diff --git a/.github/workflows/cut-release-candidate.yaml b/.github/workflows/cut-release-candidate.yaml
index 7dda671..e8afba9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cut-release-candidate.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cut-release-candidate.yaml
@@ -7,15 +7,10 @@ on:
         description: 'Version (e.g. 0.1.1rc2)'
         required: true
         type: string
-      commit_id:
-        description: 'Commit ID for "cut" (default: origin/main)'
+      commit_hash:
+        description: 'Optional: specific commit override (will be validated)'
         required: false
         type: string
-      inference_provider:
-        description: 'Inference provider (fireworks, together)'
-        required: false
-        type: string
-        default: 'fireworks'
       cut_mode:
         description: 'Mode to run the script in (test-and-cut, cut-only)'
         type: string
@@ -40,13 +35,9 @@ jobs:
     - uses: ./actions/test-and-cut
       with:
         version: ${{ inputs.version }}
-        commit_id: ${{ inputs.commit_id }}
-        inference_provider: ${{ inputs.inference_provider }}
+        commit_hash: ${{ inputs.commit_hash }}
         cut_mode: ${{ inputs.cut_mode }}
         llama_stack_only: ${{ inputs.llama_stack_only }}
-        fireworks_api_key: ${{ secrets.FIREWORKS_API_KEY }}
-        together_api_key: ${{ secrets.TOGETHER_API_KEY }}
-        tavily_search_api_key: ${{ secrets.TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY }}
         # TODO: this will expire in 90 days; we should figure out a
         # GitHub App setup that can be used instead
         github_token: ${{ secrets.LLAMA_REPOS_PAT }}
@@ -80,7 +71,3 @@ jobs:
     - uses: ./actions/test-published-package
       with:
         version: ${{ inputs.version }}
-        inference_provider: ${{ inputs.inference_provider }}
-        together_api_key: ${{ secrets.TOGETHER_API_KEY }}
-        tavily_search_api_key: ${{ secrets.TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY }}
-        fireworks_api_key: ${{ secrets.FIREWORKS_API_KEY }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/nightly-build-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/nightly-build-publish.yml
index b52dbd8..03ea815 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/nightly-build-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/nightly-build-publish.yml
@@ -7,15 +7,10 @@ on:
         description: 'Version (e.g. 0.2.21-dev.20250911)'
         required: false
         type: string
-      commit_id:
-        description: 'Commit ID for "cut" (default: origin/main)'
+      commit_hash:
+        description: 'Optional: specific commit hash to use'
         required: false
         type: string
-      inference_provider:
-        description: 'Inference provider (fireworks, together)'
-        required: false
-        type: string
-        default: 'fireworks'
       cut_mode:
         description: 'Mode to run the script in (test-and-cut, cut-only)'
         type: string
@@ -75,13 +70,9 @@ jobs:
     - uses: ./actions/test-and-cut
       with:
         version: ${{ needs.generate-version.outputs.version }}
-        commit_id: ${{ inputs.commit_id }}
-        inference_provider: ${{ inputs.inference_provider }}
+        commit_hash: ${{ inputs.commit_hash }}
         cut_mode: ${{ inputs.cut_mode }}
         llama_stack_only: ${{ inputs.llama_stack_only }}
-        fireworks_api_key: ${{ secrets.FIREWORKS_API_KEY }}
-        together_api_key: ${{ secrets.TOGETHER_API_KEY }}
-        tavily_search_api_key: ${{ secrets.TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY }}
         # TODO: this will expire in 90 days; we should figure out a
         # GitHub App setup that can be used instead
         github_token: ${{ secrets.LLAMA_REPOS_PAT }}
@@ -117,7 +108,3 @@ jobs:
     - uses: ./actions/test-published-package
       with:
         version: ${{ needs.generate-version.outputs.version }}
-        inference_provider: ${{ inputs.inference_provider }}
-        together_api_key: ${{ secrets.TOGETHER_API_KEY }}
-        tavily_search_api_key: ${{ secrets.TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY }}
-        fireworks_api_key: ${{ secrets.FIREWORKS_API_KEY }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-final-package.yaml b/.github/workflows/release-final-package.yaml
index aa9b29f..5591216 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-final-package.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-final-package.yaml
@@ -45,9 +45,6 @@ jobs:
     - uses: ./actions/test-published-package
       with:
         version: ${{ inputs.release_version }}
-        together_api_key: ${{ secrets.TOGETHER_API_KEY }}
-        tavily_search_api_key: ${{ secrets.TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY }}
-        fireworks_api_key: ${{ secrets.FIREWORKS_API_KEY }}
 
   publish-docker-images:
     needs:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-maybe-cut.yaml b/.github/workflows/test-maybe-cut.yaml
index 5985cbf..a246909 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-maybe-cut.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-maybe-cut.yaml
@@ -3,16 +3,12 @@ name: Test and Possibly Cut a Branch
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
-      commit_id:
-        description: 'llama-stack commit ID'
-        required: true
-      client_python_commit_id:
-        description: 'llama-stack-client-python commit ID'
+      commit_hash:
+        description: 'Optional: specific commit hash to test'
         required: false
         type: string
-        default: 'origin/main'
       version:
-        description: 'Version (e.g. 0.1.1rc2); if optional, will not cut a branch'
+        description: 'Version (e.g. 0.1.1rc2); if empty, will use dev version'
         required: false
         type: string
       cut_mode:
@@ -20,11 +16,6 @@ on:
         required: false
         type: string
         default: 'test-and-cut'
-      inference_provider:
-        description: 'Inference provider to use for testing'
-        required: false
-        type: string
-        default: 'fireworks'
   schedule:
     - cron: "0 0 * * *"  # Run every day at midnight
 
@@ -37,17 +28,15 @@ jobs:
       contents: read
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-    - name: Set commit ID and version for scheduled runs
+    - name: Set inputs for scheduled runs
       id: inputs
       run: |
         if [[ "${{ github.event_name }}" == "schedule" ]]; then
-          echo "commit_id=origin/main" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "commit_hash=" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "version=" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          echo "client_python_commit_id=origin/main" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
         else
-          echo "commit_id=${{ inputs.commit_id }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "commit_hash=${{ inputs.commit_hash }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
           echo "version=${{ inputs.version }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          echo "client_python_commit_id=${{ inputs.client_python_commit_id }}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
         fi
       shell: bash
     - name: Set version if not provided
@@ -64,13 +53,8 @@ jobs:
     - uses: ./actions/test-and-cut
       with:
         version: ${{ steps.version.outputs.value }}
-        commit_id: ${{ steps.inputs.outputs.commit_id }}
-        client_python_commit_id: ${{ steps.inputs.outputs.client_python_commit_id }}
-        inference_provider: ${{ inputs.inference_provider }}
+        commit_hash: ${{ steps.inputs.outputs.commit_hash }}
         cut_mode: ${{ steps.version.outputs.cut_mode }}
-        fireworks_api_key: ${{ secrets.FIREWORKS_API_KEY }}
-        together_api_key: ${{ secrets.TOGETHER_API_KEY }}
-        tavily_search_api_key: ${{ secrets.TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY }}
         # TODO: this will expire in 90 days; we should figure out a
         # GitHub App setup that can be used instead
         github_token: ${{ secrets.LLAMA_REPOS_PAT }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-published-package.yaml b/.github/workflows/test-published-package.yaml
index 38e5dda..6bc9d0e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-published-package.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-published-package.yaml
@@ -7,11 +7,6 @@ on:
         description: 'Version number (e.g. 0.1.1rc2, 0.1.1.dev20250201)'
         required: true
         type: string
-      inference_provider:
-        description: 'Inference provider to use for the release candidate (fireworks, together) (default: fireworks)'
-        required: false
-        type: string
-        default: 'fireworks'
 
