diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr.yml b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
index 971fcd9a..3c9caaa2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ jobs:
           mv druid /usr/local/bin/druid
       - name: Validate all scrolls
         run: ./scripts/validate_all_scrolls.sh
+      - name: Test bounded push parallelism
+        run: bash ./scripts/tests/push-parallel.test.sh
       - name: Login to registry
         if: github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository
         run: druid login --host ${{ secrets.SCROLL_REGISTRY_HOST }} --user '${{ secrets.SCROLL_REGISTRY_USER }}' --password ${{ secrets.SCROLL_REGISTRY_PASSWORD }}
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 4e53858e..436d208a 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ Context for humans and coding agents working in this repository.
 ## Release workflow
 
 - `.github/workflows/release.yml` installs `druid` from [highcard-dev/druid-cli](https://github.com/highcard-dev/druid-cli), validates scrolls, logs into the registry, pushes **categories**, then pushes individual scrolls.
+- `scripts/push.sh` defaults to serial publication with `SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS=1`.
+  Local callers may use a bounded higher value, but every category push must
+  finish before artifact pushes begin and any background failure must fail the
+  script after all started jobs have been reaped.
 - When adding a new scroll family, you usually need both a **Push Categories** line (for that family’s `.meta`) and **Pushing new scrolls** lines for each version directory.
 - All production scroll/artifact changes must go through CI/CD. Do not manually push production scrolls or mutate production registry state unless explicitly authorized for an emergency; follow up with a repo change so CI is source of truth again.
 
@@ -35,6 +39,8 @@ druid push category <repo> <category> [<scrollDir>]
 ## Validation
 
 - `./scripts/validate_all_scrolls.sh` runs `druid scroll validate --strict` on every directory that contains a `scroll.yaml`.
+- `./scripts/tests/push-parallel.test.sh` verifies the serial default, bounded
+  concurrency, category barrier, full catalog invocation, and failure cleanup.
 
 ## Source of truth for CLI behavior
 
diff --git a/scripts/push.sh b/scripts/push.sh
index 2970c528..8973a0b5 100755
--- a/scripts/push.sh
+++ b/scripts/push.sh
@@ -16,6 +16,12 @@ SCROLL_REGISTRY_PASSWORD="${SCROLL_REGISTRY_PASSWORD:-}"
 DRUID_CLI_VERSION="${DRUID_CLI_VERSION:-v0.1.249}"
 SCROLL_PUSH_CATEGORIES="${SCROLL_PUSH_CATEGORIES:-1}"
 SCROLL_PUSH_ARTIFACTS="${SCROLL_PUSH_ARTIFACTS:-1}"
+SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS="${SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS:-1}"
+
+if [[ ! "$SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS" =~ ^[1-9][0-9]*$ ]]; then
+  echo "SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS must be a positive integer (got: $SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS)" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
 
 # Used by PR CI to publish the same catalog as preview tags, for example:
 # SCROLL_REGISTRY_NAMESPACE=druid-team-experimental SCROLL_TAG_SUFFIX=-pr123.
@@ -30,6 +36,28 @@ runtime_prefix="${registry_host}/${runtime_namespace}"
 runtime_image="${DRUID_SCROLL_RUNTIME_IMAGE:-${runtime_prefix}/druid:${DRUID_CLI_VERSION}}"
 steamcmd_image="${DRUID_SCROLL_STEAMCMD_IMAGE:-${runtime_image}-steamcmd}"
 
+push_pids=()
+push_phase_failed=0
+
+wait_for_oldest_push() {
+  local pid="${push_pids[0]}"
+
+  if ! wait "$pid"; then
+    push_phase_failed=1
+  fi
+  push_pids=("${push_pids[@]:1}")
+}
+
+wait_for_push_phase() {
+  while ((${#push_pids[@]} > 0)); do
+    wait_for_oldest_push
+  done
+
+  local failed="$push_phase_failed"
+  push_phase_failed=0
+  return "$failed"
+}
+
 login_if_configured() {
   if [[ "$SCROLL_PUSH_DRY_RUN" = "1" ]]; then
     return 0
@@ -68,7 +96,17 @@ run() {
   if [[ "$SCROLL_PUSH_DRY_RUN" = "1" ]]; then
     return 0
   fi
-  eval "$command"
+
+  if ((SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS == 1)); then
+    eval "$command"
+    return
+  fi
+
+  eval "$command" &
+  push_pids+=("$!")
+  if ((${#push_pids[@]} >= SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS)); then
+    wait_for_oldest_push
+  fi
 }
 
