
+        if ($value -is [string] -and [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($value)) {
+            continue
+        }
+
+        return $value
+    }
+
+    return $null
+}
+
+function Get-PluginPathListSetting {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [object[]]$Plugins,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$PropertyName,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$BasePath
+    )
+
+    $rawPaths = @()
+    $value = Get-PluginSettingValue -Plugins $Plugins -PropertyName $PropertyName
+
+    if ($null -eq $value) {
+        return @()
+    }
+
+    # Same rule as above: treat a string as one path, not a char-by-char sequence.
+    if ($value -is [System.Collections.IEnumerable] -and -not ($value -is [string])) {
+        $rawPaths += $value
+    }
+    else {
+        $rawPaths += $value
+    }
+
+    $resolvedPaths = @()
+    foreach ($path in $rawPaths) {
+        if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$path)) {
+            continue
+        }
+
+        $resolvedPaths += [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $BasePath ([string]$path)))
+    }
+
+    # Wrap again to stop PowerShell from unrolling a single-item array into a bare string.
+    return @($resolvedPaths)
+}
+
+function Get-PluginPathSetting {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [object[]]$Plugins,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$PropertyName,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$BasePath
+    )
+
+    $value = Get-PluginSettingValue -Plugins $Plugins -PropertyName $PropertyName
+    if ($null -eq $value -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$value)) {
+        return $null
+    }
+
+    return [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath((Join-Path $BasePath ([string]$value)))
+}
+
+function Get-ArchiveNamePattern {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [object[]]$Plugins,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$CurrentBranch
+    )
+
+    foreach ($plugin in $Plugins) {
+        if ($null -eq $plugin -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($plugin.Name)) {
+            continue
+        }
+
+        if (-not $plugin.Enabled) {
+            continue
+        }
+
+        $allowedBranches = Get-PluginBranches -Plugin $plugin
+        if ($allowedBranches.Count -gt 0 -and -not ($allowedBranches -contains $CurrentBranch)) {
+            continue
+        }
+
+        if ($plugin.PSObject.Properties['zipNamePattern'] -and -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$plugin.zipNamePattern)) {
+            return [string]$plugin.zipNamePattern
+        }
+    }
+
+    return "release-{version}.zip"
+}
+
+function Resolve-PluginModulePath {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Plugin,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$PluginsDirectory
+    )
+
+    $pluginFileName = "{0}.psm1" -f $Plugin.Name
+    $candidatePaths = @(
+        (Join-Path $PluginsDirectory $pluginFileName),
+        (Join-Path (Join-Path (Split-Path $PluginsDirectory -Parent) "CustomPlugins") $pluginFileName)
+    )
+
+    foreach ($candidatePath in $candidatePaths) {
+        if (Test-Path $candidatePath -PathType Leaf) {
+            return $candidatePath
+        }
+    }
+
+    return $candidatePaths[0]
+}
+
+function Test-PluginRunnable {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Plugin,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [psobject]$SharedSettings,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$PluginsDirectory,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
+        [bool]$WriteLogs = $true
+    )
+
+    if ($null -eq $Plugin -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Plugin.Name)) {
+        if ($WriteLogs) {
+            Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Skipping plugin entry with no Name."
+        }
+        return $false
+    }
+
+    if (-not $Plugin.Enabled) {
+        if ($WriteLogs) {
+            Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Skipping plugin '$($Plugin.Name)' (disabled)."
+        }
+        return $false
+    }
+
+    if (Test-IsPublishPlugin -Plugin $Plugin) {
+        $allowedBranches = Get-PluginBranches -Plugin $Plugin
+        if ($allowedBranches.Count -eq 0) {
+            if ($WriteLogs) {
+                Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Skipping plugin '$($Plugin.Name)' because no publish branches are configured."
+            }
+            return $false
+        }
+
+        if (-not ($allowedBranches -contains $SharedSettings.CurrentBranch)) {
+            if ($WriteLogs) {
+                Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "Skipping plugin '$($Plugin.Name)' on branch '$($SharedSettings.CurrentBranch)'."
