diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/release-pr.yml
index c19557eac8..551cea3f34 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-pr.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,11 @@ jobs:
         name: Get tag
         run: |
           TAG=${GITHUB_REF##*/}
-          DEST=$(echo ${TAG#v} | awk -F '[.]' '{print "release-"$1"."$2}')
+          if [[ "${TAG}" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+            DEST=$(echo ${TAG#v} | awk -F '[.]' '{print "release-"$1"."$2}')
+          else
+            DEST="main"
+          fi
           echo "TAG=${TAG#v}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "DEST=${DEST}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
       -
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml b/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml
index 884a34e11f..b9fcc094af 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-tag.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ on:
       - closed
     branches:
       - release-*
+      - main
+    paths:
+      - 'pkg/versions/versions.go'
 
 jobs:
   tag:
diff --git a/contribute/release_procedure.md b/contribute/release_procedure.md
index 359b4d4ac8..77e0023a55 100644
--- a/contribute/release_procedure.md
+++ b/contribute/release_procedure.md
@@ -4,9 +4,9 @@ This section describes how to release a new set of supported versions of
 CloudNativePG, which should be done by one of the project's maintainers.
 It is a semi-automated process that requires human supervision.
 
-You can only release from a release branch, that is a branch in the
-Git repository called `release-X.Y`, e.g., `release-1.16`, which corresponds
-to a minor release.
+You can only release stable versions from a release branch, that is a branch
+in the Git repository called `release-X.Y`, e.g., `release-1.16`, which
+corresponds to a minor release.
 
 The release procedure must be repeated for all the supported minor releases,
 usually 3:
@@ -240,16 +240,22 @@ Open the `.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATES/bug.yml` file and update it accordingly.
 ## Release candidate
 
 It's possible to create a release candidate (RC) for any of the
-supported release branches. Unlike stable releases, a release candidate
-might be released just for one release branch. As such, in this case the
-release process doesn't necessarily have to be repeated for all the
-supported release branches.
+currently supported release branches, or also for a new minor release.
+Unlike stable releases, a release candidate might be released just for one
+version, and in this case the release process doesn't necessarily have to
+be repeated for all the supported release branches.
+
+**IMPORTANT:** RCs for currently supported release branches should be released
+from the related release branch.
+Instead, when releasing a RC for a new minor release (e.g a stable version
+for that minor hasn't been released yet), that should be done from the
+`main` branch.
 
 To release a RC you can follow the [Release steps](#release-steps) until
 point 5, taking care to use a valid semantic version when running the first
 step (e.g., `hack/release.sh 1.16.0-rc1`).
-See [Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 - Point 9](https://semver.org/#spec-item-9) to
+See [Semantic Versioning 2.0.0 - item 9](https://semver.org/#spec-item-9) to
 check for valid release candidate identifiers.
 
-**IMPORTANT:** Release candidates can only be installed via the YAML manifest,
+**NOTE:** Release candidates can only be installed via the YAML manifest,
 other installation methods such as Helm Chart or OLM are currently not supported.
diff --git a/hack/release.sh b/hack/release.sh
index a3a3ac95de..4b5802d83b 100755
--- a/hack/release.sh
+++ b/hack/release.sh
@@ -68,21 +68,28 @@ require_clean_work_tree () {
 
 require_clean_work_tree "release"
 
-# Verify that you are in a release branch
-if branch=$(git symbolic-ref --short -q HEAD) && [[ "$branch" == release-* ]]
-then
+# Verify that you are in a proper branch
+# Releases can only be triggered from:
+# - a release branch (for stable releases)
+# - main (for release candidate only)
+branch=$(git symbolic-ref --short -q HEAD)
+case $branch in
+  release-*)
     echo "Releasing ${release_version}"
-else
-    echo >&2 "Release is not possible because you are not on a 'release-*' branch ($branch)"
+    ;;
+  main)
+    if [[ "${release_version}" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]
+    then
+        echo >&2 "Cannot release a stable version from 'main'"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "Releasing ${release_version}"
+    ;;
+  *)
+    echo >&2 "Release is not possible because you are not on 'main' or a 'release-*' branch ($branch)"
     exit 1
-fi
-
-# Verify the maturity of the release
-IS_STABLE=false
-if [[ "${release_version}" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]
-then
-    IS_STABLE=true
-fi
+    ;;
+esac
 
 make kustomize
 KUSTOMIZE="${REPO_ROOT}/bin/kustomize"
@@ -95,12 +102,9 @@ sed -i -e "/Version *= *.*/Is/\".*\"/\"${release_version}\"/" \
     -e "/DefaultOperatorImageName *= *.*/Is/\"\(.*\):.*\"/\"\1:${release_version}\"/" \
     pkg/versions/versions.go
 
-if [ "${IS_STABLE}" = true ]
-then
-    sed -i -e "s@release-[0-9.]*/releases/cnpg-[0-9.]*.yaml@${branch}/releases/cnpg-${release_version}.yaml@g" \
-        -e "s@artifacts/release-[0-9.]*/@artifacts/${branch}/@g" \
-        docs/src/installation_upgrade.md
-fi
+sed -i -e "s@release-[0-9.]*/releases/cnpg-[0-9.]*.yaml@${branch}/releases/cnpg-${release_version}.yaml@g" \
+    -e "s@artifacts/release-[0-9.]*/@artifacts/${branch}/@g" \
+    docs/src/installation_upgrade.md
 
 CONFIG_TMP_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
 cp -r config/* "${CONFIG_TMP_DIR}"