 jobs:
   test-published-package:
@@ -21,7 +16,3 @@ jobs:
     - uses: ./actions/test-published-package
       with:
         version: ${{ inputs.version }}
-        inference_provider: ${{ inputs.inference_provider }}
-        together_api_key: ${{ secrets.TOGETHER_API_KEY }}
-        tavily_search_api_key: ${{ secrets.TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY }}
-        fireworks_api_key: ${{ secrets.FIREWORKS_API_KEY }}
diff --git a/RELEASE_PROCESS.md b/RELEASE_PROCESS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac592ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/RELEASE_PROCESS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# Release Process
+
+Releases are managed through long-lived release branches. Each minor version (e.g., `0.1.x`) has one branch containing all patch releases for that series.
+
+```
+main
+  ↓
+release-0.1.x ← v0.1.0rc1, v0.1.0rc2, v0.1.0, v0.1.1rc1, v0.1.1, ...
+  ↓
+release-0.2.x ← v0.2.0rc1, v0.2.0, ...
+```
+
+## Workflows
+
+**Cut Release Candidate** (`cut-release-candidate.yaml`)
+
+Creates an RC for testing. Provide the RC version (e.g., `0.1.0rc1`) and optionally a specific commit hash. The workflow derives the release branch from the version (`0.1.0rc1` → `release-0.1.x`). If the branch exists, it uses HEAD; otherwise it creates the branch from main (or the specified commit). It then bumps the version, builds packages, runs tests, and publishes to test.pypi.
+
+**Release Final Package** (`release-final-package.yaml`)
+
+Promotes an RC to final. Provide the RC version to promote (e.g., `0.1.0rc2`) and the final version name (e.g., `0.1.0`). The workflow checks out the RC tag, bumps version strings, updates lockfiles, publishes to PyPI/npm, and creates a PR to bump main to the next dev version (`0.1.1.dev0`).
+
+**Test Published Package** (`test-published-package.yaml`)
+
+Manually tests any published package version.
+
+## Examples
+
+**New minor version (0.1.0):**
+
+1. Cut first RC: `version=0.1.0rc1` (creates `release-0.1.x` from main)
+2. Test, find bugs, cherry-pick fixes to `release-0.1.x`
+3. Cut another RC: `version=0.1.0rc2` (uses HEAD of `release-0.1.x`)
+4. Promote to final: `rc_version=0.1.0rc2`, `release_version=0.1.0`
+
+**Patch release (0.1.1):**
+
+1. Cherry-pick fixes to `release-0.1.x`
+2. Cut RC: `version=0.1.1rc1`
+3. Promote to final: `rc_version=0.1.1rc1`, `release_version=0.1.1`
+
+## Version Naming
+
+- RC: `X.Y.Zrc1`, `X.Y.Zrc2` (manual, sequential)
+- Final: `X.Y.Z`
+- Dev: `X.Y.Z.dev0` (auto-generated for main)
+- Branches: `release-X.Y.x`
+
+## Notes
+
+Release branches are created on the first RC, not on final release. Main is automatically bumped via PR after each final release (patch + 1). Cherry-picking is done manually between RCs. The `commit_hash` parameter is optional and validates against branch ancestry if provided.
diff --git a/actions/common.sh b/actions/common.sh
index 51b2b1c..00d878f 100644
--- a/actions/common.sh
+++ b/actions/common.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,5 @@
 github_org() {
-  repo=$1
-  if [ "$repo" == "stack" ]; then
-    echo "meta-llama"
-  else
-    echo "llamastack"
-  fi
+  echo "llamastack"
 }
 
 run_integration_tests() {
diff --git a/actions/lib/release_utils.sh b/actions/lib/release_utils.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index 991abb1..0000000
--- a/actions/lib/release_utils.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,70 +0,0 @@
-determine_base_branch() {
-  local parent_commit
-  if ! parent_commit=$(git rev-parse HEAD^ 2>/dev/null); then
-    echo "Unable to determine parent commit for release candidate tag" >&2
-    return 1
-  fi
-
-  if git merge-base --is-ancestor "$parent_commit" origin/main >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    echo "main"
-    return 0
-  fi
-
-  # Collect the origin branches that already contain the parent commit; Git stops
-  # walking each branch's history once it finds the commit, so this stays fast even
-  # with many remote branches.
-  mapfile -t candidates < <(git for-each-ref \
-    --format='%(refname:strip=3)' \
-    --sort=-committerdate \
-    --contains "$parent_commit" \
-    "refs/remotes/origin")
-
-  local releases=()
-  local main_candidate=""
-
-  for branch in "${candidates[@]}"; do
-    if [ "$branch" = "HEAD" ]; then
-      continue
-    fi
-    if [[ "$branch" == rc-* ]]; then
-      continue
-    fi
-    if [[ "$branch" == release-* ]]; then
-      releases+=("$branch")
-      continue
-    fi
-    if [ "$branch" = "main" ]; then
-      main_candidate="main"
-    fi
-  done
-
-  if [ ${#releases[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
-    local best_branch=""
-    local best_distance=""
-
-    for branch in "${releases[@]}"; do
-      local distance
-      distance=$(git rev-list --count "$parent_commit".. "origin/$branch")
-      if [ -z "$best_branch" ]; then
-        best_branch="$branch"
-        best_distance="$distance"
-      elif [ "$distance" -lt "$best_distance" ]; then
-        best_branch="$branch"
-        best_distance="$distance"
-      fi
-    done
-
-    if [ -n "$best_branch" ]; then
-      echo "$best_branch"
-      return 0
-    fi
-  fi
-
-  if [ -n "$main_candidate" ]; then
-    echo "$main_candidate"
-    return 0
-  fi
-
-  echo "Unable to determine base branch for parent commit $parent_commit" >&2
-  return 1
-}
diff --git a/actions/release-final-package/main.sh b/actions/release-final-package/main.sh
index 263d88c..10238eb 100755
--- a/actions/release-final-package/main.sh
+++ b/actions/release-final-package/main.sh
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ LLAMA_STACK_ONLY=${LLAMA_STACK_ONLY:-false}
 DRY_RUN=${DRY_RUN:-false}
 
 source $(dirname $0)/../common.sh
-source $(dirname $0)/../lib/release_utils.sh
 
 npm config set '//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken' "$NPM_TOKEN"
 
