diff --git a/.github/workflows/create-release-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/create-release-pr.yml
index ed2873a5..2e8c65ff 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/create-release-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/create-release-pr.yml
@@ -95,10 +95,17 @@ jobs:
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_PAT || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
         run: |
+          export IS_PRERELEASE=$(node scripts/semver-is-prerelease.mjs ${{ steps.project-meta.outputs.next-version }});
+
+          export START_ARG="--latest";
+          if [ "true" == "$IS_PRERELEASE" ]; then
+            export START_ARG="--unreleased";
+          fi
+
           git cliff \
             --repository=${{ github.workspace }}/.git \
             --config=./cliff.toml \
-            --latest \
+            $START_ARG \
             --tag=${{ steps.project-meta.outputs.next-version }} \
             --prepend=CHANGELOG.md
 
@@ -106,7 +113,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Create release prep PR
         uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@271a8d0340265f705b14b6d32b9829c1cb33d45e # v7.0.8
         with:
-          branch: prep-release-${{ steps.project-meta.outputs.project}}-v${{ steps.project-meta.outputs.next-version }}
+          branch: prep-release-v${{ steps.project-meta.outputs.next-version }}
           token: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_PAT || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           commit-message: |
             release: componentize-js v${{ steps.project-meta.outputs.next-version }}
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8b137891..e55b78a1 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1 +1,33 @@
+# Changelog
 
+## [0.18.3-rc.0] - 2025-06-27
+
+### 🚀 Features
+
+* *(ci)* add release automation (#226) by @vados-cosmonic in #226
+
+
+### 🐛 Bug Fixes
+
+* *(ops)* add CHANGELOG.md (#229) by @vados-cosmonic in #229
+
+* do not skip wasi:http export processing (#218) by @vados-cosmonic in #218
+
+* *(ci)* use a local test server for fetch test (#207) by @vados-cosmonic in #207
+
+
+### 🚜 Refactor
+
+* componentize code (#203) by @vados-cosmonic in #203
+
+* *(splicer)* add explicit error for invalid WIT source (#219) by @vados-cosmonic in #219
+
+
+### ⚙️ Miscellaneous Tasks
+
+* add CHANGELOG.md (#227) by @vados-cosmonic in #227
+
+* *(deps)* update upstream wasm deps to *.227.1 (#204) by @vados-cosmonic in #204
+
+
+## [0.18.2] - 2025-04-09
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index fd668696..9516db99 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@bytecodealliance/componentize-js",
-  "version": "0.18.2",
+  "version": "0.18.3-rc.0",
   "homepage": "https://github.com/bytecodealliance/componentize-js#readme",
   "description": "ESM -> WebAssembly Component creator, via a SpiderMonkey JS engine embedding",
   "type": "module",
diff --git a/src/cli.js b/src/cli.js
index 79d472c8..0caf6594 100755
--- a/src/cli.js
+++ b/src/cli.js
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ export async function componentizeCmd (jsSource, opts) {
 }
 
 program
-  .version('0.18.2')
+  .version('0.18.3-rc.0')
   .description('Create a component from a JavaScript module')
   .usage('<js-source> --wit wit-world.wit -o <component-path>')
   .argument('<js-source>', 'JS source file to build')