diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d86b94b..2b11fe6 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [0.1.0a1] - 2026-11-11
+
+First pre-release: the project foundations and the command line skeleton. The model lifecycle features are not implemented yet.
+
 ### Added
 
 - Initial project setup: README with the planned scope and roadmap, security policy, issue templates, `.editorconfig`, `.gitattributes` and `.gitignore`.
@@ -14,3 +18,6 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
 - Contributing guide with the development setup, and a pull request template.
 - Continuous integration on GitHub Actions: pre-commit checks, tests on Linux, macOS and Windows with Python 3.12 to 3.14, a package build and a pull request title check. Dependabot keeps dependencies, actions and pre-commit hooks up to date.
 - Release workflow: pushing a version tag builds the package and publishes it to PyPI through Trusted Publishing, with provenance attestations, and then creates the GitHub release.
+
+[Unreleased]: https://github.com/UltiPro/miniops/compare/v0.1.0a1...HEAD
+[0.1.0a1]: https://github.com/UltiPro/miniops/releases/tag/v0.1.0a1
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6e467a5..68e8f23 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,12 +3,12 @@
 > Lightweight, polars-native MLOps CLI for training, versioning and deploying models locally, in Docker or on Google Cloud.
 
 [![CI](https://github.com/UltiPro/miniops/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg?branch=main)](https://github.com/UltiPro/miniops/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
-[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache%202.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE)
+[![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/miniops-ml.svg)](https://pypi.org/project/miniops-ml/)
+[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache%202.0-blue.svg)](https://github.com/UltiPro/miniops/blob/main/LICENSE)
 ![Status](https://img.shields.io/badge/status-pre--alpha-orange.svg)
 ![Python](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.12%2B-blue.svg)
 
-> [!WARNING]
-> miniOPs is in the **design phase**. There is no usable release yet. The commands shown below describe the planned interface and may change.
+> **Status: pre-alpha.** The current release contains only the command line skeleton (`miniops --version` and `miniops version`). The features and commands described below are the planned interface and may change.
 
 ## Why miniOPs?
 
@@ -90,8 +90,8 @@ miniops migrate churn --version 1.0.0 --to gcp     # copy to the team's GCP stor
 
 ## Contributing
 
-The project is at an early stage, so the best way to help right now is to open an issue with ideas, use cases or feedback on the design, or start a thread in [Discussions](https://github.com/UltiPro/miniops/discussions). For the development setup and guidelines, see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md).
+The project is at an early stage, so the best way to help right now is to open an issue with ideas, use cases or feedback on the design, or start a thread in [Discussions](https://github.com/UltiPro/miniops/discussions). For the development setup and guidelines, see [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/UltiPro/miniops/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md).
 
 ## License
 
-miniOPs is licensed under the [Apache License 2.0](LICENSE).
+miniOPs is licensed under the [Apache License 2.0](https://github.com/UltiPro/miniops/blob/main/LICENSE).
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index e1c6aab..157834b 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "miniops-ml"
-version = "0.1.0.dev0"
+version = "0.1.0a1"
 description = "Lightweight, polars-native MLOps CLI for training, versioning and deploying models locally, in Docker or on Google Cloud."
 readme = "README.md"
 license = "Apache-2.0"
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index 431348c..4027605 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "miniops-ml"
-version = "0.1.0.dev0"
+version = "0.1.0a1"
 source = { editable = "." }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "typer" },