diff --git a/.github/scripts/update-version.sh b/.github/scripts/update-version.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..0db3721b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/update-version.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#!/bin/bash -e
+
+sed -i "/\[stable\]/{n;s/version=.*/version=$1/}" eachdist.ini
+sed -i "/\[prerelease\]/{n;s/version=.*/version=$2/}" eachdist.ini
+
+./scripts/eachdist.py update_versions --versions stable,prerelease
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/scripts/use-cla-approved-github-bot.sh b/.github/scripts/use-cla-approved-github-bot.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..a411c6812
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/use-cla-approved-github-bot.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/bin/bash -e
+
+git config user.name opentelemetrybot
+git config user.email 107717825+opentelemetrybot@users.noreply.github.com
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/backport.yml b/.github/workflows/backport.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..da0714ae1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/backport.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+name: Backport
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      number:
+        description: "The pull request # to backport"
+        required: true
+
+jobs:
+  backport:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - run: |
+          if [[ ! $GITHUB_REF_NAME =~ ^release/v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.x-0\.[0-9]+bx$ ]]; then
+            echo this workflow should only be run against long-term release branches
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        with:
+          # history is needed to run git cherry-pick below
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Use CLA approved github bot
+        run: .github/scripts/use-cla-approved-github-bot.sh
+
+      - name: Create pull request
+        env:
+          NUMBER: ${{ github.event.inputs.number }}
+          # not using secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN since pull requests from that token do not run workflows
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          commit=$(gh pr view $NUMBER --json mergeCommit --jq .mergeCommit.oid)
+          title=$(gh pr view $NUMBER --json title --jq .title)
+
+          branch="opentelemetrybot/backport-${NUMBER}-to-${GITHUB_REF_NAME//\//-}"
+
+          git cherry-pick $commit
+          git push origin HEAD:$branch
+          gh pr create --title "[$GITHUB_REF_NAME] $title" \
+                       --body "Clean cherry-pick of #$NUMBER to the \`$GITHUB_REF_NAME\` branch." \
+                       --head $branch \
+                       --base $GITHUB_REF_NAME
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/changelog.yml b/.github/workflows/changelog.yml
index 11e1a61fc..5238e01c4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/changelog.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/changelog.yml
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ on:
 jobs:
   changelog:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    if: "!contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'Skip Changelog')"
+    if: |
+      !contains(github.event.pull_request.labels.*.name, 'Skip Changelog')
+      && github.actor != 'opentelemetrybot'
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v2
diff --git a/.github/workflows/prepare-patch-release.yml b/.github/workflows/prepare-patch-release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..93c4fc74f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/prepare-patch-release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+name: Prepare patch release
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  prepare-patch-release:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+      - run: |
+          if [[ ! $GITHUB_REF_NAME =~ ^release/v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.x-0\.[0-9]+bx$ ]]; then
+            echo this workflow should only be run against long-term release branches
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          if ! grep --quiet "^## Unreleased$" CHANGELOG.md; then
+            echo the change log is missing an \"Unreleased\" section
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - name: Set environment variables
+        run: |
+          stable_version=$(./scripts/eachdist.py version --mode stable)
+          unstable_version=$(./scripts/eachdist.py version --mode prerelease)
+
+          if [[ $stable_version =~ ^([0-9]+\.[0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)$ ]]; then
+            stable_major_minor="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+            stable_patch="${BASH_REMATCH[2]}"
+          else
+            echo "unexpected stable_version: $stable_version"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          if [[ $unstable_version =~ ^0\.([0-9]+)b([0-9]+)$ ]]; then
+            unstable_minor="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+            unstable_patch="${BASH_REMATCH[2]}"
+          else
+            echo "unexpected unstable_version: $unstable_version"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          stable_version="$stable_major_minor.$((stable_patch + 1))"
+          unstable_version="0.${unstable_minor}b$((unstable_patch + 1))"
+
+          echo "STABLE_VERSION=$stable_version" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "UNSTABLE_VERSION=$unstable_version" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Update version
+        run: .github/scripts/update-version.sh $STABLE_VERSION $UNSTABLE_VERSION
