diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 37f5602..068f6b1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -3,57 +3,48 @@ name: Release
 on:
   push:
     branches:
-      - 'release/v[0-9]+.[0-9]+.*'
-
-    paths:
-      - Payload_Type/thanatos/**
-      - config.json
-      - agent_capabilities.json
+      - main
 
 env:
-  IMAGE_REGISTRY: ghcr.io
-  IMAGE_NAME: ${{ github.repository }}
-  IMAGE_DESCRIPTION: "Base container image for the Thanatos Mythic C2 agent"
-  IMAGE_LICENSE: BSD-3-Clause
-  AGENT_CODE: Payload_Type/thanatos/thanatos/agent_code
+  # Registry for the container image
+  CONTAINER_IMAGE_REGISTRY: ghcr.io
+  # Name of the container image
+  CONTAINER_IMAGE_NAME: ${{ github.repository }}
+  # Description of the base container image
+  CONTAINER_IMAGE_DESCRIPTION: "Base container image for the Thanatos Mythic C2 agent"
+  # License for the base container image
+  CONTAINER_IMAGE_LICENSE: BSD-3-Clause
+  # Path to the agent code
+  AGENT_CODE_PATH: Payload_Type/thanatos/thanatos/agent_code
 
 jobs:
-  lint-workflow:
-    name: Lint
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/lint.yml
-
-  build-container:
-    name: Build and push the base container image
-    needs: lint-workflow
+  # Get the new release version number
+  version:
+    name: Get the new release version
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
 
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      packages: write
+    outputs:
+      release: ${{ steps.release.number }}
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout the repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: Get the release version from the branch name
+      - name: Get the latest release version from the changelog
+        run: echo "RELEASE_VERSION=$(python .github/scripts/changelogtool.py latest)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Verify that a tag with this version does not already exist
         run: |
-          GIT_BRANCH=${GITHUB_BASE_REF:-${GITHUB_REF#refs/heads/}}
-          VERSION=$(echo $GIT_BRANCH | grep --color=never -Eo '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+')
-          echo "VERSION=$VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          git tag -l | grep $RELEASE_VERSION
+          test $? -eq 0 && { echo "Tag for release $RELEASE_VERSION already exists"; exit 1 } || exit 0
 
-      - name: Build and push the container
-        uses: ./.github/actions/build-container
-        with:
-          image-registry: ${{ env.IMAGE_REGISTRY }}
-          image-name: ${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}
-          image-tag: v${{ env.VERSION }}
-          image-description: ${{ env.IMAGE_DESCRIPTION }}
-          image-license: ${{ env.IMAGE_LICENSE }}
-          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+      - name: Store the new release version number
+        id: release
+        run: echo "number=${RELEASE_VERSION#v}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
-  version:
+  bump:
     name: Bump repository version numbers
-    needs: build-container
+    needs: version
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
 
     permissions:
@@ -64,43 +55,120 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout the repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: Get the release version from the branch name
-        run: |
-          GIT_BRANCH=${GITHUB_BASE_REF:-${GITHUB_REF#refs/heads/}}
-          VERSION=$(echo $GIT_BRANCH | grep --color=never -Eo '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+')
-          echo "VERSION=$VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-
       - name: Lowercase the container image name
-        run: echo "IMAGE_NAME=${IMAGE_NAME,,}" >> ${GITHUB_ENV}
+        run: echo "CONTAINER_IMAGE_NAME=${CONTAINER_IMAGE_NAME,,}" >> ${GITHUB_ENV}
 
       - name: Set config.json version number
         uses: jossef/action-set-json-field@v2.1
         with:
           file: config.json
           field: remote_images.thanatos
-          value: ${{ env.IMAGE_REGISTRY }}/${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}:v${{ env.VERSION }}
+          value: ${{ env.CONTAINER_IMAGE_REGISTRY }}/${{ env.CONTAINER_IMAGE_NAME }}:v${{ needs.version.release }}
 
       - name: Set agent_capabilities.json version number
         uses: jossef/action-set-json-field@v2.1
         with:
           file: agent_capabilities.json
           field: agent_version
-          value: ${{ env.VERSION }}
+          value: ${{ needs.version.release }}
 
-      - name: Set base Dockerfile image reference version number
+      - name: Set base Dockerfile image reference tag to match the version number
         working-directory: Payload_Type/thanatos
-        run: sed -i "s|^FROM ghcr\.io.*$|FROM ${IMAGE_REGISTRY}/${IMAGE_NAME}:v${VERSION}|" Dockerfile
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ needs.version.number }}
+        run: sed -i "s|^FROM .*$|FROM ${CONTAINER_IMAGE_REGISTRY}/${CONTAINER_IMAGE_NAME}:v${VERSION}|" Dockerfile
 
