diff --git a/.github/actions/install-frontend-deps/action.yml b/.github/actions/install-frontend-deps/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b9d910ca99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/install-frontend-deps/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+name: Install frontend dependencies
+description: Installs frontend dependencies with pnpm, with caching
+runs:
+  using: 'composite'
+  steps:
+    - name: Setup Node 18
+      uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+      with:
+        node-version: '18'
+
+    - name: Setup pnpm
+      uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
+      with:
+        version: 8
+        run_install: false
+
+    - name: Get pnpm store directory
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        echo "STORE_PATH=$(pnpm store path --silent)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+    - uses: actions/cache@v3
+      name: Setup pnpm cache
+      with:
+        path: ${{ env.STORE_PATH }}
+        key: ${{ runner.os }}-pnpm-store-${{ hashFiles('**/pnpm-lock.yaml') }}
+        restore-keys: |
+          ${{ runner.os }}-pnpm-store-
+
+    - name: Install frontend dependencies
+      run: pnpm install --prefer-frozen-lockfile
+      shell: bash
+      working-directory: invokeai/frontend/web
diff --git a/.github/actions/install-python-deps/action.yml b/.github/actions/install-python-deps/action.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4c0d351899
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/actions/install-python-deps/action.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+name: Install python dependencies
+description: Install python dependencies with pip, with caching
+runs:
+  using: 'composite'
+  steps:
+    - name: Setup python
+      uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+      with:
+        python-version: '3.10'
+        cache: pip
+        cache-dependency-path: pyproject.toml
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-container.yml b/.github/workflows/build-container.yml
index 74fcc02ab3..a8bfaa540c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-container.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-container.yml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ on:
       - 'docker/docker-entrypoint.sh'
       - 'workflows/build-container.yml'
     tags:
-      - 'v*'
+      - 'v*.*.*'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-frontend.yml b/.github/workflows/check-frontend.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..634ad84ee2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-frontend.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+name: 'Check: frontend'
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  workflow_call:
+
+defaults:
+  run:
+    working-directory: invokeai/frontend/web
+
+jobs:
+  check-frontend:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up frontend
+        uses: ./.github/actions/install-frontend-deps
+
+      - name: Run tsc check
+        run: 'pnpm run lint:tsc'
+        shell: bash
+
+      - name: Run dpdm check
+        run: 'pnpm run lint:dpdm'
+        shell: bash
+
+      - name: Run eslint check
+        run: 'pnpm run lint:eslint'
+        shell: bash
+
+      - name: Run prettier check
+        run: 'pnpm run lint:prettier'
+        shell: bash
+
+      - name: Run knip check
+        run: 'pnpm run lint:knip'
+        shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-invoke-pip.yml b/.github/workflows/check-pytest.yml
similarity index 76%
rename from .github/workflows/test-invoke-pip.yml
rename to .github/workflows/check-pytest.yml
index bbbc66828c..bdab6fc4d4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-invoke-pip.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-pytest.yml
@@ -1,15 +1,8 @@
-name: Test invoke.py pip
+name: 'Check: pytest'
+
 on:
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - 'main'
-  pull_request:
-    types:
-      - 'ready_for_review'
-      - 'opened'
-      - 'synchronize'
-  merge_group:
   workflow_dispatch:
+  workflow_call:
 
 concurrency:
   group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.head_ref || github.run_id }}
@@ -17,11 +10,9 @@ concurrency:
 
 jobs:
   matrix:
-    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
     strategy:
       matrix:
         python-version:
-          # - '3.9'
           - '3.10'
         pytorch:
           - linux-cuda-11_7
@@ -52,27 +43,12 @@ jobs:
     env:
       PIP_USE_PEP517: '1'
     steps:
-      - name: Checkout sources
-        id: checkout-sources
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
-
-      - name: Check for changed python files
-        id: changed-files
-        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v41
-        with:
-          files_yaml: |
-            python:
-              - 'pyproject.toml'
-              - 'invokeai/**'
-              - '!invokeai/frontend/web/**'
-              - 'tests/**'
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
       - name: set test prompt to main branch validation
-        if: steps.changed-files.outputs.python_any_changed == 'true'
         run: echo "TEST_PROMPTS=tests/validate_pr_prompt.txt" >> ${{ matrix.github-env }}
 
