diff --git a/.github/scripts/advance-action-tags/advance-action-tags.sh b/.github/scripts/advance-action-tags/advance-action-tags.sh
index 52f4b94f..7a3ed1b7 100755
--- a/.github/scripts/advance-action-tags/advance-action-tags.sh
+++ b/.github/scripts/advance-action-tags/advance-action-tags.sh
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 
 # Advance existing action major tags to a merged PR commit. This script is
-# invoked by the post-merge workflow with a full checkout and GH_TOKEN.
+# invoked by the workflow on each push to main, with a full checkout and
+# GH_TOKEN. It also accepts a pull_request closed event payload.
 
 fail() {
   echo "::error::$*" >&2
@@ -15,6 +16,43 @@ command -v jq >/dev/null || fail "jq is required to read the pull request event"
 : "${GITHUB_EVENT_PATH:?GITHUB_EVENT_PATH is required}"
 : "${GITHUB_REPOSITORY:?GITHUB_REPOSITORY is required}"
 
+resolve_attempts=${ADVANCE_TAGS_RESOLVE_ATTEMPTS:-3}
+resolve_delay=${ADVANCE_TAGS_RESOLVE_DELAY:-5}
+
+# A push to main carries no pull request. Find the merged PR whose merge commit
+# is the pushed head, read it from the API, and hand the rest of the script the
+# same pull_request event shape a PR close event provides.
+resolve_push_event() {
+  local head_sha pulls_json matches count=0 attempt pr_json event_file
+  head_sha=$(jq -er '.after | select(type == "string" and length > 0)' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH") || fail "Push event has no head commit"
+
+  # The commit-to-PR association can trail the push by a few seconds.
+  for (( attempt = 1; attempt <= resolve_attempts; attempt++ )); do
+    pulls_json=$(gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/commits/$head_sha/pulls") || fail "Could not list pull requests for commit $head_sha"
+    matches=$(jq -ce --arg sha "$head_sha" \
+      'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.merged_at != null and .merge_commit_sha == $sha and .base.ref == "main") | .number] else error("not an array") end' \
+      <<< "$pulls_json") || fail "GitHub returned malformed pull request data for commit $head_sha"
+    count=$(jq 'length' <<< "$matches")
+    (( count == 0 )) || break
+    (( attempt == resolve_attempts )) || sleep "$resolve_delay"
+  done
+
+  if (( count == 0 )); then
+    echo "::warning::Commit $head_sha on main is not the merge commit of a pull request, so no action tags were advanced. If it changed an action, move that action's major tag by hand."
+    exit 0
+  fi
+  (( count == 1 )) || fail "Commit $head_sha is the merge commit of several pull requests ($matches); tags were not changed"
+
+  pr_json=$(gh api "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/pulls/$(jq -r '.[0]' <<< "$matches")") || fail "Could not read the pull request merged as $head_sha"
+  event_file=$(mktemp)
+  jq -e '{pull_request: .}' <<< "$pr_json" > "$event_file" || fail "GitHub returned malformed pull request data for commit $head_sha"
+  GITHUB_EVENT_PATH=$event_file
+}
+
+if [[ "${GITHUB_EVENT_NAME:-}" == push ]]; then
+  resolve_push_event
+fi
+
 git_authenticated() {
   local token=${GH_TOKEN:-${GITHUB_TOKEN:-}}
   if [[ -n "$token" ]]; then
@@ -30,6 +68,10 @@ git_authenticated() {
 }
 
