diff --git a/RELEASE_STATUS.md b/RELEASE_STATUS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..01fee8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/RELEASE_STATUS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+# v0.2.4 Release Status
+
+## Current Status: ⏳ Waiting for Artifact Hub Sync
+
+**Last Updated:** 2026-02-12 16:48 UTC
+
+### ✅ Completed Steps
+
+1. **Build & Package**
+   - Plugin built successfully (358.18 kB, 98.04 kB gzipped)
+   - All lint and type checks passing
+   - Tarball created: `headlamp-sealed-secrets-0.2.4.tar.gz`
+
+2. **GitHub Release**
+   - Release created: v0.2.4
+   - Tarball uploaded to GitHub
+   - Release notes updated
+   - **Checksum:** `42545048578d613483993a233326abf6a952b920baf3997fed00e989eb0aa5ba`
+
+3. **Repository Metadata**
+   - `headlamp-sealed-secrets/artifacthub-pkg.yml` updated with correct checksum
+   - `headlamp-sealed-secrets-plugin/0.2.4/artifacthub-pkg.yml` updated
+   - All commits pushed to `main` branch
+
+4. **Kubernetes Deployment**
+   - Plugin manually installed in pod: `headlamp-7597447d8-drhmg`
+   - Installation path: `/headlamp/plugins/headlamp-sealed-secrets/`
+   - ConfigMap updated to use Artifact Hub source
+   - **Sidebar entry is visible and working!**
+
+### ⏳ Pending: Artifact Hub Sync
+
+**Current Artifact Hub Status:**
+- **Version:** 0.2.4 ✅
+- **Checksum:** `49062f6e9f68de49b83d53176d0bc09ce632d3df11e3397459342f51f6282131` ❌ (OLD)
+- **Expected:** `42545048578d613483993a233326abf6a952b920baf3997fed00e989eb0aa5ba`
+- **Last Sync:** 2026-02-11 19:00 UTC
+- **Next Sync:** Within 30-60 minutes (automatic)
+
+### 📋 Verification Checklist
+
+Once Artifact Hub syncs:
+
+- [ ] Artifact Hub shows correct checksum
+- [ ] Remove manual plugin installation from pod
+- [ ] Restart Headlamp pod to trigger fresh install
+- [ ] Verify plugin installs via Artifact Hub (no checksum mismatch)
+- [ ] Verify sidebar entry appears
+- [ ] Test plugin functionality (create SealedSecret)
+
+### 🔍 Monitoring Commands
+
+```bash
+# Check Artifact Hub checksum
+curl -s "https://artifacthub.io/api/v1/packages/headlamp/sealed-secrets/headlamp-sealed-secrets" | \
+  python3 -c "import sys, json; data=json.load(sys.stdin); print(f'Checksum: {data[\"data\"][\"headlamp/plugin/archive-checksum\"]}')"
+
+# Check plugin installer logs
+kubectl logs -n kube-system -l app.kubernetes.io/name=headlamp -c headlamp-plugin --tail=50
+
+# Restart Headlamp to trigger fresh install
+kubectl rollout restart deployment/headlamp -n kube-system
+```
+
+### 📚 Official Workflow Reference
+
+Following [Headlamp plugin publishing docs](https://headlamp.dev/docs/latest/development/plugins/publishing/):
+
+1. ✅ Build plugin locally: `npm run build && npm run package`
+2. ✅ Create GitHub release with version tag
+3. ✅ Upload tarball to GitHub release
+4. ✅ Update `artifacthub-pkg.yml` with tarball checksum
+5. ⏳ Wait for Artifact Hub to auto-sync (every 30-60 min)
+6. ⏳ Plugin auto-installs via Headlamp's plugin manager
+
+### ⚠️ Known Issues
+
+**Non-Deterministic Builds:**
+- Each `npm run build` produces different checksums
+- This is normal behavior for Vite bundler
+- **Solution:** Build once per release, use that tarball's checksum
+- Never rebuild for the same version
+
+**Temporary Manual Install:**
+- Plugin manually installed in current pod for immediate testing
+- Will be replaced with Artifact Hub install once sync completes
+- Manual install won't survive pod restarts
+
+### 🎯 Success Criteria
+
+Release is complete when:
+1. Artifact Hub shows checksum `42545048...`
+2. Plugin installs without checksum mismatch errors
+3. Sidebar entry appears automatically
+4. All plugin features work correctly
+
+---
+
+**Notes:**
+- Following official Headlamp workflow (GitHub releases + Artifact Hub)
+- Not using NPM (not supported for plugin distribution)
+- Plugin is working now via manual install (temporary)
+- Permanent fix happens automatically when Artifact Hub syncs