diff --git a/.github/workflows/sample-application.yml b/.github/workflows/sample-application.yml
index 13082b8df0..efb32a6d89 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/sample-application.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/sample-application.yml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ jobs:
       caller_ref: ${{ github.ref }}
 
   build-ios:
-    name: Build ${{ matrix.rn-architecture }} ios ${{ matrix.build-type }} ${{ matrix.ios-use-frameworks }}
+    name: Build ${{ matrix.rn-architecture }} ios ${{ matrix.build-type }} ${{ matrix.ios-use-frameworks }} ${{ matrix.sentry-consumption }}
     runs-on: macos-26-xlarge
     needs: [diff_check, detect-changes]
     if: >-
@@ -60,6 +60,16 @@ jobs:
         rn-architecture: ["new"]
         ios-use-frameworks: ["no-frameworks"]
         build-type: ["dev", "production"]
+        sentry-consumption: ["xcframework"]
+        # `xcframework` is the default: RNSentry vendors a prebuilt
+        # `Sentry-Dynamic.xcframework` downloaded from sentry-cocoa's release.
+        # Keep a single CocoaPods job to catch regressions in the source-build
+        # fallback (`SENTRY_USE_XCFRAMEWORK=0`).
+        include:
+          - rn-architecture: "new"
+            ios-use-frameworks: "no-frameworks"
+            build-type: "production"
+            sentry-consumption: "cocoapods"
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@9c091bb21b7c1c1d1991bb908d89e4e9dddfe3e0 # v7.0.0
 
@@ -95,6 +105,7 @@ jobs:
           [[ "${{ matrix.build-type }}" == "production" ]] && export ENABLE_PROD=1 || export ENABLE_PROD=0
           [[ "${{ matrix.rn-architecture }}" == "new" ]] && export ENABLE_NEW_ARCH=1 || export ENABLE_NEW_ARCH=0
           [[ "${{ matrix.ios-use-frameworks }}" == "dynamic-frameworks" ]] && export USE_FRAMEWORKS=dynamic
+          [[ "${{ matrix.sentry-consumption }}" == "cocoapods" ]] && export SENTRY_USE_XCFRAMEWORK=0
 
           ./scripts/pod-install.sh
 
@@ -112,7 +123,10 @@ jobs:
           ./scripts/build-ios.sh
 
       - name: Archive iOS App
-        if: ${{ matrix.rn-architecture == 'new' && matrix.build-type == 'production' && matrix.ios-use-frameworks == 'no-frameworks' }}
+        # Only upload from the xcframework job (the default consumption path)
+        # to avoid duplicate artifact names when the CocoaPods regression job
+        # runs.
+        if: ${{ matrix.rn-architecture == 'new' && matrix.build-type == 'production' && matrix.ios-use-frameworks == 'no-frameworks' && matrix.sentry-consumption == 'xcframework' }}
         working-directory: ${{ env.REACT_NATIVE_SAMPLE_PATH }}
         run: |
           zip -r \
@@ -120,7 +134,7 @@ jobs:
             sentryreactnativesample.app
 
       - name: Upload iOS APP
-        if: ${{ matrix.rn-architecture == 'new' && matrix.build-type == 'production' && matrix.ios-use-frameworks == 'no-frameworks' }}
+        if: ${{ matrix.rn-architecture == 'new' && matrix.build-type == 'production' && matrix.ios-use-frameworks == 'no-frameworks' && matrix.sentry-consumption == 'xcframework' }}
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7
         with:
           name: sample-rn-${{ matrix.rn-architecture }}-${{ matrix.build-type }}-${{ matrix.ios-use-frameworks}}-ios
@@ -131,7 +145,7 @@ jobs:
         if: ${{ always() }}
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7
         with:
-          name: build-sample-${{ matrix.rn-architecture }}-ios-${{ matrix.build-type }}-${{ matrix.ios-use-frameworks}}-logs
+          name: build-sample-${{ matrix.rn-architecture }}-ios-${{ matrix.build-type }}-${{ matrix.ios-use-frameworks}}-${{ matrix.sentry-consumption }}-logs
           path: ${{ env.REACT_NATIVE_SAMPLE_PATH }}/ios/*.log
 
   build-android:
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5743ebc7fe..7f36e6d9e9 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,16 @@
 > make sure you follow our [migration guide](https://docs.sentry.io/platforms/react-native/migration/) first.
 <!-- prettier-ignore-end -->
 
