diff --git a/.github/workflows/packaging-lint.yml b/.github/workflows/packaging-lint.yml
index 6848088d37..86619a3ad6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/packaging-lint.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/packaging-lint.yml
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ name: Packaging lint
 on:
   push:
     branches: [main, release]
-    paths: [".github/workflows/**", "packaging/**", "assets/app-icon/**"]
+    paths: [".github/workflows/**", "packaging/**", "assets/app-icon/**", "docs/mcp.md", "docs/control-protocol.md"]
   pull_request:
-    paths: [".github/workflows/**", "packaging/**", "assets/app-icon/**"]
+    paths: [".github/workflows/**", "packaging/**", "assets/app-icon/**", "docs/mcp.md", "docs/control-protocol.md"]
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ jobs:
   lint:
     # Intentionally tracked at @main (not SHA-pinned) so org-wide CI improvements, security fixes, and build optimizations propagate without PR churn across all craftapp repos.
     uses: storytold/craft-common-actions/.github/workflows/packaging-lint.yml@main
+    with:
+      extra-checks-script: packaging/linux/package-docs-test.sh
 
   verified-appimage-inputs:
     timeout-minutes: 10
diff --git a/docs/releasing.md b/docs/releasing.md
index 91d9652a3b..b1c030a02b 100644
--- a/docs/releasing.md
+++ b/docs/releasing.md
@@ -302,6 +302,48 @@ one is missing, prints the package to install and exits with status 1 instead of
 Locally (on Linux): install [nfpm](https://nfpm.goreleaser.com/install/), then
 `packaging/linux/package.sh` (or `--formats "deb tar"`).
 
+#### Packaged automation and offline documentation
+
+Both Flatpak manifests install `photocraft-cli`, alongside the GUI. To start the stdio MCP
+server with a project in the sandbox's allowed Documents directory:
+
+```sh
+flatpak run --command=photocraft-cli ai.storyteller.photocraft mcp \
+  --automation-read-root "$HOME/Documents/project" \
+  --automation-write-root "$HOME/Documents/project"
+```
+
+The automation roots restrict PhotoCraft's file access; they do not grant Flatpak access to
+other host directories. For a project elsewhere, also grant that directory with Flatpak's
+`--filesystem=/absolute/project` run option. Stdio MCP needs no network permission.
+
+Linux packages include the original `mcp.md` and `control-protocol.md` for offline use:
+
+| Format | Documentation directory |
+|---|---|
+| `.deb`, `.rpm` | `/usr/share/doc/photocraft/` |
+| Extracted `.tar.gz` | `share/doc/photocraft/` inside the extracted release directory |
+| Flatpak (source or bundle) | `/app/share/doc/photocraft/` inside the sandbox |
+| Extracted AppImage | `squashfs-root/usr/share/doc/photocraft/` |
+
+For example, read the Flatpak's MCP guide without opening the GUI:
+
+```sh
+flatpak run --command=cat ai.storyteller.photocraft /app/share/doc/photocraft/mcp.md
+```
+
+To read an AppImage's guides, run `./PhotoCraft.AppImage --appimage-extract` in a directory
+where you want its `squashfs-root` contents, using the downloaded file's actual name. Then
+open either guide in `squashfs-root/usr/share/doc/photocraft/`. Extraction is an explicit user
+action; launching the app does not extract documentation into the home directory. These two
+Markdown files are included as written; links to other repository documents still need a
+checkout or the online documentation.
+
+`bash packaging/linux/package-docs-test.sh` checks the real Linux staging/tar commands,
+AppDir retention and both Flatpak manifests' install commands with fixture binaries and
+stubbed AppImage tooling. Packaging lint runs it through `extra-checks-script`; it does not
+compile Rust, build a real AppImage, or run a Flatpak sandbox.