@@ -34,6 +33,31 @@ is_truthy() {
   esac
 }
 
+# Parse version to derive release branch name
+# Examples: 0.1.0 -> release-0.1.x, 1.2.3 -> release-1.2.x, 0.2.10.1 -> release-0.2.x
+parse_version_and_branch() {
+  local version=$1
+
+  # Validate version format (X.Y.Z or X.Y.Z.W, no rc suffix for final releases)
+  if ! [[ "$version" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?$ ]]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Invalid version format: $version" >&2
+    echo "Expected format: X.Y.Z[.W] (e.g., 0.1.0, 1.2.3, 0.2.10.1)" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  # Extract major.minor (e.g., 0.1.0 -> 0.1)
+  local major=$(echo "$version" | cut -d. -f1)
+  local minor=$(echo "$version" | cut -d. -f2)
+
+  # Derive branch name: release-{major}.{minor}.x
+  local branch_name="release-${major}.${minor}.x"
+
+  echo "$branch_name"
+}
+
+RELEASE_BRANCH=$(parse_version_and_branch "$RELEASE_VERSION")
+echo "Derived release branch: $RELEASE_BRANCH"
+
 # Yell loudly if RELEASE is already on pypi, but keep going anyway
 version_tag=$(curl -s https://pypi.org/pypi/llama-stack/json | jq -r '.info.version')
 if [ x"$version_tag" = x"$RELEASE_VERSION" ]; then
@@ -125,10 +149,14 @@ add_bump_version_commit() {
     perl -pi -e "s/^version = .*$/version = \"$version\"/" pyproject.toml
 
     if ! is_truthy "$LLAMA_STACK_ONLY"; then
-      perl -pi -e "s/llama-stack-client>=.*,/llama-stack-client>=$RELEASE_VERSION\",/" pyproject.toml
-
-      if [ "$repo" == "stack" ]; then
-        perl -pi -e "s/(\"llama-stack-client\": \").+\"/\1^$RELEASE_VERSION\"/" llama_stack/ui/package.json
+      # Only update client dependency for non-dev versions
+      # Dev versions (e.g., 0.1.1.dev0) should keep the last stable client dependency
+      if [[ ! "$version" =~ \.dev ]]; then
+        perl -pi -e "s/llama-stack-client>=.*,/llama-stack-client>=$version\",/" pyproject.toml
+
+        if [ "$repo" == "stack" ]; then
+          perl -pi -e "s/(\"llama-stack-client\": \").+\"/\1^$version\"/" llama_stack/ui/package.json
+        fi
       fi
 
       if [ -f "src/llama_stack_client/_version.py" ]; then
@@ -161,10 +189,7 @@ source build-env/bin/activate
 uv pip install twine
 npm install -g yarn
 
-BASE_BRANCHES=()
-
-for idx in "${!REPOS[@]}"; do
-  repo="${REPOS[$idx]}"
+for repo in "${REPOS[@]}"; do
   org=$(github_org $repo)
   git clone "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git"
   cd llama-$repo
@@ -172,17 +197,6 @@ for idx in "${!REPOS[@]}"; do
   git checkout -b release-$RELEASE_VERSION refs/tags/v${RC_VERSION}
   git fetch origin --prune
 
-  if ! base_branch=$(determine_base_branch); then
-    echo "Failed to determine base branch for $repo" >&2
-    exit 1
-  fi
-
-  if ! git ls-remote --heads origin "$base_branch" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    echo "Base branch $base_branch not found on remote for $repo" >&2
-    exit 1
-  fi
-  BASE_BRANCHES[$idx]="$base_branch"
-
   # don't run uv lock here because the dependency isn't pushed upstream so uv will fail
   add_bump_version_commit $repo $RELEASE_VERSION false
 
@@ -245,35 +259,74 @@ done
 deactivate
 rm -rf build-env
 
-for idx in "${!REPOS[@]}"; do
-  repo="${REPOS[$idx]}"
-  cd $TMPDIR
-  if [ "$repo" != "stack-client-typescript" ]; then
-    uv venv -p python3.12 repo-$repo-env
-    source repo-$repo-env/bin/activate
-  fi
-
-  cd llama-$repo
+# Push release branch and tags to remote
+for repo in "${REPOS[@]}"; do
+  cd $TMPDIR/llama-$repo
 
-  # push the release branch/tag and update the source branch
-  echo "Pushing branch and tag v$RELEASE_VERSION for $repo"
+  echo "Pushing release branch and tag v$RELEASE_VERSION for $repo"
   org=$(github_org $repo)
-  git push -f "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git" "release-$RELEASE_VERSION"
-  git push -f "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git" "v$RELEASE_VERSION"
 
-  if ! is_truthy "$LLAMA_STACK_ONLY"; then
-    base_branch="${BASE_BRANCHES[$idx]}"
-    git fetch origin "$base_branch"
-    git checkout -B "$base_branch" "origin/$base_branch"
-    add_bump_version_commit $repo $RELEASE_VERSION true
-    git push "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git" "$base_branch"
-  fi
+  # Push the release branch with the version bump commit
+  git push -f "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git" "release-$RELEASE_VERSION:$RELEASE_BRANCH"
 
-  if [ "$repo" != "stack-client-typescript" ]; then
-    deactivate
-  fi
+  # Push the tag
+  git push -f "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git" "v$RELEASE_VERSION"
 
