diff --git a/.forgejo/workflows/release.yml b/.forgejo/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c15e1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.forgejo/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+# Build Linux packages and attach them to the Codeberg release when a
+# version tag (v*) is pushed.
+#
+# Codeberg runs Forgejo Actions, which is GitHub-Actions-compatible. The
+# heavy lifting is in scripts/package.sh — this workflow just provisions
+# a build environment, runs it, and uploads the artifacts.
+#
+# Manual trigger (workflow_dispatch) is included so you can smoke-test the
+# build without cutting a tag; that path builds the packages but skips the
+# release-upload step.
+name: release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - 'v*'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  packages:
+    runs-on: docker
+    # A Debian-based image gives us dpkg + the build toolchain cargo-deb
+    # expects, and rustup for a pinned toolchain.
+    container:
+      image: rust:1.85-bookworm
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Install build dependencies
+        # libxcb + friends are needed to *link* the eframe/winit GUI even
+        # in headless CI. curl + file are used by the packaging script and
+        # appimagetool. rpm provides rpmbuild for cargo-generate-rpm's
+        # payload assembly on a Debian host.
+        run: |
+          apt-get update
+          apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+            libxcb1-dev libxcb-render0-dev libxcb-shape0-dev libxcb-xfixes0-dev \
+            curl file rpm ca-certificates
+
+      - name: Cache cargo registry + build
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.cargo/registry
+            ~/.cargo/git
+            target
+          key: cargo-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('Cargo.lock') }}
+
+      - name: Build packages
+        # FUSE isn't available in most CI containers, so tell appimagetool
+        # to extract-and-run instead of mounting. The script downloads
+        # appimagetool itself.
+        env:
+          APPIMAGE_EXTRACT_AND_RUN: '1'
+        run: |
+          chmod +x scripts/package.sh
+          scripts/package.sh all
+
+      - name: List artifacts
+        run: ls -la dist/
+
+      - name: Upload to release
+        # Only attaches to a release when triggered by a tag push. The
+        # forgejo-release action creates the release if it doesn't exist
+        # and uploads every file under dist/.
+        if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v')
+        uses: actions/forgejo-release@v2
+        with:
+          direction: upload
+          url: https://codeberg.org
+          repo: ${{ github.repository }}
+          tag: ${{ github.ref_name }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_TOKEN }}
+          release-dir: dist
+          release-notes: |
+            Automated build for ${{ github.ref_name }}.
+
+            Artifacts:
+            - `.deb` — Debian / Ubuntu / Mint
+            - `.rpm` — Fedora / RHEL / openSUSE
+            - `.AppImage` — any Linux (chmod +x and run)
+
+            Runtime requirements: yt-dlp, ffmpeg, mpv, xdg-utils on PATH.
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b9de2fb..c75be1f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 # Rust build artifacts
 /target/
 
+# Packaging output (.deb / .rpm / .AppImage + downloaded appimagetool)
+/dist/
+
 # makepkg build artifacts (finished .pkg.tar.zst is NOT ignored)
 /pkg/
 /src/yt-offline/
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 73df74a..33e004b 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ name = "yt-offline"
 version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2021"
 description = "Self-hosted archive for YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, Vimeo, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, Odysee and more. Desktop GUI + web UI, bundled yt-dlp with curl_cffi impersonation, Plex export, SQLite-backed resume tracking. AGPL-3.0."
+license = "AGPL-3.0-only"
+repository = "https://codeberg.org/anassaeneroi/yt-offline"
+homepage = "https://codeberg.org/anassaeneroi/yt-offline"
+authors = ["InannaBeloved <anassaeneroi@pm.me>"]
+readme = "README.md"
 
 [dependencies]
 eframe = "0.29"
@@ -42,3 +47,47 @@ codegen-units = 1
 # runtime; those are less informative without symbols but usable with
 # addr2line against the unstripped build artifact.
 strip = "debuginfo"
+
+# ── Debian / Ubuntu package (cargo-deb) ──────────────────────────────────────
+# `cargo deb` reads this to build a .deb. Runtime deps mirror the PKGBUILD:
+# yt-dlp + ffmpeg + mpv are invoked as subprocesses, xdg-utils provides
+# xdg-open, and libxcb is needed by the eframe/winit windowing stack.
+[package.metadata.deb]
+maintainer = "InannaBeloved <anassaeneroi@pm.me>"
+copyright = "2026, InannaBeloved <anassaeneroi@pm.me>"
+license-file = ["LICENSE", "0"]
+extended-description = """\
+Self-hosted archive for YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, Vimeo, Bandcamp, \
+SoundCloud, Odysee and more. Ships a desktop GUI and a mobile-friendly \
+web UI, with a bundled yt-dlp (curl_cffi impersonation), Plex export, \
+and SQLite-backed resume tracking."""
