diff --git a/.github/actions/version-update/action.yml b/.github/actions/version-update/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7b084a5726a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/version-update/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+name: "Branch Version Update"
+description: "Creates a PR to update the version of a specific branch."
+
+# The target branch when starting this workflow should be:
+#   "branch/{major}.{minor}.x" if it exists, or "main"
+
+inputs:
+  new_version:
+    description: "Version 'X.Y.Z' for the release branch."
+    type: string
+    required: true
+    default: "0.0.0"
+  target_branch:
+    description: "Target branch for the version update"
+    type: string
+    required: false
+    default: "main"
+  force:
+    description: "Enable overwriting existing PR branches (this does not force overwrite the target branch or skip creating a PR)"
+    type: boolean
+    required: true
+    default: false
+
+runs:
+  using: "composite"
+  steps:
+
+    - name: Checkout the repository
+      uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      with:
+        ref: ${{ inputs.target_branch }}
+
+    - name: Prepare environment
+      id: prepare-env
+      shell: bash --noprofile --norc -euo pipefail {0}
+      run: |
+        log_and_export_vars() {
+          for var in "$@"; do
+            printf "%-15s %s\n" "$var:" "${!var}" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+            echo "${var}=${!var}" | tee -a $GITHUB_ENV | tee -a $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          done
+        }
+
+        full_version=${{ inputs.new_version }}
+        major_version=$(echo ${full_version} | cut -d. -f1)
+        minor_version=$(echo ${full_version} | cut -d. -f2)
+        patch_version=$(echo ${full_version} | cut -d. -f3)
+        branch_name=${{ inputs.target_branch }}
+        enable_force_push="${{ inputs.force }}"
+        pr_title="[Version] Update ${branch_name} to v${full_version}"
+        pr_body="Bump ${branch_name} to ${full_version}."
+        pr_branch="pr/ver/${branch_name}-v${full_version}"
+
+        log_and_export_vars \
+          full_version major_version minor_version patch_version \
+          branch_name pr_title pr_branch pr_body enable_force_push
+
+        echo "Branch ref: $GITHUB_REF" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+        echo "Branch SHA: $GITHUB_SHA" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+        echo "Branch commit: $(git show --oneline --no-patch ${GITHUB_SHA})" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+
+    - name: Verify environment
+      id: verify-env
+      shell: bash --noprofile --norc -euo pipefail {0}
+      run: |
+        # Target branch must already exist
+        if ! git ls-remote --exit-code origin ${branch_name}; then
+          echo "  Target branch must already exist" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          exit 1
+        fi
+
+        #Ensure that target branch version is compatible.
+        if [[ "${branch_name}" =~ ^branch/[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.x$ ]]; then
+          branch_version=$(echo ${branch_name} | cut -d/ -f1 --complement)
+          branch_major=$(echo ${branch_version} | cut -d. -f1)
+          branch_minor=$(echo ${branch_version} | cut -d. -f2)
+          if [ "${branch_major}" != "${major_version}" ]; then
+            echo "  Target branch major version mismatch"
+            exit 1
+          fi;
+          if [ "${branch_minor}" != "${minor_version}" ]; then
+            echo "  Target branch minor version mismatch"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+        fi
+
+        # PR branch must *not* exist
+        if [ "${enable_force_push}" == "false" ]; then
+          if git ls-remote --exit-code origin ${pr_branch}; then
+            echo "  PR branch cannot already exist - Delete branch and retry workflow or enable 'force'" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+            exit 1
+          fi
+        fi
+
+        if [[ ! $full_version =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+          echo "Invalid version number: $full_version"
+          exit 1
+        fi
+
+    - name: Update version numbers in target branch
+      id: create-pr-branch
+      shell: bash --noprofile --norc -euo pipefail {0}
+      run: |
+        git checkout -b ${pr_branch}
+        echo "::group::Running update_version.sh"
+        ./ci/update_version.sh ${major_version} ${minor_version} ${patch_version}
+        echo "::endgroup::"
+
+        if ! git diff --quiet; then
+          echo "::group::Diff"
+          git diff
+          echo "::endgroup::"
+
+          git add .
+
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+          git commit -m "${pr_body}"
+
+          # Push the changes to the release branch:
+          git push --force origin ${pr_branch}
+        fi
+
+    - name: Create pull request for target branch
+      id: create-pr
+      shell: bash --noprofile --norc -euo pipefail {0}
+      run: |
+        gh pr create \
+            -B "${branch_name}" \
+            -b "${pr_body}" \
+            -t "${pr_title}" \
+            -H "${pr_branch}"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-create-new.yml b/.github/workflows/release-create-new.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..c79e04ea6d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-create-new.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2024, NVIDIA CORPORATION & AFFILIATES. All rights reserved.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+# http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+name: "Release: 1. Begin Release Cycle"
+
+# The branch or tag selected when starting the workflow should be:
+# 1. "branch/{major}.{minor}.x" if it exists, or
+# 2. The ref to use when branching the release branch.