+            }
+            return $false
+        }
+    }
+
+    $pluginModulePath = Resolve-PluginModulePath -Plugin $Plugin -PluginsDirectory $PluginsDirectory
+    if (-not (Test-Path $pluginModulePath -PathType Leaf)) {
+        if ($WriteLogs) {
+            Write-Log -Level "ERROR" -Message "Plugin module not found: $pluginModulePath"
+        }
+        return $false
+    }
+
+    return $true
+}
+
+function New-PluginInvocationSettings {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Plugin,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [psobject]$SharedSettings
+    )
+
+    $properties = @{}
+    foreach ($property in $Plugin.PSObject.Properties) {
+        $properties[$property.Name] = $property.Value
+    }
+
+    # Plugins receive their own config plus a shared Context object that carries runtime artifacts.
+    $properties['Context'] = $SharedSettings
+    return [pscustomobject]$properties
+}
+
+function Invoke-ConfiguredPlugin {
+    param(
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        $Plugin,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [psobject]$SharedSettings,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
+        [string]$PluginsDirectory,
+
+        [Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
+        [bool]$ContinueOnError = $true
+    )
+
+    if (-not (Test-PluginRunnable -Plugin $Plugin -SharedSettings $SharedSettings -PluginsDirectory $PluginsDirectory -WriteLogs:$true)) {
+        return
+    }
+
+    $pluginModulePath = Resolve-PluginModulePath -Plugin $Plugin -PluginsDirectory $PluginsDirectory
+    Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "Running plugin '$($Plugin.Name)'..."
+
+    try {
+        $moduleInfo = Import-Module $pluginModulePath -Force -PassThru -ErrorAction Stop
+        # Resolve Invoke-Plugin from the imported module explicitly so we call the plugin we just loaded,
+        # not some command with the same name from another module already in session.
+        $invokeCommand = Get-Command -Name "Invoke-Plugin" -Module $moduleInfo.Name -ErrorAction Stop
+        $pluginSettings = New-PluginInvocationSettings -Plugin $Plugin -SharedSettings $SharedSettings
+
+        & $invokeCommand -Settings $pluginSettings
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "  Plugin '$($Plugin.Name)' completed."
+    }
+    catch {
+        Write-Log -Level "ERROR" -Message "  Plugin '$($Plugin.Name)' failed: $($_.Exception.Message)"
+        if (-not $ContinueOnError) {
+            exit 1
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+Export-ModuleMember -Function Import-PluginDependency, Get-ConfiguredPlugins, Get-PluginStage, Get-PluginBranches, Test-IsPublishPlugin, Get-PluginSettingValue, Get-PluginPathListSetting, Get-PluginPathSetting, Get-ArchiveNamePattern, Resolve-PluginModulePath, Test-PluginRunnable, New-PluginInvocationSettings, Invoke-ConfiguredPlugin
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/Release-Package.bat b/utils/Release-Package/Release-Package.bat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6a4aba8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/Release-Package.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+@echo off
+pwsh -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0Release-Package.ps1"
+pause
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/Release-Package.ps1 b/utils/Release-Package/Release-Package.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3ac921c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/Release-Package.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,182 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    Plugin-driven release engine.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This script is the orchestration layer for release automation.
+    It loads scriptsettings.json, evaluates the configured plugins in order,
+    builds shared execution context, and invokes each plugin's Invoke-Plugin
+    entrypoint with that plugin's own settings object plus runtime context.
+
+    The engine is intentionally generic:
+    - It does not embed release-provider-specific logic
+    - It preserves plugin execution order from scriptsettings.json
+    - It isolates plugin failures according to the stage/runtime policy
+    - It keeps shared orchestration helpers in dedicated support modules
+
+.REQUIREMENTS
+    Tools (Required):
+    - Shared support modules required by the engine
+    - Any commands required by configured plugins or support helpers
+
+.WORKFLOW
+    1. Load and normalize plugin configuration
+    2. Determine branch mode from configured plugin metadata
+    3. Validate repository state and resolve the release version
+    4. Build shared execution context
+    5. Execute plugins one by one in configured order
+    6. Initialize release-stage shared artifacts only when needed
+    7. Report completion summary
+
+.USAGE
+    Configure plugin order and plugin settings in scriptsettings.json, then run:
+        pwsh -File .\Release-Package.ps1
+
+.CONFIGURATION
+    All settings are stored in scriptsettings.json:
+    - Plugins: Ordered plugin definitions and plugin-specific settings
+
+.NOTES
+    Plugin-specific behavior belongs in the plugin modules, not in this engine.
