diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-macos.yml b/.github/workflows/release-macos.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e7e80c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-macos.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+name: Release macOS app
+
+# Phase 2 of #165: build the self-contained deckd.app on a macOS runner,
+# wrap it in a DMG, and attach it to the GitHub release.
+#
+# The build itself is `just build-macos-dmg` — the same recipe a contributor
+# runs locally (docs/GUIDE.md § "macOS app bundle") — so CI and the documented
+# path can't drift. This job only supplies the runner, the toolchain, and the
+# publish step.
+#
+# arm64 only: macos-14 runners are Apple Silicon, so the DMG targets Apple
+# Silicon Macs. An Intel / universal2 build is a documented follow-up
+# (issue #165, "Open questions").
+#
+# The bundle is ad-hoc signed and NOT notarized (no paid Apple Developer
+# Program), so a browser-downloaded DMG is quarantined — first launch needs
+# right-click → Open or `xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/deckd.app`.
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags: ["v*"]
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      tag:
+        description: "Release tag to attach the DMG to (e.g. v0.1.0)"
+        required: true
+        type: string
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
+# Serialise publishes per tag: a second run must not `--clobber` a DMG the
+# first is still uploading. In-flight runs are not cancelled (a release
+# publish is not safely interruptible).
+concurrency:
+  group: release-macos-${{ github.event.inputs.tag || github.ref_name }}
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  dmg:
+    runs-on: macos-14
+    env:
+      # A pushed tag, or the tag supplied to a manual run.
+      RELEASE_TAG: ${{ github.event.inputs.tag || github.ref_name }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.11"
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: "20"
+          cache: npm
+          cache-dependency-path: client/package-lock.json
+
+      - uses: extractions/setup-just@v4
+
+      # PyObjC (the menu-bar wrapper) + PyInstaller. Installing these first
+      # also stops the recipe's `uv pip install` fallback from firing.
+      - name: Install Python deps
+        run: pip install -e ".[macos,packaging]"
+
+      # `npm run build` already runs `tsc --noEmit`, so a type error fails
+      # the release before a broken bundle is frozen in.
+      - name: Build client
+        run: npm ci && npm run build
+        working-directory: client
+
+      # The tag (minus a leading `v`) is the release version, so the DMG name,
+      # its volume name, and the app's CFBundleShortVersionString all match
+      # the tag. Rough CalVer (v2026.09.23) or any other `v*` string works.
+      - name: Resolve version from the tag
+        run: echo "DECKD_VERSION=${RELEASE_TAG#v}" >> "$GITHUB_ENV"
+
+      - name: Build .app + DMG
+        run: just build-macos-dmg
+
+      - name: Verify the DMG
+        run: hdiutil verify dist/deckd-*.dmg
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: deckd-macos-dmg
+          path: dist/deckd-*.dmg
+          if-no-files-found: error
+
+      - name: Attach the DMG to the release
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+        run: |
+          gh release view "$RELEASE_TAG" >/dev/null 2>&1 \
+            || gh release create "$RELEASE_TAG" --title "$RELEASE_TAG" --generate-notes
+          gh release upload "$RELEASE_TAG" dist/deckd-*.dmg --clobber
diff --git a/Justfile b/Justfile
index 9bbf3d5..cc92e12 100644
--- a/Justfile
+++ b/Justfile
@@ -440,6 +440,11 @@ metrics:
     set -euo pipefail
     deckctl --port {{DECKD_PORT}} metrics
 
+# Print the version from pyproject.toml. The single source for artifact
+# names (the DMG) and the release tag guard, so they can't drift.
+version:
+    @sed -n 's/^version = "\(.*\)"/\1/p' pyproject.toml | head -n1
+
 # Build the self-contained macOS app bundle (dist/deckd.app, issue #165).
 # macOS only: a .app needs Apple tooling, so this refuses to run elsewhere.
 # Installs the [packaging] extra (PyInstaller) on demand and builds the
@@ -463,10 +468,12 @@ build-macos-app:
     echo "Built dist/deckd.app (ad-hoc signed, not notarized)."
