diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f216285
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,550 @@
+# ExcaliDash Makefile
+# Comprehensive development, testing, and release automation
+
+.PHONY: help install dev build test test-frontend test-backend test-e2e test-e2e-docker \
+        lint lint-frontend lint-backend clean docker-build docker-run docker-down docker-logs \
+        release pre-release version-bump changelog db-migrate db-reset
+
+# Colors
+GREEN  := \033[0;32m
+YELLOW := \033[1;33m
+BLUE   := \033[0;34m
+RED    := \033[0;31m
+NC     := \033[0m
+
+# Configuration
+DOCKER_USERNAME := zimengxiong
+IMAGE_NAME := excalidash
+VERSION := $(shell cat VERSION 2>/dev/null || echo "0.0.0")
+
+# Default target
+.DEFAULT_GOAL := help
+
+#===============================================================================
+# HELP
+#===============================================================================
+
+help: ## Show this help message
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(GREEN)ExcaliDash Makefile$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)==================$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Usage:$(NC) make [target]"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(BLUE)Development:$(NC)"
+	@grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## .*$$' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | grep -E '(install|dev|build|lint|clean)' | awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*?## "}; {printf "  $(GREEN)%-20s$(NC) %s\n", $$1, $$2}'
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(BLUE)Testing:$(NC)"
+	@grep -E '^test[-a-zA-Z0-9_]*:.*## .*$$' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*## "}; {printf "  $(GREEN)%-20s$(NC) %s\n", $$1, $$2}'
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(BLUE)Docker:$(NC)"
+	@grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## .*$$' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | grep -E '(docker)' | awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*?## "}; {printf "  $(GREEN)%-20s$(NC) %s\n", $$1, $$2}'
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(BLUE)Release:$(NC)"
+	@grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## .*$$' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | grep -E '(release|version|changelog)' | awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*?## "}; {printf "  $(GREEN)%-20s$(NC) %s\n", $$1, $$2}'
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(BLUE)Database:$(NC)"
+	@grep -E '^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?## .*$$' $(MAKEFILE_LIST) | grep -E '(db-)' | awk 'BEGIN {FS = ":.*?## "}; {printf "  $(GREEN)%-20s$(NC) %s\n", $$1, $$2}'
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Current version:$(NC) $(VERSION)"
+	@echo ""
+
+#===============================================================================
+# DEVELOPMENT
+#===============================================================================
+
+install: ## Install all dependencies (frontend, backend, e2e)
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Installing frontend dependencies...$(NC)"
+	cd frontend && npm install
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Installing backend dependencies...$(NC)"
+	cd backend && npm install
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Installing e2e dependencies...$(NC)"
+	cd e2e && npm install
+	@echo "$(GREEN)All dependencies installed!$(NC)"
+
+dev: ## Start development servers (frontend + backend)
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Starting development servers...$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(BLUE)Backend will run on port 8000, Frontend on port 5173$(NC)"
+	@trap 'kill 0' INT; \
+		(cd backend && npm run dev) & \
+		(cd frontend && npm run dev) & \
+		wait
+
+dev-frontend: ## Start frontend dev server only
+	cd frontend && npm run dev
+
+dev-backend: ## Start backend dev server only
+	cd backend && npm run dev
+
+build: ## Build frontend and backend for production
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Building frontend...$(NC)"
+	cd frontend && npm run build
+	@echo "$(GREEN)Build complete!$(NC)"
+
+lint: lint-frontend lint-backend ## Run linters for frontend and backend
+
+lint-frontend: ## Run frontend linter
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Linting frontend...$(NC)"
+	cd frontend && npm run lint
+
+lint-backend: ## Run backend linter (if available)
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Backend linting not configured$(NC)"
+
+clean: ## Clean build artifacts and node_modules
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Cleaning build artifacts...$(NC)"
+	rm -rf frontend/dist
+	rm -rf frontend/node_modules/.vite
+	@echo "$(GREEN)Clean complete!$(NC)"
+
+clean-all: clean ## Clean everything including node_modules
+	@echo "$(RED)Removing all node_modules...$(NC)"
+	rm -rf frontend/node_modules
+	rm -rf backend/node_modules
+	rm -rf e2e/node_modules