 pr_number=$(jq -er '.pull_request.number' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH") || fail "Event has no pull request number"
+# The workflow's failure report comments on this PR.
+if [[ -n "${GITHUB_OUTPUT:-}" ]]; then
+  echo "pr-number=$pr_number" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+fi
 merged=$(jq -r '.pull_request.merged // false' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH")
 [[ "$merged" == true ]] || fail "Pull request #$pr_number is not merged"
 merge_sha=$(jq -er '.pull_request.merge_commit_sha | select(type == "string" and length > 0)' "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH") || fail "Merged pull request has no merge commit SHA"
diff --git a/.github/scripts/advance-action-tags/test/advance-action-tags.bats b/.github/scripts/advance-action-tags/test/advance-action-tags.bats
index 52693c40..781b361b 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/advance-action-tags/test/advance-action-tags.bats
+++ b/.github/scripts/advance-action-tags/test/advance-action-tags.bats
@@ -35,15 +35,39 @@ setup() {
   export GITHUB_EVENT_PATH="$TEST_ROOT/event.json"
   export GITHUB_REPOSITORY=owner/repo
   export PATH="$MOCK:$PATH"
+  export ADVANCE_TAGS_RESOLVE_DELAY=0
+  export GH_CALLS="$TEST_ROOT/gh-calls"
   cat > "$MOCK/gh" <<'MOCK_GH'
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-[[ "$*" == *"repos/owner/repo/pulls/17/files"* ]] || exit 2
-printf '%s\n' "$GH_FILES_JSON"
+printf '%s\n' "$*" >> "$GH_CALLS"
+case "$*" in
+  *"repos/owner/repo/pulls/17/files"*) printf '%s\n' "$GH_FILES_JSON" ;;
+  *"repos/owner/repo/commits/$MERGE_SHA/pulls"*) printf '%s\n' "$GH_COMMIT_PULLS_JSON" ;;
+  *"repos/owner/repo/pulls/17") printf '%s\n' "$GH_PR_JSON" ;;
+  *) exit 2 ;;
+esac
 MOCK_GH
   chmod +x "$MOCK/gh"
+  export MERGE_SHA
   write_event '[]'
 }
 