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      main_version:
+        description: "Next version of main. (x.y.z)"
+        type: string
+        required: true
+
+defaults:
+  run:
+    shell: bash --noprofile --norc -euo pipefail {0}
+
+jobs:
+  create-release-branch:
+    env:
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+    permissions:
+      actions: write
+      contents: write
+      pull-requests: write
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout the repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Prepare environment
+        id: prepare-env
+        run: |
+          log_and_export_vars() {
+            for var in "$@"; do
+              printf "%-15s %s\n" "$var:" "${!var}" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+              echo "${var}=${!var}" | tee -a $GITHUB_ENV | tee -a $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            done
+          }
+
+          repo_version=$(jq -r .full cccl-version.json)
+          main_version=${{ inputs.main_version }}
+
+          if [[ ! $repo_version =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+            echo "Invalid version number: $repo_version"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          if [[ ! $main_version =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]*$ ]]; then
+            echo "Invalid main version number: $main_version"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          major_version=$(echo ${repo_version} | cut -d. -f1)
+          minor_version=$(echo ${repo_version} | cut -d. -f2)
+          patch_version=$(echo ${repo_version} | cut -d. -f3)
+          branch_name="branch/${major_version}.${minor_version}.x"
+
+          main_major_version=$(echo ${main_version} | cut -d. -f1)
+          main_minor_version=$(echo ${main_version} | cut -d. -f2)
+          main_patch_version=$(echo ${main_version} | cut -d. -f3)
+
+          log_and_export_vars \
+            repo_version major_version minor_version patch_version \
+            main_version main_major_version main_minor_version main_patch_version \
+            branch_name
+
+          echo "Branch ref: $GITHUB_REF" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "Branch SHA: $GITHUB_SHA" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "Branch commit: $(git show --oneline --no-patch ${GITHUB_SHA})" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+
+      - name: Verify environment
+        run: |
+          # If the release branch already exists, it must match the branch point:
+          if git ls-remote --exit-code origin $branch_name; then
+            echo "Branch $branch_name already exists" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+            echo "  GITHUB_REF: $GITHUB_REF" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+            echo "  branch_name: $branch_name" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - name: Create release branch
+        id: create_branch
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+
+          git push origin ${GITHUB_SHA}:"refs/heads/$branch_name"
+          echo "Created branch $branch_name at:" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+
+          git show --oneline --no-patch HEAD | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+
+      - name: Update version numbers in main
+        uses: ./.github/actions/version-update
+        with:
+          new_version: ${{ inputs.main_version }}
+          target_branch: "main"
+
+      - name: Notify Slack
+        if: ${{ success()}}
+        uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1.26.0
+        env:
+          SLACK_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SLACK_NOTIFIER_BOT_TOKEN }}
+          SUMMARY_URL: https://github.com/${{github.repository}}/actions/runs/${{github.run_id}}
+          BRANCH_NAME: ${{ steps.prepare-env.outputs.branch_name }}
+          BRANCH_VERSION: ${{ inputs.branch_version }}
+          MAIN_VERSION: ${{ inputs.main_version }}
+          MAIN_PR_URL: ${{ steps.create_pr.outputs.pull-request-url }}
+        with:
+          channel-id: ${{ secrets.SLACK_CHANNEL_RELEASE_LOG }}
+          slack-message: |
+            A new release cycle has started for `v${{ env.BRANCH_VERSION }}` on `${{ env.BRANCH_NAME }}`.
+
+            If requested, a PR to update `main` to `v${{ env.MAIN_VERSION }}` has been created: ${{ env.MAIN_PR_URL }}.
+
+            Workflow summary: ${{ env.SUMMARY_URL }}
+
+      - name: Notify Slack (failure)
+        if: ${{ failure() }}
+        uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1.26.0
+        env:
+          SLACK_BOT_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SLACK_NOTIFIER_BOT_TOKEN }}
+          SUMMARY_URL: https://github.com/${{github.repository}}/actions/runs/${{github.run_id}}
+          BRANCH_VERSION: ${{ inputs.branch_version }}
+        with:
+          channel-id: ${{ secrets.SLACK_CHANNEL_RELEASE_LOG }}
+          slack-message: |
+            An error has occurred while initiating a new release cycle for `v${{ env.BRANCH_VERSION }}`.