+
 ### FreeBSD
 
 GitHub has no FreeBSD runners, so the `freebsd` job runs `packaging/freebsd/package.sh` in a
diff --git a/packaging/linux/flatpak/ai.storyteller.photocraft.yml b/packaging/linux/flatpak/ai.storyteller.photocraft.yml
index 08ae4bd3f0..90d07dca77 100644
--- a/packaging/linux/flatpak/ai.storyteller.photocraft.yml
+++ b/packaging/linux/flatpak/ai.storyteller.photocraft.yml
@@ -101,8 +101,11 @@ modules:
         CRAFT_I18N_DIR: /run/build/photocraft/craft-i18n
         CRAFT_I18N_REQUIRED: '1'
     build-commands:
-      - cargo --offline build --release --locked -p photocraft --features heif
+      - cargo --offline build --release --locked -p photocraft -p photocraft-cli --features heif
       - install -Dm755 target/release/photocraft /app/bin/photocraft
+      - install -Dm755 target/release/photocraft-cli /app/bin/photocraft-cli
+      - install -Dm644 docs/mcp.md /app/share/doc/photocraft/mcp.md
+      - install -Dm644 docs/control-protocol.md /app/share/doc/photocraft/control-protocol.md
       - install -Dm644 NOTICE /app/share/doc/photocraft/NOTICE
       - install -Dm644 ATTRIBUTION.md /app/share/doc/photocraft/ATTRIBUTION.md
       - install -Dm644 packaging/linux/ai.storyteller.photocraft.desktop /app/share/applications/ai.storyteller.photocraft.desktop
diff --git a/packaging/linux/package-docs-test.sh b/packaging/linux/package-docs-test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..52c79285ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packaging/linux/package-docs-test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Exercise Linux staging and both Flatpak manifests without building Rust or an AppImage.
+# Needs the normal Linux packaging tools, Python 3 and PyYAML (packaging-lint installs them).
+set -euo pipefail
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)"
+python3 - "$ROOT" <<'PY'
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+import shlex
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import tempfile
+
+import yaml
+
+root = Path(sys.argv[1])
+docs = ("mcp.md", "control-protocol.md")
+
+
+def run(command, cwd, env):
+    result = subprocess.run(command, cwd=cwd, env=env, text=True, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.STDOUT)
+    if result.returncode:
+        raise AssertionError(f"{command!r} failed ({result.returncode}):\n{result.stdout}")
+
+
+def assert_docs(directory):
+    for name in docs:
+        path = directory / name
+        assert path.is_file(), f"missing packaged document: {path}"
+        assert path.read_bytes() == (root / "docs" / name).read_bytes(), f"changed packaged document: {path}"
+
+
+with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(prefix="photocraft-package-docs-") as temporary:
+    temp = Path(temporary)
+    fixture = temp / "source with spaces"
+    fixture.mkdir()
+    # Keep the real scripts, metadata, icons and document bytes. Only replace the binary
+    # build and AppImage download/tool boundary; no real tool or runtime is downloaded.
+    for name in ("packaging", "assets/app-icon/hicolor", "docs/mcp.md", "docs/control-protocol.md", "Cargo.toml", "README.md", "LICENSE", "LICENSE-MIT", "LICENSE-APACHE", "COPYRIGHT", "NOTICE", "ATTRIBUTION.md"):
+        source, destination = root / name, fixture / name
+        if not source.exists():
+            continue
+        destination.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        if source.is_dir():
+            shutil.copytree(source, destination)
+        else:
+            shutil.copy2(source, destination)
+
+    binary = "#!/usr/bin/env bash\nprintf 'PhotoCraft packaging fixture\\n'\n"
+    target = fixture / "target"
+    for name in ("photocraft", "photocraft-cli"):
+        path = target / "release" / name
+        path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        path.write_text(binary)
+        path.chmod(0o755)
+    (fixture / "packaging/linux/verified-download.sh").write_text('''
+download_verified() {
+  if [ "${4:-false}" = true ]; then
+    cat >"$2" <<'TOOL'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+# Stand in for appimagetool's output, leaving the real AppDir for assertions below.
