diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 1b906e4545c2b..7132970c36a57 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -12,9 +12,8 @@
 # title/body based on your changelogs.
 
 name: Release
-
 permissions:
-  contents: write
+  "contents": "write"
 
 # This task will run whenever you workflow_dispatch with a tag that looks like a version
 # like "1.0.0", "v0.1.0-prerelease.1", "my-app/0.1.0", "releases/v1.0.0", etc.
@@ -49,7 +48,7 @@ on:
 jobs:
   # Run 'cargo dist plan' (or host) to determine what tasks we need to do
   plan:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    runs-on: "ubuntu-20.04"
     outputs:
       val: ${{ steps.plan.outputs.manifest }}
       tag: ${{ (inputs.tag != 'dry-run' && inputs.tag) || '' }}
@@ -65,7 +64,12 @@ jobs:
         # we specify bash to get pipefail; it guards against the `curl` command
         # failing. otherwise `sh` won't catch that `curl` returned non-0
         shell: bash
-        run: "curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/axodotdev/cargo-dist/releases/download/v0.14.0/cargo-dist-installer.sh | sh"
+        run: "curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/axodotdev/cargo-dist/releases/download/v0.18.0/cargo-dist-installer.sh | sh"
+      - name: Cache cargo-dist
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: cargo-dist-cache
+          path: ~/.cargo/bin/cargo-dist
       # sure would be cool if github gave us proper conditionals...
       # so here's a doubly-nested ternary-via-truthiness to try to provide the best possible
       # functionality based on whether this is a pull_request, and whether it's from a fork.
@@ -101,8 +105,8 @@ jobs:
       plan: ${{ needs.plan.outputs.val }}
     secrets: inherit
     permissions:
-      packages: write
-      contents: read
+      "contents": "read"
+      "packages": "write"
 
   # Build and package all the platform-agnostic(ish) things
   build-global-artifacts:
@@ -118,9 +122,12 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: recursive
-      - name: Install cargo-dist
-        shell: bash
-        run: "curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/axodotdev/cargo-dist/releases/download/v0.14.0/cargo-dist-installer.sh | sh"
+      - name: Install cached cargo-dist
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: cargo-dist-cache
+          path: ~/.cargo/bin/
+      - run: chmod +x ~/.cargo/bin/cargo-dist
       # Get all the local artifacts for the global tasks to use (for e.g. checksums)
       - name: Fetch local artifacts
         uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
@@ -165,8 +172,12 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: recursive
-      - name: Install cargo-dist
-        run: "curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://github.com/axodotdev/cargo-dist/releases/download/v0.14.0/cargo-dist-installer.sh | sh"
+      - name: Install cached cargo-dist
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: cargo-dist-cache
+          path: ~/.cargo/bin/
+      - run: chmod +x ~/.cargo/bin/cargo-dist
       # Fetch artifacts from scratch-storage
       - name: Fetch artifacts
         uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
@@ -200,8 +211,8 @@ jobs:
     secrets: inherit
     # publish jobs get escalated permissions
     permissions:
-      id-token: write
-      packages: write
+      "id-token": "write"
+      "packages": "write"
 
   # Create a GitHub Release while uploading all files to it
   announce:
@@ -220,6 +231,7 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
           submodules: recursive
+      # Create a GitHub Release while uploading all files to it
       - name: "Download GitHub Artifacts"
         uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
         with:
@@ -231,13 +243,16 @@ jobs:
           # Remove the granular manifests
           rm -f artifacts/*-dist-manifest.json
       - name: Create GitHub Release
-        uses: ncipollo/release-action@v1
-        with:
-          tag: ${{ needs.plan.outputs.tag }}
-          name: ${{ fromJson(needs.host.outputs.val).announcement_title }}
-          body: ${{ fromJson(needs.host.outputs.val).announcement_github_body }}
-          prerelease: ${{ fromJson(needs.host.outputs.val).announcement_is_prerelease }}
-          artifacts: "artifacts/*"
+        env:
+          PRERELEASE_FLAG: "${{ fromJson(needs.host.outputs.val).announcement_is_prerelease && '--prerelease' || '' }}"
+          ANNOUNCEMENT_TITLE: "${{ fromJson(needs.host.outputs.val).announcement_title }}"
+          ANNOUNCEMENT_BODY: "${{ fromJson(needs.host.outputs.val).announcement_github_body }}"
+          RELEASE_COMMIT: "${{ github.sha }}"
+        run: |
+          # Write and read notes from a file to avoid quoting breaking things
+          echo "$ANNOUNCEMENT_BODY" > $RUNNER_TEMP/notes.txt
+
+          gh release create "${{ needs.plan.outputs.tag }}" --target "$RELEASE_COMMIT" $PRERELEASE_FLAG --title "$ANNOUNCEMENT_TITLE" --notes-file "$RUNNER_TEMP/notes.txt" artifacts/*
 
   custom-notify-dependents:
     needs:
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 01ab12f7661b3..d2c8b1d6a2012 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ inherits = "release"
 # Config for 'cargo dist'
 [workspace.metadata.dist]
 # The preferred cargo-dist version to use in CI (Cargo.toml SemVer syntax)
-cargo-dist-version = "0.14.0"
+cargo-dist-version = "0.18.0"
 # CI backends to support
 ci = ["github"]
 # The installers to generate for each app
@@ -258,12 +258,14 @@ targets = [
 ]
 # Whether to auto-include files like READMEs, LICENSEs, and CHANGELOGs (default true)
 auto-includes = false
-# Whether cargo-dist should create a Github Release or use an existing draft
+# Whether cargo-dist should create a GitHub Release or use an existing draft
 create-release = true
 # Publish jobs to run in CI
 pr-run-mode = "skip"
 # Whether CI should trigger releases with dispatches instead of tag pushes
 dispatch-releases = true
+# The stage during which the GitHub Release should be created
+github-release = "announce"
 # Whether CI should include auto-generated code to build local artifacts
 build-local-artifacts = false
 # Local artifacts jobs to run in CI
@@ -272,7 +274,7 @@ local-artifacts-jobs = ["./build-binaries", "./build-docker"]
 publish-jobs = ["./publish-pypi"]
 # Announcement jobs to run in CI
 post-announce-jobs = ["./notify-dependents", "./publish-docs", "./publish-playground"]
-# Skip checking whether the specified configuration files are up to date
-allow-dirty = ["ci"]
+# Custom permissions for GitHub Jobs
+github-custom-job-permissions = { "build-docker" = { packages = "write", contents = "read" } }
 # Whether to install an updater program
 install-updater = false