+	@echo "$(GREEN)Full clean complete!$(NC)"
+
+#===============================================================================
+# TESTING
+#===============================================================================
+
+test: test-frontend test-backend ## Run all tests (frontend + backend unit tests)
+	@echo "$(GREEN)All unit tests passed!$(NC)"
+
+test-all: test test-e2e ## Run ALL tests (unit + e2e)
+	@echo "$(GREEN)All tests passed!$(NC)"
+
+test-frontend: ## Run frontend unit tests
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Running frontend tests...$(NC)"
+	cd frontend && npm test
+
+test-backend: ## Run backend unit tests
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Running backend tests...$(NC)"
+	cd backend && npm test
+
+test-coverage: ## Run all unit tests with coverage
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Running tests with coverage...$(NC)"
+	cd frontend && npm run test:coverage
+	cd backend && npm run test:coverage
+
+test-e2e: ## Run e2e tests (starts servers automatically)
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Running e2e tests...$(NC)"
+	cd e2e && ./run-e2e.sh
+
+test-e2e-headed: ## Run e2e tests with visible browser
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Running e2e tests (headed)...$(NC)"
+	cd e2e && ./run-e2e.sh --headed
+
+test-e2e-docker: ## Run e2e tests in Docker containers
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Running e2e tests in Docker...$(NC)"
+	cd e2e && ./run-e2e.sh --docker
+
+test-watch: ## Run tests in watch mode
+	@trap 'kill 0' INT; \
+		(cd frontend && npm run test:watch) & \
+		(cd backend && npm run test:watch) & \
+		wait
+
+#===============================================================================
+# DOCKER
+#===============================================================================
+
+docker-build: ## Build Docker images locally
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Building Docker images...$(NC)"
+	docker-compose build
+	@echo "$(GREEN)Docker images built!$(NC)"
+
+docker-run: ## Start Docker containers (docker-compose up)
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Starting Docker containers...$(NC)"
+	docker-compose up
+
+docker-up: docker-run ## Alias for docker-run
+
+docker-run-detached: ## Start Docker containers in background
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Starting Docker containers (detached)...$(NC)"
+	docker-compose up -d
+	@echo "$(GREEN)Containers started! Access at http://localhost:6767$(NC)"
+
+docker-down: ## Stop and remove Docker containers
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Stopping Docker containers...$(NC)"
+	docker-compose down
+	@echo "$(GREEN)Containers stopped!$(NC)"
+
+docker-down-volumes: ## Stop containers and remove volumes
+	@echo "$(RED)Stopping containers and removing volumes...$(NC)"
+	docker-compose down -v
+
+docker-logs: ## Show Docker container logs
+	docker-compose logs -f
+
+docker-ps: ## Show running Docker containers
+	docker-compose ps
+
+docker-restart: docker-down docker-run ## Restart Docker containers
+
+docker-rebuild: docker-down docker-build docker-run ## Rebuild and restart containers
+
+#===============================================================================
+# VERSION MANAGEMENT
+#===============================================================================
+
+version: ## Show current version
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Current version:$(NC) $(VERSION)"
+
+version-bump: ## Interactive version bump
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Current version:$(NC) $(VERSION)"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(BLUE)Select version bump type:$(NC)"
+	@echo "  1) patch ($(VERSION) -> $$(echo $(VERSION) | awk -F. '{print $$1"."$$2"."$$3+1}'))"
+	@echo "  2) minor ($(VERSION) -> $$(echo $(VERSION) | awk -F. '{print $$1"."$$2+1".0"}'))"
+	@echo "  3) major ($(VERSION) -> $$(echo $(VERSION) | awk -F. '{print $$1+1".0.0"}'))"
+	@echo "  4) custom"
+	@echo ""
+	@read -p "Enter choice [1-4]: " choice; \
+	case $$choice in \
+		1) NEW_VERSION=$$(echo $(VERSION) | awk -F. '{print $$1"."$$2"."$$3+1}') ;; \
+		2) NEW_VERSION=$$(echo $(VERSION) | awk -F. '{print $$1"."$$2+1".0"}') ;; \
+		3) NEW_VERSION=$$(echo $(VERSION) | awk -F. '{print $$1+1".0.0"}') ;; \
+		4) read -p "Enter new version: " NEW_VERSION ;; \
+		*) echo "$(RED)Invalid choice$(NC)"; exit 1 ;; \
+	esac; \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Bumping version to $$NEW_VERSION...$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$$NEW_VERSION" > VERSION; \
+	sed -i '' "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" frontend/package.json 2>/dev/null || \
+		sed -i "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" frontend/package.json; \
+	sed -i '' "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" backend/package.json 2>/dev/null || \
+		sed -i "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" backend/package.json; \