+## Unreleased
+
+### Changes
+
+- Consume `sentry-cocoa` as a prebuilt xcframework by default on iOS ([#6381](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-react-native/pull/6381))
+
+  **Warning**
+
+  **This may be a breaking change for some setups.** `pod install` now downloads `Sentry.xcframework` from sentry-cocoa's GitHub release (SHA256-verified) and vendors it, instead of building Sentry from source as a CocoaPod. If your iOS build breaks after upgrading (e.g. when another pod also depends on the `Sentry` CocoaPod), or if your `pod install` environment cannot reach `github.com`, set `SENTRY_USE_XCFRAMEWORK=0` before `pod install` to restore the previous source-build behavior.
+
 ## 8.17.2
 
 ### Fixes
diff --git a/packages/core/RNSentry.podspec b/packages/core/RNSentry.podspec
index 84189b7df6..4162b140dd 100644
--- a/packages/core/RNSentry.podspec
+++ b/packages/core/RNSentry.podspec
@@ -45,41 +45,115 @@ Pod::Spec.new do |s|
   # is pulled in here; on Android it is compiled by the dedicated CMake target
   # in `android/CMakeLists.txt`. The files are guarded with
   # `RCT_NEW_ARCH_ENABLED` so they compile to empty TUs on Old Arch.
-  s.source_files = 'ios/**/*.{h,m,mm}', 'cpp/**/*.{h,cpp}'
+  #
+  # We include `.swift` (for `RNSentrySwiftLinkStub.swift`) only on RN >=
+  # 0.75. Adding a Swift file makes CocoaPods treat RNSentry as a Swift
+  # pod, which then requires modular headers from its ObjC dependencies
+  # (React-Core, React-hermes) — RN < 0.75 doesn't emit those, so
+  # `pod install` fails with:
+  #   "The Swift pod `RNSentry` depends upon `React-hermes`, which does
+  #    not define modules."
+  # The stub is only needed when linking Sentry.xcframework's Swift
+  # symbols into a dynamic framework anyway (RN 0.86+ `use_frameworks!
+  # :dynamic`), so gating on RN 0.75 is safe.
+  supports_swift_stub = rn_version[:major] >= 1 || (rn_version[:major] == 0 && rn_version[:minor] >= 75)
+  if supports_swift_stub
+    s.source_files = 'ios/**/*.{h,m,mm,swift}', 'cpp/**/*.{h,cpp}'
+    s.swift_versions = ['5.5']
+  else
+    s.source_files = 'ios/**/*.{h,m,mm}', 'cpp/**/*.{h,cpp}'
+  end
   s.public_header_files = 'ios/RNSentry.h', 'ios/RNSentrySDK.h', 'ios/RNSentryStart.h', 'ios/RNSentryVersion.h', 'ios/RNSentryBreadcrumb.h', 'ios/RNSentryReplay.h', 'ios/RNSentryReplayBreadcrumbConverter.h', 'ios/Replay/RNSentryReplayMask.h', 'ios/Replay/RNSentryReplayUnmask.h', 'ios/RNSentryTimeToDisplay.h'
 
   s.compiler_flags = other_cflags
 
-  s.pod_target_xcconfig = {
+  pod_target_xcconfig = {
     'DEFINES_MODULE' => 'YES'
   }
 
   sentry_cocoa_version = '9.19.1'
 