-  cd ..
+  cd $TMPDIR
 done
 
+echo "Release $RELEASE_VERSION published successfully"
+
+# Auto-bump main branch version (create PR)
+if ! is_truthy "$LLAMA_STACK_ONLY"; then
+  echo "Creating PR to bump main branch version"
+
+  # Calculate next dev version: 0.1.0 -> 0.1.1.dev0
+  MAJOR=$(echo $RELEASE_VERSION | cut -d. -f1)
+  MINOR=$(echo $RELEASE_VERSION | cut -d. -f2)
+  PATCH=$(echo $RELEASE_VERSION | cut -d. -f3)
+  NEXT_PATCH=$((PATCH + 1))
+  NEXT_DEV_VERSION="${MAJOR}.${MINOR}.${NEXT_PATCH}.dev0"
+
+  echo "Next dev version: $NEXT_DEV_VERSION"
+
+  for repo in "${REPOS[@]}"; do
+    cd $TMPDIR
+
+    if [ "$repo" != "stack-client-typescript" ]; then
+      uv venv -p python3.12 bump-main-$repo-env
+      source bump-main-$repo-env/bin/activate
+    fi
+
+    cd llama-$repo
+
+    org=$(github_org $repo)
+
+    # Checkout main branch
+    git fetch origin main
+    git checkout -B main origin/main
+
+    # Bump version to next dev version
+    add_bump_version_commit $repo $NEXT_DEV_VERSION true
+
+    # Push to a new branch for PR
+    BUMP_BRANCH="release-automation/bump-to-${NEXT_DEV_VERSION}"
+    git push -f "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git" "main:${BUMP_BRANCH}"
+
+    # Create PR using gh CLI
+    GH_TOKEN=$GITHUB_TOKEN gh pr create \
+      --repo "$org/llama-$repo" \
+      --base main \
+      --head "${BUMP_BRANCH}" \
+      --title "chore: bump version to ${NEXT_DEV_VERSION}" \
+      --body "Automated version bump after releasing ${RELEASE_VERSION}" || echo "PR creation failed or PR already exists"
+
+    if [ "$repo" != "stack-client-typescript" ]; then
+      deactivate
+    fi
+
+    cd $TMPDIR
+  done
+fi
+
 echo "Done"
diff --git a/actions/test-and-cut/action.yaml b/actions/test-and-cut/action.yaml
index 91561f7..3594855 100644
--- a/actions/test-and-cut/action.yaml
+++ b/actions/test-and-cut/action.yaml
@@ -4,35 +4,18 @@ inputs:
   version:
     description: 'Version of the package to publish'
     required: true
-  commit_id:
-    description: 'Commit ID for cut'
+  commit_hash:
+    description: 'Optional: specific commit override (will be validated)'
     required: false
-    default: 'origin/main'
-  client_python_commit_id:
-    description: 'llama-stack-client-python commit ID for "cut"'
-    required: false
-    default: 'origin/main'
+    default: ''
   cut_mode:
     description: 'Mode to run the script in (test-and-cut, test-only, cut-only)'
     required: false
     default: 'test-and-cut'
-  inference_provider:
-    description: "Inference provider to use for testing"
-    required: false
-    default: 'fireworks'
   llama_stack_only:
     description: 'Only cut a llama-stack release candidate'
     required: false
     default: 'false'
-  fireworks_api_key:
-    description: 'Fireworks API key'
-    required: true
-  together_api_key:
-    description: 'Together API key'
-    required: true
-  tavily_search_api_key:
-    description: 'Tavily Search API key'
-    required: true
   github_token:
     description: 'Personal Access Token (PAT) with access to all llama repositories'
     required: true
@@ -67,17 +50,10 @@ runs:
       shell: bash
       env:
         VERSION: ${{ inputs.version }}
-        COMMIT_ID: ${{ inputs.commit_id }}
-        CLIENT_PYTHON_COMMIT_ID: ${{ inputs.client_python_commit_id }}
-        INFERENCE_PROVIDER: ${{ inputs.inference_provider }}
+        COMMIT_HASH: ${{ inputs.commit_hash }}
         CUT_MODE: ${{ inputs.cut_mode }}
         LLAMA_STACK_ONLY: ${{ inputs.llama_stack_only }}
-        TOGETHER_API_KEY: ${{ inputs.together_api_key }}
-        TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY: ${{ inputs.tavily_search_api_key }}
-        FIREWORKS_API_KEY: ${{ inputs.fireworks_api_key }}
         GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ inputs.github_token }}
-        LLAMA_STACK_LOG_FILE: server.log
-        LLAMA_STACK_CLIENT_LOG_FILE: client.log
       run: |
         chmod +x ${{ github.action_path }}/main.sh
         ${{ github.action_path }}/main.sh
diff --git a/actions/test-and-cut/main.sh b/actions/test-and-cut/main.sh
index dedcf2b..845f3db 100755
--- a/actions/test-and-cut/main.sh
+++ b/actions/test-and-cut/main.sh
@@ -4,19 +4,11 @@ if [ -z "$VERSION" ]; then
   echo "You must set the VERSION environment variable" >&2
   exit 1
 fi
-if [ -z "${COMMIT_ID+x}" ]; then
-  echo "You must set the COMMIT_ID environment variable" >&2
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-if [ -z "${CLIENT_PYTHON_COMMIT_ID+x}" ]; then
-  echo "You must set the CLIENT_PYTHON_COMMIT_ID environment variable" >&2
-  exit 1
-fi
 
 GITHUB_TOKEN=${GITHUB_TOKEN:-}
 CUT_MODE=${CUT_MODE:-test-and-cut}
 LLAMA_STACK_ONLY=${LLAMA_STACK_ONLY:-false}
+COMMIT_HASH=${COMMIT_HASH:-}
 
 source $(dirname $0)/../common.sh
 
@@ -36,6 +28,38 @@ is_truthy() {
   esac
 }
 
+# Parse version to extract base version and derive release branch name
+# Examples:
+#   0.1.0rc1 -> base=0.1.0, branch=release-0.1.x
+#   0.1.1rc2 -> base=0.1.1, branch=release-0.1.x
+#   1.2.3 -> base=1.2.3, branch=release-1.2.x
+#   0.2.10.1rc1 -> base=0.2.10.1, branch=release-0.2.x
+parse_version_and_branch() {
+  local version=$1
+
+  # Validate version format (basic check for X.Y.Z or X.Y.Z.W pattern)
+  if ! [[ "$version" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?(rc[0-9]+)?$ ]]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Invalid version format: $version" >&2
+    echo "Expected format: X.Y.Z[.W][rcN] (e.g., 0.1.0rc1, 1.2.3, 0.2.10.1)" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  # Remove rc suffix if present (e.g., 0.1.0rc1 -> 0.1.0)
+  local base_version=$(echo "$version" | sed 's/rc[0-9]*$//')
+
+  # Extract major.minor (e.g., 0.1.0 -> 0.1)
+  local major=$(echo "$base_version" | cut -d. -f1)
+  local minor=$(echo "$base_version" | cut -d. -f2)
+
+  # Derive branch name: release-{major}.{minor}.x
+  local branch_name="release-${major}.${minor}.x"
+
+  echo "$branch_name"
+}
+
+RELEASE_BRANCH=$(parse_version_and_branch "$VERSION")
+echo "Derived release branch: $RELEASE_BRANCH"
+
 DISTRO=starter
 
 TMPDIR=$(mktemp -d)
@@ -44,6 +68,63 @@ cd $TMPDIR
 uv venv --python 3.12
 source .venv/bin/activate
 
+determine_source_commit_for_repo() {
+  local repo=$1
+  local org=$(github_org $repo)
+
+  # Check if release branch exists for this repo
+  if git ls-remote --heads "https://github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git" "$RELEASE_BRANCH" | grep -q .; then
+    echo "Release branch $RELEASE_BRANCH exists for $repo" >&2
+
+    if [ -n "$COMMIT_HASH" ]; then
+      # COMMIT_HASH override provided - validate it
+      echo "Validating commit override: $COMMIT_HASH" >&2
+
+      # Fetch both the commit and the branch
+      git fetch origin "$COMMIT_HASH" || {
+        echo "ERROR: Commit $COMMIT_HASH does not exist in $repo" >&2
+        exit 1
+      }
+
+      git fetch origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+
+      # Check if commit is related to the branch (ancestor or descendant)
+      if ! git merge-base --is-ancestor "$COMMIT_HASH" "origin/$RELEASE_BRANCH" && \
+         ! git merge-base --is-ancestor "origin/$RELEASE_BRANCH" "$COMMIT_HASH"; then
+        echo "ERROR: Commit $COMMIT_HASH is not related to branch $RELEASE_BRANCH" >&2
+        echo "ERROR: The commit must be an ancestor or descendant of the release branch" >&2
+        exit 1
+      fi
+
+      echo "Using commit override: $COMMIT_HASH" >&2
+      echo "$COMMIT_HASH"
+    else
+      # Use HEAD of release branch
+      echo "Using HEAD of existing release branch" >&2
+      echo "origin/$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+    fi
+  else
+    echo "Release branch $RELEASE_BRANCH does not exist for $repo - will create it" >&2
+
+    if [ -n "$COMMIT_HASH" ]; then
+      # Creating new branch from commit override
+      echo "Creating new release branch from commit: $COMMIT_HASH" >&2
+
+      # Validate commit exists
+      git fetch origin "$COMMIT_HASH" || {
+        echo "ERROR: Commit $COMMIT_HASH does not exist in $repo" >&2
+        exit 1
+      }
+
+      echo "$COMMIT_HASH"
+    else
+      # Creating new branch from main
+      echo "Creating new release branch from origin/main" >&2
+      echo "origin/main"
+    fi
+  fi
+}
+
 build_packages() {
   npm install -g yarn
 