+
+            Details: ${{ env.SUMMARY_URL }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-finalize.yml b/.github/workflows/release-finalize.yml
index 67e2aad6015..a68c3587c4d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-finalize.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-finalize.yml
@@ -142,8 +142,8 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Tag
         run: |
-          git config user.name github-actions
-          git config user.email github-actions@github.com
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
 
           git tag -a -m "CCCL Release ${release_tag}" ${release_tag} ${rc_tag}
           git push origin ${release_tag}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/update-branch-version.yml b/.github/workflows/update-branch-version.yml
index 08f5d7359f5..e2c3b585fbe 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/update-branch-version.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/update-branch-version.yml
@@ -16,8 +16,7 @@
 name: "Release: 0. Update version in target branch"
 
 # The target branch when starting this workflow should be:
-# 1. "branch/{major}.{minor}.x" if it exists, or
-# 2. "main"
+#   "branch/{major}.{minor}.x" if it exists, or "main"
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
@@ -56,108 +55,9 @@ jobs:
         with:
           ref: ${{ inputs.target_branch }}
 
-      - name: Verify run from main
-        id: verify-main
-        run: |
-          # This action can only be run from main.
-          if [[ $GITHUB_REF != refs/heads/main ]]; then
-            echo "  This action may only be run fom main" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-      - name: Prepare environment
-        id: prepare-env
-        run: |
-          log_and_export_vars() {
-            for var in "$@"; do
-              printf "%-15s %s\n" "$var:" "${!var}" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-              echo "${var}=${!var}" | tee -a $GITHUB_ENV | tee -a $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            done
-          }
-
-          full_version=${{ inputs.new_version }}
-          major_version=$(echo ${full_version} | cut -d. -f1)
-          minor_version=$(echo ${full_version} | cut -d. -f2)
-          patch_version=$(echo ${full_version} | cut -d. -f3)
-          branch_name=${{ inputs.target_branch }}
-          enable_force_push="${{ inputs.force }}"
-          pr_title="[Version] Update ${branch_name} to v${full_version}"
-          pr_body="Bump ${branch_name} to ${full_version}."
-          pr_branch="pr/ver/${branch_name}-v${full_version}"
-
-          log_and_export_vars \
-            full_version major_version minor_version patch_version \
-            branch_name pr_title pr_branch pr_body enable_force_push
-
-          echo "Branch ref: $GITHUB_REF" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "Branch SHA: $GITHUB_SHA" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "Branch commit: $(git show --oneline --no-patch ${GITHUB_SHA})" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-
-      - name: Verify environment
-        id: verify-env
-        run: |
-          # Target branch must already exist
-          if ! git ls-remote --exit-code origin ${branch_name}; then
-            echo "  Target branch must already exist" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-          #Ensure that target branch version is compatible.
-          if [[ "${branch_name}" =~ ^branch/[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.x$ ]]; then
-            branch_version=$(echo ${branch_name} | cut -d/ -f1 --complement)
-            branch_major=$(echo ${branch_version} | cut -d. -f1)
-            branch_minor=$(echo ${branch_version} | cut -d. -f2)
-            if [ "${branch_major}" != "${major_version}" ]; then
-              echo "  Target branch major version mismatch"
-              exit 1
-            fi;
-            if [ "${branch_minor}" != "${minor_version}" ]; then
-              echo "  Target branch minor version mismatch"
-              exit 1
-            fi
-          fi
-
-          # PR branch must *not* exist
-          if [ "${enable_force_push}" == "false" ]; then
-            if git ls-remote --exit-code origin ${pr_branch}; then
-              echo "  PR branch cannot already exist - Delete branch and retry workflow or enable 'force'" | tee -a $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-              exit 1
-            fi
-          fi
-
-          if [[ ! $full_version =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
-            echo "Invalid version number: $full_version"
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-      - name: Update version numbers in target branch
-        id: create-pr-branch
-        run: |
-          git checkout -b ${pr_branch}
-          echo "::group::Running update_version.sh"
-          ./ci/update_version.sh ${major_version} ${minor_version} ${patch_version}
-          echo "::endgroup::"
-
-          if ! git diff --quiet; then
-            echo "::group::Diff"
-            git diff
-            echo "::endgroup::"
-
-            git add .
-
-            git config user.name github-actions
-            git config user.email github-actions@github.com
-            git commit -m "${pr_body}"
-
-            # Push the changes to the release branch:
-            git push --force origin ${pr_branch}
-          fi
-
-      - name: Create pull request for target branch
-        id: create-pr
-        run: |
-          gh pr create \
-              -B "${branch_name}" \
-              -b "${pr_body}" \
-              -t "${pr_title}" \
-              -H "${pr_branch}"
+      - name: Update version
+        uses: ./.github/actions/version-update
+        with:
+          new_version: ${{ inputs.new_version }}
+          target_branch: ${{ inputs.target_branch }}
+          force: ${{ inputs.force }}