-  # Opt-in to consuming sentry-cocoa via Swift Package Manager.
-  # When `SENTRY_USE_SPM=1` is set, RNSentry pulls `Sentry` from the
-  # sentry-cocoa SPM package as a binary xcframework instead of from
-  # the Sentry CocoaPods source build. Defaults to CocoaPods consumption
-  # for backward compatibility with the full RN version range we support.
+  # Consume sentry-cocoa as a prebuilt `Sentry.xcframework` by default.
   #
-  # Requires React Native >= 0.75 because the SPM helper
-  # (`react-native/scripts/cocoapods/spm.rb`) is loaded transitively from
-  # the Podfile via `react_native_pods.rb`.
-  if ENV['SENTRY_USE_SPM'] == '1'
-    unless defined?(SPM) && SPM.respond_to?(:dependency)
-      raise 'SENTRY_USE_SPM=1 is set but the SPM helper is not loaded. ' \
-            'This requires React Native >= 0.75 and a Podfile that imports ' \
-            'react_native_pods.rb.'
+  # The xcframework is downloaded from sentry-cocoa's GitHub Release,
+  # SHA256-verified, and cached under `~/Library/Caches/sentry-react-native/
+  # xcframeworks/<version>/` (override with `SENTRY_XCFRAMEWORK_CACHE_DIR`).
+  # Slice paths are then wired into the pod and app target via
+  # `FRAMEWORK_SEARCH_PATHS` below. Consuming the xcframework this way
+  # avoids compiling sentry-cocoa from source (fast install) and
+  # sidesteps the Xcode 16/26 archive bug that affects the same
+  # xcframework when consumed through Xcode's SPM integration
+  # (`Signatures/*.signature` collision during archive).
+  #
+  # Set `SENTRY_USE_XCFRAMEWORK=0` to fall back to the source-built
+  # `Sentry` CocoaPod (e.g. for offline builds behind a restrictive proxy).
+  #
+  # `SENTRY_USE_SPM` was the name in earlier drafts of this PR; honor it as a
+  # deprecated alias so CI or local envs still exporting `SENTRY_USE_SPM=0`
+  # don't silently take the new xcframework path.
+  env_use_xcframework = ENV['SENTRY_USE_XCFRAMEWORK']
+  if env_use_xcframework.nil? && !ENV['SENTRY_USE_SPM'].nil?
+    Pod::UI.warn '[Sentry] SENTRY_USE_SPM is deprecated; use SENTRY_USE_XCFRAMEWORK instead.' if defined?(Pod::UI)
+    env_use_xcframework = ENV['SENTRY_USE_SPM']
+  end
+  use_xcframework = case env_use_xcframework
+                    when '0' then false
+                    else true
+                    end
+
+  if use_xcframework
+    sentry_xcframework_dir = ensure_sentry_xcframework(sentry_cocoa_version, 'Sentry')
+
+    # We deliberately do NOT set `s.vendored_frameworks` even though the
+    # xcframework is downloaded and referenced below. CocoaPods doesn't
+    # stage vendored xcframeworks for `path:` (development) pods anyway
+    # — it did nothing for us functionally — and pointing it at a path
+    # inside `node_modules/@sentry/react-native/ios/Vendor/` used to be
+    # actively harmful, because that path only existed when the SDK was
+    # cached into the package directory (broken under pnpm's isolated
+    # store / Yarn PnP where node_modules is read-only). Framework
+    # linking still happens: `@import Sentry;` in RNSentry.mm + user
+    # code triggers clang's `-fmodules-autolink`, which emits the
+    # `-framework Sentry` linker directive automatically once the
+    # module is discovered via `FRAMEWORK_SEARCH_PATHS` below.
+
+    # Xcode's `-F <dir>` doesn't descend into `.xcframework` bundles — it
+    # looks for `Sentry.framework` directly at the given path. Point a
+    # separate framework search path at each slice, gated by the matching
+    # SDK selector so `#import <Sentry/…>` resolves against exactly one
+    # slice per build. An unconditional search-path list would let Xcode's
+    # Swift module precompiler stumble into a slice for a different arch
+    # and fail with "unsupported Swift architecture".
+    #
+    # We hardcode the slice → SDK map in `SENTRY_XCFRAMEWORK_SLICES_BY_SDK`
+    # (see `sentry_utils.rb`) rather than scanning the extracted bundle —
+    # sentry-cocoa's `Sentry.xcframework` layout is stable across releases.
+    # Add a slice there if a future release ships one.
+    #
+    # Point the search paths at the pod-install-time absolute path to the
+    # xcframework. `${PODS_TARGET_SRCROOT}` is only defined in per-pod
+    # xcconfigs, not in aggregate/user-target xcconfigs, and a
+    # `${PODS_ROOT}`-relative fallback works for one Podfile layout but
+    # breaks for another (e.g. the RN sample apps put node_modules at a
+    # different depth from RNSentryCocoaTester). Using the absolute path
+    # avoids the layout-detection dance — the path is regenerated on
+    # every `pod install`, so it's not something anyone commits.
+    xcframework_search_paths = SENTRY_XCFRAMEWORK_SLICES_BY_SDK.each_with_object({}) do |(sdk, slice_ids), acc|
+      paths = slice_ids.map { |slice| %("#{File.join(sentry_xcframework_dir, slice)}") }
+      acc["FRAMEWORK_SEARCH_PATHS[sdk=#{sdk}*]"] = (['$(inherited)'] + paths).join(' ')
     end
-    SPM.dependency(s,
-      url: 'https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-cocoa',
-      requirement: { kind: 'exactVersion', version: sentry_cocoa_version },
-      products: ['Sentry']
-    )
+
+    pod_target_xcconfig.merge!(xcframework_search_paths)
+    s.user_target_xcconfig = xcframework_search_paths
   else
     s.dependency 'Sentry', sentry_cocoa_version
   end
 