+#>
+
+# No parameters - behavior is controlled by configured plugin metadata:
+# - non-release branches -> Run only the plugins allowed for those branches
+# - release branches     -> Require a matching tag and allow release-stage plugins
+
+# Get the directory of the current script (for loading settings and relative paths)
+$scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+
+#region Import Modules
+
+$utilsDir = Split-Path $scriptDir -Parent
+
+# Import ScriptConfig module
+$scriptConfigModulePath = Join-Path $utilsDir "ScriptConfig.psm1"
+if (-not (Test-Path $scriptConfigModulePath)) {
+    Write-Error "ScriptConfig module not found at: $scriptConfigModulePath"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+Import-Module $scriptConfigModulePath -Force
+
+# Import Logging module
+$loggingModulePath = Join-Path $utilsDir "Logging.psm1"
+if (-not (Test-Path $loggingModulePath)) {
+    Write-Error "Logging module not found at: $loggingModulePath"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+Import-Module $loggingModulePath -Force
+# Import PluginSupport module
+$pluginSupportModulePath = Join-Path $scriptDir "PluginSupport.psm1"
+if (-not (Test-Path $pluginSupportModulePath)) {
+    Write-Error "PluginSupport module not found at: $pluginSupportModulePath"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+Import-Module $pluginSupportModulePath -Force
+
+# Import DotNetProjectSupport module
+$dotNetProjectSupportModulePath = Join-Path $scriptDir "DotNetProjectSupport.psm1"
+if (-not (Test-Path $dotNetProjectSupportModulePath)) {
+    Write-Error "DotNetProjectSupport module not found at: $dotNetProjectSupportModulePath"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+Import-Module $dotNetProjectSupportModulePath -Force
+
+# Import EngineSupport module
+$engineSupportModulePath = Join-Path $scriptDir "EngineSupport.psm1"
+if (-not (Test-Path $engineSupportModulePath)) {
+    Write-Error "EngineSupport module not found at: $engineSupportModulePath"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+Import-Module $engineSupportModulePath -Force
+
+#endregion
+
+#region Load Settings
+$settings = Get-ScriptSettings -ScriptDir $scriptDir
+$configuredPlugins = Get-ConfiguredPlugins -Settings $settings
+
+#endregion
+
+#region Configuration
+
+$pluginsDir = Join-Path $scriptDir "CorePlugins"
+
+#endregion
+
+#endregion
+
+#region Main
+
+Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "=================================================="
+Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "RELEASE ENGINE"
+Write-Log -Level "STEP" -Message "=================================================="
+
+#region Preflight
+
+$plugins = $configuredPlugins
+$engineContext = New-EngineContext -Plugins $plugins -ScriptDir $scriptDir -UtilsDir $utilsDir
+Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "All pre-flight checks passed!"
+$sharedPluginSettings = $engineContext
+
+#endregion
+
+#region Plugin Execution
+
+$releaseStageInitialized = $false
+
+if ($plugins.Count -eq 0) {
+    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "No plugins configured in scriptsettings.json."
+}
+else {
+    for ($pluginIndex = 0; $pluginIndex -lt $plugins.Count; $pluginIndex++) {
+        $plugin = $plugins[$pluginIndex]
+        $pluginStage = Get-PluginStage -Plugin $plugin
+
+        if ((Test-IsPublishPlugin -Plugin $plugin) -and -not $releaseStageInitialized) {
+            if (Test-PluginRunnable -Plugin $plugin -SharedSettings $sharedPluginSettings -PluginsDirectory $pluginsDir -WriteLogs:$false) {
+                $remainingPlugins = @($plugins[$pluginIndex..($plugins.Count - 1)])
+                Initialize-ReleaseStageContext -RemainingPlugins $remainingPlugins -SharedSettings $sharedPluginSettings -ArtifactsDirectory $engineContext.ArtifactsDirectory -Version $engineContext.Version
+                $releaseStageInitialized = $true
+            }
+        }
+
+        $continueOnError = $pluginStage -eq "Release"
+        Invoke-ConfiguredPlugin -Plugin $plugin -SharedSettings $sharedPluginSettings -PluginsDirectory $pluginsDir -ContinueOnError:$continueOnError
+    }
+}
+
+if (-not $releaseStageInitialized) {
+    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "No release plugins executed for branch '$($engineContext.CurrentBranch)'."