       - name: Set agent Cargo.toml version number
-        working-directory: ${{ env.AGENT_CODE }}
+        working-directory: ${{ env.AGENT_CODE_PATH }}
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ needs.version.number }}
         run: sed -i "0,/^version = .*$/s//version = \"${VERSION}\"/" Cargo.toml
 
       - name: Push the updated version number changes
-        uses: EndBug/add-and-commit@v9 # ref: https://github.com/marketplace/actions/add-commit
+        uses: EndBug/add-and-commit@v9
         with:
-          add: "['config.json', 'agent_capabilities.json', 'Payload_Type/thanatos/Dockerfile', '${{ format(\'{0}/Cargo.toml\', env.AGENT_CODE) }}']"
+          add: "['config.json', 'agent_capabilities.json', 'Payload_Type/thanatos/Dockerfile', '${{ format('{0}/Cargo.toml', env.AGENT_CODE_PATH) }}']"
           default_author: github_actions
           committer_email: github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com
-          message: "Bump version number to match release '${{ env.VERSION }}'"
-          new_branch: ${{ github.ref_name }}
+          message: "chore(release): bump version numbers to match release 'v${{ needs.version.release }}'"
+          pathspec_error_handling: exitImmediately
+
+  image:
+    name: Build the base container image
+    needs:
+      - version
+      - bump
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      packages: write
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout the repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set the container image fully qualified url
+        run: echo "CONTAINER_IMAGE_URL=${CONTAINER_IMAGE_URL,,}" >> ${GITHUB_ENV}
+        env:
+          CONTAINER_IMAGE_URL: ${{ env.CONTAINER_IMAGE_REGISTRY }}/${{ env.CONTAINER_IMAGE_NAME }}:v${{ needs.version.release }}
+
+      - name: Log in to the container registry
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          registry: ${{ env.CONTAINER_IMAGE_REGISTRY }}
+          username: ${{ github.actor }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Build and push the container image
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: Payload_Type/thanatos
+          file: Payload_Type/thanatos/.docker/Dockerfile
+          tags: ${{ env.CONTAINER_IMAGE_URL }}
+          push: true
+          labels: |
+            org.opencontainers.image.source=https://github.com/${{ github.repository }}
+            org.opencontainers.image.description=${{ env.CONTAINER_IMAGE_DESCRIPTION }}
+            org.opencontainers.image.licenses=${{ env.CONTAINER_IMAGE_LICENSE }}
+
+  release:
+    name: Create a new release
+    needs:
+      - version
+      - image
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      packages: read
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout the repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Create a new tag for the release
+        uses: EndBug/add-and-commit@v9
+        with:
+          message: "chore(release): Thanatos v${{ needs.version.release }}"
+          push: true
+          tag: "v${{ needs.version.release }}"
           pathspec_error_handling: exitImmediately
+
+      - name: Create a new release
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ needs.version.release }}
+        run: |
+          RELEASE_BODY=$(python .github/scripts/changelogtool.py extract $VERSION)
+          gh api \
+            --method POST \
+            -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
+            -H "X-Github-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
+            /repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}/releases \
+            -f tag_name='v${VERSION}' \
+            -f target_commitish="$GITHUB_REF_NAME" \
+            -f name="Thanatos v${VERSION}" \
+            -f body="$RELEASE_BODY" \
+            -F draft=false \
+            -F prerelease=false \
+            -F generate_release_notes=false
diff --git a/.github/workflows/verify-release.yml b/.github/workflows/verify-release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96e9e17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/verify-release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+name: Verify release
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - main
+
+jobs:
+  verify:
+    name: Verify release PR
+    if: ${{ contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, "release") }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Get the latest changelog entry
+        run: echo "LATEST_CHANGELOG=$(python .github/scripts/changelogtool.py)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Assert that a git tag does not exist for the latest entry
+        run: |
+          git tag -l | grep $LATEST_CHANGELOG
+          test $? -eq 0 && { echo "Git tag for changelog entry $LATEST_CHANGELOG already exists"; exit 1 } || exit 0
+
+      - name: Assert that a release does not already exist for the latest entry
+        run: |
+          gh api \
+            -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
+            -H "X-Github-Api-Version: 2022-11-28" \
+            /repos/MythicAgents/thanatos/releases/tags/${LATEST_CHANGELOG}
+          test $? -eq 0 && { echo "Release for changelog entry $LATEST_CHANGELOG already exists"; exit 1 } || exit 0