+  # Assign before `install_modules_dependencies` so it can merge its
+  # RN-specific settings on top. Assigning after would clobber those and
+  # break header resolution across the pod.
+  s.pod_target_xcconfig = pod_target_xcconfig
+
   if defined? install_modules_dependencies
     # Default React Native dependencies for 0.71 and above (new and legacy architecture)
     install_modules_dependencies(s)
@@ -88,10 +162,13 @@ Pod::Spec.new do |s|
 
     if is_new_arch_enabled then
       # New Architecture on React Native 0.70 and older
-      s.pod_target_xcconfig.merge!({
+      pod_target_xcconfig.merge!({
           "HEADER_SEARCH_PATHS" => "\"$(PODS_ROOT)/boost\"",
           "CLANG_CXX_LANGUAGE_STANDARD" => "c++17"
       })
+      # `install_modules_dependencies` is not defined on RN < 0.71 so re-assigning
+      # here is safe — nothing else has written to `s.pod_target_xcconfig` yet.
+      s.pod_target_xcconfig = pod_target_xcconfig
 
       s.dependency "React-RCTFabric" # Required for Fabric Components (like RCTViewComponentView)
       s.dependency "React-Codegen"
diff --git a/packages/core/ios/RNSentrySwiftLinkStub.swift b/packages/core/ios/RNSentrySwiftLinkStub.swift
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7e456ef6c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/core/ios/RNSentrySwiftLinkStub.swift
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// This file exists to force Xcode to link the Swift runtime compatibility
+// libraries (e.g. libswiftCompatibility56, libswiftCompatibilityConcurrency)
+// into RNSentry. Those libs are required by our vendored `Sentry.xcframework`
+// static Swift library and Xcode only auto-links them when the consuming
+// target itself contains Swift code — without this stub, linking a dynamic
+// RNSentry framework fails with:
+//   Undefined symbols: "__swift_FORCE_LOAD_$_swiftCompatibility56"
+
+// A private, unused constant so the compiler emits a real object file. A
+// pure-comment file compiles to nothing and would defeat the purpose of
+// the stub.
+private let _rnSentrySwiftLinkStub: Void = ()
diff --git a/packages/core/scripts/sentry_utils.rb b/packages/core/scripts/sentry_utils.rb
index 5dc57a3b52..43a778c019 100644
--- a/packages/core/scripts/sentry_utils.rb
+++ b/packages/core/scripts/sentry_utils.rb
@@ -40,3 +40,128 @@ def should_use_folly_flags(rn_version)
 def is_new_hermes_runtime(rn_version)
   return (rn_version[:major] >= 1 || (rn_version[:major] == 0 && rn_version[:minor] >= 81))
 end
+
+require 'digest'
+require 'fileutils'
+require 'open-uri'
+
+# SHA256 checksums of `<product>.xcframework.zip` assets published in
+# sentry-cocoa GitHub releases (same value as the SPM binary target checksum
+# in sentry-cocoa's `Package.swift`). Register the checksum for each
+# sentry-cocoa version we ship a prebuilt xcframework for.
+#
+# Kept in sync with `sentry_cocoa_version` in `RNSentry.podspec` by
+# `scripts/update-cocoa.sh set-version <new>`, which downloads the new
+# release archive, computes its SHA256, and rewrites the entry below.
+SENTRY_COCOA_XCFRAMEWORK_CHECKSUMS = {