 
 # Wrap dist/deckd.app in a distributable DMG for a GitHub release (#165).
+# ``DECKD_VERSION`` names the artifact (the release workflow sets it from the
+# git tag); otherwise it falls back to pyproject's version.
 build-macos-dmg: build-macos-app
     #!/usr/bin/env bash
     set -euo pipefail
-    version="$(sed -n 's/^version = "\(.*\)"/\1/p' pyproject.toml | head -n1)"
+    version="${DECKD_VERSION:-$(just version)}"
     stage="$(mktemp -d)"
     trap 'rm -rf "$stage"' EXIT
     cp -R dist/deckd.app "$stage/"
diff --git a/daemon/deckd/macos_app.py b/daemon/deckd/macos_app.py
index d9d8add..564c25f 100644
--- a/daemon/deckd/macos_app.py
+++ b/daemon/deckd/macos_app.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 import argparse
 import asyncio
 import logging
+import os
 import shutil
 import sys
 import threading
@@ -69,6 +70,52 @@ def default_log_file() -> Path:
     return Path.home() / "Library" / "Logs" / "deckd.log"
 
 
+def bundle_version(pyproject: Path | None = None) -> str:
+    """The version stamped into the bundle (issue #165).
+
+    ``DECKD_VERSION`` wins when set — release CI passes the git tag (minus a
+    leading ``v``), so the tag is the single source for a release and the DMG
+    name, ``CFBundleShortVersionString``, and volume name all agree. Local
+    builds fall back to ``version`` in ``pyproject.toml``.
+    """
+    override = os.environ.get("DECKD_VERSION", "").strip()
+    if override:
+        return override
+    path = pyproject or Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2] / "pyproject.toml"
+    for line in path.read_text().splitlines():
+        if line.startswith("version = "):
+            return line.split("=", 1)[1].strip().strip('"')
+    raise ValueError(f"no version found in {path}")
+
+
+def bundle_info_plist(version: str) -> dict[str, object]:
+    """Info.plist entries for ``deckd.app`` (issue #165).
+
+    Kept here (not inline in ``deckd.spec``) so the TCC-relevant keys are
+    unit-testable on the Linux dev/CI hosts.
+
+    ``NSAppleEventsUsageDescription`` is load-bearing: the daemon drives
+    keystrokes and focus by shelling out to ``osascript`` → System Events,
+    and macOS attributes those Apple Events to the *responsible process* —
+    the bundle, not the ``osascript`` child. Without this string the
+    Automation prompt can't be shown, so macOS refuses the event
+    (``errAEEventNotPermitted``, -1743) — the silent failure #165 fixes.
+    """
+    return {
+        "LSUIElement": True,
+        "CFBundleName": "deckd",
+        "CFBundleDisplayName": "deckd",
+        "CFBundleShortVersionString": version,
+        "CFBundleVersion": version,
+        "LSMinimumSystemVersion": "12.0",
+        "NSHighResolutionCapable": True,
+        "NSAppleEventsUsageDescription": (
+            "deckd sends keystrokes and focuses windows through System "
+            "Events when you press buttons on your deck."
+        ),
+    }
+
+
 def seed_layouts(src: Path, dest: Path, *, overlay: Path | None = None) -> bool:
     """Copy bundled layouts into the writable data dir on first run.
 
diff --git a/docs/GUIDE.md b/docs/GUIDE.md
index 0f74438..6f3d8e3 100644
--- a/docs/GUIDE.md
+++ b/docs/GUIDE.md
@@ -648,7 +648,19 @@ The bundle is **ad-hoc signed, not notarized** (no paid Apple Developer Program)
 xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/deckd.app
 ```
 
-Then grant the TCC permissions as for the source build (see [macOS](#macos) above): Accessibility, System Events, and — for window titles — Screen Recording. The app seeds layouts into `~/Library/Application Support/deckd/layouts` on first run and logs to `~/Library/Logs/deckd.log`. The menu offers Open surface / Open layouts folder / Restart server / Allow LAN access / Quit; it stays localhost-only until you enable LAN access. This path is not yet verified on hardware.
