diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index f2c98c2..2cafb0d 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -696,3 +696,11 @@ if (get_option('wp_fedistream_enable_prometheus', 0) && $this->is_prometheus_act
 - Native WordPress template overriding support
 - Smaller plugin package size
 - Simpler debugging with standard PHP
+
+**Critical Learning - NEVER Build Local Releases:**
+
+- Attempted to run `composer update --no-dev` locally for release building
+- This corrupts the development environment and creates inconsistent packages
+- **All releases must be built by CI/CD pipeline only**
+- The "Create releases" section in this document has been updated with this critical instruction
+- To create a release: commit, tag, push - CI/CD handles the rest