       - name: setup python
-        if: steps.changed-files.outputs.python_any_changed == 'true'
         uses: actions/setup-python@v4
         with:
           python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
@@ -80,7 +56,6 @@ jobs:
           cache-dependency-path: pyproject.toml
 
       - name: install invokeai
-        if: steps.changed-files.outputs.python_any_changed == 'true'
         env:
           PIP_EXTRA_INDEX_URL: ${{ matrix.extra-index-url }}
         run: >
@@ -88,7 +63,6 @@ jobs:
           --editable=".[test]"
 
       - name: run pytest
-        if: steps.changed-files.outputs.python_any_changed == 'true'
         id: run-pytest
         run: pytest
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-python.yml b/.github/workflows/check-python.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c58b4661c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-python.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+name: 'Check: python'
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  workflow_call:
+
+jobs:
+  check-backend:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Install python dependencies
+        uses: ./.github/actions/install-python-deps
+
+      - name: Install ruff
+        run: pip install ruff
+        shell: bash
+
+      - name: Ruff check
+        run: ruff check --output-format=github .
+        shell: bash
+
+      - name: Ruff format
+        run: ruff format --check .
+        shell: bash
diff --git a/.github/workflows/lint-frontend.yml b/.github/workflows/lint-frontend.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index e794892933..0000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/lint-frontend.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-name: Lint frontend
-
-on:
-  pull_request:
-    types:
-      - 'ready_for_review'
-      - 'opened'
-      - 'synchronize'
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - 'main'
-  merge_group:
-  workflow_dispatch:
-
-defaults:
-  run:
-    working-directory: invokeai/frontend/web
-
-jobs:
-  lint-frontend:
-    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
-    runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
-    steps:
-      - name: Setup Node 18
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-        with:
-          node-version: '18'
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: Setup pnpm
-        uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
-        with:
-          version: '8.12.1'
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: 'pnpm install --prefer-frozen-lockfile'
-      - name: Typescript
-        run: 'pnpm run lint:tsc'
-      - name: Madge
-        run: 'pnpm run lint:dpdm'
-      - name: ESLint
-        run: 'pnpm run lint:eslint'
-      - name: Prettier
-        run: 'pnpm run lint:prettier'
-      - name: Knip
-        run: 'pnpm run lint:knip'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/on-change-check-frontend.yml b/.github/workflows/on-change-check-frontend.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..814f94ca5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/on-change-check-frontend.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+name: 'On change: run check-frontend'
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - 'main'
+  pull_request:
+    types:
+      - 'ready_for_review'
+      - 'opened'
+      - 'synchronize'
+  merge_group:
+
+jobs:
+  check-changed-frontend-files:
+    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      frontend_any_changed: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.frontend_any_changed }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Check for changed frontend files
+        id: changed-files
+        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v40
+        with:
+          files_yaml: |
+            frontend:
+              - 'invokeai/frontend/web/**'
+
+  run-check-frontend:
+    needs: check-changed-frontend-files
+    if: ${{ needs.check-changed-frontend-files.outputs.frontend_any_changed == 'true' }}
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/check-frontend.yml
diff --git a/.github/workflows/on-change-check-python.yml b/.github/workflows/on-change-check-python.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cc2be902b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/on-change-check-python.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+name: 'On change: run check-python'
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - 'main'
+  pull_request:
+    types:
+      - 'ready_for_review'
+      - 'opened'
+      - 'synchronize'
+  merge_group:
+
+jobs:
+  check-changed-python-files:
+    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      python_any_changed: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.python_any_changed }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Check for changed python files
+        id: changed-files
+        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v40
+        with:
+          files_yaml: |
+            python:
+              - 'pyproject.toml'
+              - 'invokeai/**'
+              - '!invokeai/frontend/web/**'
+              - 'tests/**'
+
+  run-check-python:
+    needs: check-changed-python-files
+    if: ${{ needs.check-changed-python-files.outputs.python_any_changed == 'true' }}
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/check-python.yml
diff --git a/.github/workflows/on-change-pytest.yml b/.github/workflows/on-change-pytest.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..081d85d4fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/on-change-pytest.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+name: 'On change: run pytest'
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - 'main'
+  pull_request:
+    types:
+      - 'ready_for_review'
+      - 'opened'
+      - 'synchronize'
+  merge_group:
+
+jobs:
+  check-changed-python-files:
+    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      python_any_changed: ${{ steps.changed-files.outputs.python_any_changed }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Check for changed python files
+        id: changed-files
+        uses: tj-actions/changed-files@v40
+        with:
+          files_yaml: |
+            python:
+              - 'pyproject.toml'
+              - 'invokeai/**'
+              - '!invokeai/frontend/web/**'
+              - 'tests/**'
+
+  run-pytest:
+    needs: check-changed-python-files
+    if: ${{ needs.check-changed-python-files.outputs.python_any_changed == 'true' }}
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/check-pytest.yml
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pypi-release.yml b/.github/workflows/pypi-release.yml.old
similarity index 100%
rename from .github/workflows/pypi-release.yml
rename to .github/workflows/pypi-release.yml.old
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a0ee97f724
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+name: Release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - 'v*.*.*'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      skip_code_checks:
+        description: 'Skip code checks'
+        required: true
+        default: true
+        type: boolean
+
+jobs:
+  check-version:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - uses: samuelcolvin/check-python-version@v4
+        id: check-python-version
+        with:
+          version_file_path: invokeai/version/invokeai_version.py
+
+  check-frontend:
+    if: github.event.inputs.skip_code_checks != 'true'
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/check-frontend.yml
+
+  check-python:
+    if: github.event.inputs.skip_code_checks != 'true'
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/check-python.yml
+
+  check-pytest:
+    if: github.event.inputs.skip_code_checks != 'true'
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/check-pytest.yml
+
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Install python dependencies
+        uses: ./.github/actions/install-python-deps
+
+      - name: Install pypa/build
+        run: pip install --upgrade build
+
+      - name: Setup frontend
+        uses: ./.github/actions/install-frontend-deps
+
+      - name: Run create_installer.sh
+        id: create_installer
+        run: ./create_installer.sh --skip_frontend_checks
+        working-directory: installer
+
+      - name: Upload python distribution artifact
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: dist
+          path: ${{ steps.create_installer.outputs.DIST_PATH }}
+
+      - name: Upload installer artifact
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: ${{ steps.create_installer.outputs.INSTALLER_FILENAME }}
+          path: ${{ steps.create_installer.outputs.INSTALLER_PATH }}
+
+  publish-testpypi:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: [check-version, check-frontend, check-python, check-pytest, build]
+    if: github.event_name != 'workflow_dispatch'
+    environment:
+      name: testpypi
+      url: https://test.pypi.org/p/invokeai
+    steps:
+      - name: Download distribution from build job
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: dist
+          path: dist/
+
+      - name: Publish distribution to TestPyPI
+        uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
+        with:
+          repository-url: https://test.pypi.org/legacy/
+
+  publish-pypi:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: [check-version, check-frontend, check-python, check-pytest, build]
+    if: github.event_name != 'workflow_dispatch'
+    environment:
+      name: pypi
+      url: https://pypi.org/p/invokeai
+    steps:
+      - name: Download distribution from build job
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: dist
+          path: dist/
+
+      - name: Publish distribution to PyPI
+        uses: pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish@release/v1
diff --git a/.github/workflows/style-checks.yml b/.github/workflows/style-checks.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 7e99702213..0000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/style-checks.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,24 +0,0 @@
-name: style checks
-
-on:
-  pull_request:
-  push:
-    branches: main
-
-jobs:
-  ruff:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-
-      - name: Setup Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
-        with:
-          python-version: '3.10'
-
-      - name: Install dependencies with pip
-        run: |
-          pip install ruff
-
-      - run: ruff check --output-format=github .
-      - run: ruff format --check .
diff --git a/.prettierrc.yaml b/.prettierrc.yaml
index ce4b99a07b..3d2ce3b880 100644
--- a/.prettierrc.yaml
+++ b/.prettierrc.yaml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ embeddedLanguageFormatting: auto
 overrides:
   - files: '*.md'
     options:
-      proseWrap: always
+      proseWrap: preserve
       printWidth: 80
       parser: markdown
       cursorOffset: -1
diff --git a/docs/RELEASE.md b/docs/RELEASE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..caf8ba8799
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/RELEASE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+# Release Workflow
+
+The app is published in twice, in different build formats.
+
+- A [PyPI] distribution. This includes both a source distribution and built distribution (a wheel). Users install with `pip install invokeai`. The updater uses this build.
+- An installer on the [InvokeAI Releases Page]. This is a zip file with install scripts and a wheel. This is only used for new installs.
+
+## General Prep
+
+Make a developer call-out for PRs to merge. Merge and test things out.
+
+While the release workflow does not include end-to-end tests, it does pause before publishing so you can download and test the final build.
+
+## Workflow Overview
+
+The `release.yml` workflow runs a number of jobs to handle code checks, tests, build and publish on PyPI.
+
+It is triggered on **tag push**, when the tag matches `v*.*.*`. It doesn't matter if you've prepped a release branch like `release/v3.5.0` or are releasing from `main` - it works the same.
+
+!!! tip
+
+    Because commits are reference-counted, it is safe to create a release branch, tag it, let the workflow run, then delete the branch.
+
+    So long as the tag exists, that commit will exist.
+
+### Triggering the Workflow
+
+Run `make tag-release` to tag the current commit and kick off the workflow.