+}
+
+#endregion
+
+#region Summary
+Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "=================================================="
+if ($engineContext.IsNonReleaseBranch) {
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "NON-RELEASE RUN COMPLETE"
+}
+else {
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "RELEASE COMPLETE"
+}
+Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "=================================================="
+
+Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "Artifacts location: $($engineContext.ArtifactsDirectory)"
+
+if ($engineContext.IsNonReleaseBranch) {
+    $preferredReleaseBranch = Get-PreferredReleaseBranch -EngineContext $engineContext
+    Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "To execute release-stage plugins, rerun from an allowed release branch such as '$preferredReleaseBranch'."
+}
+
+#endregion
+
+#endregion
diff --git a/utils/Release-Package/scriptsettings.json b/utils/Release-Package/scriptsettings.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3161423
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Release-Package/scriptsettings.json
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema",
+  "title": "Release Package Script Settings",
+  "description": "Configuration file for Release-Package.ps1 script.",
+  "Plugins": [
+    {
+      "Name": "DotNetTest",
+      "Stage": "Test",
+      "Enabled": true,
+      "project": "..\\..\\src\\MaksIT.Core.Tests",
+      "resultsDir": "..\\..\\testResults"
+    },
+    {
+      "Name": "QualityGate",
+      "Stage": "QualityGate",
+      "Enabled": true,
+      "coverageThreshold": 0,
+      "failOnVulnerabilities": true
+    },
+    {
+      "Name": "DotNetPack",
+      "Stage": "Build",
+      "Enabled": true,
+      "projectFiles": [
+        "..\\..\\src\\MaksIT.Core\\MaksIT.Core.csproj"
+      ],
+      "artifactsDir": "..\\..\\release"
+    },
+    {
+      "Name": "CreateArchive",
+      "Stage": "Build",
+      "Enabled": true,
+      "zipNamePattern": "maksit.core-{version}.zip"
+    },
+    {
+      "Name": "GitHub",
+      "Stage": "Release",
+      "Enabled": true,
+      "branches": [
+        "main"
+      ],
+      "githubToken": "GITHUB_MAKS_IT_COM",
+      "repository": "https://github.com/MAKS-IT-COM/maksit-core",
+      "releaseNotesFile": "..\\..\\CHANGELOG.md",
+      "releaseTitlePattern": "Release {version}"
+    },
+    {
+      "Name": "NuGet",
+      "Stage": "Release",
+      "Enabled": true,
+      "branches": [
+        "main"
+      ],
+      "nugetApiKey": "NUGET_MAKS_IT",
+      "source": "https://api.nuget.org/v3/index.json"
+    },
+    {
+      "Name": "CleanupArtifacts",
+      "Stage": "Release",
+      "Enabled": true,
+      "includePatterns": [
+        "*"
+      ],
+      "excludePatterns": [
+        "*.zip"
+      ]
+    }
+  ],
+  "_comments": {
+    "Plugins": {
+      "Name": "Plugin module file name in CorePlugins (for example, DotNetPack -> CorePlugins/DotNetPack.psm1).",
+      "Stage": "Execution phase. Supported values are Test, QualityGate, Build, and Release.",
+      "Enabled": "If true, the plugin is imported and Invoke-Plugin is called in the configured order.",
+      "branches": "Used only by publish plugins such as GitHub and NuGet. When the current branch is not listed, publishing is skipped.",
+      "project": "DotNetTest plugin only. Path to the test project directory, relative to the script folder.",
+      "resultsDir": "DotNetTest plugin only. Optional results directory path, relative to the script folder.",
+      "projectFiles": "DotNetPack, DotNetPublish, or another producer plugin can define the project files used for version discovery and artifact creation.",
+      "artifactsDir": "DotNetPack, DotNetPublish, or another producer plugin can define the artifacts output directory, relative to the script folder.",
+      "coverageThreshold": "QualityGate plugin only. Coverage threshold percent (0 disables threshold check).",
+      "failOnVulnerabilities": "QualityGate plugin only. If true, fail when vulnerable packages are detected.",
+      "githubToken": "GitHub plugin only. Environment variable name containing the GitHub token used by gh CLI.",
+      "repository": "GitHub plugin only. Optional owner/repo or GitHub remote URL. Leave empty to use remote.origin.url.",
+      "releaseNotesFile": "GitHub plugin (or another notes consumer plugin) can define the release notes source file, relative to the script folder.",
+      "releaseTitlePattern": "GitHub plugin only. Release title pattern. Supports {version} placeholder.",
+      "zipNamePattern": "CreateArchive plugin only. Archive name pattern for packaged release assets. Supports {version} placeholder.",
+      "nugetApiKey": "NuGet plugin only. Environment variable name containing the NuGet API key.",
+      "source": "NuGet plugin only. Feed URL passed to dotnet nuget push.",
+      "includePatterns": "CleanupArtifacts plugin only. File patterns to remove from artifactsDir (for example ['*.nupkg','*.snupkg']).",
+      "excludePatterns": "CleanupArtifacts plugin only. File patterns to keep even when includePatterns match (for example ['*.zip'])."
