diff --git a/.github/workflows/bundle.yml b/.github/workflows/bundle.yml
index b0cc3ab..99a4132 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/bundle.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/bundle.yml
@@ -192,14 +192,18 @@ jobs:
             dist/steamify-app.tar.gz
             assets/steam-gaming-settings.svg
 
-      # A new Steamify release starts the Steamify ISO's release with it (a test build from the ISO repo's
-      # feat/steamify, until that is its master): its iso-1-github-tag.yml names it after this version, tags it,
-      # and the Gitea mirror builds and attaches the ISO. Needs a fine-grained token for that repo
-      # (Actions: read and write) as the secret ISO_DISPATCH_TOKEN; without it, this is skipped.
+      # A new version starts the Steamify ISO's release of the ISO repo: its iso-1-github-tag.yml (always run from
+      # master) names the ISO after the newest Steamify release, tags it, and the Gitea mirror builds and attaches the ISO.
+      # The branch here decides the kind of build (the workflow's input `kind`):
+      #   main (publishes the release)            -> release: a real ISO (tag v<steamify>-<date>)
+      #   release/** (a version not yet released) -> dev: a pre-release (tag v<steamify>-dev.<date>)
+      # Needs a fine-grained token for that repo (Actions: read and write) as the secret ISO_DISPATCH_TOKEN;
+      # without it, this is skipped.
       - name: Start the Steamify ISO's release
         if: >-
           github.server_url == 'https://github.com' &&
-          github.event_name != 'pull_request' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' &&
+          github.event_name != 'pull_request' &&
+          (github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' || startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/heads/release/')) &&
           steps.version.outputs.released == 'false'
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.ISO_DISPATCH_TOKEN }}
@@ -207,5 +211,7 @@ jobs:
           if [ -z "$GH_TOKEN" ]; then
             echo "::notice::No ISO_DISPATCH_TOKEN: the Steamify ISO isn't released with this version."; exit 0
           fi
-          gh workflow run iso-1-github-tag.yml -R theupriser/steamify-cachyos-live-iso --ref feat/steamify
-          echo "Started the Steamify ISO's release (theupriser/steamify-cachyos-live-iso, feat/steamify)"
+          # A release branch builds the ISO with its own code (and VERSION): steamify_ref. main builds the release it just published.
+          if [ "$GITHUB_REF" = refs/heads/main ]; then kind=release; sref=""; else kind=dev; sref="$GITHUB_REF_NAME"; fi
+          gh workflow run iso-1-github-tag.yml -R theupriser/steamify-cachyos-live-iso --ref master -f kind="$kind" -f steamify_ref="$sref"
+          echo "Started the Steamify ISO's release (theupriser/steamify-cachyos-live-iso, master, kind $kind, Steamify ${sref:-the newest release})"
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 81cb858..b878672 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,14 @@ All notable changes, per version and per commit. Versions follow
 `steamify.sh`. Versions before 0.7.0 were numbered afterwards,
 one per merged pull request.
 
+## 2.9.6 - 2026-09-30
+
+- **fix(ci): a dev ISO from a release branch is built with that branch's own Steamify (input steamify_ref of the ISO workflow), not the newest published release: release/2.9.6 kept producing 2.9.5 ISOs**
+- **docs: changelog hashes for 2.9.6**
+- `9a2965d` **fix(ci): the ISO workflow always runs from master; main asks for a release ISO, a release branch for a dev ISO (input `kind` of iso-1-github-tag.yml; feat/steamify is no longer needed)**
+- `c42d545` **fix(ci): a version published from main starts a real ISO release, a release branch a dev ISO (it always started the dev one)**
+- `b3bed43` **chore: Version 2.9.6**
+
 ## 2.9.5 - 2026-09-30
 
 - `70ecb56` **ci: trigger a mirror sync**
@@ -12,7 +20,7 @@ one per merged pull request.
 - `b3549d4` **ci: sync the mirror on release branch pushes too**
 - `a232a55` **feat(ci): sync the git.upriser.nl mirror on every push to main and every tag (git-upriser-sync.yml calls the mirror-sync API: the Gitea mirror builds at once instead of at its interval; secrets GIT_UPRISER_URL and GIT_UPRISER_TOKEN, retried, skipped on Gitea itself)**
 - `3676c64` **docs: link the renamed steamify-cachyos-live-iso repo (the release dispatches the ISO workflow iso-1-github-tag.yml there)**
-- **chore: Version 2.9.5**
+- `971e792` **chore: Version 2.9.5**
 
 ## 2.9.4 - 2026-09-29
 
diff --git a/steamify.sh b/steamify.sh
index 4658143..7a0a987 100755
--- a/steamify.sh
+++ b/steamify.sh
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 set -uo pipefail
 
 # Release version, see CHANGELOG.md.
-VERSION=2.9.5
+VERSION=2.9.6
 
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"