diff --git a/.changeset-held/README.md b/.changeset-held/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73457b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset-held/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+# Held changesets
+
+Changesets for packages listed in `.changeset/config.json` → `ignore` are parked
+here instead of `.changeset/`, because `changesets/action` does not account for
+the ignore list: leftover ignored-package changesets make it try to open a
+Version Packages PR (which comes out empty and errors) instead of publishing.
+
+They cannot live in a subdirectory of `.changeset/` either — changesets treats
+directories there as its legacy v1 changeset format and crashes.
+
+To release a held package: move its files back into `.changeset/` and remove the
+package from `ignore` in the same PR.
diff --git a/.changeset/engine-runtime.md b/.changeset-held/engine-runtime.md
similarity index 100%
rename from .changeset/engine-runtime.md
rename to .changeset-held/engine-runtime.md
diff --git a/.changeset/workflow-authoring-surface.md b/.changeset-held/workflow-authoring-surface.md
similarity index 100%
rename from .changeset/workflow-authoring-surface.md
rename to .changeset-held/workflow-authoring-surface.md
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 034c210..6b5ab19 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ This section captures project-specific knowledge, tool quirks, and lessons learn
 - Use `pnpm test:run` in automated/agent workflows. Do not use `pnpm test` there because it starts watch mode.
 - Prefer `pnpm lint:fix` before spending time on manual lint/style cleanup.
 - Releases are changesets-based: a PR changing a published package should include a changeset (`pnpm changeset`). On merge to `main`, `changesets/action` opens a "Version Packages" PR; merging that publishes to npm. Do not add bumpp/changelogithub — those were the old single-package flow.
+- To hold a package back from a release, add it to `ignore` in `.changeset/config.json` — but its pending changesets must then be parked in `.changeset-held/` (see its README), NOT left in `.changeset/`: `changesets/action` doesn't account for the ignore list when deciding version-PR vs publish, so leftover ignored-package changesets produce an empty Version PR that errors and blocks publishing. They can't go in a `.changeset/` subdirectory either (changesets treats directories there as its legacy v1 format and crashes). To release the held package later, move its changesets back and remove it from `ignore` in the same PR.
 - Run root scripts from the repo root; they fan out over `packages/*`. Per-package work can be done with `cd packages/<pkg>`.
 
 ### Patterns & Conventions