diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-merge.yml b/.github/workflows/release-merge.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..05785d093
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-merge.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+name: "Merge release"
+
+on:
+  issue_comment:
+    types: [created]
+
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  merge-comment:
+    name: Merge release to main
+    runs-on: macos-14
+    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' || (github.event.issue.pull_request && github.event.issue.state == 'open' && github.event.comment.body == '/merge release')
+    steps:
+      - name: Connect iOS Bot
+        uses: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.7.0
+        with:
+          ssh-private-key: ${{ secrets.BOT_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4.1.1
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/ruby-cache
+
+      - name: Merge
+        run: bundle exec fastlane merge_release_to_main author:"$USER_LOGIN" --verbose
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ADMIN_API_TOKEN }} # A token with the "admin:org" scope to get the list of the team members on GitHub
+          GITHUB_PR_NUM: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
+          USER_LOGIN: ${{ github.event.comment.user.login != null && github.event.comment.user.login || github.event.sender.login }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish-release.yml b/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml
similarity index 99%
rename from .github/workflows/publish-release.yml
rename to .github/workflows/release-publish.yml
index 93f1ad60f..80113e243 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-publish.yml
@@ -17,16 +17,20 @@ jobs:
         uses: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.7.0
         with:
           ssh-private-key: ${{ secrets.BOT_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4.1.1
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
+
       - name: Extract version from branch name (for release branches)
         if: startsWith(github.event.pull_request.head.ref, 'release/')
         run: |
           BRANCH_NAME="${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref }}"
           VERSION=${BRANCH_NAME#release/}
           echo "RELEASE_VERSION=$VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - uses: ./.github/actions/ruby-cache
+
       - name: "Fastlane - Publish Release"
         if: startsWith(github.event.pull_request.head.ref, 'release/')
         env:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/start-new-release.yml b/.github/workflows/release-start.yml
similarity index 99%
rename from .github/workflows/start-new-release.yml
rename to .github/workflows/release-start.yml
index e66a1eac5..a03592c30 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/start-new-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-start.yml
@@ -17,11 +17,15 @@ jobs:
         uses: webfactory/ssh-agent@v0.7.0
         with:
           ssh-private-key: ${{ secrets.BOT_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4.1.1
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0 # to fetch git tags
+
       - uses: ./.github/actions/ruby-cache
+
       - uses: ./.github/actions/xcode-cache
+
       - name: Create Release PR
         run: bundle exec fastlane release version:"${{ github.event.inputs.version }}" --verbose
         env:
diff --git a/fastlane/Fastfile b/fastlane/Fastfile
index 2108872a3..6175d8bbe 100644
--- a/fastlane/Fastfile
+++ b/fastlane/Fastfile
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ outstanding_status = '🚀' # Outstanding performance
 before_all do |lane|
   if is_ci
     setup_ci
+    sh('git config --global user.name "Stream Bot"')
     xcversion(version: xcode_version) unless [:publish_release, :allure_launch, :allure_upload, :pod_lint, :stop_e2e_helpers].include?(lane)
   elsif lane == :test_e2e
     stop_e2e_helpers
@@ -489,37 +490,46 @@ private_lane :build_example_app do |options|
   )
 end
 
-lane :merge_release_to_main do
+lane :merge_release_to_main do |options|
   ensure_git_status_clean
-  sh('git checkout main')
-  sh('git pull')
 
-  # Grep all remote release branches and ensure there's only one
-  release_branches = sh(command: 'git branch -a', log: false).delete(' ').split("\n").grep(%r(origin/.*release/))
-  UI.user_error!("Expected 1 release branch, found #{release_branches.size}") if release_branches.size != 1
+  release_branch =
+    if is_ci
+      # This API operation needs the "admin:org" scope.
+      ios_team = sh('gh api orgs/GetStream/teams/ios-developers/members -q ".[].login"', log: false).split
+      UI.user_error!("#{options[:author]} is not a member of the iOS Team") unless ios_team.include?(options[:author])
+
+      current_branch
+    else
+      release_branches = sh(command: 'git branch -a', log: false).delete(' ').split("\n").grep(%r(origin/.*release/))
+      UI.user_error!("Expected 1 release branch, found #{release_branches.size}") if release_branches.size != 1
+
+      release_branches.first
+    end
+
+  UI.user_error!("`#{release_branch}`` branch does not match the release branch pattern: `release/*`") unless release_branch.start_with?('release/')
+
+  sh('git checkout origin/main')
+  sh('git pull origin main')
 
   # Merge release branch to main. For more info, read: https://notion.so/iOS-Branching-Strategy-37c10127dc26493e937769d44b1d6d9a
-  sh("git merge #{release_branches.first} --ff-only")
-  UI.user_error!('Not pushing changes') unless prompt(text: 'Will push changes. All looking good?', boolean: true)
-  sh('git push')
-  UI.important('Please, wait for the `Publish new release` workflow to pass on GitHub Actions: ' \
-               "https://github.com/#{github_repo}/actions/workflows/publish-release.yml")
+  sh("git merge #{release_branch} --ff-only")
+  sh('git push origin main')
+
+  comment = "[Publication of the release](https://github.com/#{github_repo}/actions/workflows/release-publish.yml) has been launched 👍"
+  UI.important(comment)
+  create_pr_comment(pr_num: ENV.fetch('GITHUB_PR_NUM'), text: comment)
 end
 
 lane :merge_main_to_develop do
-  if is_ci
-    sh('git reset --hard')
-  else
-    ensure_git_status_clean
-  end
-
+  ensure_git_status_clean
   sh('git checkout main')
   sh('git pull origin main')
-  sh('git checkout develop')
+  sh('git checkout origin/develop')
   sh('git pull origin develop')
   sh('git log develop..main')
   sh('git merge main')
-  sh('git push')
+  sh('git push origin develop')
 end
 
 desc 'Compresses the XCFrameworks into zip files'
@@ -594,7 +604,6 @@ private_lane :update_spm do |options|
     File.open('./Package.swift', 'w') { |file| file << file_data }
 
     # Update the repo
-    sh('git config --global user.name "Stream Bot"')
     sh('git add -A')
     sh("git commit -m 'Bump #{version}'")
     sh('git push')
@@ -893,7 +902,7 @@ end
 private_lane :create_pr_comment do |options|
   if is_ci && !options[:pr_num].to_s.empty?
     last_comment = sh("gh pr view #{options[:pr_num]} --json comments --jq '.comments | map(select(.author.login == \"Stream-iOS-Bot\")) | last'")
-    edit_last_comment = last_comment.include?(options[:edit_last_comment_with_text]) ? '--edit-last' : ''
+    edit_last_comment = options[:edit_last_comment_with_text] && last_comment.include?(options[:edit_last_comment_with_text]) ? '--edit-last' : ''
     sh("gh pr comment #{options[:pr_num]} #{edit_last_comment} -b '#{options[:text]}'")
   end
 end