+
+This script actually makes two tags - one for the specific version, and a `vX-latest` tag that changes with each release.
+
+Because the release workflow only triggers on the pattern `v*.*.*`, the workflow will only run once when running this script.
+
+The release may also be run [manually].
+
+### Workflow Jobs and Process
+
+The workflow consists of a number of concurrently-run jobs, and two final publish jobs.
+
+The publish jobs run if the 5 concurrent jobs all succeed and if/when the publish jobs are approved.
+
+#### `check-version` Job
+
+This job checks that the git ref matches the app version. It matches the ref against the `__version__` variable in `invokeai/version/invokeai_version.py`.
+
+When the workflow is triggered by tag push, the ref is the tag. If the workflow is run manually, the ref is the target selected from the **Use workflow from** dropdown.
+
+!!! tip
+
+    Any valid [version specifier] works, so long as the tag matches the version. The release workflow works exactly the same for `RC`, `post`, `dev`, etc.
+
+#### Check and Test Jobs
+
+This is our test suite.
+
+- **`check-pytest`**: runs `pytest` on matrix of platforms
+- **`check-python`**: runs `ruff` (format and lint)
+- **`check-frontend`**: runs `prettier` (format), `eslint` (lint), `madge` (circular refs) and `tsc` (static type check)
+
+!!! info Future Enhancement
+
+    We should add `mypy` or `pyright` to the **`check-python`** job.
+
+!!! info Future Enhancement
+
+    We should add an end-to-end test job that generates an image.
+
+#### `build` Job
+
+This sets up both python and frontend dependencies and builds the python package. Internally, this runs `installer/create_installer.sh` and uploads two artifacts:
+
+- **`dist`**: the python distribution, to be published on PyPI
+- **`InvokeAI-installer-${VERSION}.zip`**: the installer to be included in the GitHub release
+
+#### Sanity Check & Smoke Test
+
+At this point, the release workflow pauses (the remaining jobs all require approval).
+
+A maintainer should go to the **Summary** tab of the workflow, download the installer and test it. Ensure the app loads and generates.
+
+!!! info
+
+    The exact same wheel file is bundled in the installer and in the `dist` artifact, which is uploaded to PyPI. You should end up with the same exact installation of the `invokeai` package from any of these methods.
+
+#### PyPI Publish Jobs
+
+The publish jobs will skip if any of the previous jobs skip or fail.
+
+They use [GitHub environments], which are configured as [trusted publishers] on PyPI.
+
+Both jobs require a maintainer to approve them from the workflow's **Summary** tab.
+
+- Click the **Review deployments** button
+- Select the environment (either `testpypi` or `pypi`)
+- Click **Approve and deploy**
+
+!!! warning
+
+    **If the version already exists on PyPI, the publish jobs will fail.** PyPI only allows a particular version to be published once - you cannot change it. If version published on PyPI has a problem, you'll need to "fail forward" by bumping the app version and publishing a followup release.
+
+#### `publish-testpypi` Job
+
+Publishes the distribution on the [Test PyPI] index, using the `testpypi` GitHub environment.
+
+This job is not required for the production PyPI publish, but included just in case you want to test the PyPI release.
+
+If approved and successful, you could try out the test release like this:
+
+```sh
+# Create a new virtual environment
+python -m venv ~/.test-invokeai-dist --prompt test-invokeai-dist
+# Install the distribution from Test PyPI
+pip install --index-url https://test.pypi.org/simple/ invokeai
+# Run and test the app
+invokeai-web
+# Cleanup
+deactivate
+rm -rf ~/.test-invokeai-dist
+```
+
+#### `publish-pypi` Job
+
+Publishes the distribution on the production PyPI index, using the `pypi` GitHub environment.
+
+## Publish the GitHub RC with installer
+
+1. [Draft a new release] on GitHub, choosing the tag that triggered the release.
+2. Write the release notes, describing important changes. The **Generate release notes** button automatically inserts the changelog and new contributors, and you can copy/paste the intro from previous releases.
+3. Upload the zip file created in [Build the installer] into the Assets section of the release notes. You can also upload the zip into the body of the release notes, since it can be hard for users to find the Assets section.
+4. Check the **Set as a pre-release** and **Create a discussion for this release** checkboxes at the bottom of the release page.
+5. Publish the pre-release.
+6. Announce the pre-release in Discord.
+
+!!! info Future Enhancement
+
+    Workflows can create a GitHub release from a template and upload release assets. One popular action to handle this is [ncipollo/release-action]. A future enhancement to the release process could set this up.
+
+## Manually Running the Release Workflow
+
+The release workflow can be run manually. This is useful to get an installer build and test it out without needing to push a tag.
+
+When run this way, you'll see **Skip code checks** checkbox. This allows the workflow to run without the time-consuming 3 code quality check jobs.
+
+The publish jobs will skip if the workflow was run manually.
+
+[InvokeAI Releases Page]: https://github.com/invoke-ai/InvokeAI/releases
+[PyPI]: https://pypi.org/
+[Draft a new release]: https://github.com/invoke-ai/InvokeAI/releases/new
+[Test PyPI]: https://test.pypi.org/
+[version specifier]: https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/specifications/version-specifiers/
+[ncipollo/release-action]: https://github.com/ncipollo/release-action
+[GitHub environments]: https://docs.github.com/en/actions/deployment/targeting-different-environments/using-environments-for-deployment
+[trusted publishers]: https://docs.pypi.org/trusted-publishers/
+[samuelcolvin/check-python-version]: https://github.com/samuelcolvin/check-python-version
+[manually]: #manually-running-the-release-workflow
diff --git a/installer/create_installer.sh b/installer/create_installer.sh
index 57b681c42e..5f5d2adb74 100755
--- a/installer/create_installer.sh
+++ b/installer/create_installer.sh
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@
 