 push_release_categories() {
@@ -193,8 +231,16 @@ login_if_configured
 
 if [[ "$SCROLL_PUSH_CATEGORIES" = "1" ]]; then
   push_release_categories
+  if ! wait_for_push_phase; then
+    echo "One or more category pushes failed." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
 fi
 
 if [[ "$SCROLL_PUSH_ARTIFACTS" = "1" ]]; then
   push_release_artifacts
+  if ! wait_for_push_phase; then
+    echo "One or more artifact pushes failed." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
 fi
diff --git a/scripts/tests/fixtures/fake-druid.sh b/scripts/tests/fixtures/fake-druid.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..434b6bee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/tests/fixtures/fake-druid.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -u
+
+state_dir="${FAKE_DRUID_STATE_DIR:?FAKE_DRUID_STATE_DIR is required}"
+sleep_seconds="${FAKE_DRUID_SLEEP:-0.02}"
+lock_dir="$state_dir/.lock"
+
+acquire_lock() {
+  while ! mkdir "$lock_dir" 2>/dev/null; do
+    sleep 0.005
+  done
+}
+
+release_lock() {
+  rmdir "$lock_dir"
+}
+
+kind="artifact"
+ref="${2:-}"
+if [[ "${1:-}" = "push" && "${2:-}" = "category" ]]; then
+  kind="category"
+  ref="${3:-}"
+fi
+
+acquire_lock
+active=0
+maximum=0
+[[ -f "$state_dir/active" ]] && read -r active < "$state_dir/active"
+[[ -f "$state_dir/max" ]] && read -r maximum < "$state_dir/max"
+active=$((active + 1))
+if ((active > maximum)); then
+  maximum="$active"
+fi
+printf '%s\n' "$active" > "$state_dir/active"
+printf '%s\n' "$maximum" > "$state_dir/max"
+printf 'start %s %s\n' "$kind" "$*" >> "$state_dir/events.log"
+release_lock
+
+sleep "$sleep_seconds"
+
+status=0
+if [[ -n "${FAKE_DRUID_FAIL_REF:-}" && "$ref" = "$FAKE_DRUID_FAIL_REF" ]]; then
+  status=23
+fi
+
+acquire_lock
+read -r active < "$state_dir/active"
+active=$((active - 1))
+printf '%s\n' "$active" > "$state_dir/active"
+printf 'end %s %s status=%s\n' "$kind" "$*" "$status" >> "$state_dir/events.log"
+release_lock
+
+exit "$status"
diff --git a/scripts/tests/push-parallel.test.sh b/scripts/tests/push-parallel.test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cf856e91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/tests/push-parallel.test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+repo_root="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)"
+push_script="$repo_root/scripts/push.sh"
+fake_druid_source="$repo_root/scripts/tests/fixtures/fake-druid.sh"
+tmp_dir="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$tmp_dir"' EXIT
+fake_druid="$tmp_dir/fake-druid"
+cp "$fake_druid_source" "$fake_druid"
+chmod +x "$fake_druid"
+
+fail() {
+  echo "FAIL: $*" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
+assert_equals() {
+  local expected="$1"
+  local actual="$2"
+  local message="$3"
+  [[ "$actual" = "$expected" ]] || fail "$message (expected $expected, got $actual)"
+}
+
+reset_state() {
+  rm -rf "$tmp_dir/state"
+  mkdir -p "$tmp_dir/state"
+}
+
+category_dry_run="$(
+  SCROLL_PUSH_DRY_RUN=1 \
+  SCROLL_PUSH_CATEGORIES=1 \
+  SCROLL_PUSH_ARTIFACTS=0 \
+    bash "$push_script"
+)"
+artifact_dry_run="$(
+  SCROLL_PUSH_DRY_RUN=1 \
+  SCROLL_PUSH_CATEGORIES=0 \
+  SCROLL_PUSH_ARTIFACTS=1 \
+    bash "$push_script"
+)"
+expected_categories="$(printf '%s\n' "$category_dry_run" | grep -Ec '^"?druid"? push category ')"
+expected_artifacts="$(printf '%s\n' "$artifact_dry_run" | grep -Ec '^"?druid"? push ')"
+
+serial_dry_run="$(SCROLL_PUSH_DRY_RUN=1 SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS=1 bash "$push_script")"
