diff --git a/wled00/data/update.htm b/wled00/data/update.htm
index ef923920b7..2deb2a25c3 100644
--- a/wled00/data/update.htm
+++ b/wled00/data/update.htm
@@ -17,7 +17,27 @@
 			}
 			window.open(getURL("/update?revert"),"_self");
 		}
-		function GetV() {/*injected values here*/}
+		function GetV() {
+			// Fetch device info via JSON API instead of compiling it in
+			fetch('/json/info')
+				.then(response => response.json())
+				.then(data => {
+					if (data.release) {
+						var releaseSpan = document.querySelector('.release-name');
+						if (releaseSpan) {
+							releaseSpan.textContent = data.release;
+						}
+					}
+				})
+				.catch(error => {
+					console.log('Could not fetch device info:', error);
+					// Fallback to compiled-in value if API call fails
+					var releaseSpan = document.querySelector('.release-name');
+					if (releaseSpan && releaseSpan.textContent === 'Loading...') {
+						releaseSpan.textContent = 'Unknown';
+					}
+				});
+		}
 	</script>
 	<style>
 		@import url("style.css");
@@ -28,10 +48,13 @@
 	<h2>WLED Software Update</h2>
 	<form method='POST' action='./update' id='upd' enctype='multipart/form-data' onsubmit="toggle('upd')">
 		Installed version: <span class="sip">WLED ##VERSION##</span><br>
+		Release: <span class="sip release-name">Loading...</span><br>
 		Download the latest binary: <a href="https://github.com/wled-dev/WLED/releases" target="_blank" 
 		style="vertical-align: text-bottom; display: inline-flex;">
 		<img src="https://img.shields.io/github/release/wled-dev/WLED.svg?style=flat-square"></a><br>
 		<input type='file' name='update' required><br> <!--should have accept='.bin', but it prevents file upload from android app-->
+		<input type='checkbox' name='skipValidation' id='skipValidation'>
+		<label for='skipValidation'>Ignore firmware validation</label><br>
 		<button type="submit">Update!</button><br>
 		<hr class="sml">
 		<button id="rev" type="button" onclick="cR()">Revert update</button><br>
diff --git a/wled00/ota_release_check.cpp b/wled00/ota_release_check.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..af1790122e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wled00/ota_release_check.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+#include "ota_release_check.h"
+#include "wled.h"
+
+#ifdef ESP32
+#include <esp_app_format.h>
+#include <esp_ota_ops.h>
+#endif
+
+bool extractWledCustomDesc(const uint8_t* binaryData, size_t dataSize, wled_custom_desc_t* extractedDesc) {
+    if (!binaryData || !extractedDesc || dataSize < 64) {
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    // Search in first 8KB only. This range was chosen because:
+    // - ESP32 .rodata.wled_desc sections appear early in the binary (typically within first 2-4KB)
+    // - ESP8266 .ver_number sections also appear early (typically within first 1-2KB)  
+    // - 8KB provides ample coverage for metadata discovery while minimizing processing time
+    // - Larger firmware files (>1MB) would take significantly longer to process with full search
+    // - Analysis of typical WLED binary layouts shows metadata appears well within this range
+    const size_t search_limit = min(dataSize, (size_t)8192);
+    
+    for (size_t offset = 0; offset <= search_limit - sizeof(wled_custom_desc_t); offset++) {
+        const wled_custom_desc_t* custom_desc = (const wled_custom_desc_t*)(binaryData + offset);
+        
+        // Check for magic number
+        if (custom_desc->magic == WLED_CUSTOM_DESC_MAGIC) {
+            // Found potential match, validate version
+            if (custom_desc->version != WLED_CUSTOM_DESC_VERSION) {
+                DEBUG_PRINTF_P(PSTR("Found WLED structure at offset %u but version mismatch: %u\n"), 
+                              offset, custom_desc->version);
+                continue;
+            }
+            
+            // Validate hash using runtime function
+            uint32_t expected_hash = djb2_hash_runtime(custom_desc->release_name);
+            if (custom_desc->crc32 != expected_hash) {
+                DEBUG_PRINTF_P(PSTR("Found WLED structure at offset %u but hash mismatch\n"), offset);
+                continue;
+            }
+            
+            // Valid structure found - copy entire structure
