diff --git a/.github/release.yml b/.github/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cde47ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Plain-language categories for native GitHub release notes.
+changelog:
+  exclude:
+    labels:
+      - "autorelease: pending"
+      - "autorelease: tagged"
+      - "autorelease: failed"
+  categories:
+    - title: Breaking changes
+      labels: [breaking]
+    - title: Changes
+      labels: ["*"]
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr.yml b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
index 5c86934..e658101 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: PR title is a Conventional Commit header
         env:
           PR_TITLE: ${{ github.event.pull_request.title }}
+          PR_BODY: ${{ github.event.pull_request.body }}
         run: |
           # The title becomes the squash commit subject on main (K22-REPO-22), so it
           # must be a valid Conventional Commits 1.0 header of at most 100 characters.
@@ -65,6 +66,15 @@ jobs:
             printf 'Title was: %s\n' "$PR_TITLE"
             exit 1
           fi
+          node - <<'NODE'
+          const emoji = /\p{Emoji_Presentation}|[\u2600-\u27BF]|\p{Extended_Pictographic}\uFE0F|[#*0-9]\uFE0F?\u20E3/u;
+          for (const [field, text] of [['title', process.env.PR_TITLE], ['description', process.env.PR_BODY || '']]) {
+            if (emoji.test(text)) {
+              console.error(`::error title=Unprofessional pull request::The ${field} contains an emoji; use professional text.`);
+              process.exit(1);
+            }
+          }
+          NODE
           echo "PR title OK"
 
   dco:
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index c49bf19..6d472fc 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ themselves: everything below comes from the [SDLC policy](policies/sdlc.md).
 
 ## What a good change looks like
 
+- Use professional wording in code comments, documentation, commit/PR messages,
+  release notes and automation output. No emojis, joke copy or bot sound effects.
 - A new or changed requirement follows the format in
   [policies/README.md](policies/README.md#requirement-ids): an ID that has never been used,
   a level, the rule, *Why*, and *Verified by*. A requirement nobody can verify is not
diff --git a/configs/intellij/README.md b/configs/intellij/README.md
index 8ec103e..bda9b8d 100644
--- a/configs/intellij/README.md
+++ b/configs/intellij/README.md
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ picks them up on open: *Settings → Editor → Code Style* shows **Project** se
 
 ## Per IDE (all projects)
 
-1. **Code style:** *Settings → Editor → Code Style → ⚙ (Show Scheme Actions) → Import
+1. **Code style:** *Settings → Editor → Code Style → Show Scheme Actions → Import
    Scheme → IntelliJ IDEA code style XML* → choose `Kingsrook_Code_Style.xml`.
 2. **Reformat on save:** *Settings → Tools → Actions on Save* → enable **Reformat code**
    and **Optimize imports**.
diff --git a/docs/releases.md b/docs/releases.md
index e573b03..301c6bb 100644
--- a/docs/releases.md
+++ b/docs/releases.md
@@ -24,10 +24,17 @@ against it before packaging.
 
 Use `feat` for new guidance and `!` for new obligations or removed allowances as
 defined in [the versioning policy](../policies/README.md#versioning-of-the-standards).
-Infrastructure changes appear in release notes and can produce PATCH releases;
-`test`, `style`, and `chore` alone do not produce release notes. Review the proposed
+Infrastructure changes can produce PATCH releases;
+`test`, `style`, and `chore` alone do not trigger a version proposal. Review the proposed
 version and notes before merging. A `breaking` label alone does not change the version.
 
+PR headers and footers are explicitly configured in `release-please-config.json`.
+Native GitHub release notes use the plain-language categories in `.github/release.yml`,
+keeping breaking changes visible without decorative symbols. Versions still come
+from Conventional Commits; note entries link to reviewed PRs. Maintainers review
+breaking-change descriptions before publication. Repository text and automation
+output use professional wording, without emojis, joke copy or bot sound effects.
+
 ## One-time maintainer setup
 
 1. Keep **Settings → General → Releases → Enable release immutability** enabled.
diff --git a/release-please-config.json b/release-please-config.json
index 64b644a..e5020c0 100644
--- a/release-please-config.json
+++ b/release-please-config.json
@@ -3,18 +3,10 @@
   "release-type": "simple",
   "include-component-in-tag": false,
   "bump-minor-pre-major": false,
+  "changelog-type": "github",
+  "pull-request-header": "Release proposal generated from reviewed changes on main. Review the version, changes, and validation before merging.",
+  "pull-request-footer": "Generated by [Release Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please) using this repository's release configuration.",
   "initial-version": "0.1.0",
-  "changelog-sections": [
-    { "type": "security", "section": "Security", "hidden": false },
-    { "type": "feat", "section": "Features", "hidden": false },
-    { "type": "fix", "section": "Bug Fixes", "hidden": false },
-    { "type": "docs", "section": "Documentation", "hidden": false },
-    { "type": "perf", "section": "Performance", "hidden": false },
-    { "type": "refactor", "section": "Refactoring", "hidden": false },
-    { "type": "build", "section": "Build", "hidden": false },
-    { "type": "ci", "section": "Automation", "hidden": false },
-    { "type": "revert", "section": "Reverts", "hidden": false }
-  ],
   "packages": {
     ".": { "version-file": "version.txt" }
   }
diff --git a/standards/ai-agents.md b/standards/ai-agents.md
index 5c13f6f..9cb277c 100644
--- a/standards/ai-agents.md
+++ b/standards/ai-agents.md
@@ -117,7 +117,10 @@ the pull request description discloses it, per
 
 **K22-AGENT-41 (SHOULD)** An agent reports in concise plain language: what changed,
 why, what was verified, and what limitations remain. Document length scales with the
-task; decoration (emojis, filler praise) is omitted unless asked for.
+task. Repository text, including code comments, documentation, commits, PRs, release
+notes and generated automation messages, uses professional wording. Omit emojis,
+joke copy, filler praise and bot sound effects. Configure third-party automation to
+follow the same rule; its default templates are not an exception.
 *Why:* the report is the maintainer's primary review input. *Verified by:* review.
 