+	echo "$(GREEN)Version bumped to $$NEW_VERSION$(NC)"
+
+#===============================================================================
+# RELEASE
+#===============================================================================
+
+changelog: ## Edit release notes (RELEASE.md)
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Opening RELEASE.md for editing...$(NC)"
+	@if [ -z "$$EDITOR" ]; then \
+		echo "$(RED)No EDITOR set. Using vim.$(NC)"; \
+		vim RELEASE.md; \
+	else \
+		$$EDITOR RELEASE.md; \
+	fi
+
+release: ## Full release workflow (main branch only)
+	@echo "$(GREEN)===========================================$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)     ExcaliDash Release Workflow$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)===========================================$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Branch check
+	@CURRENT_BRANCH=$$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD); \
+	if [ "$$CURRENT_BRANCH" != "main" ]; then \
+		echo "$(RED)ERROR: Releases must be made from 'main' branch!$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$(RED)Current branch: $$CURRENT_BRANCH$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Please switch to main and try again.$(NC)"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ On main branch$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Pull latest
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Pulling latest changes...$(NC)"
+	@git pull origin main
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ Up to date with remote$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Show current status
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Current status:$(NC)"
+	@git status --short || true
+	@echo ""
+	@# Run tests
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Running tests...$(NC)"
+	@$(MAKE) test
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ All tests passed$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Version bump - inline with clear options
+	@CURRENT=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	PATCH=$$(echo $$CURRENT | awk -F. '{print $$1"."$$2"."$$3+1}'); \
+	MINOR=$$(echo $$CURRENT | awk -F. '{print $$1"."$$2+1".0"}'); \
+	MAJOR=$$(echo $$CURRENT | awk -F. '{print $$1+1".0.0"}'); \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Current version: $$CURRENT$(NC)"; \
+	echo ""; \
+	echo "$(BLUE)Select version bump:$(NC)"; \
+	echo "  1) patch  → $$PATCH"; \
+	echo "  2) minor  → $$MINOR"; \
+	echo "  3) major  → $$MAJOR"; \
+	echo "  4) custom"; \
+	echo "  5) skip (keep $$CURRENT)"; \
+	echo ""; \
+	read -p "Enter choice [1-5]: " choice; \
+	case $$choice in \
+		1) NEW_VERSION=$$PATCH ;; \
+		2) NEW_VERSION=$$MINOR ;; \
+		3) NEW_VERSION=$$MAJOR ;; \
+		4) read -p "Enter new version: " NEW_VERSION ;; \
+		5) NEW_VERSION=$$CURRENT ;; \
+		*) echo "$(RED)Invalid choice, using current$(NC)"; NEW_VERSION=$$CURRENT ;; \
+	esac; \
+	if [ "$$NEW_VERSION" != "$$CURRENT" ]; then \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Bumping version to $$NEW_VERSION...$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$$NEW_VERSION" > VERSION; \
+		sed -i '' "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" frontend/package.json 2>/dev/null || \
+			sed -i "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" frontend/package.json; \
+		sed -i '' "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" backend/package.json 2>/dev/null || \
+			sed -i "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" backend/package.json; \
+		echo "$(GREEN)✓ Version bumped to $$NEW_VERSION$(NC)"; \
+	else \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Keeping version $$CURRENT$(NC)"; \
+	fi
+	@echo ""
+	@# Release notes
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Release notes (RELEASE.md):$(NC)"
+	@read -p "Edit RELEASE.md now? [Y/n]: " edit; \
+	if [ "$$edit" != "n" ] && [ "$$edit" != "N" ]; then \
+		$(MAKE) changelog; \
+	fi
+	@echo ""
+	@# Show summary before commit
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	echo "$(BLUE)===========================================$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(BLUE)Release Summary$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(BLUE)===========================================$(NC)"; \
+	echo "  Version:  v$$NEW_VERSION"; \
+	echo "  Branch:   main"; \
+	echo "  Tag:      v$$NEW_VERSION"; \
+	echo ""; \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Changes to be committed:$(NC)"; \
+	git status --short; \
+	echo ""
+	@read -p "$(YELLOW)Proceed with release? [y/N]: $(NC)" confirm; \
+	if [ "$$confirm" != "y" ] && [ "$$confirm" != "Y" ]; then \
+		echo "$(RED)Release aborted.$(NC)"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo ""
+	@# Commit changes
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Committing release...$(NC)"; \
+	git add -A; \
