diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index cd457315..0fa1409a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ Making a new release? Simply add the new header with the version and date undern
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+## [8.5.3] (March 6th, 2026)
+
 * Add VFS recording mode and optimized watch setup to reduce OS file-watch handles during `atlas serve` startup on large projects
 * Add PrefetchCache directory init-file resolution for faster directory handling during snapshot prefetch
 * Optimize project file prefetching with shallow folder walk and depth-limited traversal for `$path` roots
@@ -47,15 +49,20 @@ Making a new release? Simply add the new header with the version and date undern
 <details>
 <summary>Full commit log</summary>
 
+- `622c2bb1` Merge pull request #8 from UserGeneratedLLC/optim_serve
+- `e8daa9e9` Enhance VFS and PrefetchCache functionality
+- `04565dab` Update TODO.txt to include syncback optimization task
 - `5275d45a` Add is_watch_enabled method to VFS and enhance prefetch cache tests
 - `8b18dc45` Add guard test for INIT_FILE_PRIORITY vs DEFAULT_PROJECT_NAMES sync
 - `e86ebdad` Fix walked_roots to store raw paths, not canonical
 - `5ff0ed3f` Refactor cache lookup logic in VFS to streamline path checks
 - `dc788711` Fix walked_roots to only include recursively walked directories
 - `4e9e676c` Refactor prefetch_project_files and VFS watch setup for improved efficiency
+- `f53e8007` Update TODO.txt to reflect new multi-place clone support
 - `df773eab` Improve project file prefetching by canonicalizing paths
 - `aa203177` Enhance VFS functionality and performance improvements
 - `6168597a` Enhance PrefetchCache with directory init-file resolution
+- `f1992a61` Merge pull request #7 from UserGeneratedLLC/vfs_exclusions
 - `14d4bc13` Update instance context in ServeSession for script synchronization
 - `0fb5c877` Refactor VFS watching mechanism for improved performance
 - `a1b65dbb` Enhance logging for VFS directory watching
@@ -67,6 +74,8 @@ Making a new release? Simply add the new header with the version and date undern
 
 </details>
 
+[8.5.3]: https://github.com/UserGeneratedLLC/rojo/releases/tag/v8.5.3
+
 ## [8.5.2] (March 3rd, 2026)
 
 * Fix `atlas init` to commit project files before adding agent submodules, producing cleaner git history
diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index afca007f..0bc4aca4 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "atlas"
-version = "8.5.2"
+version = "8.5.3"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "backtrace",
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 6b8fffad..7976740a 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "atlas"
-version = "8.5.2"
+version = "8.5.3"
 rust-version = "1.88"
 authors = [
     "Lucien Greathouse <me@lpghatguy.com>",
diff --git a/plugin/Version.txt b/plugin/Version.txt
index 85e2cd53..7dbcd5de 100644
--- a/plugin/Version.txt
+++ b/plugin/Version.txt
@@ -1 +1 @@
-8.5.2
+8.5.3