diff --git a/scripts/analyze-release-scope.ts b/scripts/analyze-release-scope.ts
index f770707..19838fe 100644
--- a/scripts/analyze-release-scope.ts
+++ b/scripts/analyze-release-scope.ts
@@ -31,18 +31,19 @@ export function latestTag(root = process.cwd()): string | null {
 
 type Level = "major" | "minor" | "patch";
 const LEVEL_RANK: Record<Level, number> = { patch: 1, minor: 2, major: 3 };
-// "chore(scope)" covers routine product refreshes that still ship (e.g.
-// chore(catalog): sync models.json); "chore" without a scope stays inert.
+// Releasable types only. "chore" (including chore(scope) like chore(release):
+// sync manifests or chore(catalog)) is bookkeeping and must never cut a
+// release — otherwise the post-release manifest-sync merge re-releases and
+// loops forever.
 const TYPE_LEVEL: Record<string, Level> = { fix: "patch", perf: "patch", feat: "minor" };
 
 const subjectLevel = (commit: string): Level | null => {
   const firstLine = commit.split("\n")[0] ?? "";
-  const m = /^(?:(?:fix|perf|feat)|chore\([^)]*\))(?:\([^)]*\))?!?:/.exec(firstLine);
+  const m = /^(?:fix|perf|feat)(?:\([^)]*\))?!?:/.exec(firstLine);
   if (!m) return null;
   if (m[0].includes("!")) return "major";
   const body = commit.split("\n").slice(1).join("\n");
   const type = m[0].replace(/\(.*$/, "").replace(/!$/, "").replace(/:$/, "");
-  if (type === "chore") return "patch";
   return /BREAKING[- ]CHANGE:/.test(body) ? "major" : (TYPE_LEVEL[type] ?? null);
 };
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/analyze-release-scope.test.ts b/tests/unit/analyze-release-scope.test.ts
index 309f64d..5177713 100644
--- a/tests/unit/analyze-release-scope.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/analyze-release-scope.test.ts
@@ -109,26 +109,15 @@ describe("analyzeReleaseScope", () => {
     }
   });
 
-  test("chore(scope) commits that only touch non-product files yield no release", () => {
+  test("chore(scope) commits never yield a release even when they touch product files", () => {
     const r = repo();
     r.tag("v0.6.0");
     try {
-      r.commit("chore(catalog): tweak CI", { ".github/workflows/catalog-sync.yml": "cron: 0 *\n" });
+      r.commit("chore(catalog): sync command-code@1.40.1", { "models.json": "[]\n" });
+      r.commit("chore(release): sync manifests to v0.7.5", { "package.json": "{}" });
       expect(analyzeReleaseScope(r.root)).toEqual({ level: null });
     } finally {
       r.cleanup();
     }
   });
-
-  test("chore(scope) with product-file change still releases at patch", () => {
-    const r = repo();
-    r.tag("v0.6.0");
-    try {
-      r.commit("chore(catalog): refresh", { "models.json": "[]\n" });
-      // prod file touched + chore(scope): treat as the scope's default patch release
-      expect(analyzeReleaseScope(r.root).level).toBe("patch");
-    } finally {
-      r.cleanup();
-    }
-  });
 });