diff --git a/.github/workflows/prerelease.yml b/.github/workflows/prerelease.yml
index b056a75..2fef290 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/prerelease.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/prerelease.yml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ jobs:
       with:
         fetch-depth: 0
         token: ${{ secrets.PAT }}
+    - run: cargo install cargo-edit --version 0.12.2
     - name: Install Knope
       uses: knope-dev/action@v2.0.0
       with:
@@ -21,5 +22,5 @@ jobs:
         git config --global user.name "${{ github.triggering_actor }}"
         git config --global user.email "${{ github.triggering_actor}}@users.noreply.github.com"
     - name: Prepare Prerelease
-      run: knope release --prerelease-label=rc
+      run: knope release --prerelease-label=rc --verbose
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 96db5dd..01f484a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ jobs:
       with:
         fetch-depth: 0
         token: ${{ secrets.PAT }}
+    - run: cargo install cargo-edit --version 0.12.2
     - name: Install Knope
       uses: knope-dev/action@v2.0.0
       with:
@@ -22,4 +23,4 @@ jobs:
         git config --global user.name "${{ github.triggering_actor }}"
         git config --global user.email "${{ github.triggering_actor}}@users.noreply.github.com"
     - name: Prepare Release
-      run: knope release
+      run: knope release --verbose
diff --git a/crates/opentelemetry-macros/CHANGELOG.md b/crates/opentelemetry-macros/CHANGELOG.md
index ca6bc11..aab53c7 100644
--- a/crates/opentelemetry-macros/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/crates/opentelemetry-macros/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,15 @@
+## 0.3.1-rc.1 (2023-12-18)
+
+### Fixes
+
+#### ci release flow
+
+## 0.3.1-rc.0 (2023-12-18)
+
+### Fixes
+
+#### ci release flow
+
 ## 0.3.0 (2023-12-16)
 
 ### Breaking Changes
diff --git a/crates/opentelemetry-macros/Cargo.toml b/crates/opentelemetry-macros/Cargo.toml
index 2b6722a..61c6663 100644
--- a/crates/opentelemetry-macros/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/opentelemetry-macros/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "pyo3-opentelemetry-macros"
-version = "0.3.0"
+version = "0.3.1-rc.1"
 edition = "2021"
 categories = ["Python bindings", "OpenTelemetry", "Tracing", "Macros"]
 keywords = ["python", "pyo3", "opentelemetry", "tracing"]
diff --git a/crates/opentelemetry/CHANGELOG.md b/crates/opentelemetry/CHANGELOG.md
index bbde6f4..bfc9e53 100644
--- a/crates/opentelemetry/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/crates/opentelemetry/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,21 @@
+## 0.3.1-rc.1 (2023-12-18)
+
+### Fixes
+
+#### update opentelemetry-macros
+
+#### ci release flow
+
+#### force rc
+
+## 0.3.1-rc.0 (2023-12-18)
+
+### Fixes
+
+#### update opentelemetry-macros
+
+#### ci release flow
+
 ## 0.3.0 (2023-12-16)
 
 ### Breaking Changes
diff --git a/crates/opentelemetry/Cargo.toml b/crates/opentelemetry/Cargo.toml
index 07d6fd8..57c0c7f 100644
--- a/crates/opentelemetry/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/opentelemetry/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "pyo3-opentelemetry"
-version = "0.3.0"
+version = "0.3.1-rc.1"
 edition = "2021"
 categories = ["Python bindings", "OpenTelemetry", "Tracing", "Macros"]
 keywords = ["python", "pyo3", "opentelemetry", "tracing"]
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ opentelemetry = { workspace = true }
 opentelemetry_api = { workspace = true }
 opentelemetry_sdk = { workspace = true }
 pyo3 = { workspace = true }
-pyo3-opentelemetry-macros = { path = "../opentelemetry-macros", version = "0.3.0" }
+pyo3-opentelemetry-macros = { path = "../opentelemetry-macros", version = "0.3.1-rc.1" }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 futures-util = "0.3.28"
diff --git a/crates/tracing-subscriber/CHANGELOG.md b/crates/tracing-subscriber/CHANGELOG.md
index 61040d7..642df6d 100644
--- a/crates/tracing-subscriber/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/crates/tracing-subscriber/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,15 @@
+## 0.1.1-rc.1 (2023-12-18)
+
+### Fixes
+
+#### ci release flow
+
+## 0.1.1-rc.0 (2023-12-18)
+
+### Fixes
+
+#### ci release flow
+
 ## 0.1.0 (2023-12-16)
 
 ### Breaking Changes
diff --git a/crates/tracing-subscriber/Cargo.toml b/crates/tracing-subscriber/Cargo.toml
index c2824d7..f555cc6 100644
--- a/crates/tracing-subscriber/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/tracing-subscriber/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "pyo3-tracing-subscriber"
-version = "0.1.0"
+version = "0.1.1-rc.1"
 edition = "2021"
 categories = ["Python bindings", "OpenTelemetry", "Tracing"]
 keywords = ["python", "pyo3", "opentelemetry", "tracing"]
diff --git a/knope.toml b/knope.toml
index f705bbf..11719fd 100644
--- a/knope.toml
+++ b/knope.toml
@@ -21,7 +21,27 @@ type = "PrepareRelease"
 
 [[workflows.steps]]
 type = "Command"
-command = "git commit -m \"chore: prepare release\""
+command = """
+MACROS_VERSION=$(cargo metadata --format-version 1 --no-deps | jq '.packages[] | select(.name=="pyo3-opentelemetry-macros") | .version' -r)
+# Specifying the @VERSION here is required for cargo upgrade to ignore the `path` field for the package.
+cargo upgrade --package pyo3-opentelemetry-macros@$MACROS_VERSION -i allow --recursive false 
+git add crates/opentelemetry/Cargo.toml
+"""
+
+[[workflows.steps]]
+type = "Command"
+# Fail the workflow if there are no staged changes added from the previous `cargo upgrade`
+command = "! git diff --cached --quiet"
+
+[[workflows.steps]]
+type = "Command"
+command = "cargo update -w"
+
+[[workflows.steps]]
+type = "Command"
+# git diff --cached --quiet exits with 0 if there are *no* staged changes.
+# So if it exits with any other code, commit the staged changes
+command = "(git diff --cached --quiet || git commit -m \"chore: prepare new release(s)\")"
 
 [[workflows.steps]]
 type = "Release"
diff --git a/scripts/ci/release.sh b/scripts/ci/release.sh
index 2375c40..51d7da4 100755
--- a/scripts/ci/release.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci/release.sh
@@ -25,11 +25,5 @@ fi
 echo "Running release on branch $GITHUB_REF_NAME (default branch: $DEFAULT_BRANCH)"
 
 git push --tags
-
-if [ -n "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" ]; then
-  # DEFAULT_BRANCH should be defined in .github/workflows/release.yml
-  if [ "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" = "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" ]; then
-    git push -o ci.skip
-  fi
-fi 
+git push -o ci.skip