diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 9acfb1f5e6..0676e4fb43 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,7 +2,22 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
-## [2.5.2] - 2026-03-14
+## [2.5.3] - 2026-03-14
+
+> Critical bugfixes: DB schema migration, startup env loading, provider error state clearing, and i18n tooltip fix. Code quality improvements on top of each PR.
+
+### 🐛 Bug Fixes (PRs #369, #371, #372, #373 by @kfiramar)
+
+- **fix(db) #373**: Add `provider_connections.group` column to base schema + backfill migration for existing databases — column was used in all queries but missing from schema definition
+- **fix(i18n) #371**: Replace non-existent `t("deleteConnection")` key with existing `providers.delete` key — fixes `MISSING_MESSAGE: providers.deleteConnection` runtime error on provider detail page
+- **fix(auth) #372**: Clear stale error metadata (`errorCode`, `lastErrorType`, `lastErrorSource`) from provider accounts after genuine recovery — previously, recovered accounts kept appearing as failed
+- **fix(startup) #369**: Unify env loading across `npm run start`, `run-standalone.mjs`, and Electron to respect `DATA_DIR/.env → ~/.omniroute/.env → ./.env` priority — prevents generating a new `STORAGE_ENCRYPTION_KEY` over an existing encrypted database
+
+### 🔧 Code Quality
+
+- Documented `result.success` vs `response?.ok` patterns in `auth.ts` (both intentional, now explained)
+- Normalized `overridePath?.trim()` in `electron/main.js` to match `bootstrap-env.mjs`
+- Added `preferredEnv` merge order comment in Electron startup
 
 > Codex account quota policy with auto-rotation, fast tier toggle, gpt-5.4 model, and analytics label fix.
 
diff --git a/docs/openapi.yaml b/docs/openapi.yaml
index 988e0d7289..14112e5c35 100644
--- a/docs/openapi.yaml
+++ b/docs/openapi.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 openapi: 3.1.0
 info:
   title: OmniRoute API
-  version: 2.5.2
+  version: 2.5.3
   description: |
     OmniRoute is a local-first AI API proxy router. It provides an OpenAI-compatible
     endpoint that routes requests to multiple AI providers with load balancing,
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7ef6d3c591..59b3bedc91 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "omniroute",
-  "version": "2.5.2",
+  "version": "2.5.3",
   "description": "Smart AI Router with auto fallback — route to FREE & cheap models, zero downtime. Works with Cursor, Cline, Claude Desktop, Codex, and any OpenAI-compatible tool.",
   "type": "module",
   "bin": {