diff --git a/.github/scripts/release-workflow.js b/.github/scripts/release-workflow.js
index 205b519..393c3b7 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/release-workflow.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/release-workflow.js
@@ -26,9 +26,16 @@ function releaseContext(env = process.env) {
     githubRef: env.GITHUB_REF || "",
     githubRepository: env.GITHUB_REPOSITORY || "",
     githubSha: env.GITHUB_SHA || "",
+    refInput: env.REF_INPUT || "",
   };
 }
 
+function effectiveRef(ctx) {
+  if (ctx.refInput) return ctx.refInput;
+  const match = ctx.githubRef.match(/^refs\/heads\/(.+)$/);
+  return match ? match[1] : null;
+}
+
 function validateDispatch(env = process.env) {
   const ctx = releaseContext(env);
 
@@ -49,6 +56,11 @@ function validateDispatch(env = process.env) {
     return ctx;
   }
 
+  const ref = effectiveRef(ctx);
+  if (!ctx.prerelease && ref && ref !== "main") {
+    fail(`stable releases require ref 'main'; use a prerelease version for branch '${ref}'`);
+  }
+
   if (ctx.prerelease) {
     if (!ctx.githubRef.startsWith("refs/heads/") && ctx.githubRef !== ctx.tagRef) {
       fail(`prerelease must be dispatched from a branch or ${ctx.tagRef}`);
@@ -179,23 +191,27 @@ function tagAndDispatch(env = process.env) {
   if (!ctx.githubRef.startsWith("refs/heads/")) {
     fail("tag-and-dispatch must be dispatched from a branch");
   }
-  if (!ctx.prerelease && ctx.githubRef !== "refs/heads/main") {
-    fail("stable releases must be dispatched from refs/heads/main");
-  }
   if (!ctx.githubRepository) {
     fail("GITHUB_REPOSITORY must be set");
   }
 
-  assertCheckoutSha(ctx);
-  if (!ctx.prerelease) {
-    assertOriginMainSha(ctx);
+  const isCustomRef = Boolean(ctx.refInput) && ctx.refInput !== "main";
+  const commitSha = isCustomRef
+    ? read("git", ["rev-parse", "HEAD"])
+    : ctx.githubSha;
+
+  if (!isCustomRef) {
+    assertCheckoutSha(ctx);
+    if (!ctx.prerelease) {
+      assertOriginMainSha(ctx);
+    }
   }
   assertLocalTagDoesNotExist(ctx.tag);
   if (remoteTagExists(ctx.tag)) {
     fail(`tag ${ctx.tag} already exists on origin`);
   }
 
-  run("git", ["tag", ctx.tag, ctx.githubSha]);
+  run("git", ["tag", ctx.tag, commitSha]);
   run("git", ["push", "origin", `refs/tags/${ctx.tag}`]);
   run("gh", [
     "workflow",
@@ -217,7 +233,9 @@ function tagAndDispatch(env = process.env) {
 function assertDispatchCheckout(env = process.env) {
   const ctx = validateDispatch(env);
 
-  assertCheckoutSha(ctx);
+  if (!ctx.refInput || ctx.refInput === "main") {
+    assertCheckoutSha(ctx);
+  }
   return ctx;
 }
 
@@ -309,6 +327,7 @@ if (require.main === module) {
 
 module.exports = {
   releaseContext,
+  effectiveRef,
   validateDispatch,
   latestTag,
   resolveVersion,
diff --git a/.github/scripts/release-workflow.test.js b/.github/scripts/release-workflow.test.js
index fa77e27..bf00925 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/release-workflow.test.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/release-workflow.test.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 const assert = require("assert");
 const { normalizeVersion, bumpVersion } = require("./release-version");
-const { validateDispatch, resolveVersion } = require("./release-workflow");
+const { effectiveRef, validateDispatch, resolveVersion } = require("./release-workflow");
 
 function env(overrides) {
   return {
@@ -130,6 +130,57 @@ assert.throws(
   /recovery must be dispatched/
 );
 
