diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-prod.yaml b/.github/workflows/release-prod.yaml
index 67fb876c6..bd0342183 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-prod.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-prod.yaml
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ on:
     tags:
       - '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\+k8s-[0-9]+\.[0-9]+'
       - '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\+k8s-[0-9]+\.[0-9]+-*'
-      - 'test-*'
 permissions:
   contents: write
 jobs:
@@ -212,124 +211,3 @@ jobs:
           files: |
             build/*.tgz
             build/metadata.json
-
-  release-app:
-    name: Create app releases
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      pull-requests: write
-    needs:
-      - release
-      - get-tag
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 0
-      - name: Install replicated CLI
-        run: |
-          curl --retry 5 --retry-all-errors -fs https://api.github.com/repos/replicatedhq/replicated/releases/latest \
-          | grep "browser_download_url.*linux_amd64.tar.gz" \
-          | cut -d : -f 2,3 \
-          | tr -d \" \
-          | wget -O replicated.tar.gz -qi -
-          tar xf replicated.tar.gz replicated && rm replicated.tar.gz
-          mv replicated /usr/local/bin/replicated
-      - name: Create CI releases
-        env:
-          REPLICATED_APP: "embedded-cluster-smoke-test-staging-app"
-          REPLICATED_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.STAGING_REPLICATED_API_TOKEN }}
-          REPLICATED_API_ORIGIN: "https://api.staging.replicated.com/vendor"
-          APP_CHANNEL: CI
-          USES_DEV_BUCKET: "0"
-        run: |
-          # install the current k0s version
-          export EC_VERSION="${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.tag-name }}"
-          export APP_VERSION="appver-${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.tag-name }}"
-          export RELEASE_YAML_DIR=e2e/kots-release-install
-          ./scripts/ci-release-app.sh
-
-          # and finally an app upgrade
-          export EC_VERSION="${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.tag-name }}-upgrade"
-          export APP_VERSION="appver-${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.tag-name }}-upgrade"
-          export RELEASE_YAML_DIR=e2e/kots-release-upgrade
-          ./scripts/ci-release-app.sh
-
-      - name: Create airgap releases
-        env:
-          REPLICATED_APP: "embedded-cluster-smoke-test-staging-app"
-          REPLICATED_API_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.STAGING_REPLICATED_API_TOKEN }}
-          REPLICATED_API_ORIGIN: "https://api.staging.replicated.com/vendor"
-          APP_CHANNEL: CI-airgap
-          USES_DEV_BUCKET: "0"
-        run: |
-          # install the current k0s version
-          export EC_VERSION="${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.tag-name }}"
-          export APP_VERSION="appver-${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.tag-name }}"
-          export RELEASE_YAML_DIR=e2e/kots-release-install
-          ./scripts/ci-release-app.sh
-
-          # and finally an app upgrade
-          export EC_VERSION="${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.tag-name }}-upgrade"
-          export APP_VERSION="appver-${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.tag-name }}-upgrade"
-          export RELEASE_YAML_DIR=e2e/kots-release-upgrade
-          ./scripts/ci-release-app.sh
-
-  e2e:
-    name: E2E
-    runs-on: ${{ matrix.runner || 'ubuntu-22.04' }}
-    needs:
-      - release
-      - release-app
-    strategy:
-      fail-fast: false
-      matrix:
-        test:
-          - TestInstallFromReplicatedApp
-          - TestUpgradeEC18FromReplicatedApp
-          - TestResetAndReinstallAirgap
-          - TestSingleNodeAirgapUpgrade
-          - TestSingleNodeAirgapUpgradeFromEC18
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - name: Download current binary
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: current-release
-          path: output/bin
-
-      - uses: ./.github/actions/e2e
-        with:
-          test-name: '${{ matrix.test }}'
-          is-large-runner: ${{ matrix.runner == 'embedded-cluster' }}
-          airgap-license-id: ${{ secrets.STAGING_EMBEDDED_CLUSTER_AIRGAP_LICENSE_ID }}
-          snapshot-license-id: ${{ secrets.STAGING_EMBEDDED_CLUSTER_SNAPSHOT_LICENSE_ID }}
-          snapshot-license: ${{ secrets.STAGING_EMBEDDED_CLUSTER_SNAPSHOT_LICENSE }}
-          airgap-snapshot-license-id: ${{ secrets.STAGING_EMBEDDED_CLUSTER_AIRGAP_SNAPSHOT_LICENSE_ID }}
-          license-id: ${{ secrets.STAGING_EMBEDDED_CLUSTER_LICENSE_ID }}
-          license: ${{ secrets.STAGING_EMBEDDED_CLUSTER_LICENSE }}
-          dr-aws-access-key-id: ${{ secrets.TESTIM_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}
-          dr-aws-secret-access-key: ${{ secrets.TESTIM_AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}
-          version-specifier: ${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.tag-name }}
-
-          k0s-version: ${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.k0s_version }}
-          k0s-version-previous: ${{ needs.get-tag.outputs.k0s_version }} # we do not run k8s upgrade tests on release
-
-  # this job will validate that all the tests passed
-  # it is used for the github branch protection rule
-  validate-release-success:
-    name: Validate success
-    runs-on: ubuntu-20.04
-    needs:
-      - e2e
-      - release
-      - release-app
-    if: always()
-    steps:
-      # https://docs.github.com/en/actions/learn-github-actions/contexts#needs-context
-      - name: fail if e2e job was not successful
-        if: needs.e2e.result != 'success'
-        run: exit 1
-      - name: succeed if everything else passed
-        run: echo "Validation succeeded"