+Then grant the TCC permissions as for the source build (see [macOS](#macos) above): Accessibility, System Events, and — for window titles — Screen Recording. The app seeds layouts into `~/Library/Application Support/deckd/layouts` on first run and logs to `~/Library/Logs/deckd.log`. The menu offers Open surface / Open layouts folder / Restart server / Allow LAN access / Quit; it stays localhost-only until you enable LAN access.
+
+Because the bundle is ad-hoc signed, its code identity is its content hash: **every rebuild changes it, so macOS may ask you to re-grant Accessibility / System Events after an upgrade.** Remove the stale `deckd` entry from System Settings → Privacy & Security and re-add the app if a grant stops working.
+
+Verified so far (macOS 26.6.2, Apple Silicon): the bundle builds, launches as a menu-bar app, seeds layouts, and serves the surface on `127.0.0.1:8765` with logs in `~/Library/Logs/deckd.log`. The injected-input features still depend on the three TCC grants, which need a human on the target Mac to confirm — the same caveat as the source build.
+
+#### Releasing a DMG
+
+Pushing a `v*` tag runs [`.github/workflows/release-macos.yml`](../.github/workflows/release-macos.yml) on a `macos-14` runner: it builds the client, freezes the app, wraps it in a DMG (the same `just build-macos-dmg` recipe above), and attaches the DMG to the GitHub release for that tag. A manual **Run workflow** can attach to an existing tag.
+
+The tag (minus a leading `v`) is the version for that release: it names the DMG (`deckd-<version>.dmg`), its volume, and the app's `CFBundleShortVersionString`. So a rough CalVer tag like `v2026.09.23` yields `deckd-2026.09.23.dmg`. No scheme is enforced — any `v*` string works. For a local build without a tag, `just build-macos-dmg` falls back to `version` in `pyproject.toml`.
+
+The DMG is **arm64 only** (Apple Silicon): `macos-14` runners are Apple Silicon. An Intel / `universal2` build is a follow-up ([#165](https://github.com/jonocodes/deckd/issues/165), "Open questions").
 
 **NixOS** users can skip all of the above — the flake's home-manager module owns the same user service, and the NixOS module owns the udev rule and `input` group. See [Nix flake, NixOS, and home-manager](#nix-flake-nixos-and-home-manager).
 
diff --git a/docs/PLATFORM-PARITY.md b/docs/PLATFORM-PARITY.md
index 6a697ee..a14e7af 100644
--- a/docs/PLATFORM-PARITY.md
+++ b/docs/PLATFORM-PARITY.md
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@ one of three evidence levels:
 | MPRIS media browser | human-observed **not working**; now says so | no session bus on macOS ([#56](https://github.com/jonocodes/deckd/issues/56) tracks a native replacement). Verified live: the daemon's connect frame is `{"supported": false, …}` |
 | `media` widget (VLC HTTP) | **unverified** | nobody has pointed it at a VLC on a Mac |
 
+**Packaged app ([#165](https://github.com/jonocodes/deckd/issues/165)), checked 2026-09-23 (macOS 26.6.2, Apple Silicon):** the self-contained `deckd.app` builds, launches as a menu-bar app, and serves the surface on loopback — see `docs/GUIDE.md` § "macOS app bundle" for the run and its caveats. The rows above apply to it unchanged: the same TCC grants gate the same features, and because the bundle is ad-hoc signed the grant keys on its content hash, so a rebuild may need re-granting.
+
 The Linux columns are code-and-CI truth. No dated hardware run backs them, and
 the GNOME rows in particular have a history of passing tests while broken on a
 live session — treat them as *unverified* until someone repeats the exercise
diff --git a/packaging/macos/deckd.spec b/packaging/macos/deckd.spec
index 8a9f7bc..05dda4f 100644
--- a/packaging/macos/deckd.spec
+++ b/packaging/macos/deckd.spec
@@ -12,15 +12,23 @@ and layouts are copied in as data under ``Contents/Frameworks`` (where
 ``sys._MEIPASS`` points at runtime).