+  # `Sentry.xcframework.zip` — the static product. Its enclosing xcframework
+  # name matches the framework name inside (both `Sentry`), which CocoaPods
+  # requires to generate `-framework Sentry` correctly and to resolve the
+  # `Sentry` module. `Sentry-Dynamic.xcframework` would ship the same
+  # `Sentry.framework` inside but under a mismatched enclosing name, so
+  # CocoaPods generates `-framework Sentry-Dynamic` and fails at link.
+  '9.19.1' => {
+    'Sentry' => 'd6d545af17e49851cda2747b0f45cde78ce08ea37709dde5a956c6b4671224e8',
+  },
+}.freeze
+
+# Static map from xcframework slice directory name to the Xcode SDK selector
+# it should be attached to. `sentry-cocoa`'s `Sentry.xcframework` layout is
+# stable across releases — same slice names come out of every build — so we
+# hardcode the mapping rather than scanning the extracted bundle. Add a
+# new entry here if `sentry-cocoa` ever ships a new platform slice.
+SENTRY_XCFRAMEWORK_SLICES_BY_SDK = {
+  'iphoneos'         => %w[ios-arm64_arm64e],
+  'iphonesimulator'  => %w[ios-arm64_x86_64-simulator],
+  'maccatalyst'      => %w[ios-arm64_arm64e_x86_64-maccatalyst],
+  'macosx'           => %w[macos-arm64_arm64e_x86_64],
+  'appletvos'        => %w[tvos-arm64_arm64e],
+  'appletvsimulator' => %w[tvos-arm64_x86_64-simulator],
+  'watchos'          => %w[watchos-arm64_arm64_32_arm64e_armv7k],
+  'watchsimulator'   => %w[watchos-arm64_x86_64-simulator],
+  'xros'             => %w[xros-arm64_arm64e],
+  'xrsimulator'      => %w[xros-arm64_x86_64-simulator],
+}.freeze
+
+# Ensures `<cache>/<version>/<product>.xcframework` exists.
+#
+# On first invocation, downloads the prebuilt xcframework zip from
+# sentry-cocoa's GitHub release, verifies its SHA256 checksum against
+# `SENTRY_COCOA_XCFRAMEWORK_CHECKSUMS`, and extracts it. Subsequent
+# invocations are no-ops. Returns the absolute path to the extracted
+# xcframework, which callers pass to `FRAMEWORK_SEARCH_PATHS`.
+#
+# The cache lives under a user-writable directory (`~/Library/Caches/
+# sentry-react-native/xcframeworks/` on macOS by default; override with
+# `SENTRY_XCFRAMEWORK_CACHE_DIR`). Cannot live under the pod's own source
+# tree because pnpm's isolated store makes `node_modules/@sentry/
+# react-native/ios/` read-only, and `Yarn PnP` doesn't materialize the
+# package directory at all — writing there fails with `EACCES`.
+# Deduplicating cache across multiple RN projects on the same machine
+# is a nice side effect.
+#
+# Consuming sentry-cocoa this way (vs. through Xcode's SPM integration)
+# avoids the Xcode 16/26 archive bug where a signed SPM binary xcframework's
+# `Signatures/*.signature` file collides during the archive step.
+def ensure_sentry_xcframework(version, product = 'Sentry')
+  cache_root = ENV['SENTRY_XCFRAMEWORK_CACHE_DIR'] ||
+               File.expand_path('~/Library/Caches/sentry-react-native/xcframeworks')
+  vendor_dir = File.join(cache_root, version)
+  target_dir = File.join(vendor_dir, "#{product}.xcframework")
+  # Treat the presence of `Info.plist` inside the xcframework as the "healthy"
+  # sentinel rather than just the directory existence. A directory without
