diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yaml b/.github/workflows/build.yaml
index a08ab52a3..df8b634ef 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yaml
@@ -187,10 +187,6 @@ jobs:
         id: vscode-rev
         run: echo "::set-output name=rev::$(git rev-parse HEAD:./lib/vscode)"
 
-      - name: Get version
-        id: version
-        run: echo "::set-output name=version::$(jq -r .version package.json)"
-
       # We need to rebuild when we have a new version of Code, when any of
       # the patches changed, or when the code-server version changes (since
       # it gets embedded into the code).  Use VSCODE_CACHE_VERSION to
@@ -200,9 +196,11 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/cache@v3
         with:
           path: lib/vscode-reh-web-*
-          key: vscode-reh-package-${{ secrets.VSCODE_CACHE_VERSION }}-${{ steps.vscode-rev.outputs.rev }}-${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}-${{ hashFiles('patches/*.diff', 'ci/build/build-vscode.sh') }}
+          key: vscode-reh-package-${{ secrets.VSCODE_CACHE_VERSION }}-${{ steps.vscode-rev.outputs.rev }}-${{ hashFiles('patches/*.diff', 'ci/build/build-vscode.sh') }}
 
       - name: Build vscode
+        env:
+          VERSION: "0.0.0"
         if: steps.cache-vscode.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
         run: yarn build:vscode
 
@@ -261,6 +259,12 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run ./ci/steps/publish-npm.sh
         run: yarn publish:npm
         env:
+          # NOTE@jsjoeio
+          # This is because npm enforces semantic versioning
+          # so it has to be a valid version. We only use this
+          # to publish dev versions from prs
+          # and beta versions from main.
+          VERSION: "0.0.0"
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           NPM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
           # NOTE@jsjoeio
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yaml b/.github/workflows/publish.yaml
index a5bf2d11c..de50fd07f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yaml
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ on:
   # Shows the manual trigger in GitHub UI
   # helpful as a back-up in case the GitHub Actions Workflow fails
   workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: The version to publish (include "v", i.e. "v4.9.1").
+        type: string
+        required: true
 
   release:
     types: [released]
@@ -24,21 +29,25 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout code-server
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
-      - name: Get version
-        id: version
-        run: echo "::set-output name=version::$(jq -r .version package.json)"
-
       - name: Download npm package from release artifacts
         uses: robinraju/release-downloader@v1.5
         with:
           repository: "coder/code-server"
-          tag: v${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+          tag: ${{ github.event.inputs.version || github.ref_name }}
           fileName: "package.tar.gz"
           out-file-path: "release-npm-package"
 
+      # NOTE@jsjoeio - we do this so we can strip out the v
+      # i.e. v4.9.1 -> 4.9.1
+      - name: Get and set VERSION
+        run: |
+          TAG="${{ github.event.inputs.version || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "VERSION=${TAG#v}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Publish npm package and tag with "latest"
         run: yarn publish:npm
         env:
+          VERSION: ${{ env.VERSION }}
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           NPM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
           NPM_ENVIRONMENT: "production"
@@ -62,9 +71,18 @@ jobs:
           git config --global user.name cdrci
           git config --global user.email opensource@coder.com
 
+      # NOTE@jsjoeio - we do this so we can strip out the v
+      # i.e. v4.9.1 -> 4.9.1
+      - name: Get and set VERSION
+        run: |
+          TAG="${{ github.event.inputs.version || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "VERSION=${TAG#v}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Bump code-server homebrew version
         env:
+          VERSION: ${{ env.VERSION }}
           HOMEBREW_GITHUB_API_TOKEN: ${{secrets.HOMEBREW_GITHUB_API_TOKEN}}
+
         run: ./ci/steps/brew-bump.sh
 
   aur:
@@ -73,6 +91,7 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 10
     env:
       GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.HOMEBREW_GITHUB_API_TOKEN }}
+
     steps:
       # We need to checkout code-server so we can get the version
       - name: Checkout code-server
@@ -81,13 +100,6 @@ jobs:
           fetch-depth: 0
           path: "./code-server"
 
-      - name: Get code-server version
-        id: version
-        run: |
-          pushd code-server
-          echo "::set-output name=version::$(jq -r .version package.json)"
-          popd
-
       - name: Checkout code-server-aur repo
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
         with:
@@ -106,10 +118,17 @@ jobs:
           git config --global user.name cdrci
           git config --global user.email opensource@coder.com
 