+            memcpy(extractedDesc, custom_desc, sizeof(wled_custom_desc_t));
+            
+            DEBUG_PRINTF_P(PSTR("Extracted WLED structure at offset %u: '%s'\n"), 
+                          offset, extractedDesc->release_name);
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
+    
+    DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("No WLED custom description found in binary"));
+    return false;
+}
+
+bool validateReleaseCompatibility(const char* extractedRelease) {
+  if (!extractedRelease) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  
+  // Ensure extractedRelease is properly null terminated (guard against fixed-length buffer issues)
+  char safeRelease[WLED_RELEASE_NAME_MAX_LEN];
+  strncpy(safeRelease, extractedRelease, WLED_RELEASE_NAME_MAX_LEN - 1);
+  safeRelease[WLED_RELEASE_NAME_MAX_LEN - 1] = '\0';
+  
+  if (strlen(safeRelease) == 0) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  
+  // Simple string comparison - releases must match exactly
+  bool match = strcmp(releaseString, safeRelease) == 0;
+  
+  DEBUG_PRINTF_P(PSTR("Release compatibility check: current='%s', uploaded='%s', match=%s\n"), 
+                 releaseString, safeRelease, match ? "YES" : "NO");
+  
+  return match;
+}
+
+bool shouldAllowOTA(const uint8_t* binaryData, size_t dataSize, char* errorMessage, size_t errorMessageLen) {
+  // Clear error message
+  if (errorMessage && errorMessageLen > 0) {
+    errorMessage[0] = '\0';
+  }
+
+  // Ensure our custom description structure is referenced (prevents optimization)
+  const wled_custom_desc_t* local_desc = getWledCustomDesc();
+  (void)local_desc; // Suppress unused variable warning
+
+  // Try to extract WLED structure directly from binary data
+  wled_custom_desc_t extractedDesc;
+  bool hasCustomDesc = extractWledCustomDesc(binaryData, dataSize, &extractedDesc);
+
+  if (!hasCustomDesc) {
+    // No custom description - this could be a legacy binary
+    if (errorMessage && errorMessageLen > 0) {
+      strncpy_P(errorMessage, PSTR("This firmware file is missing compatibility metadata. Enable 'Ignore firmware validation' to proceed anyway."), errorMessageLen - 1);
+      errorMessage[errorMessageLen - 1] = '\0';
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  // Validate compatibility using extracted release name
+  if (!validateReleaseCompatibility(extractedDesc.release_name)) {
+    if (errorMessage && errorMessageLen > 0) {
+      snprintf_P(errorMessage, errorMessageLen, PSTR("Firmware compatibility mismatch: current='%s', uploaded='%s'. Enable 'Ignore firmware validation' to proceed anyway."), 
+               releaseString, extractedDesc.release_name);
+      errorMessage[errorMessageLen - 1] = '\0'; // Ensure null termination
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  return true;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/wled00/ota_release_check.h b/wled00/ota_release_check.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e7d9bd54df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wled00/ota_release_check.h
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+#ifndef WLED_OTA_RELEASE_CHECK_H
+#define WLED_OTA_RELEASE_CHECK_H
+
+/*
+ * OTA Release Compatibility Checking using ESP-IDF Custom Description Section
+ * Functions to extract and validate release names from uploaded binary files using embedded metadata
+ */
+
+#include <Arduino.h>
+
+#ifdef ESP32
+#include <esp_app_format.h>
+#endif
+
+#define WLED_CUSTOM_DESC_MAGIC 0x57535453  // "WSTS" (WLED System Tag Structure)
+#define WLED_CUSTOM_DESC_VERSION 1
+#define WLED_RELEASE_NAME_MAX_LEN 48
+
+// Platform-specific metadata offset in binary file
+#ifdef ESP32
+#define METADATA_OFFSET 0          // ESP32: metadata appears at beginning
+#elif defined(ESP8266)
+#define METADATA_OFFSET 0x1000     // ESP8266: metadata appears at 4KB offset
+#endif
+
+/**
+ * DJB2 hash function (C++11 compatible constexpr)
+ * Used for compile-time hash computation of release names
+ */
+constexpr uint32_t djb2_hash_constexpr(const char* str, uint32_t hash = 5381) {
+    return (*str == '\0') ? hash : djb2_hash_constexpr(str + 1, ((hash << 5) + hash) + *str);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Runtime DJB2 hash function for validation
+ */