+section = "video"
+priority = "optional"
+# yt-dlp / ffmpeg / mpv are runtime subprocess deps, not link-time, so
+# cargo-deb's auto-detection won't find them — list explicitly. libxcb
+# is the one shared library the GUI actually dlopens.
+depends = "libc6, libxcb1, yt-dlp, ffmpeg, mpv, xdg-utils"
+recommends = "libnotify4"
+assets = [
+    ["target/release/yt-offline", "usr/bin/", "755"],
+    ["youtube-backup.desktop", "usr/share/applications/yt-offline.desktop", "644"],
+    ["icon.png", "usr/share/pixmaps/yt-offline.png", "644"],
+    ["README.md", "usr/share/doc/yt-offline/README.md", "644"],
+]
+
+# ── Fedora / RHEL / openSUSE package (cargo-generate-rpm) ─────────────────────
+# `cargo generate-rpm` reads this. Run `cargo build --release` first; it
+# packages the already-built binary rather than building itself.
+[package.metadata.generate-rpm]
+summary = "Self-hosted multi-platform video archiver with desktop + web UI"
+license = "AGPLv3"
+# RPM distro package names differ from Debian's. yt-dlp is `yt-dlp` on
+# Fedora; ffmpeg lives in RPM Fusion but we still declare the dep.
+requires = { yt-dlp = "*", ffmpeg = "*", mpv = "*", "xdg-utils" = "*" }
+assets = [
+    { source = "target/release/yt-offline", dest = "/usr/bin/yt-offline", mode = "755" },
+    { source = "youtube-backup.desktop", dest = "/usr/share/applications/yt-offline.desktop", mode = "644" },
+    { source = "icon.png", dest = "/usr/share/pixmaps/yt-offline.png", mode = "644" },
+    { source = "README.md", dest = "/usr/share/doc/yt-offline/README.md", mode = "644" },
+    { source = "LICENSE", dest = "/usr/share/licenses/yt-offline/LICENSE", mode = "644" },
+]
diff --git a/docs/PACKAGING.md b/docs/PACKAGING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..19e20d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/PACKAGING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+# Packaging yt-offline
+
+This document covers building distributable packages. The one-liner:
+
+```sh
+scripts/package.sh all     # .deb + .rpm + .AppImage into dist/
+scripts/package.sh deb     # just the .deb
+scripts/package.sh rpm     # just the .rpm
+scripts/package.sh appimage
+```
+
+The script builds the release binary once and reuses it for every
+format. Output lands in `dist/` (gitignored).
+
+## Linux formats
+
+### .deb (Debian / Ubuntu / Mint)
+
+Built by [`cargo-deb`](https://github.com/kornelski/cargo-deb), driven by
+`[package.metadata.deb]` in `Cargo.toml`. The script installs cargo-deb
+on demand. Runtime deps declared: `yt-dlp`, `ffmpeg`, `mpv`, `xdg-utils`,
+`libxcb1`, `libc6` (and `libnotify4` recommended).
+
+```sh
+scripts/package.sh deb
+sudo apt install ./dist/yt-offline_*_amd64.deb
+```
+
+### .rpm (Fedora / RHEL / openSUSE)
+
+Built by [`cargo-generate-rpm`](https://github.com/cat-in-136/cargo-generate-rpm),
+driven by `[package.metadata.generate-rpm]`. It packages the
+already-built (and release-profile-stripped) binary.
+
+```sh
+scripts/package.sh rpm
+sudo dnf install ./dist/yt-offline-*.x86_64.rpm
+```
+
+Note: `ffmpeg` on Fedora lives in [RPM Fusion](https://rpmfusion.org/);
+the dependency is declared but the user may need that repo enabled.
+
+### AppImage (any Linux)
+
+A hand-rolled AppDir + [`appimagetool`](https://github.com/AppImage/appimagetool)
+(downloaded to `dist/tools/` on first run). The image bundles the GUI
+binary and its shared-library closure only — `yt-dlp`/`ffmpeg`/`mpv` are
+still expected on the host PATH, same as the package deps. Bundling them
+would balloon the image and tangle the licensing.
