diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index c6f0b5a..5e9d8b2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -111,10 +111,14 @@ jobs:
           REF="${{ github.ref }}"
           IS_RELEASE="false"
 
-          # Base version from the nearest vX.Y.Z tag (strips the 'v' prefix)
-          BASE_VERSION="$(git describe --tags --match 'v*' --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null | sed 's/^v//' || echo '0.0.0')"
+          # Base version: nearest ancestor v* tag, stripping the 'v' prefix and any
+          # pre-release suffix (e.g. v2.3.0-pre → 2.3.0). This lets us use anchor
+          # tags like v2.3.0-pre to set the version series without triggering a release.
+          BASE_VERSION="$(git describe --tags --match 'v*' --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null \
+            | sed 's/^v//' | sed 's/[^0-9.].*$//' || echo '0.0.0')"
 
-          if [[ "$REF" == refs/tags/v* ]]; then
+          # Only an exact vX.Y.Z tag (no suffix) is a stable release.
+          if [[ "$REF" =~ ^refs/tags/v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
             VERSION="${REF#refs/tags/v}"
             CHANNEL="stable"
             CLOUDSMITH_REPO="truenas-proxmox"