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/utils/ScriptConfig.psm1 b/utils/ScriptConfig.psm1
index 8b93dfc..738cd5c 100644
--- a/utils/ScriptConfig.psm1
+++ b/utils/ScriptConfig.psm1
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
 function Get-ScriptSettings {
     param(
         [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
diff --git a/utils/TestRunner.psm1 b/utils/TestRunner.psm1
index 5de475a..f382b24 100644
--- a/utils/TestRunner.psm1
+++ b/utils/TestRunner.psm1
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
 <#
 .SYNOPSIS
     PowerShell module for running tests with code coverage.
@@ -8,7 +11,7 @@
 
 .NOTES
     Author: MaksIT
-    Usage: Import-Module .\TestRunner.psm1
+    Usage: pwsh -Command "Import-Module .\TestRunner.psm1"
 #>
 
 function Import-LoggingModuleInternal {
diff --git a/utils/Update-RepoUtils/Update-RepoUtils.bat b/utils/Update-RepoUtils/Update-RepoUtils.bat
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ff94ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Update-RepoUtils/Update-RepoUtils.bat
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+@echo off
+pwsh -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "%~dp0Update-RepoUtils.ps1"
+pause
diff --git a/utils/Update-RepoUtils/Update-RepoUtils.ps1 b/utils/Update-RepoUtils/Update-RepoUtils.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e3c2d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Update-RepoUtils/Update-RepoUtils.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+#requires -Version 7.0
+#requires -PSEdition Core
+
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    Refreshes a local maksit-repoutils copy from GitHub.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    This script clones the configured repository into a temporary directory,
+    removes the current working directory contents, preserves an existing
+    scriptsettings.json file, and copies the cloned src contents into the
+    current working directory.
+
+    All configuration is stored in scriptsettings.json.
+
+.EXAMPLE
+    pwsh -File .\Update-RepoUtils.ps1
+
+.NOTES
+    CONFIGURATION (scriptsettings.json):
+    - repository.url: Git repository to clone
+    - repository.sourceSubdirectory: Folder copied into the target directory
+    - repository.preserveFileName: Existing file in the target directory to keep
+    - repository.cloneDepth: Depth used for git clone
+#>
+
+[CmdletBinding()]
+param()
+
+Set-StrictMode -Version Latest
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+
+# Get the directory of the current script (for loading settings and relative paths)
+$scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+$utilsDir = Split-Path $scriptDir -Parent
+
+# The target is the current working directory, not the script directory.