@@ -54,21 +135,28 @@ build_packages() {
 
   for repo in "${REPOS[@]}"; do
     org=$(github_org $repo)
-    git clone --depth 10 "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git"
+    git clone "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git"
     cd llama-$repo
 
-    if [ "$repo" == "stack" ] && [ -n "$COMMIT_ID" ]; then
-      REF="${COMMIT_ID#origin/}"
-      git fetch origin "$REF"
+    # Determine which commit to use as the base
+    SOURCE_COMMIT=$(determine_source_commit_for_repo "$repo")
 
-      # Use FETCH_HEAD which is where the fetched commit is stored
-      git checkout -b "rc-$VERSION" FETCH_HEAD
-    elif [ "$repo" == "stack-client-python" ] && [ -n "$CLIENT_PYTHON_COMMIT_ID" ]; then
-      REF="${CLIENT_PYTHON_COMMIT_ID#origin/}"
+    # Checkout/create the release branch
+    if [[ "$SOURCE_COMMIT" == origin/* ]]; then
+      # It's a remote ref (either origin/release-X.Y.x or origin/main)
+      REF="${SOURCE_COMMIT#origin/}"
       git fetch origin "$REF"
-      git checkout -b "rc-$VERSION" FETCH_HEAD
+
+      if [ "$REF" == "$RELEASE_BRANCH" ]; then
+        # Branch already exists, check it out
+        git checkout -b "$RELEASE_BRANCH" FETCH_HEAD
+      else
+        # Creating new release branch from main or other ref
+        git checkout -b "$RELEASE_BRANCH" FETCH_HEAD
+      fi
     else
-      git checkout -b "rc-$VERSION"
+      # It's a commit hash, create release branch from it
+      git checkout -b "$RELEASE_BRANCH" "$SOURCE_COMMIT"
     fi
 
     # TODO: this is dangerous use uvx toml-cli toml set project.version $VERSION instead of this
@@ -136,9 +224,6 @@ test_docker() {
     -e SAFETY_MODEL=ollama/llama-guard3:1b \
     -e LLAMA_STACK_TEST_INFERENCE_MODE=replay \
     -e LLAMA_STACK_TEST_STACK_CONFIG_TYPE=server \
-    -e TOGETHER_API_KEY=$TOGETHER_API_KEY \
-    -e FIREWORKS_API_KEY=$FIREWORKS_API_KEY \
-    -e TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY=$TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY \
     -v $(pwd)/llama-stack:/app/llama-stack-source \
     distribution-$DISTRO:dev \
     --port $LLAMA_STACK_PORT
@@ -179,12 +264,11 @@ if [ "$CUT_MODE" == "test-only" ]; then
 fi
 
 for repo in "${REPOS[@]}"; do
-  echo "Pushing branch rc-$VERSION for llama-$repo"
+  echo "Pushing release branch $RELEASE_BRANCH for llama-$repo"
   cd llama-$repo
   org=$(github_org $repo)
-  git push -f "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git" "rc-$VERSION"
+  git push -f "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git" "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
   cd ..
-
 done
 
-echo "Successfully cut a release candidate branch $VERSION"
+echo "Successfully cut release candidate $VERSION on branch $RELEASE_BRANCH"
diff --git a/actions/test-published-package/action.yaml b/actions/test-published-package/action.yaml
index b947749..e15b856 100644
--- a/actions/test-published-package/action.yaml
+++ b/actions/test-published-package/action.yaml
@@ -4,19 +4,6 @@ inputs:
   version:
     description: 'Version of the package to test'
     required: true
-  inference_provider:
-    description: 'Inference provider to use for the release candidate (fireworks, together) (default: fireworks)'
-    required: false
-    default: 'fireworks'
-  fireworks_api_key:
-    description: 'Fireworks API key'
-    required: true
-  together_api_key:
-    description: 'Together API key'
-    required: true
-  tavily_search_api_key:
-    description: 'Tavily Search API key'
-    required: true
 
 runs:
   using: 'composite'
@@ -33,10 +20,6 @@ runs:
       shell: bash
       env:
         VERSION: ${{ inputs.version }}
-        INFERENCE_PROVIDER: ${{ inputs.inference_provider }}
-        TOGETHER_API_KEY: ${{ inputs.together_api_key }}
-        TAVILY_SEARCH_API_KEY: ${{ inputs.tavily_search_api_key }}
-        FIREWORKS_API_KEY: ${{ inputs.fireworks_api_key }}
       run: |
         chmod +x ${{ github.action_path }}/main.sh
         ${{ github.action_path }}/main.sh
diff --git a/actions/upload-packages-and-tag/main.sh b/actions/upload-packages-and-tag/main.sh
index 1c1fcb9..c58d6fe 100755
--- a/actions/upload-packages-and-tag/main.sh
+++ b/actions/upload-packages-and-tag/main.sh
@@ -28,6 +28,30 @@ is_truthy() {
   esac
 }
 
+# Parse version to derive release branch name
+parse_version_and_branch() {
+  local version=$1
+
+  # Validate version format
+  if ! [[ "$version" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?(rc[0-9]+)?$ ]]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Invalid version format: $version" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  # Remove rc suffix if present
+  local base_version=$(echo "$version" | sed 's/rc[0-9]*$//')
+
+  # Extract major.minor
+  local major=$(echo "$base_version" | cut -d. -f1)
+  local minor=$(echo "$base_version" | cut -d. -f2)
+
+  # Derive branch name
+  echo "release-${major}.${minor}.x"
+}
+
+RELEASE_BRANCH=$(parse_version_and_branch "$VERSION")
+echo "Derived release branch: $RELEASE_BRANCH"
+
 TMPDIR=$(mktemp -d)
 cd $TMPDIR
 
@@ -45,12 +69,12 @@ fi
 
 for repo in "${REPOS[@]}"; do
   org=$(github_org $repo)
-  git clone --depth 10 "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git"
+  git clone "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@github.com/$org/llama-$repo.git"
   cd llama-$repo
 
