diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 6b47bb06..4c30ee12 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -39,10 +39,18 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
 
+    - name: Generate GitHub App Token
+      id: generate_token
+      uses: tibdex/github-app-token@v1
+      with:
+        app_id: ${{ vars.VERSION_BUMPER_APPID }}
+        private_key: ${{ secrets.VERSION_BUMPER_SECRET }}
+
     - name: Checkout
       uses: actions/checkout@v4
       with:
         fetch-depth: 0
+        token: ${{ steps.generate_token.outputs.token }}
         
     - name: Setup Node.js
       uses: actions/setup-node@v4
@@ -85,6 +93,8 @@ jobs:
         git add package.json package-lock.json
         git commit -m "chore: bump version to $NEW_VERSION [skip ci]" || exit 0
         git push
+      env:
+        GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ steps.generate_token.outputs.token }}
         
     - name: Create GitHub Release
       if: steps.version.outputs.new_tag
diff --git a/.vibe/development-plan-configure-renovate.md b/.vibe/development-plan-configure-renovate.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8faf4742
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.vibe/development-plan-configure-renovate.md
@@ -0,0 +1,329 @@
+# Development Plan: responsible-vibe (configure-renovate branch)
+
+*Generated on 2025-08-21 by Vibe Feature MCP*
+*Workflow: [minor](https://mrsimpson.github.io/responsible-vibe-mcp/workflows/minor)*
+
+## Goal
+Configure Renovate to provide a frictionless dependency update experience with minimal manual intervention while maintaining code quality and stability.
+
+## Explore
+### Tasks
+- [x] Analyze current project structure and dependencies
+- [x] Identify existing Renovate configuration (if any)
+- [x] Research frictionless Renovate best practices
+- [x] Define requirements for automated dependency management
+- [x] Design configuration approach for minimal friction
+- [x] Research GitHub PR configuration options
+- [x] Analyze and fix branch protection workflow issue
+
+### Completed
+- [x] Created development plan file
+- [x] Analyzed project: Node.js/TypeScript project with npm, has basic renovate.json with config:recommended
+- [x] Found existing CI/CD: GitHub Actions with PR validation (Node 18, 20, latest) and automated tests
+- [x] Researched best practices for frictionless dependency management
+- [x] Defined comprehensive requirements for automated updates
+- [x] Designed configuration approach with auto-merge and grouping strategies
+- [x] Documented 30+ GitHub PR configuration options from Renovate docs
+- [x] Fixed release workflow to use GitHub App token for bypassing branch protection
+
+## Implement
+
+### Phase Entrance Criteria:
+- [ ] Current project structure and dependencies are analyzed
+- [ ] Frictionless Renovate requirements are clearly defined
+- [ ] Configuration approach is designed and documented
+- [ ] Best practices for automated updates are identified
+
+### Tasks
+- [ ] *To be added when this phase becomes active*
+
+### Completed
+*None yet*
+
+## Finalize
+
+### Phase Entrance Criteria:
+- [ ] Renovate configuration is implemented and tested
+- [ ] Automated dependency updates are working as expected
+- [ ] Configuration provides the desired frictionless experience
+- [ ] Documentation is complete and accurate
+
+### Tasks
+- [ ] *To be added when this phase becomes active*
+
+### Completed
+*None yet*
+
+## Key Decisions
+
+### Current State Analysis
+- **Project Type**: Node.js/TypeScript MCP server with npm package management
+- **Dependencies**: Mix of production deps (@modelcontextprotocol/sdk, js-yaml, sqlite3, zod) and dev deps (vitest, typescript, etc.)