+parallel_dry_run="$(SCROLL_PUSH_DRY_RUN=1 SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS=4 bash "$push_script")"
+assert_equals "$serial_dry_run" "$parallel_dry_run" \
+  "dry-run catalog output must stay deterministic across job counts"
+
+reset_state
+if SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS=0 \
+  DRUID_BIN="$fake_druid" \
+  FAKE_DRUID_STATE_DIR="$tmp_dir/state" \
+    bash "$push_script" >"$tmp_dir/invalid.out" 2>"$tmp_dir/invalid.err"; then
+  fail "SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS=0 must be rejected"
+fi
+grep -q 'SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS must be a positive integer' "$tmp_dir/invalid.err" || \
+  fail "invalid job count must report a useful validation error"
+[[ ! -f "$tmp_dir/state/events.log" ]] || \
+  fail "invalid job count must be rejected before invoking druid"
+
+reset_state
+(
+  unset SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS
+  DRUID_BIN="$fake_druid" \
+  FAKE_DRUID_STATE_DIR="$tmp_dir/state" \
+  FAKE_DRUID_SLEEP=0.01 \
+  SCROLL_PUSH_CATEGORIES=1 \
+  SCROLL_PUSH_ARTIFACTS=0 \
+    bash "$push_script" >"$tmp_dir/default.out"
+)
+assert_equals "1" "$(<"$tmp_dir/state/max")" \
+  "the default must preserve serial push behavior"
+
+reset_state
+DRUID_BIN="$fake_druid" \
+FAKE_DRUID_STATE_DIR="$tmp_dir/state" \
+FAKE_DRUID_SLEEP=0.02 \
+SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS=3 \
+  bash "$push_script" >"$tmp_dir/parallel.out"
+
+maximum="$(<"$tmp_dir/state/max")"
+((maximum >= 2)) || fail "SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS=3 must actually overlap push jobs"
+((maximum <= 3)) || fail "parallel pushes exceeded the configured job bound (max=$maximum)"
+
+actual_categories="$(grep -c '^start category ' "$tmp_dir/state/events.log")"
+actual_artifacts="$(grep -c '^start artifact ' "$tmp_dir/state/events.log")"
+assert_equals "$expected_categories" "$actual_categories" \
+  "parallel mode must invoke every category push exactly once"
+assert_equals "$expected_artifacts" "$actual_artifacts" \
+  "parallel mode must invoke every artifact push exactly once"
+
+last_category_end="$(grep -n '^end category ' "$tmp_dir/state/events.log" | tail -n 1 | cut -d: -f1)"
+first_artifact_start="$(grep -m 1 -n '^start artifact ' "$tmp_dir/state/events.log" | cut -d: -f1)"
+((last_category_end < first_artifact_start)) || \
+  fail "artifact pushes started before all category pushes completed"
+
+reset_state
+if DRUID_BIN="$fake_druid" \
+  FAKE_DRUID_STATE_DIR="$tmp_dir/state" \
+  FAKE_DRUID_SLEEP=0.01 \
+  FAKE_DRUID_FAIL_REF='artifacts.druid.gg/druid-team/scroll-minecraft-spigot:1.17' \
+  SCROLL_PUSH_JOBS=4 \
+  SCROLL_PUSH_CATEGORIES=0 \
+  SCROLL_PUSH_ARTIFACTS=1 \
+    bash "$push_script" >"$tmp_dir/failure.out" 2>"$tmp_dir/failure.err"; then
+  fail "a failed parallel push must make push.sh fail"
+fi
+
+failure_starts="$(grep -c '^start artifact ' "$tmp_dir/state/events.log")"
+failure_ends="$(grep -c '^end artifact ' "$tmp_dir/state/events.log")"
+assert_equals "$expected_artifacts" "$failure_starts" \
+  "a job failure must not abandon the remaining queued artifact pushes"
+assert_equals "$failure_starts" "$failure_ends" \
+  "push.sh must wait for every started job before returning a failure"
+assert_equals "0" "$(<"$tmp_dir/state/active")" \
+  "push.sh must not leave background push jobs running after failure"
+
+echo "push parallelism tests passed ($expected_categories categories, $expected_artifacts artifacts)"