+      # NOTE@jsjoeio - we do this so we can strip out the v
+      # i.e. v4.9.1 -> 4.9.1
+      - name: Get and set VERSION
+        run: |
+          TAG="${{ github.event.inputs.version || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "VERSION=${TAG#v}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Validate package
         uses: hapakaien/archlinux-package-action@v2
         with:
-          pkgver: ${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+          pkgver: ${{ env.VERSION }}
           updpkgsums: true
           srcinfo: true
 
@@ -147,19 +166,23 @@ jobs:
           username: ${{ github.actor }}
           password: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
-      - name: Get version
-        id: version
-        run: echo "::set-output name=version::$(jq -r .version package.json)"
+      # NOTE@jsjoeio - we do this so we can strip out the v
+      # i.e. v4.9.1 -> 4.9.1
+      - name: Get and set VERSION
+        run: |
+          TAG="${{ github.event.inputs.version || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "VERSION=${TAG#v}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       - name: Download release artifacts
         uses: robinraju/release-downloader@v1.5
         with:
           repository: "coder/code-server"
-          tag: v${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+          tag: v${{ env.VERSION }}
           fileName: "*.deb"
           out-file-path: "release-packages"
 
       - name: Publish to Docker
         run: yarn publish:docker
         env:
+          VERSION: ${{ env.VERSION }}
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
index 2d61cc07d..906bf2234 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@ name: Draft release
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: The version to publish (include "v", i.e. "v4.9.1").
+        type: string
+        required: true
 
 permissions:
   contents: write # For creating releases.
@@ -21,6 +26,7 @@ jobs:
     name: x86-64 Linux build
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 15
+    needs: npm-version
     container: "centos:7"
     env:
       CODECOV_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}
@@ -51,15 +57,10 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install yarn
         run: npm install -g yarn
 
-      - name: Download artifacts
-        uses: dawidd6/action-download-artifact@v2
-        id: download
+      - name: Download npm package
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
         with:
-          branch: ${{ github.ref }}
-          workflow: build.yaml
-          workflow_conclusion: completed
-          check_artifacts: true
-          name: npm-package
+          name: npm-release-package
 
       - name: Decompress npm package
         run: tar -xzf package.tar.gz
@@ -91,7 +92,16 @@ jobs:
           token: ${{ secrets.CODECOV_TOKEN }}
         if: success()
 
+      # NOTE@jsjoeio - we do this so we can strip out the v
+      # i.e. v4.9.1 -> 4.9.1
+      - name: Get and set VERSION
+        run: |
+          TAG="${{ inputs.version || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "VERSION=${TAG#v}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Build packages with nfpm
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ env.VERSION }}
         run: yarn package
 
       - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
@@ -123,6 +133,7 @@ jobs:
     name: Linux cross-compile builds
     runs-on: ubuntu-18.04
     timeout-minutes: 15
+    needs: npm-version
     strategy:
       matrix:
         include:
@@ -159,15 +170,10 @@ jobs:
         env:
           PACKAGE: ${{ format('g++-{0}', matrix.prefix) }}
 
-      - name: Download artifacts
-        uses: dawidd6/action-download-artifact@v2
-        id: download
+      - name: Download npm package
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
         with:
-          branch: ${{ github.ref }}
-          workflow: build.yaml
-          workflow_conclusion: completed
-          check_artifacts: true
-          name: npm-package
+          name: npm-release-package
 
       - name: Decompress npm package
         run: tar -xzf package.tar.gz
@@ -181,7 +187,16 @@ jobs:
           tar -xf node-${NODE_VERSION}-linux-${NPM_CONFIG_ARCH}.tar.xz node-${NODE_VERSION}-linux-${NPM_CONFIG_ARCH}/bin/node --strip-components=2
           mv ./node ./release-standalone/lib/node
 
+      # NOTE@jsjoeio - we do this so we can strip out the v
+      # i.e. v4.9.1 -> 4.9.1
+      - name: Get and set VERSION
+        run: |
+          TAG="${{ inputs.version || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "VERSION=${TAG#v}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Build packages with nfpm
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ env.VERSION }}
         run: yarn package ${NPM_CONFIG_ARCH}
 
       - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
@@ -194,6 +209,7 @@ jobs:
     name: x86-64 macOS build
     runs-on: macos-latest
     timeout-minutes: 15
+    needs: npm-version
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repo
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
@@ -209,15 +225,10 @@ jobs:
           curl -sSfL https://github.com/goreleaser/nfpm/releases/download/v2.3.1/nfpm_2.3.1_`uname -s`_`uname -m`.tar.gz | tar -C ~/.local/bin -zxv nfpm
           echo "$HOME/.local/bin" >> $GITHUB_PATH
 
-      - name: Download artifacts
-        uses: dawidd6/action-download-artifact@v2
-        id: download
+      - name: Download npm package
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
         with:
-          branch: ${{ github.ref }}
-          workflow: build.yaml
-          workflow_conclusion: completed
-          check_artifacts: true
-          name: npm-package
+          name: npm-release-package
 
       - name: Decompress npm package
         run: tar -xzf package.tar.gz
@@ -241,7 +252,16 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run native module tests on standalone release
         run: yarn test:native
 
+      # NOTE@jsjoeio - we do this so we can strip out the v
+      # i.e. v4.9.1 -> 4.9.1
+      - name: Get and set VERSION
+        run: |
+          TAG="${{ inputs.version || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "VERSION=${TAG#v}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: Build packages with nfpm
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ env.VERSION }}
         run: yarn package
 
       - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
@@ -254,6 +274,23 @@ jobs:
     name: Upload npm package
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 15
+    needs: npm-version
+    steps:
+      - name: Download npm package
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v3
+        with:
+          name: npm-release-package
+
+      - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
+        with:
+          draft: true
+          discussion_category_name: "📣 Announcements"
+          files: ./package.tar.gz
+
+  npm-version:
+    name: Modify package.json version
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 15
     steps:
       - name: Download artifacts
         uses: dawidd6/action-download-artifact@v2
@@ -265,8 +302,32 @@ jobs:
           check_artifacts: true
           name: npm-package
 
