diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 025dad54..945daaa8 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,29 @@
 
 ---
 
+## [3.0.0-rc.1] - 2026-03-22
+
+### 🔧 Bug Fixes
+
+- **#521** — Login no longer gets stuck after skipping password setup (redirects to onboarding)
+- **#522** — API Manager: Removed misleading "Copy masked key" button (replaced with lock icon tooltip)
+- **#527** — Claude Code + Codex superpowers loop: `tool_result` blocks now converted to text instead of dropped
+- **#532** — OpenCode GO API key validation now uses the correct `zen/v1` endpoint (`testKeyBaseUrl`)
+- **#489** — Antigravity: missing `googleProjectId` returns structured 422 error with reconnect guidance
+- **#510** — Windows: MSYS2/Git-Bash paths (`/c/Program Files/...`) are now normalized to `C:\\Program Files\\...`
+- **#492** — `omniroute` CLI now detects `mise`/`nvm` when `app/server.js` is missing and shows targeted fix
+
+### 📖 Documentation
+
+- **#513** — Docker password reset: `INITIAL_PASSWORD` env var workaround documented
+- **#520** — pnpm: `pnpm approve-builds better-sqlite3` documented
+
+### ✅ Closed Issues
+
+#489, #492, #510, #513, #520, #521, #522, #525, #527, #532
+
+---
+
 ## [2.9.5] — 2026-03-22
 
 > Sprint: New OpenCode providers, embedding credentials fix, CLI masked key bug, CACHE_TAG_PATTERN fix.
diff --git a/docs/openapi.yaml b/docs/openapi.yaml
index f4a8ef4f..bb0f63fd 100644
--- a/docs/openapi.yaml
+++ b/docs/openapi.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 openapi: 3.1.0
 info:
   title: OmniRoute API
-  version: 2.9.5
+  version: 3.0.0-rc.1
   description: |
     OmniRoute is a local-first AI API proxy router. It provides an OpenAI-compatible
     endpoint that routes requests to multiple AI providers with load balancing,
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index c7e627b5..1d79ed4e 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "omniroute",
-  "version": "2.9.5",
+  "version": "3.0.0-rc.1",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "omniroute",
-      "version": "2.9.5",
+      "version": "3.0.0-rc.1",
       "hasInstallScript": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "workspaces": [
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index bb3fb029..63f58253 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "omniroute",
-  "version": "2.9.5",
+  "version": "3.0.0-rc.1",
   "description": "Smart AI Router with auto fallback — route to FREE & cheap models, zero downtime. Works with Cursor, Cline, Claude Desktop, Codex, and any OpenAI-compatible tool.",
   "type": "module",
   "bin": {
diff --git a/scripts/check-docs-sync.mjs b/scripts/check-docs-sync.mjs
index b1f89825..bea9ec67 100644
--- a/scripts/check-docs-sync.mjs
+++ b/scripts/check-docs-sync.mjs
@@ -48,7 +48,8 @@ function extractChangelogSections(content) {
 }
 
 function isSemver(value) {
-  return /^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/.test(value);
+  // Accept X.Y.Z and X.Y.Z-prerelease.N (e.g. 3.0.0-rc.1, 3.0.0-beta.2)
+  return /^\d+\.\d+\.\d+(-[a-zA-Z0-9.]+)?$/.test(value);
 }
 
 let hasFailure = false;