diff --git a/.github/actions/core-cicd/deployment/deploy-docker/action.yml b/.github/actions/core-cicd/deployment/deploy-docker/action.yml
index b234e60de0b7..b95993b8a451 100644
--- a/.github/actions/core-cicd/deployment/deploy-docker/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/core-cicd/deployment/deploy-docker/action.yml
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ runs:
       if: (inputs.docker_registry == 'GHCR.IO' || inputs.docker_registry == 'BOTH') && inputs.do_deploy == 'true'
 
     - name: Set up QEMU
-      uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3.0.0
+      uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3.6.0
       with:
         image: tonistiigi/binfmt:qemu-v7.0.0-28
         platforms: ${{ inputs.docker_platforms }}
@@ -174,14 +174,12 @@ runs:
       if: success()
 
     - name: Docker Setup Buildx
-      uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3.0.0
+      uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3.10.0
       with:
-        version: latest
+        version: v0.20.0 # version of buildx https://github.com/docker/buildx/releases
         platforms: ${{ inputs.docker_platforms }}
-        driver-opts: |
-          image=moby/buildkit:v0.12.2
     - name: Build/Push Docker Image
-      uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+      uses: docker/build-push-action@v6.15.0
       with:
         context: ${{ steps.setup-context.outputs.docker_context }}
         tags: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cicd_manual_build-docker-context.yml b/.github/workflows/cicd_manual_build-docker-context.yml
index a4214d7819af..f2431392e502 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cicd_manual_build-docker-context.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cicd_manual_build-docker-context.yml
@@ -33,17 +33,16 @@ jobs:
 
           echo "PLATFORMS=${PLATFORMS}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Set up QEMU
-        uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3.0.0
+        uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3.6.0
         with:
           platforms: amd64,arm64
         if: github.event.inputs.multi_arch == 'true'
       - id: docker-setup-buildx
         name: Docker Setup Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3.0.0
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3.10.0
         with:
+          version: v0.20.0 # version of buildx https://github.com/docker/buildx/releases
           platforms: ${{ env.PLATFORMS }}
-          driver-opts: |
-            image=moby/buildkit:v0.12.2
         if: github.event.inputs.multi_arch == 'true'
       - name: Docker Hub login
         uses: docker/login-action@v3.0.0
@@ -51,7 +50,7 @@ jobs:
           username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_USERNAME }}
           password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_TOKEN }}
       - name: Build and push
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5.0.0
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6.15.0
         with:
           context: ./docker/${{ github.event.inputs.context }}
           push: ${{ github.event.inputs.push }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cicd_manual_build-java-base.yml b/.github/workflows/cicd_manual_build-java-base.yml
index 0fb2d749554a..c43e44f2cf45 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cicd_manual_build-java-base.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cicd_manual_build-java-base.yml
@@ -30,17 +30,16 @@ jobs:
 
           echo "PLATFORMS=${PLATFORMS}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Set up QEMU
-        uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3.0.0
+        uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3.6.0
         with:
           platforms: amd64,arm64
         if: github.event.inputs.multi_arch == 'true'
       - id: docker-setup-buildx
         name: Docker Setup Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3.0.0
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3.10.0
         with:
+          version: v0.20.0 # version of buildx https://github.com/docker/buildx/releases
           platforms: ${{ env.PLATFORMS }}
-          driver-opts: |
-            image=moby/buildkit:v0.12.2
         if: github.event.inputs.multi_arch == 'true'
       - name: Docker Hub login
         uses: docker/login-action@v3.0.0
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@ jobs:
           username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_USERNAME }}
           password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_TOKEN }}
       - name: Build and push
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5.0.0
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6.15.0
         with:
           context: ./docker/java-base
           push: ${{ github.event.inputs.push }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/issue_comp_link-issue-to-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/issue_comp_link-issue-to-pr.yml
index 538b491bcebf..5debee6640dc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/issue_comp_link-issue-to-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/issue_comp_link-issue-to-pr.yml
@@ -1,113 +1,215 @@
-name: Link Issue to PR
+name: Link issue to PR
 