+
+      - name: Set up Python 3.9
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v2
+        with:
+          python-version: 3.9
+      - name: Install tox
+        run: pip install tox==3.27.1
+      - name: run tox
+        run: tox -e generate
+
+      - name: Update the change log with the approximate release date
+        run: |
+          date=$(date "+%Y-%m-%d")
+          sed -Ei "s/^## Unreleased$/## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}\/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} ($date)/" CHANGELOG.md
+
+      - name: Use CLA approved github bot
+        run: .github/scripts/use-cla-approved-github-bot.sh
+
+      - name: Create pull request
+        env:
+          # not using secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN since pull requests from that token do not run workflows
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          message="Prepare release ${STABLE_VERSION}/${UNSTABLE_VERSION}"
+          branch="opentelemetrybot/prepare-release-${STABLE_VERSION}-${UNSTABLE_VERSION}"
+
+          git commit -a -m "$message"
+          git push origin HEAD:$branch
+          gh pr create --title "[$GITHUB_REF_NAME] $message" \
+                       --body "$message." \
+                       --head $branch \
+                       --base $GITHUB_REF_NAME
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/prepare-release-branch.yml b/.github/workflows/prepare-release-branch.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f8edb3bef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/prepare-release-branch.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,195 @@
+name: Prepare release branch
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      prerelease_version:
+        description: "Pre-release version number? (e.g. 1.9.0rc2)"
+        required: false
+
+jobs:
+  prereqs:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+      - name: Verify prerequisites
+        env:
+          PRERELEASE_VERSION: ${{ github.event.inputs.prerelease_version }}
+        run: |
+          if [[ $GITHUB_REF_NAME != main ]]; then
+            echo this workflow should only be run against main
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          if ! grep --quiet "^## Unreleased$" CHANGELOG.md; then
+            echo the change log is missing an \"Unreleased\" section
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          if [[ ! -z $PRERELEASE_VERSION ]]; then
+            stable_version=$(./scripts/eachdist.py version --mode stable)
+            stable_version=${stable_version//.dev/}
+            if [[ $PRERELEASE_VERSION != ${stable_version}* ]]; then
+              echo "$PRERELEASE_VERSION is not a prerelease for the version on main ($stable_version)"
+              exit 1
+            fi
+          fi
+
+  create-pull-request-against-release-branch:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: prereqs
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+      - name: Create release branch
+        env:
+          PRERELEASE_VERSION: ${{ github.event.inputs.prerelease_version }}
+        run: |
+          if [[ -z $PRERELEASE_VERSION ]]; then
+            stable_version=$(./scripts/eachdist.py version --mode stable)
+            stable_version=${stable_version//.dev/}
+          else
+            stable_version=$PRERELEASE_VERSION
+          fi
+
+          unstable_version=$(./scripts/eachdist.py version --mode prerelease)
+          unstable_version=${unstable_version//.dev/}
+
+          if [[ $stable_version =~ ^([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.0$ ]]; then
+            stable_version_branch_part=$(echo $stable_version | sed -E 's/([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.0/\1.\2.x/')
+            unstable_version_branch_part=$(echo $unstable_version | sed -E 's/0\.([0-9]+)b0/0.\1bx/')
+            release_branch_name="release/v${stable_version_branch_part}-${unstable_version_branch_part}"
+          elif [[ $stable_version =~ ^([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.0 ]]; then
+            # pre-release version, e.g. 1.9.0rc2
+            release_branch_name="release/v$stable_version-$unstable_version"
+          else
+            echo "unexpected version: $stable_version"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          git push origin HEAD:$release_branch_name
+
+          echo "STABLE_VERSION=$stable_version" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "UNSTABLE_VERSION=$unstable_version" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "RELEASE_BRANCH_NAME=$release_branch_name" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Update version
+        run: .github/scripts/update-version.sh $STABLE_VERSION $UNSTABLE_VERSION
+
+      - name: Set up Python 3.9
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v2
+        with:
+          python-version: 3.9
+      - name: Install tox
+        run: pip install tox==3.27.1
+      - name: run tox
+        run: tox -e generate
+
+      - name: Update the change log with the approximate release date
+        run: |
+          date=$(date "+%Y-%m-%d")
+          sed -Ei "s/^## Unreleased$/## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}\/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} ($date)/" CHANGELOG.md
+
+      - name: Use CLA approved github bot
+        run: .github/scripts/use-cla-approved-github-bot.sh
+
+      - name: Create pull request against the release branch
+        env:
+          # not using secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN since pull requests from that token do not run workflows
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          message="Prepare release ${STABLE_VERSION}/${UNSTABLE_VERSION}"
