diff --git a/.github/workflows/cherry-pick.yml b/.github/workflows/cherry-pick.yml
index 707e035720..06dcb7e9b1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cherry-pick.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cherry-pick.yml
@@ -35,5 +35,6 @@ jobs:
         uses: carloscastrojumo/github-cherry-pick-action@503773289f4a459069c832dc628826685b75b4b3 # v1.0.10
         with:
           branch: ${{ steps.branch.outputs.branch }}
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.NGINX_PAT }}
+          author: ${{ github.actor }} <${{ github.actor_id }}+${{ github.actor }}@users.noreply.github.com>
           title: "[cherry-pick] {old_title}"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/create-release-branch.yml b/.github/workflows/create-release-branch.yml
index 9451137224..374fbbfc1b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/create-release-branch.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/create-release-branch.yml
@@ -66,4 +66,4 @@ jobs:
               git push --dry-run origin "${branch}"
           fi
         env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NGINX_PAT }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/release-pr.yml
index 46ebd91105..0c2dc3a708 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-pr.yml
@@ -91,14 +91,14 @@ jobs:
         env:
           GITHUB_USERNAME: ${{ github.actor }}
           GITHUB_EMAIL: ${{ github.actor_id }}+${{ github.actor }}@users.noreply.github.com
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NGINX_PAT }}
           DRY_RUN: ${{ inputs.dry_run && 'true' || 'false' }}
           DEBUG: ${{ inputs.debug && 'true' || 'false' }}
 
       - name: Create Pull Request
         uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@271a8d0340265f705b14b6d32b9829c1cb33d45e # v7.0.8
         with:
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.NGINX_PAT }}
           commit-message: Release ${{ github.event.inputs.new_version }}
           title: Release ${{ github.event.inputs.new_version }}
           branch: docs/release-${{ github.event.inputs.new_version }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 4c2cf5ca8a..8e7ca87e99 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -340,30 +340,29 @@ jobs:
           pyxis_token: ${{ secrets.PYXIS_API_TOKEN }}
           preflight_version: 1.14.1
 
-  ## Disable operator release step for now until nginx-bot issue is resolved, manually trigger workflow in nginx-ingress-helm-operator
-  # operator:
-  #   if: ${{ ! cancelled() && ! failure() && ! inputs.dry_run && ! contains(inputs.skip_step, 'operator') && !contains(inputs.skip_step, 'publish-helm-chart') }}
-  #   name: Trigger PR for Operator
-  #   runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
-  #   needs: [variables,publish-helm-chart]
-  #   steps:
-  #     - name:
-  #       uses: actions/github-script@ed597411d8f924073f98dfc5c65a23a2325f34cd # v8.0.0
-  #       with:
-  #         github-token: ${{ secrets.NGINX_PAT }}
-  #         script: |
-  #           await github.rest.actions.createWorkflowDispatch({
-  #             owner: context.repo.owner,
-  #             repo: 'nginx-ingress-helm-operator',
-  #             workflow_id: 'sync-chart.yml',
-  #             ref: 'main',
-  #             inputs: {
-  #               chart_version: '${{ inputs.chart_version }}',
-  #               operator_version: '${{ inputs.operator_version }}',
-  #               k8s_version: '${{ needs.variables.outputs.k8s_version }}',
-  #               dry_run: '${{ inputs.dry_run }}'
-  #             },
-  #           })
+  operator:
+    if: ${{ ! cancelled() && ! failure() && ! inputs.dry_run && ! contains(inputs.skip_step, 'operator') && !contains(inputs.skip_step, 'publish-helm-chart') }}
+    name: Trigger PR for Operator
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    needs: [variables,publish-helm-chart]
+    steps:
+      - name:
+        uses: actions/github-script@ed597411d8f924073f98dfc5c65a23a2325f34cd # v8.0.0
+        with:
+          github-token: ${{ secrets.NGINX_PAT }}
+          script: |
+            await github.rest.actions.createWorkflowDispatch({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: 'nginx-ingress-helm-operator',
+              workflow_id: 'sync-chart.yml',
+              ref: 'main',
+              inputs: {
+                chart_version: '${{ inputs.chart_version }}',
+                operator_version: '${{ inputs.operator_version }}',
+                k8s_version: '${{ needs.variables.outputs.k8s_version }}',
+                dry_run: '${{ inputs.dry_run }}'
+              },
+            })
 
   ## Disable GCP Marketplace step for now until a decision is made on how to handle GCP Marketplace with licensing
   # gcp-marketplace:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/update-docker-sha.yml b/.github/workflows/update-docker-sha.yml
index 01302356d9..f1f78b5ee2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/update-docker-sha.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/update-docker-sha.yml
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@271a8d0340265f705b14b6d32b9829c1cb33d45e # v7.0.8
         id: pr
         with:
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.NGINX_PAT }}
           commit-message: Update docker images ${{ steps.update_images.outputs.docker_md5 }}
           title: Docker image update ${{ steps.update_images.outputs.docker_md5 }}
           branch: deps/image-update-${{ needs.vars.outputs.source_branch }}-${{ steps.update_images.outputs.docker_md5 }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/update-kubernetes-version.yml b/.github/workflows/update-kubernetes-version.yml
index 8c45a9c355..87fab68a14 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/update-kubernetes-version.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/update-kubernetes-version.yml
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Create Pull Request
         uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@271a8d0340265f705b14b6d32b9829c1cb33d45e # v7.0.8
         with:
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.NGINX_PAT }}
           commit-message: update kubernetes version to ${{ steps.k8s-version.outputs.version }} in helm schema
           title: update kubernetes version to ${{ steps.k8s-version.outputs.version }} in helm schema
           branch: chore/k8s-${{ steps.k8s-version.outputs.version }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml b/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml
index 4bc17d1bbf..57c30ff549 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/version-bump.yml
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Create Pull Request
         uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@271a8d0340265f705b14b6d32b9829c1cb33d45e # v7.0.8
         with:
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.NGINX_PAT }}
           commit-message: Version Bump for ${{ github.event.inputs.ic_version }}
           title: Version Bump for ${{ github.event.inputs.ic_version }}
           branch: chore/version-bump-${{ github.event.inputs.ic_version }}