 on:
   workflow_call:
     inputs:
       pr_branch:
-        description: 'Pull Request branch'
-        type: string
+        description: 'PR branch name'
         required: true
+        type: string
       pr_url:
-        description: 'Pull Request URL'
+        description: 'PR URL'
+        required: true
         type: string
+      pr_title:
+        description: 'PR title'
         required: true
-    secrets:
-      CI_MACHINE_TOKEN:
-        description: 'CI machine token'
+        type: string
+      pr_body:
+        description: 'PR body'
         required: true
-
-  workflow_dispatch:
-    inputs:
-      pr_branch:
-        description: 'Pull Request branch'
         type: string
+      pr_author:
+        description: 'PR author'
         required: true
-      pr_url:
-        description: 'Pull Request URL'
         type: string
+      pr_merged:
+        description: 'PR merged status'
         required: true
-
-env:
-  GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CI_MACHINE_TOKEN }}
-
+        type: string
 jobs:
-  add-issue-to-pr:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-${{ vars.UBUNTU_RUNNER_VERSION || '24.04' }}
-
+  link-issue:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    env:
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+    
     steps:
-      - run: echo 'GitHub context'
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Debug workflow inputs
+        run: |
+          echo "PR Branch: ${{ inputs.pr_branch }}"
+          echo "PR URL: ${{ inputs.pr_url }}"
+          echo "PR Title: ${{ inputs.pr_title }}"
+          echo "PR Body: ${{ inputs.pr_body }}"
+          echo "PR Author: ${{ inputs.pr_author }}"
+          echo "PR Merged: ${{ inputs.pr_merged }}"
         env:
           GITHUB_CONTEXT: ${{ toJson(github) }}
 
+      - name: Check if PR already has linked issues
+        id: check_existing_issues
+        run: |
+          pr_url="${{ inputs.pr_url }}"
+          pr_number=$(echo "$pr_url" | grep -o '[0-9]*$')
+          
+          # Get PR details
+          pr_details=$(curl -s \
+            -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
+            -H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ env.GH_TOKEN }}" \
+            -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
+            "https://api.github.com/repos/${{ github.repository }}/pulls/$pr_number")
+          
+          # Check for issues linked via GitHub's Development section (timeline events)
+          timeline_events=$(curl -s \
+            -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
+            -H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ env.GH_TOKEN }}" \
+            -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
+            "https://api.github.com/repos/${{ github.repository }}/issues/$pr_number/timeline")
+          
+          # Look for connected/disconnected events that indicate manual linking
+          connected_issue=$(echo "$timeline_events" | jq -r '.[] | select(.event == "connected") | .source.issue.number' | head -1)
+          
+          if [[ -n "$connected_issue" && "$connected_issue" != "null" ]]; then
+            echo "Found manually linked issue via Development section: $connected_issue"
+            echo "has_linked_issues=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "linked_issue_number=$connected_issue" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "link_method=development_section" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            # Check if PR body contains issue references (fixes #123, closes #456, etc.)
+            pr_body=$(echo "$pr_details" | jq -r '.body // ""')
+            
+            # Extract issue numbers from PR body using various keywords
+            linked_issues=$(echo "$pr_body" | grep -oiE '(fixes?|closes?|resolves?)\s+#([0-9]+)' | grep -oE '[0-9]+' | head -1)
+            
+            if [[ -n "$linked_issues" ]]; then
+              echo "Found linked issue in PR body: $linked_issues"
+              echo "has_linked_issues=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+              echo "linked_issue_number=$linked_issues" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+              echo "link_method=pr_body" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            else
+              echo "No linked issues found in Development section or PR body"
+              echo "has_linked_issues=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            fi
+          fi
+
       - name: Extract issue number from branch name
         id: extract_issue_number
         run: |
           branch_name="${{ inputs.pr_branch }}"
+          issue_number=""
+          
+          # Try multiple patterns to extract issue number (more flexible but specific)
           if [[ "$branch_name" =~ ^([0-9]+)- ]]; then
             issue_number="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+            echo "Found issue number at start of branch: $issue_number"
           elif [[ "$branch_name" =~ ^issue-([0-9]+)- ]]; then
             issue_number="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+            echo "Found issue number with 'issue-' prefix: $issue_number"
+          elif [[ "$branch_name" =~ issue-([0-9]+) ]]; then
+            issue_number="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+            echo "Found issue number with 'issue-' anywhere in branch: $issue_number"
           else
-            echo "Branch name doesn't match the expected pattern"
-            exit 1
+            echo "No issue number found in branch name: $branch_name"
           fi
           