+          branch="opentelemetrybot/prepare-release-${STABLE_VERSION}-${UNSTABLE_VERSION}"
+
+          git commit -a -m "$message"
+          git push origin HEAD:$branch
+          gh pr create --title "[$RELEASE_BRANCH_NAME] $message" \
+                       --body "$message." \
+                       --head $branch \
+                       --base $RELEASE_BRANCH_NAME
+
+  create-pull-request-against-main:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: prereqs
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+      - name: Set environment variables
+        env:
+          PRERELEASE_VERSION: ${{ github.event.inputs.prerelease_version }}
+        run: |
+          if [[ -z $PRERELEASE_VERSION ]]; then
+            stable_version=$(./scripts/eachdist.py version --mode stable)
+            stable_version=${stable_version//.dev/}
+          else
+            stable_version=$PRERELEASE_VERSION
+          fi
+
+          unstable_version=$(./scripts/eachdist.py version --mode prerelease)
+          unstable_version=${unstable_version//.dev/}
+
+          if [[ $stable_version =~ ^([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.0$ ]]; then
+            stable_major="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+            stable_minor="${BASH_REMATCH[2]}"
+            stable_next_version="$stable_major.$((stable_minor + 1)).0"
+          elif [[ $stable_version =~ ^([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.0 ]]; then
+            # pre-release version, e.g. 1.9.0rc2
+            stable_major="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+            stable_minor="${BASH_REMATCH[2]}"
+            stable_next_version="$stable_major.$stable_minor.0"
+          else
+            echo "unexpected stable_version: $stable_version"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          if [[ $unstable_version =~ ^0\.([0-9]+)b[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+            unstable_minor="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+          else
+            echo "unexpected unstable_version: $unstable_version"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          unstable_next_version="0.$((unstable_minor + 1))b0"
+
+          echo "STABLE_VERSION=${stable_version}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "STABLE_NEXT_VERSION=${stable_next_version}.dev" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+          echo "UNSTABLE_VERSION=${unstable_version}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "UNSTABLE_NEXT_VERSION=${unstable_next_version}.dev" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: Update version
+        run: .github/scripts/update-version.sh $STABLE_NEXT_VERSION $UNSTABLE_NEXT_VERSION
+
+      - name: Set up Python 3.9
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v2
+        with:
+          python-version: 3.9
+      - name: Install tox
+        run: pip install tox==3.27.1
+      - name: run tox
+        run: tox -e generate
+
+      - name: Update the change log on main
+        run: |
+          # the actual release date on main will be updated at the end of the release workflow
+          date=$(date "+%Y-%m-%d")
+          sed -Ei "s/^## Unreleased$/## Unreleased\n\n## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}\/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} ($date)/" CHANGELOG.md
+
+      - name: Use CLA approved github bot
+        run: .github/scripts/use-cla-approved-github-bot.sh
+
+      - name: Create pull request against main
+        env:
+          # not using secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN since pull requests from that token do not run workflows
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          message="Update version to ${STABLE_NEXT_VERSION}/${UNSTABLE_NEXT_VERSION}"
+          body="Update version to \`${STABLE_NEXT_VERSION}/${UNSTABLE_NEXT_VERSION}\`."
+          branch="opentelemetrybot/update-version-to-${STABLE_NEXT_VERSION}-${UNSTABLE_NEXT_VERSION}"
+
+          git commit -a -m "$message"
+          git push origin HEAD:$branch
+          gh pr create --title "$message" \
+                       --body "$body" \
+                       --head $branch \
+                       --base main
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 0921357cb..000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-name: Publish
-
-on:
-  release:
-    types: [published]
-
-jobs:
-  publish:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-    - uses: actions/checkout@v1
-    - uses: actions/setup-python@v1
-      with:
-        python-version: '3.7'
-    - name: Build wheels
-      run: ./scripts/build.sh
-    - name: Install twine
-      run: |
-        pip install twine
-    # The step below publishes to testpypi in order to catch any issues
-    # with the package configuration that would cause a failure to upload
-    # to pypi. One example of such a failure is if a classifier is
-    # rejected by pypi (e.g "3 - Beta"). This would cause a failure during the
-    # middle of the package upload causing the action to fail, and certain packages
-    # might have already been updated, this would be bad.
-    - name: Publish to TestPyPI
-      env:
-        TWINE_USERNAME: '__token__'
-        TWINE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.test_pypi_token }}
-      run: |
-        twine upload --repository testpypi --skip-existing --verbose dist/*
-    - name: Publish to PyPI
-      env:
-        TWINE_USERNAME: '__token__'
-        TWINE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.pypi_password }}
-      run: |