-  echo "Building package..."
-  git fetch origin "rc-$VERSION":"rc-$VERSION"
-  git checkout "rc-$VERSION"
+  echo "Fetching release branch $RELEASE_BRANCH..."
+  git fetch origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH":"$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+  git checkout "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
 
   if [ "$repo" == "stack-client-typescript" ]; then
     NPM_VERSION=$(cat package.json | jq -r '.version')
diff --git a/tests/integration/test-cut-rc.sh b/tests/integration/test-cut-rc.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..98a8872
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/test-cut-rc.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,286 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)
+WORK_ROOT=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf "$WORK_ROOT"' EXIT
+
+passed=0
+failed=0
+
+log_test() { echo "[TEST] $1"; }
+log_pass() { echo "[PASS] $1"; passed=$((passed + 1)); }
+log_fail() { echo "[FAIL] $1" >&2; failed=$((failed + 1)); }
+log_info() { echo "[INFO] $1"; }
+
+# Create a synthetic repo with proper structure
+create_synthetic_repo() {
+  local repo_name=$1
+  local repo_path="$WORK_ROOT/repos/$repo_name.git"
+
+  mkdir -p "$repo_path"
+  cd "$repo_path"
+  git init --bare -q
+
+  # Create working copy
+  local work_dir="$WORK_ROOT/work/$repo_name"
+  git clone -q "$repo_path" "$work_dir"
+  cd "$work_dir"
+
+  git config user.email "test@example.com"
+  git config user.name "Test User"
+
+  # Create initial structure based on repo type
+  if [ "$repo_name" = "llama-stack" ]; then
+    cat > pyproject.toml <<'EOF'
+[project]
+name = "llama-stack"
+version = "0.0.1"
+dependencies = [
+    "llama-stack-client>=0.0.1",
+]
+EOF
+    mkdir -p llama_stack/ui
+    cat > llama_stack/ui/package.json <<'EOF'
+{
+  "name": "llama-stack-ui",
+  "version": "0.0.1",
+  "dependencies": {
+    "llama-stack-client": "^0.0.1"
+  }
+}
+EOF
+  elif [ "$repo_name" = "llama-stack-client-python" ]; then
+    cat > pyproject.toml <<'EOF'
+[project]
+name = "llama-stack-client"
+version = "0.0.1"
+EOF
+    mkdir -p src/llama_stack_client
+    cat > src/llama_stack_client/_version.py <<'EOF'
+__version__ = "0.0.1"
+EOF
+  elif [ "$repo_name" = "llama-stack-client-typescript" ]; then
+    cat > package.json <<'EOF'
+{
+  "name": "llama-stack-client",
+  "version": "0.0.1"
+}
+EOF
+  fi
+
+  echo "# $repo_name" > README.md
+  git add .
+  git commit -q -m "Initial commit"
+  git branch -M main
+  git push -q -u origin main
+}
+
+# Mock github_org function
+github_org() {
+  echo "llamastack"
+}
+export -f github_org
+
+echo "========================================"
+echo "Integration Test: Cut Release Candidate"
+echo "========================================"
+echo ""
+
+log_info "Setting up synthetic repos..."
+
+# Create synthetic repos
+create_synthetic_repo "llama-stack" 2>&1 >/dev/null
+create_synthetic_repo "llama-stack-client-python" 2>&1 >/dev/null
+create_synthetic_repo "llama-stack-client-typescript" 2>&1 >/dev/null
+
+log_pass "Created synthetic repos"
+
+# Simulate the workflow logic for cutting an RC
+log_test "Cut first RC (0.1.0rc1) - creates release branch"
+
+export VERSION="0.1.0rc1"
+export RELEASE_BRANCH="release-0.1.x"
+export GITHUB_TOKEN="dummy"
+export LLAMA_STACK_ONLY="false"
+export COMMIT_HASH=""
+
+# For each repo, simulate what test-and-cut/main.sh does
+for repo in llama-stack-client-python llama-stack-client-typescript llama-stack; do
+  log_info "Processing $repo..."
+
+  cd "$WORK_ROOT/work/$repo"
+
+  # Check if release branch exists (it shouldn't for first RC)
+  if git ls-remote origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH" | grep -q .; then
+    log_fail "$repo: Release branch shouldn't exist yet"
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  # Create release branch from main (simulating first RC)
+  git checkout -q main
+  git pull -q origin main
+  git checkout -q -b "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+
+  # Bump version to RC version
+  if [ "$repo" = "llama-stack-client-typescript" ]; then
+    perl -pi -e "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$VERSION\"/" package.json
+  else
+    perl -pi -e "s/^version = .*$/version = \"$VERSION\"/" pyproject.toml
+
+    if [ "$repo" = "llama-stack-client-python" ]; then
+      perl -pi -e "s/__version__ = .*$/__version__ = \"$VERSION\"/" src/llama_stack_client/_version.py
+    fi
+
+    if [ "$repo" = "llama-stack" ]; then
+      # Update client dependency
+      perl -pi -e "s/llama-stack-client>=.*/llama-stack-client>=$VERSION\",/" pyproject.toml
+      perl -pi -e "s/(\"llama-stack-client\": \").+\"/\1^$VERSION\"/" llama_stack/ui/package.json
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  # Verify version was updated
+  if [ "$repo" = "llama-stack-client-typescript" ]; then
+    if grep -q "\"version\": \"$VERSION\"" package.json; then
+      log_pass "$repo: Version bumped in package.json"
+    else
+      log_fail "$repo: Version not updated in package.json"
+      cat package.json
+      continue
+    fi
+  else
+    if grep -q "version = \"$VERSION\"" pyproject.toml; then
+      log_pass "$repo: Version bumped in pyproject.toml"
+    else
+      log_fail "$repo: Version not updated in pyproject.toml"
+      cat pyproject.toml
+      continue
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  # Verify client dependency updated for stack
+  if [ "$repo" = "llama-stack" ]; then
+    if grep -q "llama-stack-client>=$VERSION" pyproject.toml && \
+       grep -q "\"llama-stack-client\": \"^$VERSION\"" llama_stack/ui/package.json; then
+      log_pass "$repo: Client dependencies updated"
+    else
+      log_fail "$repo: Client dependencies not updated correctly"
+      grep "llama-stack-client" pyproject.toml llama_stack/ui/package.json
+      continue
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  # Commit and push
+  git commit -q -am "Release candidate $VERSION"
+  git push -q origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+
+  # Verify branch exists remotely
+  if git ls-remote origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH" | grep -q .; then
+    log_pass "$repo: Release branch pushed to remote"
+  else
+    log_fail "$repo: Release branch not found on remote"
+  fi
+done
+
+echo ""
+log_test "Cut second RC (0.1.0rc2) - uses existing release branch"
+
+export VERSION="0.1.0rc2"
+
+for repo in llama-stack-client-python llama-stack-client-typescript llama-stack; do
+  log_info "Processing $repo for RC2..."
+
+  cd "$WORK_ROOT/work/$repo"
+
+  # Check release branch exists