 set -e
 
-BCYAN="\e[1;36m"
-BYELLOW="\e[1;33m"
-BGREEN="\e[1;32m"
-BRED="\e[1;31m"
-RED="\e[31m"
-RESET="\e[0m"
+BCYAN="\033[1;36m"
+BYELLOW="\033[1;33m"
+BGREEN="\033[1;32m"
+BRED="\033[1;31m"
+RED="\033[31m"
+RESET="\033[0m"
 
 function is_bin_in_path {
     builtin type -P "$1" &>/dev/null
@@ -44,13 +44,47 @@ VERSION=$(
     cd ..
     python -c "from invokeai.version import __version__ as version; print(version)"
 )
-PATCH=""
-VERSION="v${VERSION}${PATCH}"
+VERSION="v${VERSION}"
 
 echo -e "${BGREEN}HEAD${RESET}:"
 git_show HEAD
 echo
 
+# ---------------------- FRONTEND ----------------------
+
+pushd ../invokeai/frontend/web >/dev/null
+echo
+echo "Installing frontend dependencies..."
+echo
+pnpm i --frozen-lockfile
+echo
+echo "Building frontend..."
+if [[ -v CI ]]; then
+    # In CI, we have already done the frontend checks and can just build
+    pnpm vite build
+else
+    # This runs all the frontend checks and builds
+    pnpm build
+fi
+echo
+popd
+
+# ---------------------- BACKEND ----------------------
+
+echo
+echo "Building wheel..."
+echo
+
+# install the 'build' package in the user site packages, if needed
+# could be improved by using a temporary venv, but it's tiny and harmless
+if [[ $(python -c 'from importlib.util import find_spec; print(find_spec("build") is None)') == "True" ]]; then
+    pip install --user build
+fi
+
+rm -rf ../build
+
+python -m build --outdir dist/ ../.
+
 # ----------------------
 
 echo
@@ -78,10 +112,21 @@ chmod a+x InvokeAI-Installer/install.sh
 cp install.bat.in InvokeAI-Installer/install.bat
 cp WinLongPathsEnabled.reg InvokeAI-Installer/
 
-# Zip everything up
-zip -r InvokeAI-installer-$VERSION.zip InvokeAI-Installer
+FILENAME=InvokeAI-installer-$VERSION.zip
 