-        twine upload --skip-existing --verbose dist/*
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..818ccdc68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,205 @@
+name: Release
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  release:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - run: |
+          if [[ $GITHUB_REF_NAME != release/* ]]; then
+            echo this workflow should only be run against release branches
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+      - name: Set environment variables
+        run: |
+          stable_version=$(./scripts/eachdist.py version --mode stable)
+          unstable_version=$(./scripts/eachdist.py version --mode prerelease)
+
+          if [[ $stable_version =~ ^([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+) ]]; then
+            stable_major="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+            stable_minor="${BASH_REMATCH[2]}"
+            stable_patch="${BASH_REMATCH[3]}"
+          else
+            echo "unexpected stable_version: $stable_version"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          if [[ $stable_patch != 0 ]]; then
+            if [[ $unstable_version =~ ^0\.([0-9]+)b([0-9]+)$ ]]; then
+              unstable_minor="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
+              unstable_patch="${BASH_REMATCH[2]}"
+            else
+              echo "unexpected unstable_version: $unstable_version"
+              exit 1
+            fi
+            if [[ $unstable_patch != 0 ]]; then
+              prior_version_when_patch="$stable_major.$stable_minor.$((stable_patch - 1))/0.${unstable_minor}b$((unstable_patch - 1))"
+            fi
+          fi
+
+          echo "STABLE_VERSION=$stable_version" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "UNSTABLE_VERSION=$unstable_version" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+          echo "PRIOR_VERSION_WHEN_PATCH=$prior_version_when_patch" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+        # check out main branch to verify there won't be problems with merging the change log
+        # at the end of this workflow
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        with:
+          ref: main
+
+      - run: |
+          if [[ -z $PRIOR_VERSION_WHEN_PATCH ]]; then
+            # not making a patch release
+            if ! grep --quiet "^## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} " CHANGELOG.md; then
+              echo the pull request generated by prepare-release-branch.yml needs to be merged first
+              exit 1
+            fi
+          fi
+
+        # back to the release branch
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+
+        # next few steps publish to pypi
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v1
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.7'
+
+      - name: Build wheels
+        run: ./scripts/build.sh
+
+      - name: Install twine
+        run: |
+          pip install twine
+
+      # The step below publishes to testpypi in order to catch any issues
+      # with the package configuration that would cause a failure to upload
+      # to pypi. One example of such a failure is if a classifier is
+      # rejected by pypi (e.g "3 - Beta"). This would cause a failure during the
+      # middle of the package upload causing the action to fail, and certain packages
+      # might have already been updated, this would be bad.
+      - name: Publish to TestPyPI
+        env:
+          TWINE_USERNAME: '__token__'
+          TWINE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.test_pypi_token }}
+        run: |
+          twine upload --repository testpypi --skip-existing --verbose dist/*
+
+      - name: Publish to PyPI
+        env:
+          TWINE_USERNAME: '__token__'
+          TWINE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.pypi_password }}
+        run: |
+          twine upload --skip-existing --verbose dist/*
+
+      - name: Generate release notes
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          # conditional block not indented because of the heredoc
+          if [[ ! -z $PRIOR_VERSION_WHEN_PATCH ]]; then
+          cat > /tmp/release-notes.txt << EOF
+          This is a patch release on the previous $PRIOR_VERSION_WHEN_PATCH release, fixing the issue(s) below.
+
+          EOF
+          fi
+
+          # CHANGELOG_SECTION.md is also used at the end of the release workflow
+          # for copying the change log updates to main
+          sed -n "0,/^## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}\/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} /d;/^## Version /q;p" CHANGELOG.md \
+            > /tmp/CHANGELOG_SECTION.md
+
+          # the complex perl regex is needed because markdown docs render newlines as soft wraps
+          # while release notes render them as line breaks
+          perl -0pe 's/(?<!\n)\n *(?!\n)(?![-*] )(?![1-9]+\. )/ /g' /tmp/CHANGELOG_SECTION.md \
+            >> /tmp/release-notes.txt
+
+      - name: Create GitHub release
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          gh release create --target $GITHUB_REF_NAME \
+                            --title "Version ${STABLE_VERSION}/${UNSTABLE_VERSION}" \
+                            --notes-file /tmp/release-notes.txt \
+                            --discussion-category announcements \
+                            v$STABLE_VERSION
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        with:
+          # the step below is creating a pull request against main
+          ref: main
+
+      - name: Copy change log updates to main
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          if [[ -z $PRIOR_VERSION_WHEN_PATCH ]]; then