-      - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
+      - name: Decompress npm package
+        run: tar -xzf package.tar.gz
+
+      # NOTE@jsjoeio - we do this so we can strip out the v
+      # i.e. v4.9.1 -> 4.9.1
+      - name: Get and set VERSION
+        run: |
+          TAG="${{ inputs.version || github.ref_name }}"
+          echo "VERSION=${TAG#v}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Modify version
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ env.VERSION )}}
+        run: |
+          echo "Updating version in root package.json"
+          npm version --prefix release "$VERSION"
+
+          echo "Updating version in lib/vscode/product.json"
+          tmp=$(mktemp) 
+          jq '.codeServerVersion = "$VERSION"' release/lib/vscode/product.json > "$tmp" && mv "$tmp" release/lib/vscode/product.json
+
+      - name: Compress release package
+        run: tar -czf package.tar.gz release
+
+      - name: Upload npm package artifact
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
         with:
-          draft: true
-          discussion_category_name: "📣 Announcements"
-          files: ./package.tar.gz
+          name: npm-release-package
+          path: ./package.tar.gz
diff --git a/ci/build/nfpm.yaml b/ci/build/nfpm.yaml
index ae9d69c35..db5cbcf5f 100644
--- a/ci/build/nfpm.yaml
+++ b/ci/build/nfpm.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ platform: "linux"
 version: "v${VERSION}"
 section: "devel"
 priority: "optional"
-maintainer: "Anmol Sethi <hi@nhooyr.io>"
+maintainer: "Joe Previte <joe@coder.com>"
 description: |
   Run VS Code in the browser.
 vendor: "Coder"
diff --git a/ci/build/release-prep.sh b/ci/build/release-prep.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 0960414ca..000000000
--- a/ci/build/release-prep.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,103 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Description: This is a script to make the release process easier
-# Run it with `yarn release:prep` and it will do the following:
-# 1. Check that you have gh installed and that you're signed in
-# 2. Update the version of code-server (package.json, docs, etc.)
-# 3. Update the code coverage badge in the README
-# 4. Open a draft PR using the release_template.md and view in browser
-# If you want to perform a dry run of this script run DRY_RUN=1 yarn release:prep
-
-set -euo pipefail
-
-CHECKMARK="\xE2\x9C\x94"
-DASH="-"
-
-main() {
-  if [ "${DRY_RUN-}" = 1 ]; then
-    echo "Performing a dry run..."
-    CMD="echo"
-  else
-    CMD=''
-  fi
-
-  cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.."
-
-  # Check that gh is installed
-  if ! command -v gh &> /dev/null; then
-    echo "gh could not be found."
-    echo "We use this with the release-github-draft.sh and release-github-assets.sh scripts."
-    echo -e "See docs here: https://github.com/cli/cli#installation"
-    exit
-  fi
-
-  # Check that they have jq installed
-  if ! command -v jq &> /dev/null; then
-    echo "jq could not be found."
-    echo "We use this to parse the package.json and grab the current version of code-server."
-    echo -e "See docs here: https://stedolan.github.io/jq/download/"
-    exit
-  fi
-
-  # Check that they have rg installed
-  if ! command -v rg &> /dev/null; then
-    echo "rg could not be found."
-    echo "We use this when updating files across the codebase."
-    echo -e "See docs here: https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep#installation"
-    exit
-  fi
-
-  # Check that they have node installed
-  if ! command -v node &> /dev/null; then
-    echo "node could not be found."
-    echo "That's surprising..."
-    echo "We use it in this script for getting the package.json version"
-    echo -e "See docs here: https://nodejs.org/en/download/"
-    exit
-  fi
-
-  # Check that gh is authenticated
-  if ! gh auth status -h github.com &> /dev/null; then
-    echo "gh isn't authenticated to github.com."
-    echo "This is needed for our scripts that use gh."
-    echo -e "See docs regarding authentication: https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_auth_login"
-    exit
-  fi
-
-  # Note: we need to set upstream as well or the gh pr create step will fail
-  # See: https://github.com/cli/cli/issues/575
-  CURRENT_BRANCH=$(git branch | grep '\*' | cut -d' ' -f2-)
-  if [[ -z $(git config "branch.${CURRENT_BRANCH}.remote") ]]; then
-    echo "Doesn't look like you've pushed this branch to remote"
-    # Note: we need to set upstream as well or the gh pr create step will fail
-    # See: https://github.com/cli/cli/issues/575
-    echo "Please set the upstream and then run the script"
-    exit 1
-  fi
-
-  # credit to jakwuh for this solution
-  # https://gist.github.com/DarrenN/8c6a5b969481725a4413#gistcomment-1971123
-  CODE_SERVER_CURRENT_VERSION=$(node -pe "require('./package.json').version")
-  # Ask which version we should update to
-  # In the future, we'll automate this and determine the latest version automatically
-  echo -e "$DASH Current version: ${CODE_SERVER_CURRENT_VERSION}"
-  # The $'\n' adds a line break. See: https://stackoverflow.com/a/39581815/3015595
-  CODE_SERVER_VERSION_TO_UPDATE=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | perl -pe '($_)=/([0-9]+([.][0-9]+)+)/')
-  echo -e "$CHECKMARK Version in branch name"
-  echo -e "$CHECKMARK Updating to: $CODE_SERVER_VERSION_TO_UPDATE"
-
-  $CMD rg -g '!yarn.lock' -g '!*.svg' -g '!CHANGELOG.md' -g '!lib/vscode/**' --files-with-matches --fixed-strings "${CODE_SERVER_CURRENT_VERSION}" | $CMD xargs sd "$CODE_SERVER_CURRENT_VERSION" "$CODE_SERVER_VERSION_TO_UPDATE"
-
-  $CMD git commit --no-verify -am "chore(release): bump version to $CODE_SERVER_VERSION_TO_UPDATE"
-
-  # This runs from the root so that's why we use this path vs. ../../
-  RELEASE_TEMPLATE_STRING=$(cat ./.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/release_template.md)
-
-  echo -e "\nOpening a draft PR on GitHub"
-  # To read about these flags, visit the docs: https://cli.github.com/manual/gh_pr_create
-  $CMD gh pr create --base main --title "release: $CODE_SERVER_VERSION_TO_UPDATE" --body "$RELEASE_TEMPLATE_STRING" --reviewer @coder/code-server --repo coder/code-server --draft --assignee "@me"
-
-  # Open PR in browser
-  $CMD gh pr view --web
-}
-
-main "$@"
diff --git a/ci/lib.sh b/ci/lib.sh
index 789ccb001..2b5023fd1 100755
--- a/ci/lib.sh
+++ b/ci/lib.sh
@@ -9,10 +9,6 @@ popd() {
   builtin popd > /dev/null
 }
 