+
+```sh
+scripts/package.sh appimage
+chmod +x dist/yt-offline-*-x86_64.AppImage
+./dist/yt-offline-*-x86_64.AppImage
+```
+
+## Arch Linux
+
+Use the `PKGBUILD` in the repo root (not this script). It builds from a
+fresh git clone, so run it from a clean directory:
+
+```sh
+mkdir build && cd build
+cp /path/to/repo/PKGBUILD .
+makepkg -si
+```
+
+For repeated builds after pushing new commits, always pass `-C`
+(cleanbuild) so makepkg re-checks out the latest source instead of
+reusing a stale cached clone.
+
+## Windows — experimental
+
+Windows is **not** currently a first-class target. Two Linux-only
+dependencies block a clean `--target x86_64-pc-windows-gnu` build:
+
+- **`ksni`** (system tray) — talks to the freedesktop StatusNotifierItem
+  D-Bus spec, which doesn't exist on Windows. Needs replacing with
+  `tray-icon` behind `#[cfg(windows)]`, or stubbing `src/tray.rs` to a
+  no-op on non-Unix.
+- **`rfd` xdg-portal backend** — the file picker uses the XDG desktop
+  portal. The `rfd` crate does support a native Windows backend, but the
+  feature flags in `Cargo.toml` would need to be made target-conditional.
+
+Once those are addressed, the rest (eframe, axum, rusqlite-bundled) is
+already cross-platform — `bundled_ytdlp_path()` and friends already have
+`cfg!(windows)` branches. The path to a Windows `.exe`/`.msi` (via
+[`cargo-wix`](https://github.com/volks73/cargo-wix)) is then mechanical.
+
+Tracked as a follow-up; PRs welcome.
+
+## macOS
+
+Same shape as Windows: the tray needs a macOS backend. eframe runs fine
+on macOS otherwise. A `.app` bundle + `.dmg` would follow once the tray
+is abstracted behind a trait with per-OS implementations.
+
+## CI
+
+`.forgejo/workflows/release.yml` runs `scripts/package.sh all` on every
+pushed tag (`v*`) and attaches the resulting `.deb`/`.rpm`/`.AppImage` to
+the Codeberg release. See that file for the runner setup.
diff --git a/scripts/package.sh b/scripts/package.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..c7ce697
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/package.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Build distributable packages for yt-offline.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   scripts/package.sh [deb|rpm|appimage|all]
+#
+# With no argument, builds everything that's buildable on the current host.
+# Output lands in dist/. Each format is independent — a failure in one
+# doesn't abort the others (the script reports a summary at the end).
+#
+# Prerequisites are installed on demand where possible:
+#   - .deb     → cargo-deb           (cargo install cargo-deb)
+#   - .rpm     → cargo-generate-rpm  (cargo install cargo-generate-rpm)
+#   - AppImage → appimagetool        (downloaded to dist/tools/ if missing)
+#
+# The release binary is built once up front and reused by every format.
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
+cd "$ROOT"
+
+DIST="$ROOT/dist"
+TOOLS="$DIST/tools"
+mkdir -p "$DIST" "$TOOLS"
+
+# Pull version + name straight from Cargo.toml so packages stay in sync.
+VERSION="$(sed -n 's/^version = "\(.*\)"/\1/p' Cargo.toml | head -1)"
+PKG="yt-offline"
+ARCH="$(uname -m)"
+
+say()  { printf '\033[1;36m==>\033[0m %s\n' "$*"; }
+warn() { printf '\033[1;33mwarn:\033[0m %s\n' "$*" >&2; }
+err()  { printf '\033[1;31merror:\033[0m %s\n' "$*" >&2; }
+
+WANT="${1:-all}"
+declare -A RESULT  # format → "ok <path>" | "skip <reason>" | "fail <reason>"
+
+# ── Build the release binary once ────────────────────────────────────────────
+build_binary() {
+    say "building release binary (this is the slow part)…"
+    if ! cargo build --release; then
+        err "cargo build failed — aborting, no packages can be made"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    if [[ ! -x target/release/$PKG ]]; then
+        err "expected target/release/$PKG to exist after build"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+}
+
+# ── .deb ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+build_deb() {
+    say "building .deb"
+    # Check via `cargo deb` rather than `command -v cargo-deb`: cargo
+    # subcommands live in ~/.cargo/bin which may not be on PATH in CI,
+    # but `cargo deb` resolves them through cargo itself.
+    if ! cargo deb --help >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        say "installing cargo-deb…"
+        cargo install cargo-deb || { RESULT[deb]="fail cargo-deb install failed"; return; }
+    fi
+    # --no-build: reuse the binary we already compiled above.
+    if cargo deb --no-build --output "$DIST/"; then
+        # cargo-deb names it ${PKG}_${VERSION}-1_${arch}.deb; find it.
