diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b850dab40..09c85852f 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 All notable changes to Bambuddy will be documented in this file.
 
+## [0.2.5b1] - Unreleased
+
 ## [0.2.4.1] - 2026-05-16
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/backend/app/core/config.py b/backend/app/core/config.py
index cda45f22c..2fab2f3dc 100644
--- a/backend/app/core/config.py
+++ b/backend/app/core/config.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from pydantic_settings import BaseSettings
 
 # Application version - single source of truth
-APP_VERSION = "0.2.4.1"
+APP_VERSION = "0.2.5b1"
 GITHUB_REPO = "maziggy/bambuddy"
 BUG_REPORT_RELAY_URL = os.environ.get("BUG_REPORT_RELAY_URL", "https://bambuddy.cool/api/bug-report")