@@ -455,8 +455,15 @@ The `--version` option:
 
 When `--version` is not provided, the tool can automatically determine the next version using semantic-release. This requires Node.js, npm, and semantic-release to be installed.
 
+**Version Detection:**
+- **Baseline version**:
+  - **Registry Query (Preferred)**: When publishing to a repository (PyPI, TestPyPI, or Azure Artifacts), the tool queries the target registry for the latest published version and uses it as the baseline for version calculation. This ensures version calculations are based on what's actually published, not just git tags.
+  - **Git Tags (Fallback)**: If the package doesn't exist on the registry yet (first release) or if registry query fails, the tool falls back to using git tags to determine the starting version.
+- **New version to publish**: After determining the baseline version, [`semantic-release`](https://semantic-release.gitbook.io/semantic-release/) analyzes commits since that version to calculate the next version bump (major, minor, or patch) based on [_conventional commit_](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0/) messages.
+
 **For subfolder builds (Workflow 1):**
 - Uses per-package tags: `{package-name}-v{version}` (e.g., `my-package-v1.2.3`)
+- Queries the target registry for the latest published version of the subfolder package
 - Filters commits to only those affecting the subfolder path
 - **Commit filtering behavior**: Only commits that modify files within the subfolder path are considered for version calculation. Commits that only target files outside the subfolder are excluded. For example:
   - `fix: update my_subfolder/foo.py` → **Included** (affects subfolder)
@@ -466,8 +473,14 @@ When `--version` is not provided, the tool can automatically determine the next
 
 **For main package builds (Workflow 2):**
 - Uses repo-level tags: `v{version}` (e.g., `v1.2.3`)
+- Queries the target registry for the latest published version when publishing
 - Analyzes all commits in the repository
 
+**Registry Support:**
+- **PyPI**: Fully supported via JSON API (`https://pypi.org/pypi/{package-name}/json`)
+- **TestPyPI**: Fully supported via JSON API (`https://test.pypi.org/pypi/{package-name}/json`)
+- **Azure Artifacts**: Basic support with fallback to git tags. Azure Artifacts uses a different API format and may require authentication, so if the query fails, the tool automatically falls back to git tags.
+
 **Setup:**
 ```bash
 # Install semantic-release globally
 
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ def resolve_version_via_semantic_release(
     project_root: Path,
     subfolder_path: Path | None = None,
     package_name: str | None = None,
+    repository: str | None = None,
+    repository_url: str | None = None,
 ) -> str | None:
     """
     Resolve the next version using semantic-release via Node.js script.
@@ -35,6 +37,8 @@ def resolve_version_via_semantic_release(
         project_root: Root directory of the project
         subfolder_path: Optional path to subfolder (relative to project_root) for Workflow 1
         package_name: Optional package name for subfolder builds
+        repository: Optional target repository ('pypi', 'testpypi', or 'azure')
+        repository_url: Optional repository URL (required for Azure Artifacts)
 
     Returns:
         Version string if a release is determined, None if no release or error
@@ -98,7 +102,17 @@ def resolve_version_via_semantic_release(
                 else subfolder_path
             )
             cmd.extend([str(rel_path), package_name])
-        # Workflow 2: main package (no additional args needed)
+        elif package_name:
+            # Main package build with package_name (for registry queries)
+            # Pass null for subfolder_path, then package_name
+            cmd.extend(["", package_name])
+        # Workflow 2: main package without package_name (no additional args needed)
+        
+        # Add repository information if provided
+        if repository:
+            cmd.append(repository)
+            if repository_url:
+                cmd.append(repository_url)
 
         result = subprocess.run(
             cmd,
@@ -297,6 +311,10 @@ def build_cmd() -> None:
             # Version is needed for subfolder builds or when publishing main package
             if is_subfolder or args.publish:
                 print("No --version provided, attempting to resolve via semantic-release...")
+                # Get repository info if publishing
+                repository = args.publish if args.publish else None
+                repository_url = args.repository_url if args.publish else None
+                
                 if is_subfolder:
                     # Workflow 1: subfolder build
                     # src_dir is guaranteed to be relative to project_root due to is_subfolder check
@@ -305,11 +323,34 @@ def build_cmd() -> None:
                     ).lower().strip("-")
                     subfolder_rel_path = src_dir.relative_to(project_root)
                     resolved_version = resolve_version_via_semantic_release(
-                        project_root, subfolder_rel_path, package_name
+                        project_root,
+                        subfolder_rel_path,
+                        package_name,
+                        repository=repository,
+                        repository_url=repository_url,
                     )
                 else:
                     # Workflow 2: main package
-                    resolved_version = resolve_version_via_semantic_release(project_root)
+                    # For main package, we need package_name from pyproject.toml for registry queries
+                    package_name_for_registry = None
+                    if repository:
+                        try:
+                            import tomllib
+                            pyproject_path = project_root / "pyproject.toml"
+                            if pyproject_path.exists():
+                                with open(pyproject_path, "rb") as f:
+                                    data = tomllib.load(f)
+                                    package_name_for_registry = data.get("project", {}).get("name")
+                        except Exception:
+                            pass
+                    
+                    resolved_version = resolve_version_via_semantic_release(
+                        project_root,
+                        subfolder_path=None,
+                        package_name=package_name_for_registry,
+                        repository=repository,
+                        repository_url=repository_url,
+                    )
 
                 if resolved_version:
                     print(f"Resolved version via semantic-release: {resolved_version}")