+// effectiveRef: returns refInput when set, otherwise branch from githubRef
+assert.strictEqual(
+  effectiveRef({ refInput: "my-branch", githubRef: "refs/heads/main" }),
+  "my-branch"
+);
+assert.strictEqual(
+  effectiveRef({ refInput: "", githubRef: "refs/heads/main" }),
+  "main"
+);
+assert.strictEqual(
+  effectiveRef({ refInput: "", githubRef: "refs/tags/v1.2.3" }),
+  null
+);
+
+// ref input: stable version + non-main ref must fail
+assert.throws(
+  () => validateDispatch(env({ REF_INPUT: "my-branch" })),
+  /stable releases require ref 'main'/
+);
+// ref input: stable version + main ref is fine
+assert.doesNotThrow(() =>
+  validateDispatch(env({ REF_INPUT: "main" }))
+);
+// ref input: stable version + empty ref (default) from main is fine
+assert.doesNotThrow(() =>
+  validateDispatch(env({ REF_INPUT: "" }))
+);
+// ref input: prerelease + non-main ref is fine
+assert.doesNotThrow(() =>
+  validateDispatch(env({
+    VERSION_INPUT: "1.2.3-alpha.1",
+    REF_INPUT: "my-branch",
+  }))
+);
+// dispatch from non-main branch (via dropdown) without ref input: stable version must fail
+assert.throws(
+  () => validateDispatch(env({
+    GITHUB_REF: "refs/heads/feature-branch",
+    REF_INPUT: "",
+  })),
+  /stable releases require ref 'main'/
+);
+// dispatch from non-main branch (via dropdown) with prerelease: fine
+assert.doesNotThrow(() =>
+  validateDispatch(env({
+    VERSION_INPUT: "1.2.3-alpha.1",
+    GITHUB_REF: "refs/heads/feature-branch",
+    REF_INPUT: "",
+  }))
+);
+
 // bumpVersion: level handling and v-prefix tolerance
 assert.strictEqual(bumpVersion("0.0.11", "patch"), "0.0.12");
 assert.strictEqual(bumpVersion("v0.0.11", "patch"), "0.0.12");
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index c4b15bb..a870a8f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name: Release
 
 run-name: >-
-  ${{ inputs.dry_run && 'Release dry-run' || 'Release' }}
+  ${{ inputs.dry_run && 'Release dry-run' || 'Release' }}${{ inputs.version && format(' {0}', inputs.version) || '' }}${{ inputs.ref && format(' (ref: {0})', inputs.ref) || '' }}
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
@@ -11,6 +11,11 @@ on:
         required: false
         default: ""
         type: string
+      ref:
+        description: "Branch to release from (default: dispatch branch). Non-main branches require a prerelease version."
+        required: false
+        default: ""
+        type: string
       bump:
         description: "Bump level when version is blank"
         required: false
@@ -49,7 +54,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-          ref: ${{ github.sha }}
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref || github.sha }}
 
       - name: Resolve release version
         id: resolve
@@ -63,6 +68,7 @@ jobs:
           VERSION_INPUT: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.version }}
           DRY_RUN: ${{ inputs.dry_run }}
           RESUME_EXISTING_NPM: ${{ inputs.resume_existing_npm }}
+          REF_INPUT: ${{ inputs.ref }}
         run: node .github/scripts/release-workflow.js assert-dispatch-checkout
 
   tag_and_dispatch:
@@ -81,7 +87,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-          ref: ${{ github.sha }}
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref || github.sha }}
 
       - name: Create tag and dispatch release run
         env:
@@ -89,6 +95,7 @@ jobs:
           VERSION_INPUT: ${{ needs.validate_dispatch.outputs.version }}
           DRY_RUN: ${{ inputs.dry_run }}
           RESUME_EXISTING_NPM: ${{ inputs.resume_existing_npm }}
+          REF_INPUT: ${{ inputs.ref }}
         run: node .github/scripts/release-workflow.js tag-and-dispatch
 
   dry-run:
@@ -101,13 +108,14 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
-          ref: ${{ github.sha }}
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref || github.sha }}
 
       - name: Assert checkout ref
         env:
           VERSION_INPUT: ${{ needs.validate_dispatch.outputs.version }}
           DRY_RUN: ${{ inputs.dry_run }}
           RESUME_EXISTING_NPM: ${{ inputs.resume_existing_npm }}
+          REF_INPUT: ${{ inputs.ref }}
         run: node .github/scripts/release-workflow.js assert-dispatch-checkout
 
       - uses: actions/setup-go@4a3601121dd01d1626a1e23e37211e3254c1c06c # v6.4.0