-pkg_json_version() {
-  jq -r .version package.json
-}
-
 vscode_version() {
   jq -r .version lib/vscode/package.json
 }
@@ -48,8 +44,6 @@ rsync() {
   command rsync -a --del "$@"
 }
 
-VERSION="$(pkg_json_version)"
-export VERSION
 ARCH="$(arch)"
 export ARCH
 OS=$(os)
diff --git a/ci/steps/docker-buildx-push.sh b/ci/steps/docker-buildx-push.sh
index ebe86047c..6314063ff 100755
--- a/ci/steps/docker-buildx-push.sh
+++ b/ci/steps/docker-buildx-push.sh
@@ -3,9 +3,8 @@ set -euo pipefail
 
 main() {
   cd "$(dirname "$0")/../.."
-  # ci/lib.sh sets VERSION so it's available to ci/release-image/docker-bake.hcl
-  # to push the VERSION tag.
-  source ./ci/lib.sh
+  # NOTE@jsjoeio - this script assumes VERSION exists as an
+  # environment variable.
 
   # NOTE@jsjoeio - this script assumes that you've downloaded
   # the release-packages artifact to ./release-packages before
diff --git a/ci/steps/publish-npm.sh b/ci/steps/publish-npm.sh
index cdbdb1361..468dc98ba 100755
--- a/ci/steps/publish-npm.sh
+++ b/ci/steps/publish-npm.sh
@@ -19,12 +19,6 @@ main() {
   # This is because npm won't publish your package unless it's a new version.
   # i.e. for development, we bump the version to <current version>-<pr number>-<commit sha>
   # example: "version": "4.0.1-4769-ad7b23cfe6ffd72914e34781ef7721b129a23040"
-  # We need the current package.json VERSION
-  if ! is_env_var_set "VERSION"; then
-    echo "VERSION is not set. Cannot publish to npm without VERSION."
-    exit 1
-  fi
-
   # We use this to grab the PR_NUMBER
   if ! is_env_var_set "GITHUB_REF"; then
     echo "GITHUB_REF is not set. Are you running this locally? We rely on values provided by GitHub."
@@ -102,6 +96,7 @@ main() {
       # This means the npm version will be tagged with "beta"
       # and installed when a user runs `yarn install code-server@beta`
       NPM_TAG="beta"
+      PACKAGE_NAME="@coder/code-server-pr"
     fi
 
     if [[ "$NPM_ENVIRONMENT" == "development" ]]; then
diff --git a/docs/MAINTAINING.md b/docs/MAINTAINING.md
index 6ce83d493..31c5c9250 100644
--- a/docs/MAINTAINING.md
+++ b/docs/MAINTAINING.md
@@ -142,16 +142,16 @@ changelog](https://github.com/emacs-mirror/emacs/blob/master/etc/NEWS).
 
 ### Publishing a release
 
-1. Create a new branch called `release/v0.0.0` (replace 0s with actual version aka v4.5.0)
-1. Run `yarn release:prep`
-1. Bump chart version in `Chart.yaml`.
-1. Summarize the major changes in the `CHANGELOG.md`
-1. Download CI artifacts and make sure code-server works locally.
-1. Merge PR and wait for CI build on `main` to finish.
-1. Go to GitHub Actions > Draft release > Run workflow off `main`. CI will automatically upload the artifacts to the release.
-1. Add the release notes from the `CHANGELOG.md` and publish release. CI will automatically grab the
+1. Go to GitHub Actions > Draft release > Run workflow off commit you want to
+   release. CI will automatically upload the artifacts to the release. Make sure CI
+   has finished on that commit.
+1. CI will automatically grab the
    artifacts, publish the NPM package from `npm-package`, and publish the Docker
    Hub image from `release-images`.
+1. Publish release.
+1. After, create a new branch called `release/v0.0.0` (replace 0s with actual version aka v4.5.0)
+1. Summarize the major changes in the `CHANGELOG.md`
+1. Bump chart version in `Chart.yaml`.
 
 #### Release Candidates
 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index e083c2e71..df72dfc7f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "code-server",
   "license": "MIT",
-  "version": "4.8.3",
+  "version": "0.0.0",
   "description": "Run VS Code on a remote server.",
   "homepage": "https://github.com/coder/code-server",
   "bugs": {