+  if ! git ls-remote origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH" | grep -q .; then
+    log_fail "$repo: Release branch should exist"
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  # Fetch and checkout existing release branch
+  git fetch -q origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+  git checkout -q "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+  git pull -q origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+
+  # Add a "fix" to simulate cherry-picked changes
+  echo "// Fix for RC2" >> README.md
+  git commit -q -am "Fix for RC2"
+
+  # Bump version to new RC
+  if [ "$repo" = "llama-stack-client-typescript" ]; then
+    perl -pi -e "s/\"version\": \".*\"/\"version\": \"$VERSION\"/" package.json
+  else
+    perl -pi -e "s/^version = .*$/version = \"$VERSION\"/" pyproject.toml
+
+    if [ "$repo" = "llama-stack-client-python" ]; then
+      perl -pi -e "s/__version__ = .*$/__version__ = \"$VERSION\"/" src/llama_stack_client/_version.py
+    fi
+
+    if [ "$repo" = "llama-stack" ]; then
+      perl -pi -e "s/llama-stack-client>=.*/llama-stack-client>=$VERSION\",/" pyproject.toml
+      perl -pi -e "s/(\"llama-stack-client\": \").+\"/\1^$VERSION\"/" llama_stack/ui/package.json
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  # Verify version updated
+  if [ "$repo" = "llama-stack-client-typescript" ]; then
+    if grep -q "\"version\": \"$VERSION\"" package.json; then
+      log_pass "$repo: Version bumped to RC2"
+    else
+      log_fail "$repo: Version not updated to RC2"
+    fi
+  else
+    if grep -q "version = \"$VERSION\"" pyproject.toml; then
+      log_pass "$repo: Version bumped to RC2"
+    else
+      log_fail "$repo: Version not updated to RC2"
+    fi
+  fi
+
+  git commit -q -am "Release candidate $VERSION"
+  git push -q origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+done
+
+echo ""
+log_test "Branch history verification"
+
+cd "$WORK_ROOT/work/llama-stack"
+git fetch -q origin "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+git checkout -q "$RELEASE_BRANCH"
+
+# Check we have commits for both RCs
+commit_count=$(git log --oneline | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
+if [ "$commit_count" -ge 3 ]; then
+  log_pass "Release branch has expected commit history"
+else
+  log_fail "Release branch should have at least 3 commits (initial, RC1, fix, RC2)"
+fi
+
+# Verify both RC commits exist
+log_output=$(git log --oneline)
+if echo "$log_output" | grep -q "0.1.0rc1" && \
+   echo "$log_output" | grep -q "0.1.0rc2" && \
+   echo "$log_output" | grep -q "Fix for RC2"; then
+  log_pass "Both RC commits present in history"
+else
+  log_fail "RC commits not found in history"
+  echo "$log_output"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "========================================"
+echo "Summary"
+echo "========================================"
+echo "Passed: $passed"
+echo "Failed: $failed"
+echo ""
+
+if [ $failed -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "✓ All integration tests passed!"
+  exit 0
+else
+  echo "✗ Some integration tests failed"
+  exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/tests/lib/release-functions.sh b/tests/lib/release-functions.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..651a2d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lib/release-functions.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Extracted functions from release workflows for testing
+
+is_truthy() {
+  case "$1" in
+  true | 1) return 0 ;;
+  false | 0) return 1 ;;
+  *) return 1 ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+parse_version_and_branch() {
+  local version=$1
+
+  # Validate version format (basic check for X.Y.Z or X.Y.Z.W pattern)
+  if ! [[ "$version" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?(rc[0-9]+)?$ ]]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Invalid version format: $version" >&2
+    echo "Expected format: X.Y.Z[.W][rcN] (e.g., 0.1.0rc1, 1.2.3, 0.2.10.1)" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+
+  # Remove rc suffix if present (e.g., 0.1.0rc1 -> 0.1.0)
+  local base_version=$(echo "$version" | sed 's/rc[0-9]*$//')
+
+  # Extract major.minor (e.g., 0.1.0 -> 0.1)
+  local major=$(echo "$base_version" | cut -d. -f1)
+  local minor=$(echo "$base_version" | cut -d. -f2)
+
+  # Derive branch name: release-{major}.{minor}.x
+  local branch_name="release-${major}.${minor}.x"
+
+  echo "$branch_name"
+}
+
+github_org() {
+  echo "llamastack"
+}
diff --git a/tests/test-determine-base-branch.sh b/tests/test-determine-base-branch.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index ca70542..0000000
--- a/tests/test-determine-base-branch.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,103 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-
-set -euo pipefail
-
-ROOT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)
-source "$ROOT_DIR/actions/lib/release_utils.sh"
-
-REPO_URL=${REPO_URL:-https://github.com/llamastack/llama-stack.git}
-WORK_ROOT=$(mktemp -d)
-trap 'rm -rf "$WORK_ROOT"' EXIT
-
-REAL_REPO="$WORK_ROOT/llama-stack"
-
-echo ">>> Cloning $REPO_URL"
-git clone --filter=blob:none "$REPO_URL" "$REAL_REPO" >/dev/null
-git -C "$REAL_REPO" fetch origin --tags --prune >/dev/null
-
-assert_branch() {
-  local repo=$1
-  local tag=$2
-  local expected=$3
-
-  echo "==> Checking $tag expected $expected"
-  git -C "$repo" checkout --detach "$tag" >/dev/null
-  git -C "$repo" fetch origin --prune >/dev/null
-  pushd "$repo" >/dev/null
-  local branch
-  branch=$(determine_base_branch)
-  popd >/dev/null
-
-  if [ "$branch" != "$expected" ]; then
-    echo "[FAIL] $tag resolved to $branch (expected $expected)" >&2
-    return 1
-  fi
-
-  echo "[PASS] $tag -> $branch"
-}
-
-failures=0
-
-# Real history examples should map back to main because release branches are
-# materialised after the RC is cut.
-assert_branch "$REAL_REPO" "v0.3.0rc6" "main" || failures=$((failures + 1))
-assert_branch "$REAL_REPO" "v0.2.10rc2" "main" || failures=$((failures + 1))
-assert_branch "$REAL_REPO" "v0.2.10.1rc1" "main" || failures=$((failures + 1))
-
-# Synthetic repo to cover patch release flow (release branch diverges from main)
-SYNTH_REMOTE="$WORK_ROOT/synth-origin.git"
-SYNTH_CLONE="$WORK_ROOT/synth-work"
-
-git init --bare "$SYNTH_REMOTE" >/dev/null
-git clone "$SYNTH_REMOTE" "$SYNTH_CLONE" >/dev/null
-
-pushd "$SYNTH_CLONE" >/dev/null
-git config user.email "ci@example.com"
-git config user.name "CI"
-
-echo "base" >base.txt
-git add base.txt
-git commit -m "Initial commit" >/dev/null
-
-git branch -M main