+	git commit -m "chore: release v$$NEW_VERSION" || echo "$(YELLOW)Nothing to commit$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ Changes committed$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Push to remote
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Pushing to remote...$(NC)"
+	@git push origin main
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ Pushed to origin/main$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Create git tag
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Creating tag v$$NEW_VERSION...$(NC)"; \
+	git tag -a "v$$NEW_VERSION" -m "Release v$$NEW_VERSION"; \
+	git push origin "v$$NEW_VERSION"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ Tag v$$NEW_VERSION created and pushed$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Create GitHub release
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Creating GitHub release...$(NC)"; \
+	if command -v gh &> /dev/null; then \
+		gh release create "v$$NEW_VERSION" \
+			--title "ExcaliDash v$$NEW_VERSION" \
+			--notes-file RELEASE.md; \
+		echo "$(GREEN)✓ GitHub release created$(NC)"; \
+	else \
+		echo "$(RED)gh CLI not installed!$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Install with: brew install gh$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Then run: gh auth login$(NC)"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo ""
+	@# Build and push Docker images
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Building and pushing Docker images...$(NC)"
+	@./publish-docker.sh
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(GREEN)===========================================$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)     Release Complete!$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)===========================================$(NC)"
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	echo ""; \
+	echo "$(GREEN)✓ Version: v$$NEW_VERSION$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(GREEN)✓ Git tag pushed$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(GREEN)✓ GitHub release created$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(GREEN)✓ Docker images published$(NC)"
+
+pre-release: ## Pre-release workflow (pre-release branch only)
+	@echo "$(BLUE)===========================================$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(BLUE)   ExcaliDash Pre-Release Workflow$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(BLUE)===========================================$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Branch check
+	@CURRENT_BRANCH=$$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD); \
+	if [ "$$CURRENT_BRANCH" != "pre-release" ]; then \
+		echo "$(RED)ERROR: Pre-releases must be made from 'pre-release' branch!$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$(RED)Current branch: $$CURRENT_BRANCH$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Please switch to pre-release and try again.$(NC)"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ On pre-release branch$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Pull latest
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Pulling latest changes...$(NC)"
+	@git pull origin pre-release
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ Up to date with remote$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Show current status
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Current status:$(NC)"
+	@git status --short || true
+	@echo ""
+	@# Run tests
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Running tests...$(NC)"
+	@$(MAKE) test
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ All tests passed$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Version bump - inline with clear options
+	@CURRENT=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	PATCH=$$(echo $$CURRENT | awk -F. '{print $$1"."$$2"."$$3+1}'); \
+	MINOR=$$(echo $$CURRENT | awk -F. '{print $$1"."$$2+1".0"}'); \
+	MAJOR=$$(echo $$CURRENT | awk -F. '{print $$1+1".0.0"}'); \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Current version: $$CURRENT$(NC)"; \
+	echo ""; \
+	echo "$(BLUE)Select version bump:$(NC)"; \
+	echo "  1) patch  → $$PATCH-dev"; \
+	echo "  2) minor  → $$MINOR-dev"; \
+	echo "  3) major  → $$MAJOR-dev"; \
+	echo "  4) custom"; \
+	echo "  5) skip (keep $$CURRENT-dev)"; \
+	echo ""; \
+	read -p "Enter choice [1-5]: " choice; \
+	case $$choice in \
+		1) NEW_VERSION=$$PATCH ;; \
+		2) NEW_VERSION=$$MINOR ;; \
+		3) NEW_VERSION=$$MAJOR ;; \
+		4) read -p "Enter new version (without -dev suffix): " NEW_VERSION ;; \
+		5) NEW_VERSION=$$CURRENT ;; \
+		*) echo "$(RED)Invalid choice, using current$(NC)"; NEW_VERSION=$$CURRENT ;; \
+	esac; \
+	if [ "$$NEW_VERSION" != "$$CURRENT" ]; then \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Bumping version to $$NEW_VERSION...$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$$NEW_VERSION" > VERSION; \
+		sed -i '' "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" frontend/package.json 2>/dev/null || \
+			sed -i "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" frontend/package.json; \