           echo "issue_number=$issue_number" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
+      - name: Determine final issue number
+        id: determine_issue
+        run: |
+          # Priority: 1) Manually linked issues (Development section or PR body), 2) Branch name extraction
+          if [[ "${{ steps.check_existing_issues.outputs.has_linked_issues }}" == "true" ]]; then
+            final_issue_number="${{ steps.check_existing_issues.outputs.linked_issue_number }}"
+            link_method="${{ steps.check_existing_issues.outputs.link_method }}"
+            echo "Using manually linked issue: $final_issue_number (via $link_method)"
+          elif [[ -n "${{ steps.extract_issue_number.outputs.issue_number }}" ]]; then
+            final_issue_number="${{ steps.extract_issue_number.outputs.issue_number }}"
+            echo "Using issue from branch name: $final_issue_number"
+          else
+            echo "::error::No issue number found in Development section, PR body, or branch name"
+            echo "::error::Please link an issue using one of these methods:"
+            echo "::error::1. Link via GitHub UI: Go to PR → Development section → Link issue"
+            echo "::error::2. Add 'fixes #123' (or closes/resolves) to PR body, or"
+            echo "::error::3. Use branch naming like 'issue-123-feature' or '123-feature'"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          
+          echo "final_issue_number=$final_issue_number" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
       - name: Get existing issue comments
         id: get_comments
         run: |
-          comments="$(\
-            curl -s \
+          comments=$(curl -s \
               -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
               -H "Authorization: Bearer ${{ env.GH_TOKEN }}" \
               -H "X-GitHub-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
-              https://api.github.com/repos/${{ github.repository }}/issues/${{ steps.extract_issue_number.outputs.issue_number }}/comments \
-            | jq -c .
-          )"
+              https://api.github.com/repos/${{ github.repository }}/issues/${{ steps.determine_issue.outputs.final_issue_number }}/comments \
+            | jq -c .)
           
-          echo "comments=${comments}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "comments=$comments" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
-      - name: Check if PR comment exists
+      - name: Check if comment already exists
         id: check_comment
-        uses: actions/github-script@v7
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const prUrl = '${{ inputs.pr_url }}';
-            let prList = `PRs:\n- ${prUrl}`;
-            let existingCommentId = '';
-            const comments = JSON.parse(${{ toJSON(steps.get_comments.outputs.comments) }});
+        run: |
+          comments='${{ steps.get_comments.outputs.comments }}'
+          pr_url="${{ inputs.pr_url }}"
+          
+          # Check if our bot comment already exists
+          existing_comment=$(echo "$comments" | jq -r '.[] | select(.user.login == "github-actions[bot]" and (.body | contains("PRs linked to this issue"))) | .id' | head -1)
+          
+          if [[ -n "$existing_comment" && "$existing_comment" != "null" ]]; then
+            echo "Found existing comment: $existing_comment"
+            echo "existing_comment_id=$existing_comment" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "No existing comment found"
+            echo "existing_comment_id=" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+          
+          # Get existing PR list from the comment if it exists
+          if [[ -n "$existing_comment" && "$existing_comment" != "null" ]]; then
+            existing_body=$(echo "$comments" | jq -r --arg id "$existing_comment" '.[] | select(.id == ($id | tonumber)) | .body')
+            pr_list=$(echo "$existing_body" | grep -o "- \[.*\](.*).*" | sort -u)
             
-            for(comment of comments) {
-              const commentBody = comment.body;
-              if (commentBody.startsWith('PRs:')) {
-                existingCommentId = comment.id;
-                prList = `${commentBody}\n- ${prUrl}`;
-                break;
-              }
-            }
+            # Check if current PR is already in the list
+            if echo "$pr_list" | grep -q "$pr_url"; then
+              echo "PR already exists in comment, using existing list"
+              echo "pr_list=$existing_body" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            else
+              # Add new PR to the list
+              new_pr_line="- [${{ inputs.pr_title }}](${{ inputs.pr_url }}) by @${{ inputs.pr_author }}"
+              if [[ "${{ inputs.pr_merged }}" == "true" ]]; then
+                new_pr_line="$new_pr_line ✅"
+              fi
+              
+              updated_list=$(echo -e "$pr_list\n$new_pr_line" | sort -u)
+              new_body="## PRs linked to this issue\n\n$updated_list"
+              echo "pr_list=$new_body" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            fi
+          else
+            # Create new PR list
+            new_pr_line="- [${{ inputs.pr_title }}](${{ inputs.pr_url }}) by @${{ inputs.pr_author }}"
+            if [[ "${{ inputs.pr_merged }}" == "true" ]]; then
+              new_pr_line="$new_pr_line ✅"
+            fi
             