+# Simulates the push to main that a merge of PR 17 produces.
+use_push_event() {
+  export GITHUB_EVENT_NAME=push
+  jq -n --arg sha "$MERGE_SHA" '{ref:"refs/heads/main",after:$sha}' > "$GITHUB_EVENT_PATH"
+  GH_COMMIT_PULLS_JSON=$(jq -cn --arg sha "$MERGE_SHA" \
+    '[{number:17,merged_at:"2026-11-09T10:00:00Z",merge_commit_sha:$sha,base:{ref:"main"}}]')
+  export GH_COMMIT_PULLS_JSON
+  set_pr_labels '[]'
+}
+
+set_pr_labels() {
+  GH_PR_JSON=$(jq -cn --arg sha "$MERGE_SHA" --argjson labels "$1" \
+    '{number:17,merged:true,merge_commit_sha:$sha,changed_files:1,labels:$labels}')
+  export GH_PR_JSON
+}
+
 teardown() {
   rm -rf "$TEST_ROOT"
 }
@@ -146,3 +170,65 @@ UPDATE_HOOK
   [ "$(git --git-dir="$REMOTE" rev-parse 'refs/tags/example-action/v4^{commit}')" = "$OLD_SHA" ]
   [ "$(git --git-dir="$REMOTE" rev-parse refs/tags/second-action/v1)" = "$OLD_SHA" ]
 }
+
+@test "push event resolves the merged pull request and moves its action tag" {
+  use_push_event
+  export GITHUB_OUTPUT="$TEST_ROOT/output"
+  run bash -c "cd '$WORK' && bash '$SCRIPT'"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"Advanced example-action/v4 from $OLD_SHA to $MERGE_SHA."* ]]
+  [ "$(git --git-dir="$REMOTE" rev-parse 'refs/tags/example-action/v4^{commit}')" = "$MERGE_SHA" ]
+  grep -qx 'pr-number=17' "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+}
+
+@test "push event reads the major-release label from the API and moves no tag" {
+  use_push_event
+  set_pr_labels '[{"name":"major-release"}]'
+  run bash -c "cd '$WORK' && bash '$SCRIPT'"
+  [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"declares major-release"* ]]
+  [ "$(git --git-dir="$REMOTE" rev-parse refs/tags/example-action/v4)" = "$OLD_V4_OID" ]
+}
+
+@test "push with no merged pull request warns, retries and moves no tag" {
+  use_push_event
+  export GH_COMMIT_PULLS_JSON='[]'
+  run bash -c "cd '$WORK' && bash '$SCRIPT'"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"::warning::Commit $MERGE_SHA on main is not the merge commit of a pull request"* ]]
+  [ "$(grep -c "commits/$MERGE_SHA/pulls" "$GH_CALLS")" -eq 3 ]
+  [ "$(git --git-dir="$REMOTE" rev-parse 'refs/tags/example-action/v4^{commit}')" = "$OLD_SHA" ]
+}
+
+@test "push ignores a pull request that only contains the commit" {
+  use_push_event
+  GH_COMMIT_PULLS_JSON=$(jq -cn --arg sha "$MERGE_SHA" \
+    '[{number:18,merged_at:null,merge_commit_sha:"0000000000000000000000000000000000000000",base:{ref:"main"}},
+      {number:19,merged_at:"2026-11-09T10:00:00Z",merge_commit_sha:$sha,base:{ref:"release-1"}}]')
+  export GH_COMMIT_PULLS_JSON
+  run bash -c "cd '$WORK' && bash '$SCRIPT'"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"is not the merge commit of a pull request"* ]]
+  [ "$(git --git-dir="$REMOTE" rev-parse 'refs/tags/example-action/v4^{commit}')" = "$OLD_SHA" ]
+}
+
+@test "push merged by several pull requests fails closed" {
+  use_push_event
+  GH_COMMIT_PULLS_JSON=$(jq -cn --arg sha "$MERGE_SHA" \
+    '[{number:17,merged_at:"2026-11-09T10:00:00Z",merge_commit_sha:$sha,base:{ref:"main"}},
+      {number:20,merged_at:"2026-11-09T10:00:00Z",merge_commit_sha:$sha,base:{ref:"main"}}]')
+  export GH_COMMIT_PULLS_JSON
+  run bash -c "cd '$WORK' && bash '$SCRIPT'"
+  [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"merge commit of several pull requests"* ]]
+  [ "$(git --git-dir="$REMOTE" rev-parse 'refs/tags/example-action/v4^{commit}')" = "$OLD_SHA" ]
+}
+
+@test "push with malformed commit pull request data fails closed" {
+  use_push_event
+  export GH_COMMIT_PULLS_JSON='{"message":"Not Found"}'
+  run bash -c "cd '$WORK' && bash '$SCRIPT'"
+  [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"malformed pull request data"* ]]
+  [ "$(git --git-dir="$REMOTE" rev-parse 'refs/tags/example-action/v4^{commit}')" = "$OLD_SHA" ]
+}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/advance-action-tags.yaml b/.github/workflows/advance-action-tags.yaml
index 10cf72b8..435b0be1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/advance-action-tags.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/advance-action-tags.yaml
@@ -1,32 +1,36 @@
 name: Advance action tags
 
+# A push to main is the merge itself. The script resolves the merged pull
+# request through the API, so this needs no pull_request_target event, which
+# GitHub blocks by default in public repositories from 2 December 2026.
 on:
-  pull_request_target: # zizmor: ignore[dangerous-triggers] -- runs only after merge, and checks out the merged main commit
-    types: [closed]
+  push:
     branches: [main]
 
 permissions: {}
 
 jobs:
   advance:
-    if: github.event.pull_request.merged == true
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: write
       pull-requests: read
+    outputs:
+      pr-number: ${{ steps.advance.outputs.pr-number }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
         with:
-          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.merge_commit_sha }}
+          ref: ${{ github.sha }}
           fetch-depth: 0
           persist-credentials: false
       - name: Advance tags
+        id: advance
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
         run: bash .github/scripts/advance-action-tags/advance-action-tags.sh
 
   report-failure:
-    if: always() && needs.advance.result == 'failure'
+    if: always() && needs.advance.result == 'failure' && needs.advance.outputs.pr-number != ''
     needs: advance
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
@@ -36,6 +40,6 @@ jobs:
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
           GH_REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
-          PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ needs.advance.outputs.pr-number }}
           RUN_URL: ${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}
         run: gh pr comment "$PR_NUMBER" --body "Action tags were not fully advanced. Check the [workflow log]($RUN_URL), review the release requirements and callers, then publish or recover the affected tags manually. A major-release label requires a new major tag."