diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ee64173..b62fd88 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -54,6 +54,32 @@ hotdata tables list <workspace_id> --connection-id <connection_id> [--format tab
 hotdata query "<sql>" --workspace-id <workspace_id> [--connection <connection_id>] [--format table|json|csv]
 ```
 
+## Releasing
+
+Releases use a two-phase workflow wrapping [`cargo-release`](https://github.com/crate-ci/cargo-release).
+
+**Phase 1 — prepare**
+
+```sh
+scripts/release.sh prepare <version>
+# e.g. scripts/release.sh prepare 0.2.0
+```
+
+This will:
+1. Create a `release/<version>` branch
+2. Bump the version in `Cargo.toml`, update `CHANGELOG.md`, and push the branch
+3. Open a GitHub pull request and launch it in the browser
+
+Squash and merge the PR into `main` when ready.
+
+**Phase 2 — finish**
+
+```sh
+scripts/release.sh finish
+```
+
+Run this from any branch after the PR is merged. It will switch to `main`, pull the latest, tag the release, and trigger the dist workflow.
+
 ## Configuration
 
 Config is stored at `~/.hotdata/config.yml` keyed by profile (default: `default`).
diff --git a/scripts/release.sh b/scripts/release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..5137e9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# release.sh — two-phase release wrapper around cargo-release
+#
+# Usage:
+#   scripts/release.sh prepare <version>   # steps 0-2: branch, bump, push PR
+#   scripts/release.sh finish              # step 4: tag, publish, trigger dist
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+COMMAND="${1:-}"
+VERSION="${2:-}"
+
+usage() {
+    echo "Usage:"
+    echo "  scripts/release.sh prepare <version>   # create release branch and open PR"
+    echo "  scripts/release.sh finish               # tag and publish from main"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+require_clean_tree() {
+    if ! git diff --quiet || ! git diff --cached --quiet; then
+        echo "error: working tree is not clean. Commit or stash your changes first."
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
+case "$COMMAND" in
+    prepare)
+        if [ -z "$VERSION" ]; then
+            echo "error: version required (e.g. scripts/release.sh prepare 0.2.0)"
+            usage
+        fi
+
+        BRANCH="release/$VERSION"
+
+        require_clean_tree
+
+        # step 0: create release branch
+        echo "→ Creating branch $BRANCH"
+        git checkout -b "$BRANCH"
+
+        # step 2: bump versions, commit, push branch
+        echo ""
+        echo "→ Running cargo release (no publish, no tag)..."
+        cargo release --no-publish --no-tag --allow-branch="$BRANCH" "$VERSION"
+
+        echo ""
+        echo "→ Opening pull request..."
+        PR_URL=$(gh pr create \
+            --title "chore: Release hotdata-cli version $VERSION" \
+            --base main \
+            --head "$BRANCH")
+
+        echo ""
+        echo "✓ PR created: $PR_URL"
+        if command -v xdg-open &>/dev/null; then
+            xdg-open "$PR_URL" || true
+        elif command -v open &>/dev/null; then
+            open "$PR_URL" || true
+        fi
+        echo ""
+        echo "Next steps:"
+        echo "  1. Review and merge the PR (use 'Squash and merge')"
+        echo "  2. Run: scripts/release.sh finish"
+        ;;
+
+    finish)
+        require_clean_tree
+
+        CURRENT_BRANCH="$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"
+        if [ "$CURRENT_BRANCH" != "main" ]; then
+            echo "→ Switching to main..."
+            git checkout main
+        fi
+
+        echo "→ Pulling latest main..."
+        git pull
+
+        echo ""
+        echo "→ Running cargo release (tagging release)..."
+        cargo release
+
+        echo ""
+        echo "✓ Release complete. Tag pushed and dist workflow triggered."
+        ;;
+
+    *)
+        usage
+        ;;
+esac
diff --git a/src/datasets.rs b/src/datasets.rs
index 970de1c..af6fdb0 100644
--- a/src/datasets.rs
+++ b/src/datasets.rs
@@ -118,14 +118,21 @@ fn do_upload<R: std::io::Read + Send + 'static>(
     content_type: &str,
     reader: R,
     pb: ProgressBar,
+    content_length: Option<u64>,
 ) -> String {
     let url = format!("{api_url}/files");
 
-    let resp = match client
+    let mut req = client
         .post(&url)
         .header("Authorization", format!("Bearer {api_key}"))
         .header("X-Workspace-Id", workspace_id)
-        .header("Content-Type", content_type)
+        .header("Content-Type", content_type);
+
+    if let Some(len) = content_length {
+        req = req.header("Content-Length", len);
+    }
+
+    let resp = match req
         .body(reqwest::blocking::Body::new(reader))
         .send()
     {
@@ -190,7 +197,7 @@ fn upload_from_file(
     let pb = make_progress_bar(file_size);
     let reader = pb.wrap_read(f);
 
-    let id = do_upload(client, api_key, workspace_id, api_url, ft.content_type, reader, pb);
+    let id = do_upload(client, api_key, workspace_id, api_url, ft.content_type, reader, pb, Some(file_size));
     (id, ft.format)
 }
 
@@ -216,7 +223,7 @@ fn upload_from_stdin(
     pb.enable_steady_tick(std::time::Duration::from_millis(80));
     let reader = pb.wrap_read(reader);
 
-    let id = do_upload(client, api_key, workspace_id, api_url, ft.content_type, reader, pb);
+    let id = do_upload(client, api_key, workspace_id, api_url, ft.content_type, reader, pb, None);
     (id, ft.format)
 }