+        local out
+        out="$(ls -t "$DIST"/${PKG}_*.deb 2>/dev/null | head -1)"
+        RESULT[deb]="ok ${out:-$DIST}"
+    else
+        RESULT[deb]="fail cargo deb returned nonzero"
+    fi
+}
+
+# ── .rpm ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+build_rpm() {
+    say "building .rpm"
+    if ! cargo generate-rpm --help >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        say "installing cargo-generate-rpm…"
+        cargo install cargo-generate-rpm || { RESULT[rpm]="fail cargo-generate-rpm install failed"; return; }
+    fi
+    # cargo-generate-rpm packages the already-built binary; we stripped it
+    # via the release profile so an explicit strip step isn't needed.
+    if cargo generate-rpm --output "$DIST/"; then
+        local out
+        out="$(ls -t "$DIST"/${PKG}-*.rpm 2>/dev/null | head -1)"
+        RESULT[rpm]="ok ${out:-$DIST}"
+    else
+        RESULT[rpm]="fail cargo generate-rpm returned nonzero"
+    fi
+}
+
+# ── AppImage ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Hand-rolled AppDir + appimagetool. We don't bundle the subprocess deps
+# (yt-dlp / ffmpeg / mpv) — they're expected on PATH like the package deps,
+# and bundling them would balloon the image and complicate licensing. The
+# AppImage carries the GUI binary + its shared-lib closure only.
+build_appimage() {
+    say "building AppImage"
+    local tool="$TOOLS/appimagetool"
+    if [[ ! -x "$tool" ]]; then
+        local tool_url="https://github.com/AppImage/appimagetool/releases/download/continuous/appimagetool-${ARCH}.AppImage"
+        say "downloading appimagetool…"
+        if ! curl -fL --retry 3 -o "$tool" "$tool_url"; then
+            RESULT[appimage]="fail could not download appimagetool"
+            return
+        fi
+        chmod +x "$tool"
+    fi
+
+    local appdir="$DIST/${PKG}.AppDir"
+    rm -rf "$appdir"
+    mkdir -p "$appdir/usr/bin" "$appdir/usr/share/applications" "$appdir/usr/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps"
+
+    install -Dm755 "target/release/$PKG" "$appdir/usr/bin/$PKG"
+    install -Dm644 youtube-backup.desktop "$appdir/usr/share/applications/$PKG.desktop"
+    # AppImage wants the desktop file + icon at the AppDir root too.
+    cp youtube-backup.desktop "$appdir/$PKG.desktop"
+    install -Dm644 icon.png "$appdir/usr/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps/$PKG.png"
+    cp icon.png "$appdir/$PKG.png"
+
+    # AppRun is the entry point. Exec the bundled binary, forwarding args.
+    cat > "$appdir/AppRun" <<'APPRUN'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+HERE="$(dirname "$(readlink -f "${0}")")"
+exec "$HERE/usr/bin/yt-offline" "$@"
+APPRUN
+    chmod +x "$appdir/AppRun"
+
+    local out="$DIST/${PKG}-${VERSION}-${ARCH}.AppImage"
+    # ARCH env var tells appimagetool which arch to stamp into the runtime.
+    if ARCH="$ARCH" "$tool" --no-appstream "$appdir" "$out" 2>&1; then
+        RESULT[appimage]="ok $out"
+    else
+        RESULT[appimage]="fail appimagetool returned nonzero"
+    fi
+    rm -rf "$appdir"
+}
+
+# ── Dispatch ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+build_binary
+
+case "$WANT" in
+    deb)      build_deb ;;
+    rpm)      build_rpm ;;
+    appimage) build_appimage ;;
+    all)      build_deb; build_rpm; build_appimage ;;
+    *)        err "unknown target '$WANT' (want: deb|rpm|appimage|all)"; exit 2 ;;
+esac
+
+# ── Summary ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo
+say "package summary"
+status=0
+for fmt in deb rpm appimage; do
+    [[ -v RESULT[$fmt] ]] || continue
+    state="${RESULT[$fmt]%% *}"
+    detail="${RESULT[$fmt]#* }"
+    case "$state" in
+        ok)   printf '  \033[1;32m✓\033[0m %-9s %s\n' "$fmt" "$detail" ;;
+        skip) printf '  \033[1;33m–\033[0m %-9s %s\n' "$fmt" "$detail" ;;
+        fail) printf '  \033[1;31m✗\033[0m %-9s %s\n' "$fmt" "$detail"; status=1 ;;
+    esac
+done
+exit $status