diff --git a/Release.gitlab-ci.yml b/Release.gitlab-ci.yml
index 9db360c..0482ad7 100644
--- a/Release.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/Release.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -39,73 +39,93 @@ unbound_release_changelog:
   rules:
   - if: $UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN == null
     when: never
-  - if: '$CI_COMMIT_TITLE =~ /^chore\(release\): prepare for .*$/'
-    when: never
   - if: $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH == $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
 
 unbound_release_handle_mr:
   stage: .pre
   image: amd64/alpine:3.22.1@sha256:04f9172abd4691ef13a65d0c5c3057ba365a8db269e848ae24f2151e50997f99
+  variables:
+    GIT_STRATEGY: clone # clone entire repo instead of reusing workspace
+    GIT_DEPTH: 0 # avoid shallow clone to have the tags available
   needs:
   - unbound_release_changelog
   before_script:
   - 'apk add --no-cache git jq curl'
   script:
   - |
-    LATEST="$(git describe --abbrev=0 --tags 2>/dev/null || echo '')"
-    if [[ -n "${LATEST}" && "$(cat VERSION)" == "${LATEST}" ]]; then
+    VERSION="$(cat VERSION)"
+    LATEST="$(cat .version 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.version' || git describe --abbrev=0 --tags 2>/dev/null || echo '')"
+    if [[ -n "${LATEST}" && "${VERSION}" == "${LATEST}" ]]; then
       echo "No changes worthy of a version bump"
       exit 0
     fi
     echo "Fetching existing release MRs"
-    MRS=$(curl -s \
+    MRS=$(curl -sf \
             -H "Authorization: Bearer ${UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN}" \
             "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/merge_requests?state=opened&source_branch=next-release")
-    BRANCHES=$(curl -s \
+    BRANCHES=$(curl -sf \
             -H "Authorization: Bearer ${UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN}" \
             "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/repository/branches?regex=^next-release\$")
     MR=$(echo "${MRS}" | jq ".[].iid")
     BRANCH=$(echo "${BRANCHES}" | jq ".[].name")
-    TITLE="chore(release): prepare for $(cat VERSION)"
+    TITLE="chore(release): prepare for ${VERSION}"
     DESCRIPTION="$(cat CHANGES.md)"
     CONTENT="$(base64 -w0 <CHANGELOG.md)"
-    BODY_TMPL='{"branch": "next-release", "start_branch": $startBranch, "author_name": "Unbound Release", "content": $content, "commit_message": $title, "encoding": "base64" }'
+    NEW_BRANCH_BODY_TMPL='{"branch": "next-release", "start_branch": $startBranch, "author_name": "Unbound Release", "content": $content, "commit_message": $title, "encoding": "base64" }'
+    OLD_BRANCH_BODY_TMPL='{"branch": "next-release", "author_name": "Unbound Release", "content": $content, "commit_message": $title, "encoding": "base64" }'
+    BODY_TMPL=${NEW_BRANCH_BODY_TMPL}
     if [ -n "${BRANCH}" ]; then
-      BODY_TMPL='{"branch": "next-release", "author_name": "Unbound Release", "content": $content, "commit_message": $title, "encoding": "base64" }'
+      BODY_TMPL=${OLD_BRANCH_BODY_TMPL}
     fi
     BODY="$(jq --null-input -c \
               --arg title "${TITLE}" \
               --arg content "${CONTENT}" \
               --arg startBranch "${CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH}" \
               "${BODY_TMPL}")"
-    # Check if CHANGELOG.md exists
-    if curl -sf --head \
-      -H "Authorization: Bearer ${UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN}" \
-      "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/repository/files/CHANGELOG%2Emd?ref=${CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH}" || \
-      curl -sf --head \
+    echo "Creating or updating CHANGELOG.md"
+    curl -sf -X POST \
         -H "Authorization: Bearer ${UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN}" \
-        "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/repository/files/CHANGELOG%2Emd?ref=next-release"; then
-      # Exists => update
-        curl -sf -X PUT \
+        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+        --data "${BODY}" \
+          "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/repository/files/CHANGELOG%2Emd" || \
+      curl -sf -X PUT \
           -H "Authorization: Bearer ${UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN}" \
           -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
           --data "${BODY}" \
             "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/repository/files/CHANGELOG%2Emd"
-    else
-      # Not exists => create
-      curl -sf -X POST \
+    CONTENT="$(jq --null-input -c --arg version "${VERSION}" '{"version":$version}' | base64 -w0)"
+    BODY="$(jq --null-input -c \
+              --arg title "${TITLE}" \
+              --arg content "${CONTENT}" \
+              --arg startBranch "${CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH}" \
+              "${OLD_BRANCH_BODY_TMPL}")"
+    echo "Creating or updating .version"
+    curl -s --fail-with-body -X POST \
         -H "Authorization: Bearer ${UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN}" \
         -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
         --data "${BODY}" \
-          "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/repository/files/CHANGELOG%2Emd"
-    fi
+          "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/repository/files/%2Eversion" || \
+      curl -s --fail-with-body -X PUT \
+          -H "Authorization: Bearer ${UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN}" \
+          -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+          --data "${BODY}" \
+            "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/repository/files/%2Eversion"
     if [ -n "${MR}" ]; then
       echo "Updating existing MR"
-      echo "Rebasing branch"
+      echo "Rebasing MR"
       curl -sf -X PUT \
         -H "Authorization: Bearer ${UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN}" \
         -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
         "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/merge_requests/${MR}/rebase"
+      rebasing="true"
+      while [[ "${rebasing}" == "true" ]]; do
+        sleep 1
+        echo "Checking if MR is rebased"
+        rebasing=$(curl -sf \
+            -H "Authorization: Bearer ${UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN}" \
+            "https://gitlab.com/api/v4/projects/${CI_PROJECT_ID}/merge_requests/${MR}?include_rebase_in_progress=true" | jq -r '.rebase_in_progress')
+      done
+      echo "MR rebased"
       echo "Updating title"
       BODY_TMPL='{"target_branch":$target,"title":$title,"description":$description,"remove_source_branch":true,"squash":true}'
       BODY=$(jq --null-input -c \
@@ -135,8 +155,6 @@ unbound_release_handle_mr:
   rules:
   - if: $UNBOUND_RELEASE_TOKEN == null
     when: never
-  - if: '$CI_COMMIT_TITLE =~ /^chore\(release\): prepare for .*$/'
-    when: never
   - if: $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH == $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
 
