diff --git a/.bumpversion.toml b/.bumpversion.toml
index 5de96a4..218412b 100644
--- a/.bumpversion.toml
+++ b/.bumpversion.toml
@@ -47,4 +47,4 @@ replace = '''| `{new_version}` (current) | ✅ All security fixes |
 # bump-my-version does NOT manage these files; they are listed here for discoverability.
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 [tool.bumpversion.custom_variables.core_version]
-current = "0.19.3"
+current = "0.19.6"
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index cd18219..666f384 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ Releases are managed by the internal `just` orchestrator to ensure strict synchr
 just verify
 
 # 2. Update the Zenzic core pin to the target version
-just pin-core <core-version>  # e.g., just pin-core 0.19.3
+just pin-core <core-version>  # e.g., just pin-core 0.19.6
 
 # 3. Check alignment between core and action dependencies
 just versions
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5e5a723..5402528 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ The minimal configuration — zero Python setup, SARIF to Code Scanning in one s
 - name: Run Zenzic Documentation Quality Gate
   uses: PythonWoods/zenzic-action@v2
   with:
-    version: "0.19.3"
+    version: "0.19.6"
     format: sarif
     upload-sarif: "true"
   permissions:
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ Fail-closed rule:
 
 | Input | Default | Description |
 |---|---|---|
-| `version` | `0.19.3` | Zenzic version to install. Pin to a specific release for reproducible CI. Set `latest` for continuous evaluation. |
+| `version` | `0.19.6` | Zenzic version to install. Pin to a specific release for reproducible CI. Set `latest` for continuous evaluation. |
 | `format` | `sarif` | Output format: `text`, `json`, or `sarif`. |
 | `sarif-file` | `zenzic-results.sarif` | SARIF output path (when `format: sarif`). Must be a **relative** path inside the workspace. |
 | `upload-sarif` | `true` | Upload SARIF to GitHub Code Scanning. |
diff --git a/RELEASE.md b/RELEASE.md
index 47d0d8e..f5d7496 100644
--- a/RELEASE.md
+++ b/RELEASE.md
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@
 
 Before tagging, every item must be green:
 
-- [ ] `action.yml` — `default:` pin updated to the latest Zenzic core version (`0.19.3`)
+- [ ] `action.yml` — `default:` pin updated to the latest Zenzic core version (`0.19.6`)
 - [ ] `package.json` version bumped to `2.5.1`
-- [ ] `pyproject.toml` — synchronized with core pin (`zenzic>=0.19.3`)
+- [ ] `pyproject.toml` — synchronized with core pin (`zenzic>=0.19.6`)
 - [ ] `just versions` — returns `✅ Ecosystem alignment verified.`
 - [ ] `just verify` — exits 0
 - [ ] `zenzic check .` — zero findings (DQS 100/100)
diff --git a/action.yml b/action.yml
index 7f33d3c..02e535f 100644
--- a/action.yml
+++ b/action.yml
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ inputs:
   version:
     description: "Zenzic version to use. Defaults to latest stable."
     required: false
-    default: "0.19.3" # x-zenzic-core-pin
+    default: "0.19.6" # x-zenzic-core-pin
   format:
     description: "Output format: 'text', 'json', or 'sarif'."
     required: false
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
index 6881d9a..630d60c 100644
--- a/justfile
+++ b/justfile
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ pin-core version:
     sed -i 's/core pin (`zenzic>=.*`)/core pin (`zenzic>={{version}}`)/g' RELEASE.md
     sed -i 's/version (`.*`)/version (`{{version}}`)/' RELEASE.md
     sed -i 's/just pin-core [0-9.]\+/just pin-core {{version}}/g' CONTRIBUTING.md
+    sed -i 's/default: ".*" # x-zenzic-core-pin/default: "{{version}}" # x-zenzic-core-pin/' action.yml
     git add action.yml README.md .bumpversion.toml pyproject.toml RELEASE.md CONTRIBUTING.md
     git commit -S -s -m "chore(deps): pin zenzic core to {{version}}"
 
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index c81d59f..a799c9d 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ license = {text = "Apache-2.0"}
 authors = [{name = "PythonWoods", email = "dev@pythonwoods.dev"}]
 dynamic = ["version"]
 dependencies = [
-    "zenzic>=0.19.3",
+    "zenzic>=0.19.6",
 ]
 
 [project.urls]