diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7426ca7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+name: CI - Build and Test
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ main ]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ main ]
+
+jobs:
+  build-test:
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest]
+        python-version: ['3.9', '3.10', '3.11']
+    
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          submodules: recursive
+      
+      - name: Set up Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        with:
+          python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+      
+      - name: Install uv
+        run: |
+          curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
+          echo "$HOME/.cargo/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+      
+      - name: Install system dependencies (Ubuntu)
+        if: runner.os == 'Linux'
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get update
+          sudo apt-get install -y libomp-dev libboost-all-dev libzmq3-dev \
+            pkg-config libopenblas-dev patchelf \
+            libaio-dev protobuf-compiler libprotobuf-dev libabsl-dev
+          
+          # Install Intel MKL for DiskANN
+          wget https://registrationcenter-download.intel.com/akdlm/IRC_NAS/79153e0f-74d7-45af-b8c2-258941adf58a/intel-onemkl-2025.0.0.940.sh
+          sudo sh intel-onemkl-2025.0.0.940.sh -a --components intel.oneapi.lin.mkl.devel --action install --eula accept -s
+          source /opt/intel/oneapi/setvars.sh
+          echo "MKLROOT=/opt/intel/oneapi/mkl/latest" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/intel/oneapi/mkl/latest/lib/intel64:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+      
+      - name: Install system dependencies (macOS)
+        if: runner.os == 'macOS'
+        run: |
+          brew install libomp boost zeromq protobuf
+      
+      - name: Build all packages
+        run: |
+          echo "🔨 Building on ${{ matrix.os }} with Python ${{ matrix.python-version }}..."
+          export UV_SYSTEM_PYTHON=1
+          
+          # Build each package
+          for pkg in leann-core leann-backend-hnsw leann-backend-diskann leann; do
+            echo "Building $pkg..."
+            cd packages/$pkg
+            rm -rf dist/ build/ _skbuild/
+            uv build --wheel
+            if [ ! -f dist/*.whl ]; then
+              echo "❌ Failed to build $pkg!"
+              exit 1
+            fi
+            echo "✅ $pkg built successfully"
+            cd ../..
+          done
+      
+      - name: Install and test packages
+        run: |
+          # Create clean test environment
+          python -m venv test_env
+          if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "msys" || "$OSTYPE" == "win32" ]]; then
+            source test_env/Scripts/activate
+          else
+            source test_env/bin/activate
+          fi
+          
+          # Install built packages
+          pip install packages/*/dist/*.whl
+          
+          # Basic import test
+          python -c "import leann; print('✅ LEANN imported successfully')"
+          python -c "import leann_backend_hnsw; print('✅ HNSW backend imported')"
+          python -c "import leann_backend_diskann; print('✅ DiskANN backend imported')"
+      
+      - name: Upload artifacts
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: wheels-${{ matrix.os }}-py${{ matrix.python-version }}
+          path: packages/*/dist/*.whl
+          retention-days: 7
+  
+  # Summary job to ensure all builds pass
+  ci-success:
+    needs: build-test
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: CI Success
+        run: |
+          echo "✅ All CI builds passed!"
+          echo "Ready for manual release when needed." 
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-manual.yml b/.github/workflows/release-manual.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96139eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-manual.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+name: Manual Release
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: 'Version to release (e.g., 0.1.1)'
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      test_pypi:
+        description: 'Test on TestPyPI first'
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: true
+
+jobs:
+  validate-and-release:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+      
+      - name: Check CI status
+        run: |
+          echo "ℹ️  This workflow assumes CI has already passed on the current commit."
+          echo "   If not, please wait for CI to complete before releasing."
+          echo ""
+          
+      - name: Validate version format
+        run: |
+          if ! [[ "${{ inputs.version }}" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+            echo "❌ Invalid version format. Use semantic versioning (e.g., 0.1.1)"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "✅ Version format valid: ${{ inputs.version }}"
+      
+      - name: Check if version already exists
+        run: |
+          if git tag | grep -q "^v${{ inputs.version }}$"; then
+            echo "❌ Version v${{ inputs.version }} already exists!"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          echo "✅ Version is new"
+      
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.11'
+      
+      - name: Install uv
+        run: |
+          curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
+          echo "$HOME/.cargo/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
+      
+      - name: Update versions
+        run: |
+          ./scripts/bump_version.sh ${{ inputs.version }}
+          git config user.name "GitHub Actions"
+          git config user.email "actions@github.com"
+          git add packages/*/pyproject.toml
+          git commit -m "chore: release v${{ inputs.version }}"
+      
+      - name: Build packages for TestPyPI
+        run: |
+          echo "🔨 Building packages for testing..."
+          ./scripts/build_and_test.sh all
+          echo "✅ Build successful! (Already tested on multiple platforms)"
+      
+      - name: Test on TestPyPI (optional)
+        if: inputs.test_pypi
+        env:
+          TWINE_USERNAME: __token__
+          TWINE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.TEST_PYPI_API_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          pip install twine
+          echo "📦 Uploading to TestPyPI..."
+          twine upload --repository testpypi packages/*/dist/* --verbose
+          echo "✅ Test upload successful!"
+          echo "📋 Check packages at: https://test.pypi.org/user/your-username/"
+          echo ""
+          echo "To test installation:"
+          echo "pip install -i https://test.pypi.org/simple/ leann"
+      
+      - name: Create and push tag
+        run: |
+          git tag "v${{ inputs.version }}"
+          git push origin main
+          git push origin "v${{ inputs.version }}"
+          echo "✅ Tag v${{ inputs.version }} created and pushed"
+      
+      - name: Create GitHub Release
+        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
+        with:
+          tag_name: v${{ inputs.version }}
+          name: Release v${{ inputs.version }}
+          body: |
+            ## 🚀 Release v${{ inputs.version }}
+            
+            ### What's Changed
+            See the [full changelog](https://github.com/${{ github.repository }}/compare/...v${{ inputs.version }})
+            
+            ### Installation
+            ```bash
+            pip install leann==${{ inputs.version }}
+            ```
+            
+            ### Test Installation (if using TestPyPI)
+            ```bash
+            pip install -i https://test.pypi.org/simple/ leann==${{ inputs.version }}
+            ```
+          draft: false
+          prerelease: false
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+      
+      - name: Trigger PyPI publish
+        run: |
+          echo "🚀 Triggering PyPI publish workflow..."
+          # The existing build-and-publish.yml will be triggered by the tag push
+          echo "✅ Release process completed! The publish workflow will run automatically." 
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/RELEASE.md b/docs/RELEASE.md
index 72bb251..6ccf6b5 100644
--- a/docs/RELEASE.md
+++ b/docs/RELEASE.md
@@ -1,17 +1,52 @@
 # Release Guide
 