-# clean up
-rm -rf InvokeAI-Installer tmp dist ../invokeai/frontend/web/dist/
+# Zip everything up
+zip -r $FILENAME InvokeAI-Installer
+
+if [[ ! -v CI ]]; then
+    # clean up, but only if we are not in a github action
+    rm -rf InvokeAI-Installer tmp dist ../invokeai/frontend/web/dist/
+fi
+
+if [[ -v CI ]]; then
+    # Set the output variable for github action
+    echo "INSTALLER_FILENAME=$FILENAME" >>$GITHUB_OUTPUT
+    echo "INSTALLER_PATH=installer/$FILENAME" >>$GITHUB_OUTPUT
+    echo "DIST_PATH=installer/dist/" >>$GITHUB_OUTPUT
+fi
 
 exit 0
diff --git a/installer/tag_release.sh b/installer/tag_release.sh
index a914c1a505..2955bf5db5 100755
--- a/installer/tag_release.sh
+++ b/installer/tag_release.sh
@@ -2,12 +2,16 @@
 
 set -e
 
-BCYAN="\e[1;36m"
-BYELLOW="\e[1;33m"
-BGREEN="\e[1;32m"
-BRED="\e[1;31m"
-RED="\e[31m"
-RESET="\e[0m"
+BCYAN="\033[1;36m"
+BYELLOW="\033[1;33m"
+BGREEN="\033[1;32m"
+BRED="\033[1;31m"
+RED="\033[31m"
+RESET="\033[0m"
+
+function is_bin_in_path {
+    builtin type -P "$1" &>/dev/null
+}
 
 function does_tag_exist {
     git rev-parse --quiet --verify "refs/tags/$1" >/dev/null
@@ -21,6 +25,14 @@ function git_show {
     git show -s --format='%h %s' $1
 }
 
+# Some machines only have `python3` in PATH, others have `python` - make an alias.
+# We can use a function to approximate an alias within a non-interactive shell.
+if ! is_bin_in_path python && is_bin_in_path python3; then
+    function python {
+        python3 "$@"
+    }
+fi
+
 VERSION=$(
     cd ..
     python -c "from invokeai.version import __version__ as version; print(version)"
@@ -45,27 +57,31 @@ echo -e "${BGREEN}HEAD${RESET}:"
 git_show
 echo
 
-echo -e -n "Create tags ${BCYAN}${VERSION}${RESET} and ${BCYAN}${LATEST_TAG}${RESET} @ ${BGREEN}HEAD${RESET}, ${RED}deleting existing tags on remote${RESET}? "
+echo -e "${BGREEN}git remote -v${RESET}:"
+git remote -v
+echo
+
+echo -e -n "Create tags ${BCYAN}${VERSION}${RESET} and ${BCYAN}${LATEST_TAG}${RESET} @ ${BGREEN}HEAD${RESET}, ${RED}deleting existing tags on origin remote${RESET}? "
 read -e -p 'y/n [n]: ' input
 RESPONSE=${input:='n'}
 if [ "$RESPONSE" == 'y' ]; then
     echo
-    echo -e "Deleting ${BCYAN}${VERSION}${RESET} tag on remote..."
-    git push --delete origin $VERSION
+    echo -e "Deleting ${BCYAN}${VERSION}${RESET} tag on origin remote..."
+    git push origin :refs/tags/$VERSION
 
-    echo -e "Tagging ${BGREEN}HEAD${RESET} with ${BCYAN}${VERSION}${RESET} locally..."
+    echo -e "Tagging ${BGREEN}HEAD${RESET} with ${BCYAN}${VERSION}${RESET} on locally..."
     if ! git tag -fa $VERSION; then
         echo "Existing/invalid tag"
         exit -1
     fi
 
-    echo -e "Deleting ${BCYAN}${LATEST_TAG}${RESET} tag on remote..."
-    git push --delete origin $LATEST_TAG
+    echo -e "Deleting ${BCYAN}${LATEST_TAG}${RESET} tag on origin remote..."
+    git push origin :refs/tags/$LATEST_TAG
 
     echo -e "Tagging ${BGREEN}HEAD${RESET} with ${BCYAN}${LATEST_TAG}${RESET} locally..."
     git tag -fa $LATEST_TAG
 
-    echo -e "Pushing updated tags to remote..."
+    echo -e "Pushing updated tags to origin remote..."
     git push origin --tags
 fi
 exit 0