 unbound_release_prepare_release:
@@ -166,18 +184,30 @@ unbound_release_prepare_release:
     when: never
   - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG == null && $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH != $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
     when: never
-  - if: '$CI_COMMIT_TITLE =~ /^chore\(release\): prepare for .*$/'
-  - if: $CI_COMMIT_TAG && $UNBOUND_RELEASE_TAG_ONLY == "true"
+  - if: $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH == $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
 
 unbound_release_create_release:
   stage: .pre
   image: amd64/alpine:3.22.1@sha256:04f9172abd4691ef13a65d0c5c3057ba365a8db269e848ae24f2151e50997f99
+  variables:
+    GIT_STRATEGY: clone # clone entire repo instead of reusing workspace
+    GIT_DEPTH: 0 # avoid shallow clone to have the tags available
   needs:
   - unbound_release_prepare_release
   before_script:
-  - 'apk add --no-cache jq curl'
+  - 'apk add --no-cache git jq curl'
   script:
   - |
+    if [ ! -r .version ]; then
+      echo "Version file not found"
+      exit 0
+    fi
+    VERSION="$(cat .version 2>/dev/null | jq -r '.version')"
+    LATEST="$(git describe --abbrev=0 --tags 2>/dev/null || echo '')"
+    if [[ -n "${LATEST}" && "${VERSION}" == "${LATEST}" ]]; then
+      echo "Version ${VERSION} already exists"
+      exit 0
+    fi
     echo "Creating release"
     NAME="$(cat VERSION)"
     MESSAGE="$(cat CHANGES.md)"
@@ -199,17 +229,26 @@ unbound_release_create_release:
     when: never
   - if: $UNBOUND_RELEASE_TAG_ONLY == "true"
     when: never
-  - if: '$CI_COMMIT_TITLE =~ /^chore\(release\): prepare for .*$/'
+  - if: $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH == $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH
 
 unbound_release_tag:
   stage: .pre
   image: amd64/alpine:3.22.1@sha256:04f9172abd4691ef13a65d0c5c3057ba365a8db269e848ae24f2151e50997f99
+  variables:
+    GIT_STRATEGY: clone # clone entire repo instead of reusing workspace
+    GIT_DEPTH: 0 # avoid shallow clone to have the tags available
   needs:
   - unbound_release_prepare_release
   before_script:
-  - 'apk add --no-cache curl'
+  - 'apk add --no-cache git jq curl'
   script:
   - |
+    VERSION="$(cat VERSION)"
+    LATEST="$(git describe --abbrev=0 --tags 2>/dev/null || echo '')"
+    if [[ -n "${LATEST}" && "${VERSION}" == "${LATEST}" ]]; then
+      echo "Version ${VERSION} already exists"
+      exit 0
+    fi
     echo "Creating tag"
     NAME="$(cat VERSION)"
     MESSAGE="$(cat CHANGES.md)"
@@ -226,4 +265,4 @@ unbound_release_tag:
     when: never
   - if: $UNBOUND_RELEASE_TAG_ONLY == "false"
     when: never
-  - if: '$CI_COMMIT_TITLE =~ /^chore\(release\): prepare for .*$/'
+  - if: $UNBOUND_RELEASE_TAG_ONLY == "true"