+- **Current Renovate Config**: Basic setup with `config:recommended` preset only
+- **CI/CD**: GitHub Actions with PR validation across Node 18, 20, and latest versions
+- **Testing**: Automated test suite with `npm run test:run`
+
+### Updated Frictionless Requirements (Automerge with CI)
+- **Automerge when CI checks pass** (user has good test coverage)
+- **Automatic PR creation** but silent merging when tests pass
+- **Grouped updates** to reduce PR noise for related dependencies
+- **Semantic commit messages** (project uses conventional commits)
+- **Respect CI/CD pipeline** - only merge when all checks succeed
+- **Different strategies** for patch vs minor vs major updates
+- **Security updates** get immediate priority
+
+### Optimal Automerge Configuration Strategy
+**Patch & Dev Dependencies**: Auto-merge immediately when CI passes
+**Minor Updates**: Auto-merge for well-maintained packages
+**Major Updates**: Create PR for manual review
+**Security Updates**: Immediate auto-merge when CI passes
+**Lock File Maintenance**: Weekly auto-merge
+
+### Configuration Design Approach - FINAL
+- **Base**: Extend `config:recommended` (current setup)
+- **Automerge**: Enable with `platformAutomerge=true` for GitHub native merging
+- **Grouping**: Group dev dependencies and related packages
+- **Schedule**: Allow updates during off-hours to avoid CI conflicts
+- **Safety**: Require all status checks to pass before merging
+
+### Frictionless Requirements Identified
+- **Auto-merge capability** for low-risk updates (patch versions, dev dependencies)
+- **Grouped updates** to reduce PR noise
+- **Semantic commit messages** (project uses conventional commits)
+- **Respect CI/CD pipeline** and only merge when tests pass
+- **Schedule optimization** to avoid overwhelming maintainers
+
+### Detailed Frictionless Requirements
+1. **Auto-merge Strategy**:
+   - Patch updates for production dependencies (auto-merge when CI passes)
+   - All dev dependency updates (auto-merge when CI passes)
+   - Minor updates for well-maintained packages (with approval)
+
+2. **Grouping Strategy**:
+   - Group dev dependencies together
+   - Group patch updates together
+   - Separate major updates for individual review
+
+3. **Scheduling**:
+   - Non-office hours to avoid interrupting development
+   - Limit concurrent PRs to avoid overwhelming CI
+
+4. **Safety Measures**:
+   - Require status checks (CI must pass)
+   - Respect package.json constraints
+   - Use semantic commit messages for changelog generation
+
+### GitHub PR Configuration Options Available
+
+Based on the comprehensive Renovate documentation, here are the key configuration options specifically for GitHub PRs:
+
+**PR Creation & Timing:**
+- `prCreation`: When to create PRs (`immediate`, `not-pending`, `status-success`, `approval`)
+- `prConcurrentLimit`: Limit concurrent PRs (default: 10)
+- `prHourlyLimit`: Rate limit PR creation per hour (default: 2)
+- `prNotPendingHours`: Timeout for `prCreation=not-pending` (default: 25 hours)
+
+**PR Content & Appearance:**
+- `prTitle`: PR title template (inherits from `commitMessage`)
+- `prTitleStrict`: Bypass appending extra context to PR title
+- `prHeader`: Text at the beginning of PR body
+- `prFooter`: Text at the end of PR body (default: Renovate Bot attribution)
+- `prBodyTemplate`: Controls which sections appear in PR body
+- `prBodyColumns`: Columns to include in PR tables
+- `prBodyDefinitions`: Custom column definitions for PR tables
+- `prBodyNotes`: Extra notes/templates in PR body
+
+**PR Behavior:**
+- `draftPR`: Create draft PRs instead of normal PRs
+- `platformAutomerge`: Use GitHub's native auto-merge (default: true)
+- `automerge`: Enable Renovate's automerge functionality
+- `automergeType`: How to automerge (`pr`, `branch`, `pr-comment`)
+- `automergeStrategy`: Merge strategy (`auto`, `squash`, `merge-commit`, `rebase`, etc.)
+- `automergeSchedule`: Limit automerge to specific times
+
+**PR Labels & Assignment:**
+- `labels`: Labels to set on PRs
+- `addLabels`: Additional labels (mergeable with existing)
+- `assignees`: PR assignees
+- `reviewers`: PR reviewers (supports `team:` prefix for GitHub teams)
+- `assigneesFromCodeOwners`: Auto-assign based on CODEOWNERS
+- `reviewersFromCodeOwners`: Auto-assign reviewers from CODEOWNERS
+- `assignAutomerge`: Assign reviewers/assignees even for automerge PRs
+
+**PR Lifecycle Management:**
+- `rebaseLabel`: Label to trigger manual rebase (default: "rebase")
+- `stopUpdatingLabel`: Label to stop Renovate updates (default: "stop-updating")
+- `keepUpdatedLabel`: Label to keep PR updated with base branch
+- `rebaseWhen`: When to rebase PRs (`auto`, `never`, `conflicted`, `behind-base-branch`)
+- `recreateWhen`: When to recreate closed PRs (`auto`, `always`, `never`)
+
+### Automerge Configuration Options
+