-git push -u origin main >/dev/null
-git -C "$SYNTH_REMOTE" symbolic-ref HEAD refs/heads/main >/dev/null
-
-git checkout main
-echo "feature" >feature.txt
-git add feature.txt
-git commit -m "Main feature" >/dev/null
-git push origin main >/dev/null
-
-git checkout -b release-1
-echo "fix1" >fix.txt
-git add fix.txt
-git commit -m "Release fix prep" >/dev/null
-echo "rc content" >rc.txt
-git add rc.txt
-git commit -m "Release candidate commit" >/dev/null
-git tag v1.0.0-rc1
-git push origin release-1 >/dev/null
-git push origin v1.0.0-rc1 >/dev/null
-popd >/dev/null
-
-git -C "$SYNTH_CLONE" checkout --detach v1.0.0-rc1 >/dev/null
-git -C "$SYNTH_CLONE" fetch origin --prune >/dev/null
-pushd "$SYNTH_CLONE" >/dev/null
-branch=$(determine_base_branch)
-popd >/dev/null
-
-echo "Synthetic branch resolved: $branch"
-if [ "$branch" != "release-1" ]; then
-  echo "[FAIL] v1.0.0-rc1 resolved to $branch (expected release-1)" >&2
-  failures=$((failures + 1))
-else
-  echo "[PASS] v1.0.0-rc1 -> $branch"
-fi
-
-if [ $failures -ne 0 ]; then
-  echo "Detected $failures failing cases." >&2
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-echo "All cases passed."
diff --git a/tests/test-release-workflows.sh b/tests/test-release-workflows.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..2a20ce3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test-release-workflows.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+ROOT_DIR=$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)
+WORK_ROOT=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf "$WORK_ROOT"' EXIT
+
+# Source the functions
+source "$ROOT_DIR/tests/lib/release-functions.sh"
+
+passed=0
+failed=0
+
+log_test() { echo "[TEST] $1"; }
+log_pass() { echo "[PASS] $1"; ((passed++)); }
+log_fail() { echo "[FAIL] $1"; ((failed++)); }
+
+echo "==============================="
+echo "Release Workflow Tests"
+echo "==============================="
+echo ""
+
+# Test version parsing
+log_test "Version parsing"
+
+result=$(parse_version_and_branch "0.1.0rc1")
+if [ "$result" = "release-0.1.x" ]; then
+  log_pass "0.1.0rc1 → release-0.1.x"
+else
+  log_fail "0.1.0rc1 failed: got $result"
+fi
+
+result=$(parse_version_and_branch "1.2.3")
+if [ "$result" = "release-1.2.x" ]; then
+  log_pass "1.2.3 → release-1.2.x"
+else
+  log_fail "1.2.3 failed: got $result"
+fi
+
+result=$(parse_version_and_branch "0.2.10.1rc5")
+if [ "$result" = "release-0.2.x" ]; then
+  log_pass "0.2.10.1rc5 → release-0.2.x"
+else
+  log_fail "0.2.10.1rc5 failed: got $result"
+fi
+
+# Test invalid versions (expect them to fail)
+if parse_version_and_branch "foobar" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  log_fail "Should reject 'foobar'"
+else
+  log_pass "Rejected invalid version 'foobar'"
+fi
+
+if parse_version_and_branch "0.1" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  log_fail "Should reject '0.1'"
+else
+  log_pass "Rejected incomplete version '0.1'"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+# Test git operations with synthetic repos
+log_test "Git branch operations"
+
+test_repo="$WORK_ROOT/test-repo"
+git init -q "$test_repo"
+cd "$test_repo"
+git config user.email "test@example.com"
+git config user.name "Test"
+
+echo "initial" > file.txt
+git add file.txt
+git commit -q -m "Initial"
+git branch -M main
+
+# Add more commits
+echo "feature1" >> file.txt
+git commit -q -am "Feature 1"
+echo "feature2" >> file.txt
+git commit -q -am "Feature 2"
+
+# Create release branch
+git checkout -q -b release-0.1.x
+echo "rc prep" >> file.txt
+git commit -q -am "RC prep"
+rc_commit=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
+
+log_pass "Created synthetic repo with release branch"
+
+# Test branch exists
+git checkout -q main
+if git show-ref --verify --quiet refs/heads/release-0.1.x; then
+  log_pass "Release branch exists"
+else
+  log_fail "Release branch should exist"
+fi
+
+# Test getting HEAD of branch
+branch_head=$(git rev-parse release-0.1.x)
+[ "$branch_head" = "$rc_commit" ] && log_pass "Can get HEAD of release branch" || log_fail "Branch HEAD mismatch"
+
+echo ""
+
+# Test commit ancestry
+log_test "Commit ancestry checking"
+
+old_commit=$(git rev-parse main~1)
+if git merge-base --is-ancestor "$old_commit" "release-0.1.x"; then
+  log_pass "Old commit is ancestor of release branch"
+else
+  log_fail "Ancestry check failed"
+fi
+
+# Test that main and release have common ancestor
+if git merge-base main release-0.1.x >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  log_pass "Main and release branch have common ancestor"
+else
+  log_fail "Should have common ancestor"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+# Test version bump operations
+log_test "Version bump operations"
+
+bump_test_dir="$WORK_ROOT/bump-test"
+mkdir -p "$bump_test_dir"
+cd "$bump_test_dir"
+
+cat > pyproject.toml <<'EOF'
+[project]
+name = "test"
+version = "0.1.0rc1"
+dependencies = [
+    "llama-stack-client>=0.1.0rc1",
+]
+EOF
+
+perl -pi -e 's/^version = .*$/version = "0.1.0"/' pyproject.toml
+perl -pi -e 's/llama-stack-client>=.*/llama-stack-client>=0.1.0",/' pyproject.toml
+
+if grep -q 'version = "0.1.0"' pyproject.toml && grep -q 'llama-stack-client>=0.1.0"' pyproject.toml; then
+  log_pass "Version bump RC → final"
+else
+  log_fail "Version bump failed"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+# Test dev version calculation
+log_test "Dev version calculation"
+
+calc_dev_version() {
+  local release=$1
+  local major=$(echo "$release" | cut -d. -f1)
+  local minor=$(echo "$release" | cut -d. -f2)
+  local patch=$(echo "$release" | cut -d. -f3)
+  local next_patch=$((patch + 1))
+  echo "${major}.${minor}.${next_patch}.dev0"
+}
+
+result=$(calc_dev_version "0.1.0")
+[ "$result" = "0.1.1.dev0" ] && log_pass "0.1.0 → 0.1.1.dev0" || log_fail "Dev version calc failed"
+
+result=$(calc_dev_version "1.2.5")
+[ "$result" = "1.2.6.dev0" ] && log_pass "1.2.5 → 1.2.6.dev0" || log_fail "Dev version calc failed"
+
+echo ""
+
+# Run integration tests
+echo "==============================="
+echo "Running Integration Tests"
+echo "==============================="
+echo ""
+
+if bash "$ROOT_DIR/tests/integration/test-cut-rc.sh"; then
+  log_pass "Integration test suite passed"
+else
+  log_fail "Integration test suite failed"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+# Summary
+echo "==============================="
+echo "Summary"
+echo "==============================="
+echo "Passed: $passed"
+echo "Failed: $failed"
+echo ""
+
+if [ $failed -eq 0 ]; then
+  echo "✓ All tests passed!"
+  exit 0
+else
+  echo "✗ Some tests failed"
+  exit 1
+fi