+		sed -i '' "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" backend/package.json 2>/dev/null || \
+			sed -i "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$$NEW_VERSION\"/" backend/package.json; \
+		echo "$(GREEN)✓ Version bumped to $$NEW_VERSION$(NC)"; \
+	else \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Keeping version $$CURRENT$(NC)"; \
+	fi
+	@echo ""
+	@# Release notes
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Release notes (RELEASE.md):$(NC)"
+	@read -p "Edit RELEASE.md now? [Y/n]: " edit; \
+	if [ "$$edit" != "n" ] && [ "$$edit" != "N" ]; then \
+		$(MAKE) changelog; \
+	fi
+	@echo ""
+	@# Show summary before commit
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	echo "$(BLUE)===========================================$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(BLUE)Pre-Release Summary$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(BLUE)===========================================$(NC)"; \
+	echo "  Version:  v$$NEW_VERSION-dev"; \
+	echo "  Branch:   pre-release"; \
+	echo "  Tag:      v$$NEW_VERSION-dev (pre-release)"; \
+	echo ""; \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Changes to be committed:$(NC)"; \
+	git status --short; \
+	echo ""
+	@read -p "$(YELLOW)Proceed with pre-release? [y/N]: $(NC)" confirm; \
+	if [ "$$confirm" != "y" ] && [ "$$confirm" != "Y" ]; then \
+		echo "$(RED)Pre-release aborted.$(NC)"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo ""
+	@# Commit changes
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Committing pre-release...$(NC)"; \
+	git add -A; \
+	git commit -m "chore: pre-release v$$NEW_VERSION-dev" || echo "$(YELLOW)Nothing to commit$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ Changes committed$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Push to remote
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Pushing to remote...$(NC)"
+	@git push origin pre-release
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ Pushed to origin/pre-release$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Create git tag
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	PRE_TAG="v$$NEW_VERSION-dev"; \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Creating tag $$PRE_TAG...$(NC)"; \
+	git tag -a "$$PRE_TAG" -m "Pre-release $$PRE_TAG"; \
+	git push origin "$$PRE_TAG"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)✓ Tag $$PRE_TAG created and pushed$(NC)"
+	@echo ""
+	@# Create GitHub pre-release
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	PRE_TAG="v$$NEW_VERSION-dev"; \
+	echo "$(YELLOW)Creating GitHub pre-release...$(NC)"; \
+	if command -v gh &> /dev/null; then \
+		gh release create "$$PRE_TAG" \
+			--title "ExcaliDash $$PRE_TAG (Pre-release)" \
+			--notes-file RELEASE.md \
+			--prerelease; \
+		echo "$(GREEN)✓ GitHub pre-release created$(NC)"; \
+	else \
+		echo "$(RED)gh CLI not installed!$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Install with: brew install gh$(NC)"; \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Then run: gh auth login$(NC)"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo ""
+	@# Build and push Docker images
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Building and pushing Docker images...$(NC)"
+	@./publish-docker-prerelease.sh
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "$(BLUE)===========================================$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(GREEN)     Pre-Release Complete!$(NC)"
+	@echo "$(BLUE)===========================================$(NC)"
+	@NEW_VERSION=$$(cat VERSION); \
+	echo ""; \
+	echo "$(GREEN)✓ Version: v$$NEW_VERSION-dev$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(GREEN)✓ Git tag pushed$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(GREEN)✓ GitHub pre-release created$(NC)"; \
+	echo "$(GREEN)✓ Docker images published$(NC)"
+
+release-docker: ## Build and push release Docker images
+	./publish-docker.sh
+
+pre-release-docker: ## Build and push pre-release Docker images
+	./publish-docker-prerelease.sh
+
+#===============================================================================
+# DATABASE
+#===============================================================================
+
+db-migrate: ## Run database migrations
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Running database migrations...$(NC)"
+	cd backend && npx prisma migrate dev
+	@echo "$(GREEN)Migrations complete!$(NC)"
+
+db-generate: ## Generate Prisma client
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Generating Prisma client...$(NC)"
+	cd backend && npx prisma generate
+	@echo "$(GREEN)Client generated!$(NC)"
+
+db-reset: ## Reset database (WARNING: destroys all data)
+	@echo "$(RED)WARNING: This will destroy all data!$(NC)"
+	@read -p "Are you sure? [y/N]: " confirm; \
+	if [ "$$confirm" = "y" ] || [ "$$confirm" = "Y" ]; then \
+		cd backend && npx prisma migrate reset --force; \
+		echo "$(GREEN)Database reset complete!$(NC)"; \
