diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 2bdd1e1ac7..efa8e0cbbe 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ on:
   push:
     tags:
       - "*"
-      - "!*-rc*"
       - "!*.pr*"
       - "!*b"
 
@@ -18,10 +17,14 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: "ubuntu-20.04"
     env:
       JAVA_OPTS: "-XX:+TieredCompilation -XX:TieredStopAtLevel=1"
+      TAG: ${{ github.ref_name }}
     outputs:
       hash: ${{ steps.hash.outputs.hash }}
       artifact_name: ${{ steps.hash.outputs.artifact_name }}
     steps:
+      - name: Validate version name
+        run: |
+          [[ $TAG =~ jackson-core-[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(-rc[0-9]+)? ]] || exit 1
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
       - name: Set up JDK
         uses: actions/setup-java@v3
@@ -29,7 +32,7 @@ jobs:
           distribution: "temurin"
           java-version: "8"
           cache: "maven"
-          server-id: sonatype-nexus-snapshots
+          server-id: sonatype-nexus-staging
           server-username: CI_DEPLOY_USERNAME
           server-password: CI_DEPLOY_PASSWORD
           # See https://github.com/actions/setup-java/blob/v2/docs/advanced-usage.md#Publishing-using-Apache-Maven
diff --git a/release.sh b/release.sh
index a88c3fc550..a67eee5e79 100755
--- a/release.sh
+++ b/release.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-# This script simulates the Maven Release Plugin, but only performs release:clean and
-# release:prepare. The release:perform step is handled by the CI when the tag is
-# pushed.
+# This script simulates the Maven Release Plugin, but only performs
+# release:clean and release:prepare. The release:perform step is handled by the
+# CI when the tag is pushed.
 #
 # However, release:perform on Git requires the release.properties file. We must
-# therefore modify the first commit created by release:prepare to include this file, and
-# then delete the file in the second commit.
+# therefore modify the first commit created by release:prepare to include this
+# file, and then delete the file in the second commit.
 #
-# This will ensure that release.properties is available to release:perform in the CI,
-# while keeping with the expectation that this file does not get commited (long-term) to
-# the repository.
+# This will ensure that release.properties is available to release:perform in
+# the CI, while keeping with the expectation that this file does not get
+# commited (long-term) to the repository.
 
 set -euo pipefail
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 git reset HEAD~1
 
 # delete tag created by release:prepare
-tag_name=$(git tag --points-at)
+tag_name="$(git tag --points-at)"
 git tag -d "$tag_name"
 
 # Add release.properties to that commit
@@ -31,7 +31,8 @@ git commit --amend --no-edit
 # recreate tag
 git tag "$tag_name" -m "[maven-release-plugin] copy for tag $tag_name"
 
-# Recreate second commit, removing release.properties from the repository
+# Recreate second commit (from release to SNAPSHOT), removing
+# release.properties from the repository
 git rm release.properties
 git add pom.xml
 git commit -m "[maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration"
@@ -40,4 +41,5 @@ git commit -m "[maven-release-plugin] prepare for next development iteration"
 git push
 git push origin "$tag_name"
 
+# clean up
 rm pom.xml.releaseBackup