+$targetDirectory = (Get-Location).Path
+
+#region Import Modules
+
+$scriptConfigModulePath = Join-Path $utilsDir "ScriptConfig.psm1"
+if (-not (Test-Path $scriptConfigModulePath)) {
+    Write-Error "ScriptConfig module not found at: $scriptConfigModulePath"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+$loggingModulePath = Join-Path $utilsDir "Logging.psm1"
+if (-not (Test-Path $loggingModulePath)) {
+    Write-Error "Logging module not found at: $loggingModulePath"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+Import-Module $scriptConfigModulePath -Force
+Import-Module $loggingModulePath -Force
+
+#endregion
+
+#region Load Settings
+
+$settings = Get-ScriptSettings -ScriptDir $scriptDir
+
+#endregion
+
+#region Configuration
+
+$repositoryUrl = $settings.repository.url
+$sourceSubdirectory = if ($settings.repository.sourceSubdirectory) { $settings.repository.sourceSubdirectory } else { 'src' }
+$preserveFileName = if ($settings.repository.preserveFileName) { $settings.repository.preserveFileName } else { 'scriptsettings.json' }
+$cloneDepth = if ($settings.repository.cloneDepth) { [int]$settings.repository.cloneDepth } else { 1 }
+$currentScriptName = Split-Path -Leaf $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+
+#endregion
+
+#region Validate CLI Dependencies
+
+Assert-Command git
+
+if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($repositoryUrl)) {
+    Write-Error "repository.url is required in scriptsettings.json."
+    exit 1
+}
+
+#endregion
+
+#region Main
+
+Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "========================================"
+Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "Update RepoUtils Script"
+Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "========================================"
+Write-Log -Level "INFO" -Message "Target directory: $targetDirectory"
+
+$temporaryRoot = Join-Path ([System.IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) ("maksit-repoutils-update-" + [System.Guid]::NewGuid().ToString('N'))
+
+try {
+    Write-LogStep "Cloning latest repository snapshot..."
+    & git clone --depth $cloneDepth $repositoryUrl $temporaryRoot
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+        throw "git clone failed with exit code $LASTEXITCODE."
+    }
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "Repository cloned"
+
+    $clonedSourceDirectory = Join-Path $temporaryRoot $sourceSubdirectory
+    if (-not (Test-Path -Path $clonedSourceDirectory -PathType Container)) {
+        throw "The cloned repository does not contain the expected source directory: $clonedSourceDirectory"
+    }
+
+    $existingPreservedFile = Join-Path $targetDirectory $preserveFileName
+    $preservedFileBackup = $null
+    if (Test-Path -Path $existingPreservedFile -PathType Leaf) {
+        $preservedFileBackup = Join-Path $temporaryRoot ("preserved-" + $preserveFileName)
+        Copy-Item -Path $existingPreservedFile -Destination $preservedFileBackup -Force
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "Preserved existing $preserveFileName"
+    }
+    else {
+        Write-Log -Level "WARN" -Message "No existing $preserveFileName found in target directory"
+    }
+
+    Write-LogStep "Cleaning target directory..."
+    $itemsToRemove = Get-ChildItem -Path $targetDirectory -Force |
+        Where-Object {
+            $_.Name -ne $preserveFileName -and
+            $_.Name -ne $currentScriptName
+        }
+
+    foreach ($item in $itemsToRemove) {
+        Remove-Item -Path $item.FullName -Recurse -Force
+    }
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "Target directory cleaned"
+
+    Write-LogStep "Copying refreshed source files..."
+    Get-ChildItem -Path $clonedSourceDirectory -Force | ForEach-Object {
+        Copy-Item -Path $_.FullName -Destination $targetDirectory -Recurse -Force
+    }
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "Source files copied"
+
+    if ($preservedFileBackup -and (Test-Path -Path $preservedFileBackup -PathType Leaf)) {
+        Copy-Item -Path $preservedFileBackup -Destination $existingPreservedFile -Force
+        Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "$preserveFileName restored"
+    }
+
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "========================================"
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "Update completed successfully!"
+    Write-Log -Level "OK" -Message "========================================"
+}
+finally {
+    if (Test-Path -Path $temporaryRoot) {
+        Remove-Item -Path $temporaryRoot -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    }
+}
+
+#endregion
diff --git a/utils/Update-RepoUtils/scriptsettings.json b/utils/Update-RepoUtils/scriptsettings.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..475177a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/Update-RepoUtils/scriptsettings.json
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema",
+  "title": "Update RepoUtils Script Settings",
+  "description": "Configuration for the Update-RepoUtils utility.",
+  "repository": {
+    "url": "https://github.com/MAKS-IT-COM/maksit-repoutils.git",
+    "sourceSubdirectory": "src",
+    "preserveFileName": "scriptsettings.json",
+    "cloneDepth": 1
+  }
+}