diff --git a/app/gateway-api/src/orchestrator/releaseManifest.ts b/app/gateway-api/src/orchestrator/releaseManifest.ts
index a2c77670..ffee0ead 100644
--- a/app/gateway-api/src/orchestrator/releaseManifest.ts
+++ b/app/gateway-api/src/orchestrator/releaseManifest.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ const assertMigrationHead = async (workspaceRoot: string, directory: string, exp
     }
 };
 
-export const readReleaseManifest = async (workspaceRoot: string): Promise<ReleaseManifest> => {
+export const readReleaseManifest = async (
+    workspaceRoot: string,
+    options: { allowControllerUpgrade?: boolean } = {}
+): Promise<ReleaseManifest> => {
     const manifestPath = path.join(workspaceRoot, 'release-manifest.json');
     const parsed = JSON.parse(await fs.readFile(manifestPath, 'utf8')) as unknown;
     if (
@@ -46,7 +49,7 @@ export const readReleaseManifest = async (workspaceRoot: string): Promise<Releas
     ) {
         throw new Error(`Invalid release manifest: ${manifestPath}`);
     }
-    if (parsed.controllerProtocol > RELEASE_CONTROLLER_PROTOCOL) {
+    if (parsed.controllerProtocol > RELEASE_CONTROLLER_PROTOCOL && !options.allowControllerUpgrade) {
         throw new Error(
             `Release requires controller protocol ${parsed.controllerProtocol}; this controller supports ${RELEASE_CONTROLLER_PROTOCOL}.`
         );
diff --git a/app/gateway-api/test/releaseManifest.test.ts b/app/gateway-api/test/releaseManifest.test.ts
index f1b6afaf..3d572495 100644
--- a/app/gateway-api/test/releaseManifest.test.ts
+++ b/app/gateway-api/test/releaseManifest.test.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { readReleaseManifest, RELEASE_CONTROLLER_PROTOCOL } from '../src/orchest
 
 const temporaryDirectories: string[] = [];
 
-const createWorkspace = async (gatewayHead: string, gameHead: string): Promise<string> => {
+const createWorkspace = async (gatewayHead: string, gameHead: string, controllerProtocol = 1): Promise<string> => {
     const workspace = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'sammo-release-manifest-'));
     temporaryDirectories.push(workspace);
     await fs.mkdir(path.join(workspace, 'packages/infra/prisma/gateway-migrations', gatewayHead), {
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ const createWorkspace = async (gatewayHead: string, gameHead: string): Promise<s
         path.join(workspace, 'release-manifest.json'),
         JSON.stringify({
             formatVersion: 1,
-            controllerProtocol: 1,
+            controllerProtocol,
             gatewaySchemaHead: gatewayHead,
             gameSchemaHead: gameHead,
             components: ['gateway-api', 'gateway-frontend', 'game-api', 'game-engine', 'game-frontend'],
@@ -58,4 +58,20 @@ describe('readReleaseManifest', () => {
 
         await expect(readReleaseManifest(workspace)).rejects.toThrow('does not match workspace head');
     });
+
+    it('allows only the explicit controller self-upgrade boundary to cross protocol versions', async () => {
+        const futureProtocol = RELEASE_CONTROLLER_PROTOCOL + 1;
+        const workspace = await createWorkspace(
+            '20260801000000_gateway',
+            '20260801000000_game',
+            futureProtocol
+        );
+
+        await expect(readReleaseManifest(workspace)).rejects.toThrow(
+            `Release requires controller protocol ${futureProtocol}`
+        );
+        await expect(readReleaseManifest(workspace, { allowControllerUpgrade: true })).resolves.toMatchObject({
+            controllerProtocol: futureProtocol,
+        });
+    });
 });
diff --git a/app/release-controller/README.md b/app/release-controller/README.md
index 3d42fda2..05d895c2 100644
--- a/app/release-controller/README.md
+++ b/app/release-controller/README.md
@@ -86,4 +86,6 @@ rollback하려면 새 schema와의 하위 호환성을 릴리스 전에 확인
 `release-manifest.json`의 `controllerProtocol`이 올라간 릴리스는 controller를
 먼저 self-upgrade해야 합니다. Protocol 2는 `GatewayReleaseLog` 진행 로그 저장을
 요구합니다. 구형 controller로 새 Gateway만 배포하면 관리자 화면과 controller의
-기능이 어긋날 수 있으므로, manifest protocol 검사를 우회하지 마세요.
+기능이 어긋날 수 있으므로, 일반 배포의 manifest protocol 검사를 우회하지
+마세요. Self-upgrade CLI만 다음 protocol을 허용하며 schema head와 component는
+동일하게 검증합니다.
diff --git a/app/release-controller/src/selfUpgrade.ts b/app/release-controller/src/selfUpgrade.ts
index 22dcb51b..9f5cdfe8 100644
--- a/app/release-controller/src/selfUpgrade.ts
+++ b/app/release-controller/src/selfUpgrade.ts
@@ -65,7 +65,10 @@ export const upgradeReleaseController = async (options: {
 }): Promise<{ commitSha: string; workspace: string }> => {
     const commitSha = await options.workspaceManager.resolveCommit(options.sourceMode, options.sourceRef);
     const workspace = await options.workspaceManager.prepare(commitSha);
-    const manifest = await readReleaseManifest(workspace.root);
+    // The target controller, rather than this bootstrap CLI, owns the target
+    // controller protocol. Keep all manifest/schema/component checks while
+    // allowing this explicit self-upgrade boundary to cross protocol versions.
+    const manifest = await readReleaseManifest(workspace.root, { allowControllerUpgrade: true });
     assertReleaseComponents(manifest, ['release-controller']);
     const build = await options.buildRunner.run(
         buildReleaseControllerCommands(workspace.root, workspace.needsInstall, options.config)
diff --git a/docs/release-operations.md b/docs/release-operations.md
index b4c64b28..7bd570fd 100644
--- a/docs/release-operations.md
+++ b/docs/release-operations.md
@@ -204,6 +204,8 @@ release-controller가 `GatewayReleaseLog` 진행 로그를 저장하는 것이 
 로그 기능이 포함된 Gateway API/frontend만 먼저 배포하면 화면은 polling하지만
 구형 controller는 로그를 만들 수 있으므로, protocol 변경 commit은 위
 `self-upgrade`로 controller를 먼저 전환한 뒤 Gateway 배포를 요청해야 합니다.
+명시적인 self-upgrade 경로만 다음 controller protocol의 manifest를 읽을 수 있고,
+schema head·component 검사는 그대로 수행합니다.
 
 ## 운영 확인 목록