+  # `Info.plist` most likely came from an interrupted `unzip` and would
+  # otherwise silently short-circuit re-download here.
+  target_manifest = File.join(target_dir, 'Info.plist')
+  return target_dir if File.file?(target_manifest)
+
+  expected_checksum = SENTRY_COCOA_XCFRAMEWORK_CHECKSUMS.dig(version, product)
+  unless expected_checksum
+    raise "sentry-cocoa xcframework checksum not registered for #{product} " \
+          "#{version}. Add it to SENTRY_COCOA_XCFRAMEWORK_CHECKSUMS in " \
+          "packages/core/scripts/sentry_utils.rb after bumping the version."
+  end
+
+  # Wipe any stale partial extract from a previous interrupted run so we
+  # always start from a clean tree.
+  FileUtils.rm_rf(target_dir)
+  FileUtils.mkdir_p(vendor_dir)
+  zip_path = File.join(vendor_dir, "#{product}.xcframework.zip")
+  url = "https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-cocoa/releases/download/" \
+        "#{version}/#{product}.xcframework.zip"
+
+  Pod::UI.puts "[Sentry] Downloading #{product} #{version} from GitHub Releases…" if defined?(Pod::UI)
+  begin
+    URI.open(url, redirect: true) do |remote|
+      File.open(zip_path, 'wb') { |f| IO.copy_stream(remote, f) }
+    end
+  rescue OpenURI::HTTPError, SocketError, StandardError => e
+    FileUtils.rm_f(zip_path)
+    raise "Failed to download #{url}: #{e.class}: #{e.message}"
+  end
+
+  actual_checksum = Digest::SHA256.file(zip_path).hexdigest
+  unless actual_checksum == expected_checksum
+    FileUtils.rm_f(zip_path)
+    raise "Checksum mismatch for #{product} #{version}: expected " \
+          "#{expected_checksum}, got #{actual_checksum}"
+  end
+
+  unless system('unzip', '-q', '-o', zip_path, '-d', vendor_dir)
+    raise "Failed to extract #{zip_path}"
+  end
+  FileUtils.rm_f(zip_path)
+
+  # Guard against a release archive whose internal layout changed (e.g. a
+  # nested folder). Without this check, a wrong layout silently succeeds and
+  # then fails much later during `pod install` with a confusing "framework
+  # not found" error.
+  unless File.file?(target_manifest)
+    raise "Expected #{target_manifest} after extracting #{product}.xcframework.zip. " \
+          "The sentry-cocoa release archive layout may have changed — update " \
+          "the extraction logic in packages/core/scripts/sentry_utils.rb."
+  end
+
+  target_dir
+end
+
diff --git a/scripts/clang-format.sh b/scripts/clang-format.sh
index 6a642f4215..b9e94c77d1 100755
--- a/scripts/clang-format.sh
+++ b/scripts/clang-format.sh
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ cmd="find . -type f \( \
     -path \"**android/build/**\" -or \
     -path \"**.cxx/**\" -or \
     -path \"**build/generated/**\" -or \
+    -path \"**/DerivedData/**\" -or \
     -path \"**/Carthage/Checkouts/*\" -or \
     -path \"**/libs/**\" -or \
     -path \"**/.yalc/**\" -or \
diff --git a/scripts/update-cocoa.sh b/scripts/update-cocoa.sh
index ed6f2e2919..352f28c658 100755
--- a/scripts/update-cocoa.sh
+++ b/scripts/update-cocoa.sh
@@ -1,24 +1,60 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -euo pipefail
 
-file="$(dirname "$0")/../packages/core/RNSentry.podspec"
-content=$(cat $file)
+script_dir="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+podspec="$script_dir/../packages/core/RNSentry.podspec"
+utils="$script_dir/../packages/core/scripts/sentry_utils.rb"
+
+content=$(cat "$podspec")
 regex="(sentry_cocoa_version *= *)'([0-9\.]+)'"
 if ! [[ $content =~ $regex ]]; then
-    echo "Failed to find the plugin version in $file"
+    echo "Failed to find the plugin version in $podspec"
     exit 1
 fi
 
 case $1 in
 get-version)
-    echo ${BASH_REMATCH[2]}
+    echo "${BASH_REMATCH[2]}"
     ;;
 get-repo)
     echo "https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-cocoa.git"
     ;;
 set-version)
-    newValue="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}'$2'"
-    echo "${content/${BASH_REMATCH[0]}/$newValue}" >$file
+    new_version="$2"
+
+    # 1. Update `sentry_cocoa_version` in the podspec.
+    newValue="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}'$new_version'"
+    printf '%s\n' "${content/${BASH_REMATCH[0]}/$newValue}" >"$podspec"
+
+    # 2. Refresh the `Sentry.xcframework.zip` SHA256 checksum in
+    #    `sentry_utils.rb`. The checksum table has a single version key
+    #    that we rewrite in place — download the new archive, compute
+    #    its SHA256, then patch the version key and the `'Sentry'` line.
+    #    `pod install` verifies against this checksum on every fresh
+    #    install so a stale value here breaks every user's build with a
+    #    loud mismatch error rather than a silent corruption.
+    zip_url="https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-cocoa/releases/download/${new_version}/Sentry.xcframework.zip"
+    tmp_dir=$(mktemp -d)
+    trap 'rm -rf "$tmp_dir"' EXIT
+    echo "Fetching ${zip_url}..."
+    curl -fsSL --retry 3 -o "$tmp_dir/Sentry.xcframework.zip" "$zip_url"
+    new_sha=$(shasum -a 256 "$tmp_dir/Sentry.xcframework.zip" | awk '{print $1}')
+    echo "Sentry.xcframework.zip SHA256: ${new_sha}"
+
+    # Update the version key (any semver-shaped key opening the hash).
+    perl -i -pe "s|'\\d+\\.\\d+\\.\\d+' => \\{|'${new_version}' => {|" "$utils"
+    # Update the `Sentry` checksum (a 64-char lowercase hex string).
+    perl -i -pe "s|'Sentry' => '[a-f0-9]{64}'|'Sentry' => '${new_sha}'|" "$utils"
+
+    # Sanity-check: both lines got rewritten with the new values.
+    if ! grep -q "'${new_version}' =>" "$utils"; then
+        echo "Failed to rewrite the checksum version key in $utils"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    if ! grep -q "'Sentry' => '${new_sha}'" "$utils"; then
+        echo "Failed to rewrite the Sentry checksum in $utils"
+        exit 1
+    fi
     ;;
 *)
     echo "Unknown argument $1"