+inline uint32_t djb2_hash_runtime(const char* str) {
+    uint32_t hash = 5381;
+    while (*str) {
+        hash = ((hash << 5) + hash) + *str++;
+    }
+    return hash;
+}
+
+/**
+ * WLED Custom Description Structure
+ * This structure is embedded in platform-specific sections at a fixed offset
+ * in ESP32/ESP8266 binaries, allowing extraction without modifying the binary format
+ */
+typedef struct {
+    uint32_t magic;               // Magic number to identify WLED custom description
+    uint32_t version;             // Structure version for future compatibility
+    char release_name[WLED_RELEASE_NAME_MAX_LEN]; // Release name (null-terminated)
+    uint32_t crc32;              // CRC32 of the above fields for integrity check
+} __attribute__((packed)) wled_custom_desc_t;
+
+/**
+ * Extract WLED custom description structure from binary
+ * @param binaryData Pointer to binary file data
+ * @param dataSize Size of binary data in bytes
+ * @param extractedDesc Buffer to store extracted custom description structure
+ * @return true if structure was found and extracted, false otherwise
+ */
+bool extractWledCustomDesc(const uint8_t* binaryData, size_t dataSize, wled_custom_desc_t* extractedDesc);
+
+/**
+ * Validate if extracted release name matches current release
+ * @param extractedRelease Release name from uploaded binary
+ * @return true if releases match (OTA should proceed), false if they don't match
+ */
+bool validateReleaseCompatibility(const char* extractedRelease);
+
+/**
+ * Check if OTA should be allowed based on release compatibility using custom description
+ * @param binaryData Pointer to binary file data (not modified)
+ * @param dataSize Size of binary data in bytes
+ * @param errorMessage Buffer to store error message if validation fails 
+ * @param errorMessageLen Maximum length of error message buffer
+ * @return true if OTA should proceed, false if it should be blocked
+ */
+bool shouldAllowOTA(const uint8_t* binaryData, size_t dataSize, char* errorMessage, size_t errorMessageLen);
+
+/**
+ * Get pointer to the embedded custom description structure
+ * This ensures the structure is referenced and not optimized out
+ * @return pointer to the custom description structure
+ */
+const wled_custom_desc_t* getWledCustomDesc();
+
+#endif // WLED_OTA_RELEASE_CHECK_H
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/wled00/wled_custom_desc.cpp b/wled00/wled_custom_desc.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cd07d4a9a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wled00/wled_custom_desc.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#include "ota_release_check.h"
+#include "wled.h"
+
+// Platform-specific section definition
+#ifdef ESP32
+#define WLED_CUSTOM_DESC_SECTION ".rodata.wled_desc"
+#elif defined(ESP8266)
+#define WLED_CUSTOM_DESC_SECTION ".ver_number"
+#endif
+
+// Single structure definition for both platforms
+const wled_custom_desc_t __attribute__((section(WLED_CUSTOM_DESC_SECTION))) wled_custom_description = {
+    WLED_CUSTOM_DESC_MAGIC,                   // magic
+    WLED_CUSTOM_DESC_VERSION,                 // version  
+    WLED_RELEASE_NAME,                        // release_name
+    djb2_hash_constexpr(WLED_RELEASE_NAME)   // crc32 - computed at compile time
+};
+
+// Compile-time validation that release name doesn't exceed maximum length
+static_assert(sizeof(WLED_RELEASE_NAME) <= WLED_RELEASE_NAME_MAX_LEN, 
+              "WLED_RELEASE_NAME exceeds maximum length of WLED_RELEASE_NAME_MAX_LEN characters");
+
+// Single reference to ensure it's not optimized away
+const wled_custom_desc_t* __attribute__((used)) wled_custom_desc_ref = &wled_custom_description;
+
+// Function to ensure the structure is referenced by code
+const wled_custom_desc_t* getWledCustomDesc() {
+    return &wled_custom_description;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/wled00/wled_server.cpp b/wled00/wled_server.cpp
index 12e2862953..b1912e9255 100644
--- a/wled00/wled_server.cpp
+++ b/wled00/wled_server.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
   #else
     #include <Update.h>
   #endif
+  #include "ota_release_check.h"
 #endif
 #include "html_ui.h"
 #include "html_settings.h"
@@ -424,32 +425,186 @@ void initServer()
       return;
     }