-## One-line Release 🚀
+## 📋 Prerequisites
+
+Before releasing, ensure:
+1. ✅ All code changes are committed and pushed
+2. ✅ CI has passed on the latest commit (check [Actions](https://github.com/yichuan-w/LEANN/actions/workflows/ci.yml))
+3. ✅ You have determined the new version number
+
+## 🚀 Recommended: Manual Release Workflow
+
+### Via GitHub UI (Most Reliable)
+
+1. **Verify CI Status**: Check that the latest commit has a green checkmark ✅
+2. Go to [Actions → Manual Release](https://github.com/yichuan-w/LEANN/actions/workflows/release-manual.yml)
+3. Click "Run workflow"
+4. Enter version (e.g., `0.1.1`)
+5. Toggle "Test on TestPyPI first" if desired
+6. Click "Run workflow"
+
+**What happens:**
+- ✅ Validates version format
+- ✅ Updates all package versions
+- ✅ Optionally tests on TestPyPI
+- ✅ Creates tag and GitHub release
+- ✅ Automatically triggers PyPI publish
+
+### Via Command Line
+
+```bash
+gh workflow run release-manual.yml -f version=0.1.1 -f test_pypi=true
+```
+
+## ⚡ Quick Release (One-Line)
+
+For experienced users who want the fastest path:
 
 ```bash
 ./scripts/release.sh 0.1.1
 ```
 
-That's it! This script will:
+This script will:
 1. Update all package versions
 2. Commit and push changes
 3. Create GitHub release
 4. CI automatically builds and publishes to PyPI
 
+⚠️ **Note**: If CI fails, you'll need to manually fix and re-tag
+
 ## Manual Testing Before Release
 
 For testing specific packages locally (especially DiskANN on macOS):
@@ -32,13 +67,6 @@ pip install packages/*/dist/*.whl
 ./scripts/upload_to_pypi.sh prod
 ```
 
-### Why Manual Build for DiskANN?
-
-DiskANN's complex dependencies (protobuf, abseil, etc.) sometimes require local testing before release. The build script will:
-- Compile the C++ extension
-- Use `delocate` (macOS) or `auditwheel` (Linux) to bundle system libraries
-- Create a self-contained wheel with no external dependencies
-
 ## First-time setup
 
 1. Install GitHub CLI: