diff --git a/.release-it.json b/.release-it.json
index 4d6dedffd..2b95facce 100644
--- a/.release-it.json
+++ b/.release-it.json
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 		"release": true,
 		"releaseName": "v${version}"
 	},
-	"npm": { "publishArgs": ["--provenance"] },
+	"npm": { "publishArgs": ["--access public", "--provenance"] },
 	"plugins": {
 		"@release-it/conventional-changelog": {
 			"infile": "CHANGELOG.md",
diff --git a/docs/Options.md b/docs/Options.md
index 02f936073..1f4408fc5 100644
--- a/docs/Options.md
+++ b/docs/Options.md
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ That script will run completely autonomously, no prompted inputs required. ✨
 
 The setup scripts also allow for optional overrides of the following inputs whose defaults are based on other options:
 
+- `--access` _(`"public" | "restricted`)_: Which [`npm publish --access`](https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/commands/npm-publish#access) to release npm packages with (by default, `"public"`)
 - `--author` _(`string`)_: Username on npm to publish packages under (by default, an existing npm author, or the currently logged in npm user, or `owner.toLowerCase()`)
 - `--email` _(`string`)_: Email address to be listed as the point of contact in docs and packages (e.g. `example@joshuakgoldberg.com`)
   - Optionally, `--email-github` _(`string`)_ and/or `--email-npm` _(`string`)_ may be provided to use different emails in `.md` files and `package.json`, respectively
diff --git a/src/create/createRerunSuggestion.test.ts b/src/create/createRerunSuggestion.test.ts
index 60a0c9f73..4ae61e24d 100644
--- a/src/create/createRerunSuggestion.test.ts
+++ b/src/create/createRerunSuggestion.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { Options } from "../shared/types.js";
 import { createRerunSuggestion } from "./createRerunSuggestion.js";
 
 const options = {
+	access: "public",
 	author: "TestAuthor",
 	base: "everything",
 	createRepository: true,
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ describe("createRerunSuggestion", () => {
 		const actual = createRerunSuggestion("initialize", options);
 
 		expect(actual).toMatchInlineSnapshot(
-			'"npx create-typescript-app --mode initialize --base everything --author TestAuthor --create-repository true --description \\"Test description.\\" --email-github github@email.com --email-npm npm@email.com --exclude-compliance true --exclude-contributors true --exclude-lint-jsdoc true --exclude-lint-json true --exclude-lint-knip true --exclude-lint-package-json true --exclude-lint-perfectionist true --owner TestOwner --repository test-repository --skip-github-api true --skip-install true --skip-removal true --title \\"Test Title\\""',
+			'"npx create-typescript-app --mode initialize --base everything --access public --author TestAuthor --create-repository true --description \\"Test description.\\" --email-github github@email.com --email-npm npm@email.com --exclude-compliance true --exclude-contributors true --exclude-lint-jsdoc true --exclude-lint-json true --exclude-lint-knip true --exclude-lint-package-json true --exclude-lint-perfectionist true --owner TestOwner --repository test-repository --skip-github-api true --skip-install true --skip-removal true --title \\"Test Title\\""',
 		);
 	});
 
@@ -57,7 +58,7 @@ describe("createRerunSuggestion", () => {
 		});
 
 		expect(actual).toMatchInlineSnapshot(
-			'"npx create-typescript-app --mode initialize --base everything --author TestAuthor --create-repository true --description \\"Test description.\\" --email-github github@email.com --email-npm npm@email.com --exclude-compliance true --exclude-contributors true --exclude-lint-jsdoc true --exclude-lint-json true --exclude-lint-knip true --exclude-lint-package-json true --exclude-lint-perfectionist true --logo test/src.png --logo-alt \\"Test alt.\\" --owner TestOwner --repository test-repository --skip-github-api true --skip-install true --skip-removal true --title \\"Test Title\\""',
+			'"npx create-typescript-app --mode initialize --base everything --access public --author TestAuthor --create-repository true --description \\"Test description.\\" --email-github github@email.com --email-npm npm@email.com --exclude-compliance true --exclude-contributors true --exclude-lint-jsdoc true --exclude-lint-json true --exclude-lint-knip true --exclude-lint-package-json true --exclude-lint-perfectionist true --logo test/src.png --logo-alt \\"Test alt.\\" --owner TestOwner --repository test-repository --skip-github-api true --skip-install true --skip-removal true --title \\"Test Title\\""',
 		);
 	});
 
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ describe("createRerunSuggestion", () => {
 		});
 
 		expect(actual).toMatchInlineSnapshot(
-			'"npx create-typescript-app --mode initialize --base everything --author TestAuthor --create-repository true --description \\"Test description.\\" --email-github github@email.com --email-npm npm@email.com --exclude-compliance true --exclude-contributors true --exclude-lint-jsdoc true --exclude-lint-json true --exclude-lint-knip true --exclude-lint-md true --exclude-lint-package-json true --exclude-lint-perfectionist true --exclude-lint-spelling true --owner TestOwner --repository test-repository --skip-github-api true --skip-install true --skip-removal true --title \\"Test Title\\""',
+			'"npx create-typescript-app --mode initialize --base everything --access public --author TestAuthor --create-repository true --description \\"Test description.\\" --email-github github@email.com --email-npm npm@email.com --exclude-compliance true --exclude-contributors true --exclude-lint-jsdoc true --exclude-lint-json true --exclude-lint-knip true --exclude-lint-md true --exclude-lint-package-json true --exclude-lint-perfectionist true --exclude-lint-spelling true --owner TestOwner --repository test-repository --skip-github-api true --skip-install true --skip-removal true --title \\"Test Title\\""',
 		);
 	});
 });
diff --git a/src/shared/options/args.ts b/src/shared/options/args.ts
index dc37bbd6e..3a9d05de4 100644
--- a/src/shared/options/args.ts
+++ b/src/shared/options/args.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 export const allArgOptions = {
+	access: { type: "string" },
 	author: { type: "string" },
 	base: { type: "string" },
 	"create-repository": { type: "boolean" },
diff --git a/src/shared/options/augmentOptionsWithExcludes.test.ts b/src/shared/options/augmentOptionsWithExcludes.test.ts
index 954400de7..fcad32346 100644
--- a/src/shared/options/augmentOptionsWithExcludes.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/options/augmentOptionsWithExcludes.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { Options } from "../types.js";
 import { augmentOptionsWithExcludes } from "./augmentOptionsWithExcludes.js";
 
 const optionsBase = {
+	access: "public",
 	author: undefined,
 	base: undefined,
 	createRepository: undefined,
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ const optionsBase = {
 	skipRestore: undefined,
 	skipUninstall: undefined,
 	title: "",
-};
+} satisfies Options;
 
 describe("augmentOptionsWithExcludes", () => {
 	it("returns options without exclusions and skips prompting when exclusions are provided manually", async () => {
diff --git a/src/shared/options/augmentOptionsWithExcludes.ts b/src/shared/options/augmentOptionsWithExcludes.ts
index 518652d4b..2e1c423a9 100644
--- a/src/shared/options/augmentOptionsWithExcludes.ts
+++ b/src/shared/options/augmentOptionsWithExcludes.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import * as prompts from "@clack/prompts";
 import chalk from "chalk";
 
 import { filterPromptCancel } from "../prompts.js";
-import { InputBase, Options } from "../types.js";
+import { Options, OptionsBase } from "../types.js";
 
 interface ExclusionDescription {
 	hint: string;
@@ -134,9 +134,9 @@ export async function augmentOptionsWithExcludes(
 
 	const base =
 		options.base ??
-		filterPromptCancel<InputBase | symbol>(
+		filterPromptCancel<OptionsBase | symbol>(
 			await prompts.select({
-				initialValue: "common" as InputBase,
+				initialValue: "common" as OptionsBase,
 				message: `How much tooling would you like the template to set up for you?`,
 				options: [
 					{
diff --git a/src/shared/options/optionsSchema.ts b/src/shared/options/optionsSchema.ts
index e30105cec..02807b75e 100644
--- a/src/shared/options/optionsSchema.ts
+++ b/src/shared/options/optionsSchema.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { z } from "zod";
 
 export const optionsSchemaShape = {
+	access: z.union([z.literal("public"), z.literal("restricted")]).optional(),
 	author: z.string().optional(),
 	base: z
 		.union([
diff --git a/src/shared/options/readOptions.test.ts b/src/shared/options/readOptions.test.ts
index a7e17803b..b00476ca7 100644
--- a/src/shared/options/readOptions.test.ts
+++ b/src/shared/options/readOptions.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { optionsSchemaShape } from "./optionsSchema.js";
 import { readOptions } from "./readOptions.js";
 
 const emptyOptions = {
+	access: undefined,
 	author: undefined,
 	base: undefined,
 	createRepository: undefined,
diff --git a/src/shared/options/readOptions.ts b/src/shared/options/readOptions.ts
index a220565f5..877d77e81 100644
--- a/src/shared/options/readOptions.ts
+++ b/src/shared/options/readOptions.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export async function readOptions(args: string[]): Promise<OptionsParseResult> {
 	});
 
 	const mappedOptions = {
+		access: values.access,
 		author: values.author,
 		base: values.base,
 		createRepository: values["create-repository"],
@@ -186,6 +187,7 @@ export async function readOptions(args: string[]): Promise<OptionsParseResult> {
 
 	const augmentedOptions = await augmentOptionsWithExcludes({
 		...options,
+		access: options.access ?? "public",
 		author: options.author ?? (await defaults.owner()),
 		description: options.description,
 		email: typeof email === "string" ? { github: email, npm: email } : email,
diff --git a/src/shared/types.ts b/src/shared/types.ts
index b147d06e7..dc550aca3 100644
--- a/src/shared/types.ts
+++ b/src/shared/types.ts
@@ -17,21 +17,24 @@ export interface PartialPackageData {
 	repository?: { type: string; url: string } | string;
 }
 
-export type InputBase = "common" | "everything" | "minimum" | "prompt";
+export type OptionsAccess = "public" | "restricted";
 
-export interface OptionsLogo {
-	alt: string;
-	src: string;
-}
+export type OptionsBase = "common" | "everything" | "minimum" | "prompt";
 
 export interface OptionsEmail {
 	github: string;
 	npm: string;
 }
 
+export interface OptionsLogo {
+	alt: string;
+	src: string;
+}
+
 export interface Options {
+	access: OptionsAccess;
 	author?: string;
-	base?: InputBase;
+	base?: OptionsBase;
 	createRepository?: boolean;
 	description: string;
 	email: OptionsEmail;
diff --git a/src/steps/finalizeDependencies.test.ts b/src/steps/finalizeDependencies.test.ts
index cbc748c5e..bb1aebc7d 100644
--- a/src/steps/finalizeDependencies.test.ts
+++ b/src/steps/finalizeDependencies.test.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ vi.mock("../shared/packages.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 const options = {
+	access: "public",
 	author: undefined,
 	base: "everything",
 	createRepository: undefined,
diff --git a/src/steps/updateLocalFiles.test.ts b/src/steps/updateLocalFiles.test.ts
index 3f6fb9a33..453599734 100644
--- a/src/steps/updateLocalFiles.test.ts
+++ b/src/steps/updateLocalFiles.test.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ vi.mock("../shared/readFileSafeAsJson.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 const options = {
+	access: "public",
 	author: undefined,
 	base: "everything",
 	createRepository: undefined,
diff --git a/src/steps/writeReadme/generateTopContent.test.ts b/src/steps/writeReadme/generateTopContent.test.ts
index 2cbe8feb8..e654015aa 100644
--- a/src/steps/writeReadme/generateTopContent.test.ts
+++ b/src/steps/writeReadme/generateTopContent.test.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
+import { Options } from "../../shared/types.js";
 import { generateTopContent } from "./generateTopContent.js";
 
 const optionsBase = {
+	access: "public",
 	author: undefined,
 	base: undefined,
 	createRepository: undefined,
@@ -34,7 +36,7 @@ const optionsBase = {
 	skipRestore: undefined,
 	skipUninstall: undefined,
 	title: "",
-};
+} satisfies Options;
 
 describe("findExistingBadges", () => {
 	it("generates full contents when there are no existing badges", () => {
diff --git a/src/steps/writeReadme/index.test.ts b/src/steps/writeReadme/index.test.ts
index 97cec2323..4c3646bf3 100644
--- a/src/steps/writeReadme/index.test.ts
+++ b/src/steps/writeReadme/index.test.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ vi.mock("../../shared/readFileSafe.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 const options = {
+	access: "public",
 	author: "Test Author",
 	base: "everything",
 	createRepository: false,
diff --git a/src/steps/writing/creation/createESLintRC.test.ts b/src/steps/writing/creation/createESLintRC.test.ts
index 1856697ce..7c4d7e52d 100644
--- a/src/steps/writing/creation/createESLintRC.test.ts
+++ b/src/steps/writing/creation/createESLintRC.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { createESLintRC } from "./createESLintRC.js";
 
 function fakeOptions(getExcludeValue: (exclusionName: string) => boolean) {
 	return {
+		access: "public",
 		author: "TestAuthor",
 		base: "everything",
 		createRepository: true,
diff --git a/src/steps/writing/creation/dotGitHub/createDevelopment.test.ts b/src/steps/writing/creation/dotGitHub/createDevelopment.test.ts
index 9a12976e7..80163acc9 100644
--- a/src/steps/writing/creation/dotGitHub/createDevelopment.test.ts
+++ b/src/steps/writing/creation/dotGitHub/createDevelopment.test.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { Options } from "../../../../shared/types.js";
 import { createDevelopment } from "./createDevelopment.js";
 
 const options = {
+	access: "public",
 	author: "Test Author",
 	base: "everything",
 	createRepository: false,
diff --git a/src/steps/writing/creation/rootFiles.ts b/src/steps/writing/creation/rootFiles.ts
index 7caef4196..719151bb3 100644
--- a/src/steps/writing/creation/rootFiles.ts
+++ b/src/steps/writing/creation/rootFiles.ts
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ export async function createRootFiles(options: Options) {
 					releaseName: "v${version}",
 				},
 				npm: {
-					publishArgs: ["--provenance"],
+					publishArgs: [`--access ${options.access}`, "--provenance"],
 				},
 				plugins: {
 					"@release-it/conventional-changelog": {
diff --git a/src/steps/writing/creation/writePackageJson.test.ts b/src/steps/writing/creation/writePackageJson.test.ts
index fa9253d5f..90b83eed8 100644
--- a/src/steps/writing/creation/writePackageJson.test.ts
+++ b/src/steps/writing/creation/writePackageJson.test.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ vi.mock("../../../shared/readFileSafeAsJson.js", () => ({
 }));
 
 const options = {
+	access: "public",
 	author: "test-author",
 	base: "everything",
 	createRepository: undefined,