+            # this was not a patch release, so the version exists already in the CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # update the release date
+            date=$(gh release view v$STABLE_VERSION --json publishedAt --jq .publishedAt | sed 's/T.*//')
+            sed -Ei "s/## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}\/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} .*/## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}\/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} ($date)/" CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # the entries are copied over from the release branch to support workflows
+            # where change log entries may be updated after preparing the release branch
+
+            # copy the portion above the release, up to and including the heading
+            sed -n "0,/^## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}\/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} ($date)/p" CHANGELOG.md > /tmp/CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # copy the release notes
+            cat /tmp/CHANGELOG_SECTION.md >> /tmp/CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # copy the portion below the release
+            sed -n "0,/^## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}\/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} /d;0,/^## Version /{/^## Version/!d};p" CHANGELOG.md \
+              >> /tmp/CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # update the real CHANGELOG.md
+            cp /tmp/CHANGELOG.md CHANGELOG.md
+          else
+            # this was a patch release, so the version does not exist already in the CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # copy the portion above the top-most release, not including the heading
+            sed -n "0,/^## Version /{ /^## Version /!p }" CHANGELOG.md > /tmp/CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # add the heading
+            date=$(gh release view v$STABLE_VERSION --json publishedAt --jq .publishedAt | sed 's/T.*//')
+            echo "## Version ${STABLE_VERSION}/${UNSTABLE_VERSION} ($date)" >> /tmp/CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # copy the release notes
+            cat /tmp/CHANGELOG_SECTION.md >> /tmp/CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # copy the portion starting from the top-most release
+            sed -n "/^## Version /,\$p" CHANGELOG.md >> /tmp/CHANGELOG.md
+
+            # update the real CHANGELOG.md
+            cp /tmp/CHANGELOG.md CHANGELOG.md
+          fi
+
+      - name: Use CLA approved github bot
+        run: .github/scripts/use-cla-approved-github-bot.sh
+
+      - name: Create pull request against main
+        env:
+          # not using secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN since pull requests from that token do not run workflows
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          message="Copy change log updates from $GITHUB_REF_NAME"
+          body="Copy log updates from \`$GITHUB_REF_NAME\`."
+          branch="opentelemetrybot/copy-change-log-updates-from-${GITHUB_REF_NAME//\//-}"
+
+          if [[ -z $PRIOR_VERSION_WHEN_PATCH ]]; then
+            if git diff --quiet; then
+              echo there are no updates needed to the change log on main, not creating pull request
+              exit 0 # success
+            fi
+          fi
+
+          git commit -a -m "$message"
+          git push origin HEAD:$branch
+          gh pr create --title "$message" \
+                       --body "$body" \
+                       --head $branch \
+                       --base main
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/update-sha.yml b/.github/workflows/update-sha.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e5418d929
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/update-sha.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+name: Update SHA
+
+on: issue_comment
+
+jobs:
+  update-pr-sha:
+    name: Update SHA
+    if: ${{ github.event.issue.pull_request && contains(github.event.comment.body, 'update-sha') }}
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN }}
+
+      # would have been lit if github supported string split expression
+      - name: Extract branch name from comment to get commit SHA
+        uses: jungwinter/split@v2
+        id: split
+        with:
+          msg: ${{ github.event.comment.body }}
+
+      - name: Set up Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.9'
+
+      - name: Use CLA approved github bot
+        run: .github/scripts/use-cla-approved-github-bot.sh
+
+      - name: Checkout Pull Request
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          PR_URL="${{ github.event.issue.pull_request.url }}"
+          PR_NUM=${PR_URL##*/}
+          echo "Checking out from PR #$PR_NUM based on URL: $PR_URL"
+          hub pr checkout $PR_NUM
+
+      # caching is not supported for this event type
+      - name: Run script
+        run: |
+          python -m pip install requests==2.28.1 ruamel.yaml==0.17.21
+          python scripts/update_sha.py --branch ${{ steps.split.outputs._1 }}
+
+      - name: Commit and Push changes
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BOT_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          git commit -a -m "Update SHA"
+          git push
diff --git a/RELEASING.md b/RELEASING.md
index bf7692229..01945165e 100644
--- a/RELEASING.md
+++ b/RELEASING.md
@@ -1,93 +1,90 @@
-# Releasing OpenTelemetry Packages (for maintainers only)
-This document explains how to publish all OT modules at version x.y.z. Ensure that you’re following semver when choosing a version number.
+# Release instructions
 
