diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
index afcf4a46..1e1f73eb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -2,17 +2,9 @@ name: release
 
 on:
   push:
-    # only for release and release candidates
-    # release-XX.YY.ZZ
-    # release-XX.YY.ZZ-rc-something
     tags:
       - "v[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+"
       - "v[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+-rc.[0-9]+"
-    branches:
-      - release-[0-9]+.[0-9]+
-      - release-[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+
-      - release-[0-9]+.[0-9]+-rc-[0-9]+
-      - release-[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+-rc-[0-9]+
 
 defaults:
   run:
@@ -24,7 +16,6 @@ env:
 jobs:
   begin-notification:
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
-    if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v') }}
     steps:
       - name: release/checkout-repo
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
@@ -39,6 +30,8 @@ jobs:
 
   build-linux:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest-4-cores
+    needs:
+      - begin-notification
     steps:
       - name: release/checkout-repo
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
@@ -73,6 +66,8 @@ jobs:
 
   build-msi-installer:
     runs-on: windows-2022
+    needs:
+      - begin-notification
     steps:
       - name: release/checkout-repo
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
@@ -120,6 +115,8 @@ jobs:
 
   build-mac-installer:
     runs-on: macos-12
+    needs:
+      - begin-notification
     steps:
       - name: release/checkout-repo
         uses: actions/checkout@ac593985615ec2ede58e132d2e21d2b1cbd6127c # v3.3.0
@@ -160,6 +157,8 @@ jobs:
 
   mac-app-store-preflight:
     runs-on: macos-12
+    needs:
+      - begin-notification
     env:
       MAS_PROFILE: ${{ secrets.MM_DESKTOP_MAC_APP_STORE_MAS_PROFILE }}
       MACOS_API_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.MM_DESKTOP_MAC_APP_STORE_MACOS_API_KEY_ID }}
@@ -190,7 +189,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: release/package
         run: npm run package:mas
       - name: release/publish
-        if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v') }}
         run: fastlane publish_test path:"$(find . -name \*.pkg -print -quit)"
 
   upload-to-s3:
@@ -218,7 +216,6 @@ jobs:
 
   github-release:
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
-    if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v') }}
     needs:
       - upload-to-s3
     steps:
@@ -246,7 +243,6 @@ jobs:
 
   end-notification:
     runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
-    if: ${{ startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v') }}
     needs:
       - github-release
     steps: