diff --git a/.github/workflows/COMMENTS.yml b/.github/workflows/COMMENTS.yml
index dd31965..7ea9c44 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/COMMENTS.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/COMMENTS.yml
@@ -89,3 +89,31 @@ jobs:
               issue_number,
               body: `✅ Version label set to **${label}**`
             });
+
+  check-and-label:
+    # 1. Must be a PR comment (not a plain issue)
+    # 2. Comment must contain the command (e.g., /merge or trigger-merge)
+    # 3. User MUST be an OWNER, MEMBER, or COLLABORATOR
+    if: |
+      github.event.issue.pull_request != null &&
+      contains(github.event.comment.body, '/merge') && (
+        github.event.comment.author_association == 'OWNER' ||
+        github.event.comment.author_association == 'MEMBER' ||
+        github.event.comment.author_association == 'COLLABORATOR'
+      )
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      pull-requests: write
+      issues: write
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Add merge label
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            github.rest.issues.addLabels({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              issue_number: context.issue.number,
+              labels: ['merge']
+            })
diff --git a/.github/workflows/VERSION.yml b/.github/workflows/VERSION.yml
index e021c50..ee0fc75 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/VERSION.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/VERSION.yml
@@ -1,51 +1,59 @@
-name: Automatic version bump
+name: Bump and Merge
 
 on:
-  workflow_run:
-    workflows: ["Pull Request Validation"]
-    types: [completed]
   pull_request:
-    types: [closed]
-
-permissions:
-  contents: write
+    types: [labeled]
 
 jobs:
-  bump:
-    if: github.event.pull_request.merged == true
-
+  bump-and-merge:
+    # Only run if both a version label and a merge trigger label are present
+    if: |
+      contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'merge') && (
+        contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'major') ||
+        contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'feature') ||
+        contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'patch') ||
+        contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'build')
+      )
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      pull-requests: write
 
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          ref: dev
-
-      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      - name: Checkout PR Branch
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          python-version: "3.12"
+          repository: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name }}
+          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref }}
 
-      - name: Get label
+      - name: Extract Label
         id: label
         run: |
           echo "LABEL=${{
             contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'major') && 'major' ||
             contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'feature') && 'feature' ||
-            contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'patch') && 'patch' ||
-            'build'
+            'patch'
           }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
-      - name: Bump version
+      - name: Bump Version
         run: |
-          python .github/scripts/bump_version.py \
-            "${{ steps.label.outputs.LABEL }}"
+          python .github/scripts/bump_version.py "${{ steps.label.outputs.LABEL }}"
 
-      - name: Commit
+      - name: Commit and Push to PR
         run: |
-          git config user.name github-actions
-          git config user.email github-actions@github.com
-
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
           git add .
-          git commit -m "Bump version"
+          git commit -m "chore(release): bump version before merge [skip ci]"
           git push
-  
+
+      - name: Automatically Merge PR
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        with:
+          script: |
+            github.rest.pulls.merge({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              pull_number: context.payload.pull_request.number,
+              merge_method: 'squash' # or 'merge' / 'rebase'
+            })