-Release Process:
-* [Checkout a clean repo](#checkout-a-clean-repo)
-* [Update versions](#update-versions)
-* [Create a new branch](#create-a-new-branch)
-* [Open a Pull Request](#open-a-pull-request)
-* [Create a Release](#Create-a-Release)
-* [Move stable tag](#Move-stable-tag)
-* [Update main](#Update-main)
-* [Check PyPI](#Check-PyPI)
-* [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
+## Preparing a new major or minor release
 
-## Checkout a clean repo
-To avoid pushing untracked changes, check out the repo in a new dir
+* Run the [Prepare release branch workflow](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/actions/workflows/prepare-release-branch.yml).
+  * Press the "Run workflow" button, and leave the default branch `main` selected.
+    * If making a pre-release of stable components (e.g. release candidate),
+      enter the pre-release version number, e.g. `1.9.0rc2`.
+      (otherwise the workflow will pick up the version from `main` and just remove the `.dev` suffix).
+  * Review and merge the two pull requests that it creates
+    (one is targeted to the release branch and one is targeted to `main`).
 
-## Update versions
-The update of the version information relies on the information in eachdist.ini to identify which packages are stable, prerelease or
-experimental. Update the desired version there to begin the release process.
+## Preparing a new patch release
 
-## Create a new branch
-The following script does the following:
-- update main locally
-- creates a new release branch `release/<version>`
-- updates version and changelog files
-- commits the change
+* Backport pull request(s) to the release branch.
+  * Run the [Backport workflow](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/actions/workflows/backport.yml).
+  * Press the "Run workflow" button, then select the release branch from the dropdown list,
+    e.g. `release/v1.9.x`, then enter the pull request number that you want to backport,
+    then click the "Run workflow" button below that.
+  * Review and merge the backport pull request that it generates.
+* Merge a pull request to the release branch updating the `CHANGELOG.md`.
+  * The heading for the unreleased entries should be `## Unreleased`.
+* Run the [Prepare patch release workflow](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/actions/workflows/prepare-patch-release.yml).
+  * Press the "Run workflow" button, then select the release branch from the dropdown list,
+    e.g. `release/v1.9.x`, and click the "Run workflow" button below that.
+  * Review and merge the pull request that it creates for updating the version.
 