+**Perfect! Here's the optimal "frictionless" automerge setup:**
+
+#### Core Automerge Settings
+```json
+{
+  "extends": ["config:recommended"],
+  "platformAutomerge": true,
+  "automerge": true,
+  "automergeType": "pr",
+  "automergeStrategy": "squash"
+}
+```
+
+#### Selective Automerge by Update Type
+```json
+{
+  "packageRules": [
+    {
+      "description": "Automerge patch updates and dev dependencies",
+      "matchUpdateTypes": ["patch"],
+      "matchDepTypes": ["devDependencies"],
+      "automerge": true
+    },
+    {
+      "description": "Automerge minor updates for trusted packages",
+      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor"],
+      "matchPackageNames": ["@types/**", "eslint**", "prettier"],
+      "automerge": true
+    },
+    {
+      "description": "Manual review for major updates",
+      "matchUpdateTypes": ["major"],
+      "automerge": false
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+#### Security & Lock File Maintenance
+```json
+{
+  "vulnerabilityAlerts": {
+    "automerge": true
+  },
+  "lockFileMaintenance": {
+    "enabled": true,
+    "automerge": true,
+    "schedule": ["before 4am on monday"]
+  }
+}
+```
+
+#### Grouping to Reduce PR Noise
+```json
+{
+  "packageRules": [
+    {
+      "description": "Group dev dependencies",
+      "matchDepTypes": ["devDependencies"],
+      "matchUpdateTypes": ["patch", "minor"],
+      "groupName": "dev dependencies"
+    },
+    {
+      "description": "Group TypeScript ecosystem",
+      "matchPackageNames": ["typescript", "@types/**"],
+      "groupName": "TypeScript"
+    }
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+### CI Check Requirements for Automerge
+
+**Important: The CI check condition is handled by GitHub + Renovate automatically:**
+
+#### Default Behavior (Automatic)
+- **Renovate default**: Only automerges when ALL status checks pass
+- **GitHub branch protection**: Should be configured to require status checks
+- **No explicit config needed** - this is built-in safety
+
+#### Explicit Configuration (Recommended)
+```json
+{
+  "automerge": true,
+  "platformAutomerge": true,
+  "ignoreTests": false,
+  "prCreation": "not-pending"
+}
+```
+
+#### GitHub Branch Protection Setup Required
+You need to configure GitHub branch protection rules:
+1. Go to Settings → Branches → Add rule for `main`
+2. Enable "Require status checks to pass before merging"
+3. Select your CI workflow (e.g., "Pull Request Validation")
+4. Enable "Require branches to be up to date before merging"
+
+#### Alternative: Explicit Status Check Names
+```json
+{
+  "requiredStatusChecks": ["ci/github-actions"],
+  "automerge": true
+}
+```
+
+#### Safety Override (NOT recommended)
+```json
+{
+  "ignoreTests": true,
+  "automerge": true
+}
+```
+**⚠️ This would automerge WITHOUT waiting for CI - dangerous!**
+
+### Branch Protection Issue Analysis
+
+**Problem Identified**: Release workflow fails because version bump commits don't trigger CI checks, but branch protection requires them.
+
+#### Current Workflow Issues
+1. **Version bump commit** uses `[skip ci]` - intentionally skips CI
+2. **Branch protection** now requires 3 status checks to pass
+3. **GitHub Actions token** can't bypass branch protection rules
+4. **Chicken-and-egg problem**: Need CI to pass, but CI is skipped
+
+#### Current vs Suggested GitHub App Approach
+
+**Current Workflow (Failing)**:
+```yaml
+- name: Update package.json version
+  run: |
+    git commit -m "chore: bump version to $NEW_VERSION [skip ci]"
+    git push  # Uses GITHUB_TOKEN - subject to branch protection
+```
+
+**Suggested GitHub App Approach**:
+```yaml
+- name: Generate GitHub App Token
+  id: generate_token
+  uses: tibdex/github-app-token@v1
+  with:
+    app_id: ${{ secrets.APP_ID }}
+    private_key: ${{ secrets.PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
+- name: Update package.json version  
+  run: |
+    git commit -m "chore: bump version to $NEW_VERSION [skip ci]"
+    git push
+  env:
+    GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ steps.generate_token.outputs.token }}
+```
+
+#### Key Differences
+1. **GitHub App token** can bypass branch protection (if configured)
+2. **App permissions** need "Contents: Write" and "Metadata: Read"
+3. **Repository settings** must allow app to bypass protection
+4. **Secrets needed**: `APP_ID` and `PRIVATE_KEY` for your created app
+
+#### Alternative Solutions
+1. **Remove [skip ci]** and let version bump trigger CI (cleaner)
+2. **Use GitHub App** to bypass protection (your current approach)
+3. **Exclude version bump commits** from branch protection rules
+4. **Use semantic-release** which handles this automatically
+
+## Notes
+*Additional context and observations*
+
+---
+*This plan is maintained by the LLM. Tool responses provide guidance on which section to focus on and what tasks to work on.*