+	else \
+		echo "$(YELLOW)Cancelled$(NC)"; \
+	fi
+
+db-studio: ## Open Prisma Studio (database GUI)
+	@echo "$(YELLOW)Opening Prisma Studio...$(NC)"
+	cd backend && npx prisma studio
+
+#===============================================================================
+# QUICK ALIASES
+#===============================================================================
+
+up: docker-run ## Alias: Start Docker containers
+down: docker-down ## Alias: Stop Docker containers
+logs: docker-logs ## Alias: Show Docker logs
+t: test ## Alias: Run unit tests
+ta: test-all ## Alias: Run all tests
diff --git a/RELEASE.md b/RELEASE.md
index 04bf419..707df09 100644
--- a/RELEASE.md
+++ b/RELEASE.md
@@ -1,30 +1,29 @@
-# ExcaliDash v0.1.5
+CSRF Protection (8a78b2b)
 
-Date: 2025-11-23
+  - Implemented comprehensive CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) protection for enhanced security
+  - Added new backend/src/security.ts module for security utilities
+  - Frontend API layer now handles CSRF tokens automatically
+  - Added integration tests for CSRF validation
 
-Compatibility: v0.1.x (Backward Compatible)
+  Upload Progress Indicator (8f9b9b4)
 
-# Security
+  - Added a visual upload progress bar when users upload files
+  - New UploadContext for managing upload state across components
+  - New UploadStatus component displaying real-time upload progress
+  - Save status indicator when navigating back from the editor
+  - Improved error handling and recovery for failed uploads
 
-- RCE: implemented strict Zod schema validation and input sanitization on file uploads; added path traversal guards to file handling logic
+  Bug Fixes
 
-- XSS: used DOMPurify for HTML sanitization; blocked execution-capable SVG attributes and enforces CSP headers.
+  - Fixed broken e2e tests (cae8f3c)
+  - Replaced deprecated substr() with substring()
+  - Fixed stale state issues in error handling
+  - Fixed missing useEffect dependencies
+  - Fixed CSS class conflicts in progress bar styling
+  - Added error recovery for save state in Editor
 
-- DoS: moved CPU-intensive operations to worker threads to prevent event loop blocking; request rate limiting (1,000 req/15 min per IP) and streaming for large files
+  Infrastructure
 
-# Infras & Deployment
-
-- non-root execution (uid 1001) in containers
-- migrated to multi-stage Docker builds
-
-# Database
-
-- migrated to better-sqlite3, converted all DB interactions to non-blocking async operations and offloaded integrity checks to worker threads.
-
-- implemented SQLite magic header validation; added automatic backup triggers preceding data import
-
-- input validation logic
-
-# Frontend
-
-- updated Settings UI to show version
+  - Updated docker-compose configurations with new environment variables
+  - E2E test suite improvements and reliability fixes
+  - Added Kubernetes deployment note in README
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 84aa3a7..0c62199 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.1.8
\ No newline at end of file
+0.2.1
diff --git a/backend/package.json b/backend/package.json
index 8077adf..63b14ce 100644
--- a/backend/package.json
+++ b/backend/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "backend",
-  "version": "0.1.8",
+  "version": "0.2.1",
   "description": "",
   "main": "index.js",
   "scripts": {
@@ -42,4 +42,4 @@
     "typescript": "^5.9.3",
     "vitest": "^4.0.15"
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/docker-compose.prod.yml b/docker-compose.prod.yml
index 6394181..2121f33 100644
--- a/docker-compose.prod.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.prod.yml
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ services:
       - DATABASE_URL=file:/app/prisma/dev.db
       - PORT=8000
       - NODE_ENV=production
-      # Required for horizontal scaling (k8s): must be the same across all instances
-      - CSRF_SECRET=${CSRF_SECRET}
+      # Required for horizontal scaling (k8s): uncomment and set to same value on all instances
+      # - CSRF_SECRET=${CSRF_SECRET}
     volumes:
       - backend-data:/app/prisma
     networks:
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 7a42374..d2d928a 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ services:
       - DATABASE_URL=file:/app/prisma/dev.db
       - PORT=8000
       - NODE_ENV=production
-      # Required for horizontal scaling (k8s): must be the same across all instances
-      - CSRF_SECRET=${CSRF_SECRET}
+      # Required for horizontal scaling (k8s): uncomment and set to same value on all instances
+      # - CSRF_SECRET=${CSRF_SECRET}
     volumes:
       - backend-data:/app/prisma
     networks:
diff --git a/frontend/package.json b/frontend/package.json
index 120e61d..5220db4 100644
--- a/frontend/package.json
+++ b/frontend/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "frontend",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "0.1.8",
+  "version": "0.2.1",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "vite",