diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7e504b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+name: release
+
+on: [release]
+
+jobs:
+  publish:
+    name: publish to pyPI
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v2
+        with:
+          python-version: 3.8
+      - run: pip install -r dev-requirements.txt
+      - run: python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel
+      - run: twine upload dist/*
+        env:
+          TWINE_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.TWINE_USERNAME }}
+          TWINE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.TWINE_PASSWORD }}
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 09d0599..1d0a573 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -153,32 +153,10 @@ $ python -m unittest
 
 ## releases
 
-**make sure the version number in `dphon/__init__.py` is correct!**
-
-if there are any built files in `dist/` from older releases, remove them before
-you start this process:
-
-```sh
-$ rm dist/*
-```
-
-to build a source archive and distribution for a release:
-
-```sh
-$ python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel
-```
-
-to publish the release on [test PyPI](https://test.pypi.org/) (useful for making sure everything worked):
-
-```sh
-$ twine upload --repository-url https://test.pypi.org/legacy/ dist/*
-```
+the package is built and published to pyPI automatically using `twine` when using GitHub's release functionality.
 
-if everything is OK, publish the package to PyPI:
+**make sure the version number in `dphon/__init__.py` is correct!**
 
-```sh
-$ twine upload dist/*
-```
 <hr/>
 <sup id="note1">1</sup> Schuessler, Axel (2007), _ABC Etymological Dictionary of Old Chinese_, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, ISBN 978-0-8248-2975-9.