-*NOTE: This script was run by a GitHub Action but required the Action bot to be excluded from the CLA check, which it currently is not.*
+## Making the release
 
-```bash
-./scripts/prepare_release.sh
-```
+* Run the [Release workflow](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/actions/workflows/release.yml).
+  * Press the "Run workflow" button, then select the release branch from the dropdown list,
+    e.g. `release/v1.9.x`, and click the "Run workflow" button below that.
+  * This workflow will publish the artifacts and publish a GitHub release with release notes based on the change log.
+  * Review and merge the pull request that it creates for updating the change log in main
+    (note that if this is not a patch release then the change log on main may already be up-to-date,
+    in which case no pull request will be created).
 
-## Open a Pull Request
+## Notes about version numbering for stable components
 
-The PR should be opened from the `release/<version>` branch created as part of running `prepare_release.sh` in the steps above.
+* The version number for stable components in the `main` branch is always `X.Y.0.dev`,
+  where `X.Y.0` represents the next minor release.
+* When the release branch is created, you can opt to make a "pre-release", e.g. `X.Y.0rc2`.
+* If you ARE NOT making a "pre-release":
+  * A "long-term" release branch will be created, e.g. `release/v1.9.x-0.21bx` (notice the wildcard x's).
+    Later on, after the initial release, you can backport PRs to a "long-term" release branch and make patch releases
+    from it.
+  * The version number for stable components in the release branch will be bumped to remove the `.dev`,
+    e.g. `X.Y.0`.
+  * The version number for stable components in the `main` branch will be bumped to the next version,
+    e.g. `X.{Y+1}.0.dev`.
+* If you ARE making a "pre-release":
+  * A "short-term" release branch will be created, e.g. `release/v1.9.0rc2-0.21b0` (notice the precise version with no
+    wildcard x's). "Short-term" release branches do not support backports or patch releases after the initial release.
+  * The version number for stable components in the `main` branch will not be bumped, e.g. it will remain `X.Y.0.dev`
+    since the next minor release will still be `X.Y.0`.
 
-## Create a Release
+## Notes about version numbering for unstable components
 
-- Create the GH release from the main branch, using a new tag for this micro version, e.g. `v0.7.0`
-- Copy the changelogs from all packages that changed into the release notes (and reformat to remove hard line wraps)
+* The version number for unstable components in the `main` branch is always `0.Yb0.dev`,
+  where `0.Yb0` represents the next minor release.
+  * _Question: Is "b" (beta) redundant on "0." releases, or is this a python thing? I'm wondering if we can change it to `0.Y.0` to match up with the practice in js and go repos._
+* Unstable components do not need "pre-releases", and so whether or not you are making a "pre-release" of stable
+  components:
+  * The version number for unstable components in the release branch will be bumped to remove the `.dev`,
+    e.g. `0.Yb0`.
+  * The version number for unstable components in the `main` branch will be bumped to the next version,
+    e.g. `0.{Y+1}b0.dev`.
 