+touch "${@: -1}"
+TOOL
+    chmod 755 "$2"
+  else
+    printf 'fixture runtime\\n' >"$2"
+  fi
+}
+verify_appimagetool_override() { return 1; }
+''')
+    env = os.environ.copy()
+    for key in ("CROSS_TARGET", "CROSS_COMPILE", "EMULATOR", "APPIMAGETOOL", "CRAFT_FONTS_DIR"):
+        env.pop(key, None)
+    env.update(CARGO_TARGET_DIR=str(target), DIST=str(temp / "dist"), CROSS_ARCH="x86_64", PHOTOCRAFT_BUILD_DATE="2026-01-01")
+    run(["bash", "packaging/linux/package.sh", "--skip-build", "--formats", "tar appimage"], fixture, env)
+    assert_docs(target / "linux-package/root/usr/share/doc/photocraft")
+    assert_docs(target / "linux-package/PhotoCraft.AppDir/usr/share/doc/photocraft")
+    archives = list((temp / "dist").glob("*.tar.gz"))
+    assert len(archives) == 1, f"expected one tarball, found {archives}"
+    unpacked = temp / "unpacked"
+    unpacked.mkdir()
+    run(["tar", "-xzf", str(archives[0]), "-C", str(unpacked)], fixture, env)
+    bundle = next(unpacked.iterdir())
+    assert_docs(bundle / "share/doc/photocraft")
+    assert (bundle / "bin/photocraft-cli").read_text() == binary
+    print("PASS: FHS stage, tarball and AppDir retain both protocol documents")
+
+    # The source manifest must request both packages; a missing -p photocraft-cli leaves
+    # no CLI for its real install command to copy. Do not seed its build with staged bins.
+    shutil.rmtree(target)
+    tools = temp / "tools"
+    tools.mkdir()
+    cargo = tools / "cargo"
+    cargo.write_text('''#!/usr/bin/env python3
+from pathlib import Path
+import sys
+args = sys.argv[1:]
+for index, arg in enumerate(args[:-1]):
+    if arg == "-p":
+        path = Path("target/release") / args[index + 1]
+        path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        path.write_text("#!/usr/bin/env bash\\nprintf 'PhotoCraft packaging fixture\\\\n'\\n")
+        path.chmod(0o755)
+''')
+    cargo.chmod(0o755)
+    env["PATH"] = str(tools) + os.pathsep + env["PATH"]
+    for suffix, directory in ((".yml", fixture), (".bundle.yml", bundle)):
+        manifest = yaml.safe_load((root / f"packaging/linux/flatpak/ai.storyteller.photocraft{suffix}").read_text())
+        app = temp / ("flatpak-source" if suffix == ".yml" else "flatpak-bundle")
+        # Other modules, such as cups-client, build their own sources; only photocraft is checked here.
+        module = next(m for m in manifest["modules"] if isinstance(m, dict) and m.get("name") == "photocraft")
+        for command in module["build-commands"]:
+            # Redirect only the sandbox output root, preserving the manifest's commands.
+            command = command.replace("/app/", shlex.quote(str(app)) + "/")
+            run(["bash", "-euo", "pipefail", "-c", command], directory, env)
+        cli = app / "bin/photocraft-cli"
+        assert cli.is_file() and os.access(cli, os.X_OK), f"missing executable CLI in {suffix}"
+        assert cli.read_text() == binary, f"changed CLI bytes in {suffix}"
+        assert_docs(app / "share/doc/photocraft")
+        print(f"PASS: Flatpak {suffix} build commands install the CLI and both protocol documents")
+PY
diff --git a/packaging/linux/package.sh b/packaging/linux/package.sh
index 519bc850c6..8ddc9b8e02 100755
--- a/packaging/linux/package.sh
+++ b/packaging/linux/package.sh
@@ -78,6 +78,8 @@ mkdir -p "$STAGE/usr/share/icons"
 cp -R "$ROOT/assets/app-icon/hicolor" "$STAGE/usr/share/icons/"
 mkdir -p "$STAGE/usr/share/doc/photocraft"
 copy_docs "$STAGE/usr/share/doc/photocraft"
+install -Dm644 "$ROOT/docs/mcp.md" "$STAGE/usr/share/doc/photocraft/mcp.md"
+install -Dm644 "$ROOT/docs/control-protocol.md" "$STAGE/usr/share/doc/photocraft/control-protocol.md"
 # photocraft-cli's man pages and shell completions, from its clap definition, written by the
 # example built above. A cross build runs it through $EMULATOR, like the --version check at the
 # end, and leaves them out without one, as a --skip-build run whose prebuilt binaries came without