diff --git a/.github/workflows/version.yml b/.github/workflows/version.yml
index a88325a..2d59fdd 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/version.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/version.yml
@@ -45,9 +45,24 @@ on:
         type: string
         required: false
         default: 'dev'
+      force-stable:
+        description: 'Cut a stable release even on non-default branches (skips the --prerelease flag). Use when a non-default branch should own version cutting and the default branch acts as a deploy-only rubber stamp.'
+        type: boolean
+        required: false
+        default: false
+      create-rc-baseline:
+        description: 'After a stable release on the default branch, auto-create the next-minor RC prerelease tag on rc-branch. Set to false when the RC line is not maintained (e.g. when force-stable is used elsewhere).'
+        type: boolean
+        required: false
+        default: true
+      expose-latest-on-noops:
+        description: 'When semrel exits without cutting a new tag (rubber-stamp merges into a branch where the release already exists), still expose the latest stable release as outputs.version. Prevents downstream build/deploy/announce steps from falling back to a stale git-describe result across a divergent merge.'
+        type: boolean
+        required: false
+        default: false
     outputs:
       version:
-        description: 'The version produced, or empty if no release was cut.'
+        description: 'The version produced, or empty if no release was cut (unless expose-latest-on-noops is true, in which case the latest stable tag is exposed).'
         value: ${{ jobs.release.outputs.version }}
 
 jobs:
@@ -109,10 +124,19 @@ jobs:
           RC_LINE: ${{ steps.detect.outputs.rc-line }}
           WITH_CHANGELOG_DEFAULT: ${{ inputs.changelog-on-default }}
           WITH_CHANGELOG_RC: ${{ inputs.changelog-on-rc }}
+          FORCE_STABLE: ${{ inputs.force-stable }}
         run: |
           set -- --token "$GH_TOKEN" --version-file --allow-no-changes
-          if [ "$CURRENT_REF" != "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" ] && [ -n "$RC_LINE" ]; then
-            set -- "$@" --prerelease --maintained-version "$RC_LINE"
+          if [ "$CURRENT_REF" != "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" ]; then
+            if [ "$FORCE_STABLE" = "true" ]; then
+              # go-semantic-release's condition-github plugin refuses a non-default
+              # branch with "configured to only publish from <default>" unless the
+              # config says otherwise. Override defaultBranch so the condition sees
+              # branch==defaultBranch and proceeds.
+              set -- "$@" --ci-condition-opt "defaultBranch=$CURRENT_REF"
+            elif [ -n "$RC_LINE" ]; then
+              set -- "$@" --prerelease --maintained-version "$RC_LINE"
+            fi
           fi
           if { [ "$CURRENT_REF" = "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" ] && [ "$WITH_CHANGELOG_DEFAULT" = "true" ]; } || \
              { [ "$CURRENT_REF" != "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" ] && [ "$WITH_CHANGELOG_RC" = "true" ]; }; then
@@ -122,8 +146,27 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Expose version
         id: version
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          EXPOSE_LATEST_ON_NOOP: ${{ inputs.expose-latest-on-noops }}
         run: |
-          if [ -f .version ]; then echo "version=$(cat .version)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"; fi
+          if [ -f .version ]; then
+            echo "version=$(cat .version)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          elif [ "$EXPOSE_LATEST_ON_NOOP" = "true" ]; then
+            # Rubber-stamp path: semrel found no bump because the tag already
+            # exists on a merged branch. `git describe` on divergent histories
+            # can pick the wrong tag by rev-list distance, so read from GH
+            # releases instead — same source semrel itself used.
+            latest=$(gh release list \
+              --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" \
+              --exclude-pre-releases \
+              --limit 1 \
+              --json tagName \
+              --jq '.[0].tagName' | sed 's/^v//')
+            if [ -n "$latest" ]; then
+              echo "version=$latest" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            fi
+          fi
 
       - name: Commit changelog
         if: |
@@ -141,7 +184,9 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
       - name: Create next RC baseline
-        if: github.ref_name == github.event.repository.default_branch
+        if: |
+          inputs.create-rc-baseline &&
+          github.ref_name == github.event.repository.default_branch
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           RC_BRANCH: ${{ inputs.rc-branch }}