diff --git a/.github/workflows/manual-release-from-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/manual-release-from-pr.yml
index 5b4292f039..5e6626ebb5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/manual-release-from-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/manual-release-from-pr.yml
@@ -23,12 +23,12 @@ jobs:
           NPM_USERNAME: ${{secrets.NPM_USERNAME}}
         run: npm run release -- --prRelease
       - name: Get commit message
-        run: |
-          echo "commmit_message=$(git log --format=%B -n 1 ${{ github.event.after }})" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        run: | # puts the first line of the last commit message to the commmit_message env var
+          echo "commmit_message=$(git log --format=%B -n 1 ${{ github.event.after }} | head -n 1)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Set up git identity
         if: "startsWith(env.commmit_message, 'chore(release)')"
         run: git config --global user.name "instructure-ui-ci" && git config --global user.email "instructure-ui-ci@instructure.com"
-        # -a -m is needed to make the tag "annotated". Lerna needs annotated tags to work correctly with verisons
+        # -a -m is needed to make the tag "annotated". Lerna needs annotated tags to work correctly with versions
       - name: Add tag
         if: "startsWith(env.commmit_message, 'chore(release)')"
         run: git tag -a v$(./.github/workflows/calculateVersion.sh) -m v$(./.github/workflows/calculateVersion.sh)
diff --git a/.github/workflows/manual-release-to-npm.yml b/.github/workflows/manual-release-to-npm.yml
index 558403d82b..f7554b8beb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/manual-release-to-npm.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/manual-release-to-npm.yml
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ jobs:
           NPM_USERNAME: ${{secrets.NPM_USERNAME}}
         run: npm run release
       - name: Get commit message
-        run: |
-          echo "commmit_message=$(git log --format=%B -n 1 ${{ github.event.after }})" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+        run: | # puts the first line of the last commit message to the commmit_message env var
+          echo "commmit_message=$(git log --format=%B -n 1 ${{ github.event.after }} | head -n 1)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       - name: Set up git identity
         if: "startsWith(env.commmit_message, 'chore(release)')"
         run: git config --global user.name "instructure-ui-ci" && git config --global user.email "instructure-ui-ci@instructure.com"
-        # -a -m is needed to make the tag "annotated". Lerna needs annotated tags to work correctly with verisons
+        # -a -m is needed to make the tag "annotated". Lerna needs annotated tags to work correctly with versions
       - name: Add tag
         if: "startsWith(env.commmit_message, 'chore(release)')"
         run: git tag -a v$(./.github/workflows/calculateVersion.sh) -m v$(./.github/workflows/calculateVersion.sh)