-            core.setOutput('pr_list', prList);
-            core.setOutput('existing_comment_id', existingCommentId);
-            console.log(`pr_list: [${prList}]`);
-            console.log(`existing_comment_id: [${existingCommentId}]`);
+            new_body="## PRs linked to this issue\n\n$new_pr_line"
+            echo "pr_list=$new_body" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
 
-      - name: Update or create comment
+      - name: Create new comment
         if: steps.check_comment.outputs.existing_comment_id == ''
         uses: peter-evans/create-or-update-comment@v4
         with:
-          issue-number: ${{ steps.extract_issue_number.outputs.issue_number }}
+          issue-number: ${{ steps.determine_issue.outputs.final_issue_number }}
           body: ${{ steps.check_comment.outputs.pr_list }}
 
       - name: Update existing comment
         if: steps.check_comment.outputs.existing_comment_id != ''
-        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        uses: peter-evans/create-or-update-comment@v4
         with:
-          script: |
-            const prs = ${{ toJSON(steps.check_comment.outputs.pr_list) }}.split('\n');
-            await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
-              owner: '${{ github.repository_owner }}',
-              repo: '${{ github.event.repository.name }}',
-              comment_id: ${{ steps.check_comment.outputs.existing_comment_id }},
-              body: prs.join('\n')
-            });
+          comment-id: ${{ steps.check_comment.outputs.existing_comment_id }}
+          body: ${{ steps.check_comment.outputs.pr_list }}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/issue_open-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/issue_open-pr.yml
index 636551a9af71..0629d29595e1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/issue_open-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/issue_open-pr.yml
@@ -11,5 +11,7 @@ jobs:
     with:
       pr_branch: ${{ github.head_ref }}
       pr_url: ${{ github.event.pull_request.html_url }}
-    secrets:
-      CI_MACHINE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CI_MACHINE_TOKEN }}
+      pr_title: ${{ github.event.pull_request.title }}
+      pr_body: ${{ github.event.pull_request.body }}
+      pr_author: ${{ github.event.pull_request.user.login }}
+      pr_merged: ${{ github.event.pull_request.merged }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/legacy-release_comp_maven-build-docker-image.yml b/.github/workflows/legacy-release_comp_maven-build-docker-image.yml
index 039b1148d8d2..ee74c9eb910b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/legacy-release_comp_maven-build-docker-image.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/legacy-release_comp_maven-build-docker-image.yml
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@ jobs:
         if: success()
 
       - name: Set up QEMU
-        uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3.0.0
+        uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3.6.0
         with:
           image: tonistiigi/binfmt:qemu-v7.0.0-28
           platforms: ${{ inputs.docker_platforms }}
@@ -264,16 +264,14 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Docker Setup Buildx
         id: docker-setup-buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3.0.0
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3.10.0
         with:
-          version: latest
+          version: v0.20.0 # version of buildx https://github.com/docker/buildx/releases
           platforms: ${{ inputs.docker_platforms }}
-          driver-opts: |
-            image=moby/buildkit:v0.12.2
         if: success()
 
       - name: Build/Push Docker Image
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6.15.0
         with:
           context: ${{ env.DOCKER_BUILD_CONTEXT }}/context
           tags: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
diff --git a/test-fork-issue.md b/test-fork-issue.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..a8cdace5b0c5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-fork-issue.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# Test Fork Issue #385
+
+This branch `issue-385-test-fork-issue` tests the enhanced workflow with a real issue created on the fork repository.
+
+This should:
+1. Extract issue #385 from branch name
+2. Successfully create/update comment on fork issue #385
+3. Complete successfully without affecting parent repository
+
+Issue #385 is specifically created for testing the enhanced workflow on the fork.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test-real-issue.md b/test-real-issue.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9db1856838df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-real-issue.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+# Test Real Issue #32703
+
+This branch `issue-32703-test-real-issue` tests the enhanced workflow with a real issue that exists.
+
+This should:
+1. Extract issue #32703 from branch name
+2. Successfully create/update comment on the actual issue
+3. Complete successfully
+
+Issue #32703 is the actual issue we're solving: "add-issue-to-pr needs to be more relaxed on branch naming"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test-workflow-fixed.md b/test-workflow-fixed.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..566492bb0c40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test-workflow-fixed.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Test Fixed Workflow 
+
+This branch `issue-888-test-workflow-fixed` tests the enhanced workflow with the syntax fix applied.
+
+Expected behavior:
+1. Extract issue number 888 from branch name
+2. Successfully make API call to get issue comments
+3. Attempt to create/update comment on issue #888
+4. Complete successfully (or fail gracefully if issue doesn't exist)
\ No newline at end of file