 ## Context economy
diff --git a/templates/repo/CONTRIBUTING.md b/templates/repo/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 0a6c85c..b37679c 100644
--- a/templates/repo/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/templates/repo/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 # Contributing to {{PROJECT_NAME}}
 
+Use professional wording in code comments, documentation, commit/PR messages,
+release notes and automation output. No emojis, joke copy or bot sound effects.
+
 Thanks for helping. This project follows the
 [KofTwentyTwo standards](https://github.com/KofTwentyTwo/standards); this page is the
 short version of what they ask of a contribution.
diff --git a/tools/Build-StandardsPackage.ps1 b/tools/Build-StandardsPackage.ps1
index 8660577..ec7e60a 100644
--- a/tools/Build-StandardsPackage.ps1
+++ b/tools/Build-StandardsPackage.ps1
@@ -44,7 +44,9 @@ if($committedVersion -ne $Version -or $releaseManifest['.'] -ne $Version)
 
 $changelog = (git -C $repository show "${commit}:CHANGELOG.md") -join "`n"
 $escapedVersion = [regex]::Escape($Version)
-$section = [regex]::Match($changelog, "(?ms)^## (?:\[$escapedVersion\](?:\([^\r\n]*\))?|$escapedVersion)(?=\s|$)[^\r\n]*\r?\n.*?(?=^## |\z)")
+# Native release-note categories also use H2; only a version heading ends a release.
+$releaseHeading = '^## (?:\[\d+\.\d+\.\d+(?:[-+][0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?\](?:\([^\r\n]*\))?|\d+\.\d+\.\d+(?:[-+][0-9A-Za-z.-]+)?)(?=\s|$)'
+$section = [regex]::Match($changelog, "(?ms)^## (?:\[$escapedVersion\](?:\([^\r\n]*\))?|$escapedVersion)(?=\s|$)[^\r\n]*\r?\n.*?(?=$releaseHeading|\z)")
 if(-not $section.Success)
 {
    throw "CHANGELOG.md has no release notes for $Version at $commit."
diff --git a/tools/Test-StandardsPackage.ps1 b/tools/Test-StandardsPackage.ps1
index 0b9334b..4468097 100644
--- a/tools/Test-StandardsPackage.ps1
+++ b/tools/Test-StandardsPackage.ps1
@@ -63,6 +63,14 @@ Future notes.
 
 Current notes.
 
+## Changes
+
+Native category notes.
+
+## Breaking changes
+
+Current breaking details.
+
 ## 1.2.2
 
 Older notes.
@@ -100,6 +108,7 @@ $manifest = Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $first "$prefix.manifest.json")
 Test-Condition ($manifest.version -eq '1.2.3' -and $manifest.commit -eq (git -C $source rev-parse HEAD)) 'manifest identifies version and exact source commit'
 $notes = Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $first "$prefix.notes.md") -Raw
 Test-Condition ($notes -match 'Current notes' -and $notes -notmatch 'Older notes|Future notes' -and $notes.Contains($checklist)) 'notes contain only this release and its checklist'
+Test-Condition ($notes -match 'Native category notes' -and $notes -match 'Current breaking details') 'notes preserve native H2 categories within a release'
 foreach($file in (Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $first -File))
 {
    Test-Condition ((Get-FileHash -LiteralPath $file.FullName).Hash -eq (Get-FileHash -LiteralPath (Join-Path $second $file.Name)).Hash) "$($file.Name) is reproducible"
@@ -115,6 +124,14 @@ Test-Exception { & $builder -Version '1.2.4' -RepositoryPath $source -OutputPath
 Test-Exception { & $builder -Version '01.2.3' -RepositoryPath $source } 'ValidatePattern|validation|pattern'
 Test-Exception { & $builder -Version '1.2.3' -RepositoryPath $source -OutputPath $first } 'already exists'
 Test-Exception { & $builder -Version '1.2.3' -RepositoryPath $source -OutputPath (Join-Path $fixtureRoot 'invalid-url') -ChecklistUrl 'http://example.com/123' } 'GitHub issue URL'
+$nativeChangelog = (Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $source 'CHANGELOG.md') -Raw).Replace('## [1.2.3](https://example.com/current)', '## 1.2.3')
+Set-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $source 'CHANGELOG.md') -Value $nativeChangelog
+git -C $source add -- CHANGELOG.md
+git -C $source -c user.name=Fixture -c user.email=fixture@example.invalid -c commit.gpgsign=false commit --quiet -m 'test: native release heading fixture'
+$nativeOutput = Join-Path $fixtureRoot 'native-headings'
+& $builder -Version '1.2.3' -RepositoryPath $source -OutputPath $nativeOutput
+$nativeNotes = Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $nativeOutput "$prefix.notes.md") -Raw
+Test-Condition ($nativeNotes -match 'Native category notes' -and $nativeNotes -match 'Current breaking details' -and $nativeNotes -notmatch 'Older notes|Future notes') 'native unlinked version heading retains only its release categories'
 Set-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $source 'CHANGELOG.md') -Value '# Changelog without release notes'
 git -C $source add -- CHANGELOG.md
 git -C $source -c user.name=Fixture -c user.email=fixture@example.invalid -c commit.gpgsign=false commit --quiet -m 'test: missing release notes fixture'