diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index ec9f8fb..780c845 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -21,7 +21,8 @@ jobs:
     name: Setup
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     outputs:
-      should_skip: ${{ steps.skip_check.outputs.should_skip }}
+      should_skip: ${{ steps.skip_check.outputs.should_skip == 'true' || steps.msg_check.outputs.skip == 'true' }}
+      upload_pkgs: ${{ steps.msg_check.outputs.skip != 'true' }}
       skipped_by: ${{ steps.skip_check.outputs.skipped_by }}
       ver: ${{ steps.computever.outputs.ver }}
       checkid: ${{ steps.result_check.outpus.check_id }}
@@ -32,7 +33,11 @@ jobs:
       with:
         cancel_others: true
         concurrent_skipping: same_content_newer
-        
+
+    - name: Check if this run is skipped by commit message
+      id: msg_check
+      run: echo "skip=${{ github.event_name == 'push' && contains(github.event.head_commit.message, '[skip-ci]') }}" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+      
     - name: Compute Version
       id: computever
       run: echo "ver=$(Get-Date -Format y.M.d).${{ github.run_number }}.${{ github.run_attempt }}" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
@@ -47,8 +52,8 @@ jobs:
 
   upload:
     needs: [setup, build]
-    if: github.ref_name == 'master'
+    if: ${{ needs.setup.upload_pkgs == 'true' && github.ref_name == 'master' && (success() || needs.setup.result == 'success') }}
     name: Upload Packages
     uses: ./.github/workflows/upload-packages.yml
     with:
-      workflow-id: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.should_skip == 'true' && fromJSON(needs.setup.outputs.skipped_by).workflowId || github.run_id }}
+      run-id: ${{ needs.setup.outputs.should_skip == 'true' && fromJSON(needs.setup.outputs.skipped_by).id || github.run_id }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 0403ec2..97c83ca 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -86,17 +86,28 @@ jobs:
 
   bump-ver:
     name: Bump versions
-    needs: [setup, build]
+    needs: [setup, upload-github, upload-nuget]
+    if: ${{ !failure() && !cancelled() }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
 
     permissions:
       contents: write
 
     steps:
+    - name: Authenticate as app
+      uses: actions/create-github-app-token@v2
+      id: app_tok
+      with:
+        app-id: ${{ vars.APP_ID }}
+        private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PRIVKEY }}
+
     - name: Checkout
       uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      with:
+        token: ${{ steps.app_tok.outputs.token }} # checkout using the app token so we can push directly to the repo head
+        lfs: true
+        submodules: true
       
-    # first, make release/tag
     - name: Download compiled packages
       uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
       with:
@@ -104,6 +115,8 @@ jobs:
         path: artifacts/package/release/
         github-token: ${{ github.token }}
         run-id: ${{ github.run_id }}
+        
+    # first, make release/tag
     - name: Create release
       uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
       if: '!inputs.dryrun'
@@ -142,9 +155,11 @@ jobs:
       if: '!inputs.prerelease'
       uses: EndBug/add-and-commit@v9
       with:
-        add: Version.props
-        message: "[BOT]: Bump version after ${{ needs.setup.outputs.ver }}"
-        committer_name: GitHub Actions
-        committer_email: 41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com
-        push: ${{ !inputs.dryrun }}
+        message: |
+          [BOT]: Bump version after ${{ needs.setup.outputs.ver }} release
+
+          [skip-ci]
+        default_author: github_actions
+        push: ${{ !inputs.dryrun && 'origin --force --set-upstream' || 'false' }}
         pathspec_error_handling: exitAtEnd
+
diff --git a/.github/workflows/upload-packages.yml b/.github/workflows/upload-packages.yml
index 21ee2c2..d30f6e2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/upload-packages.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/upload-packages.yml
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name: Upload Packages
 on:
   workflow_call:
     inputs:
-      workflow-id:
+      run-id:
         type: string
         default: ${{ github.run_id }}
         description: The ID of the workflow to upload packages from
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
         name: packages
         path: artifacts/package/release/
         github-token: ${{ github.token }}
-        run-id: ${{ inputs.workflow-id }}
+        run-id: ${{ inputs.run-id }}
 
     - name: Push packages
       run: dotnet nuget push -s "${{ inputs.nuget-url }}" -k ${{ secrets.nuget-key || github.token }} (Get-Item artifacts/package/release/*.nupkg)