diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..77bbfb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+name: CI
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ main, 'release/v*' ]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ main, 'release/v*' ]
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Set up Go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+        with:
+          go-version: '1.22'
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: go mod tidy
+      - name: Run tests
+        run: make check-coverage
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d62225
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+name: Release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - 'v*.*.*'
+
+jobs:
+  release:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Set up Go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+        with:
+          go-version: '1.22'
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: go mod tidy
+      - name: Run tests
+        run: make check-coverage
+      - name: Announce release
+        run: echo "Release ${{ github.ref_name }} is ready."
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b19ad7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Go build and test artifacts
+bin/
+*.exe
+*.exe~
+*.dll
+*.so
+*.dylib
+*.test
+coverage.out
+
+# IDE/editor files
+.vscode/
+.idea/
+*.swp
+*.swo
+.DS_Store
+
+# Dependency directories
+vendor/
+
+# Logs
+*.log
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8199cc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+COVERAGE_FILE=coverage.out
+MIN_COVERAGE=80
+
+.PHONY: test coverage check-coverage clean release
+
+test:
+	go test ./...
+
+coverage:
+	go test -coverprofile=$(COVERAGE_FILE) ./...
+	go tool cover -func=$(COVERAGE_FILE)
+
+check-coverage:
+	go test -coverprofile=$(COVERAGE_FILE) ./...
+	go tool cover -func=$(COVERAGE_FILE)
+	@cov=$(shell go tool cover -func=$(COVERAGE_FILE) | awk '/^total:/ {print $$3+0}') ; \
+	if [ $$(echo "$$cov < $(MIN_COVERAGE)" | bc) -eq 1 ]; then \
+		echo "FAIL: coverage below $(MIN_COVERAGE)% ($$cov%)"; exit 1; \
+	else \
+		echo "PASS: coverage is $$cov%"; \
+	fi
+
+clean:
+	rm -f $(COVERAGE_FILE)
+
+release:
+	git tag v$(VERSION)
+	git push origin v$(VERSION)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 52ef7d0..8d7de08 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -22,3 +22,110 @@ You can use it to:
 - Build **decoupled applications** that scale safely
 - Model systems with **type safety and explicit intent**
 - Experiment with **Clean**, **Hexagonal**, **DDD**, or **Message-Driven** styles
+
+## Serialization
+
+The `foundation` package provides transport-agnostic serialization via the `Serializable` interface:
+
+```go
+// Serializable defines a transport-agnostic interface for serialization.
+type Serializable interface {
+    ToData() ([]byte, error)
+    FromData([]byte) error
+}
+```
+
+A JSON implementation is provided:
+
+```go
+// JSONSerializable implements Serializable using JSON encoding.
+type JSONSerializable struct {
+    Value interface{}
+}
+```
+
+### Testing
+
+Tests for the JSON implementation are in `json_serializable_test.go`.
+Run all tests with:
+
+```
+make test
+```
+
+Show coverage:
+
+```
+make coverage
+```
+
+Check and enforce minimum coverage (default 80%):
+
+```
+make check-coverage
+```
+
+Automate release tagging:
+
+```
+make release VERSION=0.1.0
+```
+
+## Contributor Instructions
+
+- Run all tests before submitting a PR:
+  ```
+  make test
+  ```
+- Check and enforce code coverage:
+  ```
+  make check-coverage
+  ```
+- Do not commit coverage.out or build artifacts; these are ignored via .gitignore.
+- Use idiomatic Go formatting and linting.
+- For new features or bug fixes, add or update tests as needed.
+
+## 🚀 Release Automation
+
+### Prerequisites
+- [git-chglog](https://github.com/git-chglog/git-chglog) must be installed for changelog generation.
+
+### Release Workflow
+
+1. **Automate the release process:**
+   ```bash
+   ./scripts/release.sh           # Real release flow
+   ./scripts/release.sh --dry-run # Preview actions only (no changes made)
+   ```
+   This script will:
+   - Ensure you are on the main branch and up to date
+   - Determine the next version automatically
+   - Generate and commit the changelog for the new version
+   - Create a branch named `release/v<version>` from main
+   - Push the release branch to the remote
+   - Open a PR to main with the changelog as the PR body (requires GitHub CLI)
+
+2. **After PR review and merge:**
+   - Tag the main branch with the new version (e.g., `git tag vX.X.X && git push origin vX.X.X`)
+   - The release workflow will run automatically on the new tag
+
+### Example
+```bash
+./scripts/release.sh        # For a real release
+./scripts/release.sh --dry-run  # To preview the release process
+```
+
+### Guidelines
+- Always run tests and check coverage before releasing:
+  ```bash
+  make check-coverage
+  ```
+- The release branch and tag are pushed automatically.
+- Update documentation and changelog as needed before running the release script.
+
+### For Contributors
+- Do not manually edit the changelog for releases; use the automated scripts.
+- Submit PRs from feature branches (e.g., `feature/your-feature`).
+- Releases are managed by maintainers using the scripts above.
+
+---
diff --git a/pkg/forging/foundation/serialization/json_serializable.go b/pkg/forging/foundation/serialization/json_serializable.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c310335
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/forging/foundation/serialization/json_serializable.go
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package foundation
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+)
+
+type JSONSerializable struct {
+ 	 Value interface{}
+}
+
+func (j *JSONSerializable) ToData() ([]byte, error) {
+ 	 return json.Marshal(j.Value)
+}
+
+func (j *JSONSerializable) FromData(data []byte) error {
+ 	 return json.Unmarshal(data, &j.Value)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/forging/foundation/serialization/json_serializable_test.go b/pkg/forging/foundation/serialization/json_serializable_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dd2548e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/forging/foundation/serialization/json_serializable_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+package foundation
+
+import (
+    "testing"
+)
+
+type testStruct struct {
+    Name string
+    Age  int
+}
+
+func TestJSONSerializable_ToDataAndFromData(t *testing.T) {
+    original := &JSONSerializable{Value: testStruct{Name: "Alice", Age: 30}}
+    data, err := original.ToData()
+    if err != nil {
+        t.Fatalf("ToData failed: %v", err)
+    }
+
+    copy := &JSONSerializable{Value: &testStruct{}}
+    err = copy.FromData(data)
+    if err != nil {
+        t.Fatalf("FromData failed: %v", err)
+    }
+
+    result, ok := copy.Value.(*testStruct)
+    if !ok {
+        t.Fatalf("Type assertion failed")
+    }
+    if result.Name != "Alice" || result.Age != 30 {
+        t.Errorf("Expected Alice, 30; got %s, %d", result.Name, result.Age)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/pkg/forging/foundation/serialization/serializable.go b/pkg/forging/foundation/serialization/serializable.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54d9186
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/forging/foundation/serialization/serializable.go
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+package serialization
+
+type Serializable interface {
+	ToData() ([]byte, error)
+	FromData([]byte) error
+}
diff --git a/scripts/next_version.sh b/scripts/next_version.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8ee949b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/next_version.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+# Get latest tag from remote
+git fetch --tags
+LATEST_TAG=$(git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -n1)
+
+if [ -z "$LATEST_TAG" ]; then
+  echo "0.1.0"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Parse version
+IFS='.' read -r MAJOR MINOR PATCH <<< "${LATEST_TAG#v}"
+
+# Bump patch version by default
+PATCH=$((PATCH+1))
+NEXT_VERSION="$MAJOR.$MINOR.$PATCH"
+echo "$NEXT_VERSION"
diff --git a/scripts/release.sh b/scripts/release.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5b3877d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Automated release script for the Forging toolkit
+#
+# Usage:
+#   ./scripts/release.sh [--dry-run]
+#
+# - Must be run from the main branch after all implementation PRs are merged.
+# - Determines the next version automatically.
+# - Generates and commits the changelog.
+# - Creates a release branch from main.
+# - Pushes the release branch to origin.
+# - Opens a PR to main with the changelog as the PR body (requires GitHub CLI).
+# - In --dry-run mode, prints actions without making changes.
+#
+# Prerequisites:
+#   - git-chglog (https://github.com/git-chglog/git-chglog)
+#   - GitHub CLI (https://cli.github.com/)
+#
+# Example:
+#   ./scripts/release.sh         # Real release flow
+#   ./scripts/release.sh --dry-run  # Preview actions only
+set -e
+
+DRY_RUN=false
+while [[ "$1" =~ ^- ]]; do
+  case $1 in
+    --dry-run) DRY_RUN=true ;;
+    *) echo "Unknown option: $1"; exit 1 ;;
+  esac
+  shift
+done
+
+# Check for required tools
+gh_installed=$(command -v gh || true)
+chglog_installed=$(command -v git-chglog || true)
+if [ -z "$gh_installed" ]; then
+  echo "Error: GitHub CLI (gh) is required."
+  exit 1
+fi
+if [ -z "$chglog_installed" ]; then
+  echo "Error: git-chglog is required."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+CURRENT_BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
+if [ "$CURRENT_BRANCH" != "main" ]; then
+  echo "Error: Release script must be run from the main branch."
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Syncing with remote..."
+$DRY_RUN || git pull
+
+VERSION=$(./scripts/next_version.sh)
+BRANCH="release/v$VERSION"
+
+echo "Creating release branch $BRANCH..."
+$DRY_RUN || git checkout -b "$BRANCH"
+
+echo "Generating changelog for v$VERSION..."
+$DRY_RUN || git-chglog -o CHANGELOG.md "$VERSION"
+
+$DRY_RUN || git add CHANGELOG.md
+$DRY_RUN || git commit -m "chore: update CHANGELOG for v$VERSION"
+
+$DRY_RUN || git push origin "$BRANCH"
+
+CHANGELOG_BODY=$($DRY_RUN && echo "[DRY RUN]" || awk '/^## /{flag=1;next}/^$/{flag=0}flag' CHANGELOG.md | head -n -1)
+
+echo "Opening PR to main..."
+$DRY_RUN || gh pr create --base main --head "$BRANCH" --title "Release v$VERSION" --body "$CHANGELOG_BODY"
+
+echo "Release branch and PR created for v$VERSION. Merge the PR to main, then tag the release."