     if (!correctPIN || otaLock) return;
+    
+    // Static variables to track release check status across chunks  
+    static bool releaseCheckPassed = false;
+    static bool releaseCheckPending = true;
+    static size_t totalBytesReceived = 0;
+    static uint8_t* metadataBuffer = nullptr;
+    static size_t metadataBufferUsed = 0;
+    
     if(!index){
       DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("OTA Update Start"));
+      
+      // Reset validation state for new update
+      releaseCheckPassed = false;
+      releaseCheckPending = true;
+      totalBytesReceived = 0;
+      
+      // Free any existing metadata buffer
+      if (metadataBuffer) {
+        free(metadataBuffer);
+        metadataBuffer = nullptr;
+        metadataBufferUsed = 0;
+      }
+      
+      // Check if user wants to skip validation
+      bool skipValidation = request->hasParam("skipValidation", true);
+      
+      // If user chose to skip validation, proceed without compatibility check
+      if (skipValidation) {
+        DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("OTA validation skipped by user"));
+        releaseCheckPassed = true;
+        releaseCheckPending = false;
+      }
+      
+      DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("Release check passed, starting OTA update"));
+      
       #if WLED_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT > 0
       WLED::instance().disableWatchdog();
       #endif
       UsermodManager::onUpdateBegin(true); // notify usermods that update is about to begin (some may require task de-init)
       lastEditTime = millis(); // make sure PIN does not lock during update
+      
+      // Start the actual OTA update
       strip.suspend();
       backupConfig(); // backup current config in case the update ends badly
       strip.resetSegments();  // free as much memory as you can
       #ifdef ESP8266
       Update.runAsync(true);
       #endif
-      Update.begin((ESP.getFreeSketchSpace() - 0x1000) & 0xFFFFF000);
-    }
-    if(!Update.hasError()) Update.write(data, len);
-    if(isFinal){
-      if(Update.end(true)){
-        DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("Update Success"));
-      } else {
-        DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("Update Failed"));
+      
+      // Begin update with the firmware size from content length
+      size_t updateSize = request->contentLength() > 0 ? request->contentLength() : ((ESP.getFreeSketchSpace() - 0x1000) & 0xFFFFF000);
+      if (!Update.begin(updateSize)) {
+        DEBUG_PRINTF_P(PSTR("OTA Failed to begin: %s\n"), Update.getErrorString().c_str());
         strip.resume();
-        UsermodManager::onUpdateBegin(false); // notify usermods that update has failed (some may require task init)
+        UsermodManager::onUpdateBegin(false);
         #if WLED_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT > 0
         WLED::instance().enableWatchdog();
         #endif
+        #ifdef ESP32
+        request->send(500, FPSTR(CONTENT_TYPE_PLAIN), String("Update.begin failed: ") + Update.errorString());
+        #else
+        request->send(500, FPSTR(CONTENT_TYPE_PLAIN), String("Update.begin failed: ") + Update.getErrorString());
+        #endif
+        return;
+      }
+    }
+    
+    // Track total bytes received across all chunks
+    size_t chunkStartOffset = totalBytesReceived;
+    totalBytesReceived += len;
+    
+    // Perform validation if we haven't done it yet and we have reached the metadata offset
+    if (releaseCheckPending && totalBytesReceived > METADATA_OFFSET) {
+      
+      if (chunkStartOffset <= METADATA_OFFSET) {
+        // Current chunk contains the metadata offset
+        size_t offsetInChunk = METADATA_OFFSET - chunkStartOffset;
+        size_t availableDataAfterOffset = len - offsetInChunk;
+        
+        if (availableDataAfterOffset >= sizeof(wled_custom_desc_t)) {
+          // We have enough data in this chunk to validate immediately
+          char errorMessage[128];
+          releaseCheckPassed = shouldAllowOTA(data + offsetInChunk, availableDataAfterOffset,
+                                            errorMessage, sizeof(errorMessage));
+          releaseCheckPending = false;
+          