+## After the release
 
-## Check PyPI
-
-This should be handled automatically on release by the [publish action](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/blob/main/.github/workflows/publish.yml).
-
-- Check the [action logs](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/actions?query=workflow%3APublish) to make sure packages have been uploaded to PyPI
-- Check the release history (e.g. https://pypi.org/project/opentelemetry-api/#history) on PyPI
-
-If for some reason the action failed, see [Publish failed](#publish-failed) below
-
-## Move stable tag
-
-This will ensure the docs are pointing at the stable release.
-
-```bash
-git tag -d stable
-git tag stable
-git push --delete origin tagname
-git push origin stable
-```
-
-To validate this worked, ensure the stable build has run successfully: https://readthedocs.org/projects/opentelemetry-python/builds/. If the build has not run automatically, it can be manually trigger via the readthedocs interface.
-
-## Update main
-
-Ensure the version and changelog updates have been applied to main. Update the versions in eachdist.ini once again this time to include the `.dev0` tag and
-run eachdist once again:
-```bash
-./scripts/eachdist.py update_versions --versions stable,prerelease
-```
-
-If the diff includes significant changes, create a pull request to commit the changes and once the changes are merged, click the "Run workflow" button for the Update [OpenTelemetry Website Docs](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/actions/workflows/docs-update.yml) GitHub Action.
-
-## Hotfix procedure
-
-A `hotfix` is defined as a small change developed to correct a bug that should be released as quickly as possible. Due to the nature of hotfixes, they usually will only affect one or a few packages. Therefore, it usually is not necessary to go through the entire release process outlined above for hotfixes. Follow the below steps how to release a hotfix:
-
-1. Identify the packages that are affected by the bug. Make the changes to those packages, merging to `main`, as quickly as possible.
-2. On your local machine, remove the `dev0` tags from the version number and increment the patch version number.
-3. On your local machine, update `CHANGELOG.md` with the date of the hotfix change.
-4. With administrator privileges for PyPi, manually publish the affected packages.
-    a. Install [twine](https://pypi.org/project/twine/)
-    b. Navigate to where the `setup.py` file exists for the package you want to publish.
-    c. Run `python setup.py sdist bdist_wheel`. You may have to install [wheel](https://pypi.org/project/wheel/) as well.
-    d. Validate your built distributions by running `twine check dist/*`.
-    e. Upload distributions to PyPi by running `twine upload dist/*`.
-5. Note that since hotfixes are manually published, the build scripts for publish after creating a release are not run.
+* Check PyPI
+  * This should be handled automatically on release by the [publish action](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/blob/main/.github/workflows/publish.yml).
+  * Check the [action logs](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/actions?query=workflow%3APublish) to make sure packages have been uploaded to PyPI
+  * Check the release history (e.g. https://pypi.org/project/opentelemetry-api/#history) on PyPI
+  * If for some reason the action failed, see [Publish failed](#publish-failed) below
+* Move stable tag
+  * Run the following (TODO automate):
+    ```bash
+    git tag -d stable
+    git tag stable
+    git push --delete origin tagname
+    git push origin stable
+    ```
+  * This will ensure the docs are pointing at the stable release.
+  * To validate this worked, ensure the stable build has run successfully:
+    https://readthedocs.org/projects/opentelemetry-python/builds/.
+    If the build has not run automatically, it can be manually trigger via the readthedocs interface.
 
 ## Troubleshooting
 
diff --git a/dev-requirements.txt b/dev-requirements.txt
index 7938bda18..a8efb950d 100644
--- a/dev-requirements.txt
+++ b/dev-requirements.txt
@@ -16,3 +16,5 @@ mypy-protobuf>=1.23
 protobuf~=3.13
 markupsafe==2.0.1
 codespell==2.1.0
+requests==2.28.1
+ruamel.yaml==0.17.21
diff --git a/scripts/generate_instrumentation_metapackage.py b/scripts/generate_instrumentation_metapackage.py
index ddc13a047..ad5d0b5e3 100755
--- a/scripts/generate_instrumentation_metapackage.py
+++ b/scripts/generate_instrumentation_metapackage.py
@@ -71,7 +71,9 @@ def main():
         root_path, "opentelemetry-contrib-instrumentations", "pyproject.toml"
     )
 
-    deps = [f"{pkg}=={version}" for pkg, version in dependencies]
+    deps = [
+        f"{pkg.strip()}=={version.strip()}" for pkg, version in dependencies
+    ]
     with open(pyproject_toml_path, "rb") as file:
         pyproject_toml = tomli.load(file)
 
diff --git a/scripts/update_sha.py b/scripts/update_sha.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d74ccc12d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/update_sha.py
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+# pylint: disable=import-error,unspecified-encoding
+
+import argparse
+
+import requests
+from ruamel.yaml import YAML
+
+API_URL = (
+    "https://api.github.com/repos/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-python/commits/"
+)
+WORKFLOW_FILE = ".github/workflows/test.yml"
+
+
+def get_sha(branch):
+    url = API_URL + branch
+    response = requests.get(url)
+    response.raise_for_status()
+    return response.json()["sha"]
+
+
+def update_sha(sha):
+    yaml = YAML()
+    yaml.preserve_quotes = True
+    with open(WORKFLOW_FILE, "r") as file:
+        workflow = yaml.load(file)
+    workflow["env"]["CORE_REPO_SHA"] = sha
+    with open(WORKFLOW_FILE, "w") as file:
+        yaml.dump(workflow, file)
+
+
+def main():
+    args = parse_args()
+    sha = get_sha(args.branch)
+    update_sha(sha)
+
+
+def parse_args():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        description="Updates the SHA in the workflow file"
+    )
+    parser.add_argument("-b", "--branch", help="branch to use")
+    return parser.parse_args()
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()