 """
 import os
+import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
 ROOT = Path(SPECPATH).resolve().parents[1]  # SPECPATH is packaging/macos
 
-version = "0.0.1"
-for line in (ROOT / "pyproject.toml").read_text().splitlines():
-    if line.startswith("version = "):
-        version = line.split("=", 1)[1].strip().strip('"')
-        break
+# Importable even when the package isn't pip-installed (e.g. a bare
+# ``pyinstaller packaging/macos/deckd.spec`` from a checkout).
+sys.path.insert(0, str(ROOT / "daemon"))
+from deckd.macos_app import (  # noqa: E402
+    BUNDLE_ID,
+    bundle_info_plist,
+    bundle_version,
+)
+
+# ``DECKD_VERSION`` (set by the release workflow from the git tag) wins;
+# otherwise pyproject's ``version``.
+version = bundle_version(ROOT / "pyproject.toml")
 
 # Optional custom icon: generate an .icns (e.g. from client/public/icon.svg)
 # and point DECKD_ICON at it, otherwise the default PyInstaller icon is used.
@@ -88,14 +96,6 @@ app = BUNDLE(
     coll,
     name="deckd.app",
     icon=icon,
-    bundle_identifier="com.deckd.daemon",
-    info_plist={
-        "LSUIElement": True,
-        "CFBundleName": "deckd",
-        "CFBundleDisplayName": "deckd",
-        "CFBundleShortVersionString": version,
-        "CFBundleVersion": version,
-        "LSMinimumSystemVersion": "12.0",
-        "NSHighResolutionCapable": True,
-    },
+    bundle_identifier=BUNDLE_ID,
+    info_plist=bundle_info_plist(version),
 )
diff --git a/tests/test_app.py b/tests/test_app.py
index 1bdc6ea..697e370 100644
--- a/tests/test_app.py
+++ b/tests/test_app.py
@@ -48,6 +48,39 @@ def test_seed_layouts_first_run_then_noop(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     assert "edited" in (dest / "default.yaml").read_text()
 
 
+def test_bundle_version_prefers_env_override(monkeypatch, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    # The release workflow passes the git tag (minus its `v`) this way, so a
+    # rough CalVer tag is fine — no PEP 440 normalisation applies here.
+    monkeypatch.setenv("DECKD_VERSION", "2026.09.23")
+    assert macos_app.bundle_version(tmp_path / "pyproject.toml") == "2026.09.23"
+
+
+def test_bundle_version_falls_back_to_pyproject(monkeypatch, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    monkeypatch.setenv("DECKD_VERSION", "   ")
+    pyproject = tmp_path / "pyproject.toml"
+    _write(pyproject, '[project]\nname = "deckd"\nversion = "1.2.3"\n')
+    assert macos_app.bundle_version(pyproject) == "1.2.3"
+
+
+def test_bundle_info_plist_declares_tcc_usage() -> None:
+    plist = macos_app.bundle_info_plist("1.2.3")
+    assert plist["CFBundleShortVersionString"] == "1.2.3"
+    assert plist["CFBundleVersion"] == "1.2.3"
+    # Menu-bar only: no Dock icon, no main window.
+    assert plist["LSUIElement"] is True
+    # The daemon drives System Events via osascript; without this string
+    # macOS denies the Apple Event with no prompt (issue #165).
+    assert plist["NSAppleEventsUsageDescription"]
+
+
+def test_bundle_info_plist_has_no_empty_strings() -> None:
+    # An empty usage description suppresses the TCC prompt, so none of the
+    # string values may be blank.
+    for key, value in macos_app.bundle_info_plist("0.0.1").items():
+        if isinstance(value, str):
+            assert value.strip(), key
+
+
 def test_app_argv_defaults_to_localhost(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
     argv = macos_app.app_argv(
         layouts_dir=tmp_path / "layouts", client_dist=tmp_path / "web"