diff --git a/docs/gitops-release.md b/docs/gitops-release.md
index b9b09a1..b66597d 100644
--- a/docs/gitops-release.md
+++ b/docs/gitops-release.md
@@ -65,6 +65,14 @@ promotion and failed-health rollback before claiming unattended operation.
 The 24-hour observation begins with the recorded successful adoption; a stateful
 failure or unintended spec change invalidates that observation.
 
+An attended release must also commit the new child `targetRevision` to
+`railiance-platform/argocd/railiance01/applications/activity-core.application.yaml`.
+Patching the live Application alone is not enough: `railiance-apps-root` is
+synced by hand from that file, and a stale pin there rolls activity-core back on
+the next root sync. The 2026-10-04 and 2026-10-19 releases skipped this step,
+and RPF-WP-ADHOC-2026-10-19 repaired it. Close the release only after
+`make argocd-pin-drift` in railiance-platform reports `ok` for activity-core.
+
 ## Live proof and current gates
 
 The 2026-09-27 adoption and subsequent digest release are complete and healthy.