+          if (!releaseCheckPassed) {
+            DEBUG_PRINTF_P(PSTR("OTA declined: %s\n"), errorMessage);
+            request->send(400, FPSTR(CONTENT_TYPE_PLAIN), errorMessage);
+            return;
+          } else {
+            DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("OTA allowed: Release compatibility check passed"));
+          }
+          
+        } else {
+          // Not enough data in this chunk, buffer it for the next chunk
+          metadataBuffer = (uint8_t*)malloc(len - offsetInChunk);
+          if (!metadataBuffer) {
+            DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("OTA failed: Could not allocate metadata buffer"));
+            request->send(500, FPSTR(CONTENT_TYPE_PLAIN), F("Out of memory for validation"));
+            return;
+          }
+          memcpy(metadataBuffer, data + offsetInChunk, len - offsetInChunk);
+          metadataBufferUsed = len - offsetInChunk;
+          DEBUG_PRINTF_P(PSTR("Buffered %u bytes of metadata for next chunk\n"), metadataBufferUsed);
+        }
+        
+      } else if (metadataBuffer && metadataBufferUsed > 0) {
+        // We have buffered metadata from previous chunk, combine with current chunk
+        size_t totalMetadataSize = metadataBufferUsed + len;
+        
+        if (totalMetadataSize >= sizeof(wled_custom_desc_t)) {
+          // Create combined buffer for validation
+          uint8_t* combinedBuffer = (uint8_t*)malloc(totalMetadataSize);
+          if (!combinedBuffer) {
+            DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("OTA failed: Could not allocate combined buffer"));
+            request->send(500, FPSTR(CONTENT_TYPE_PLAIN), F("Out of memory for validation"));
+            return;
+          }
+          
+          memcpy(combinedBuffer, metadataBuffer, metadataBufferUsed);
+          memcpy(combinedBuffer + metadataBufferUsed, data, len);
+          
+          char errorMessage[128];
+          releaseCheckPassed = shouldAllowOTA(combinedBuffer, totalMetadataSize,
+                                            errorMessage, sizeof(errorMessage));
+          releaseCheckPending = false;
+          
+          // Clean up buffers
+          free(combinedBuffer);
+          free(metadataBuffer);
+          metadataBuffer = nullptr;
+          metadataBufferUsed = 0;
+          
+          if (!releaseCheckPassed) {
+            DEBUG_PRINTF_P(PSTR("OTA declined: %s\n"), errorMessage);
+            request->send(400, FPSTR(CONTENT_TYPE_PLAIN), errorMessage);
+            return;
+          } else {
+            DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("OTA allowed: Release compatibility check passed"));
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    
+    // Write chunk data to OTA update (only if release check passed or still pending)
+    if ((releaseCheckPassed || releaseCheckPending) && !Update.hasError()) {
+      if (Update.write(data, len) != len) {
+        DEBUG_PRINTF_P(PSTR("OTA write failed on chunk %zu: %s\n"), index, Update.getErrorString().c_str());
+      }
+    }
+    
+    if(isFinal){
+      DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("OTA Update End"));
+      
+      // Clean up metadata buffer if still allocated
+      if (metadataBuffer) {
+        free(metadataBuffer);
+        metadataBuffer = nullptr;
+        metadataBufferUsed = 0;
+      }
+      
+      // Check if validation was still pending (shouldn't happen normally)
+      if (releaseCheckPending) {
+        DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("OTA failed: Validation never completed"));
+        request->send(400, FPSTR(CONTENT_TYPE_PLAIN), F("Firmware validation incomplete"));
+        return;
+      }
+      
+      if (releaseCheckPassed) {
+        if(Update.end(true)){
+          DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("Update Success"));
+        } else {
+          DEBUG_PRINTLN(F("Update Failed"));
+          strip.resume();
+          UsermodManager::onUpdateBegin(false); // notify usermods that update has failed (some may require task init)
+          #if WLED_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT > 0
+          WLED::instance().enableWatchdog();
+          #endif
+        }
       }
     }
   });