diff --git a/.github/workflows/CD-create-container-release.yml b/.github/workflows/CD-create-container-release.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 4e6d5de75b..0000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/CD-create-container-release.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,102 +0,0 @@
-name: "Create Container Release"
-
-on:
-  workflow_dispatch:
-    inputs:
-      build_secret:
-        type: string
-        description: Build secret
-      release_type:
-        type: choice
-        description: Release type
-        options:
-          - prerelease
-          - prepatch
-          - preminor
-          - premajor
-          - major
-          - minor
-          - patch
-      pp_version:
-        type: choice
-        description: Latest or specific PP version
-        options:
-          - latest
-          - specific
-      specific_pp_version:
-        type: string
-        description: Specific PP version to use for container
-
-jobs:
-  build:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      packages: write
-    timeout-minutes: 20
-    steps:
-      - name: Check secret
-        run: |
-          if [ "${{ github.event.inputs.build_secret }}" != "${{ secrets.BUILD_SECRET }}" ]; then
-            echo "Wrong build secret."
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-      - name: Check user permission
-        id: check
-        uses: scherermichael-oss/action-has-permission@master
-        with:
-          required-permission: write
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
-      - name: Exit if user doesn't have write permission
-        run: |
-          if [ "${{ steps.check.outputs.has-permission }}" = "false" ]
-            then
-            echo "Only users with write permission are allowed to execute this workflow manually."
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-        with:
-          token: ${{ secrets.PAT }}
-
-      - name: Set up node
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v3
-        with:
-          cache: 'npm'
-          node-version: '16'
-          registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
-          scope: '@sjcrh'
-
-      - run: |
-          npm ci
-          git fetch --all --tags
-          if [ $PP_VERSION == "latest" ]; 
-          then
-          PP_VERSION=$(git describe --tags `git rev-list --tags --max-count=1`)
-          else
-          PP_VERSION=$SPECIFIC_PP_VERSION
-          fi
-          git checkout $PP_VERSION
-          FRONT_VERSION=$(node -p "require('./front/package.json').version")
-          SERVER_VERSION=$(node -p "require('./server/package.json').version")
-          git checkout master
-          cd container
-          npm pkg set containerDeps.front=$FRONT_VERSION
-          npm pkg set containerDeps.server=$SERVER_VERSION
-          npm version ${{ github.event.inputs.release_type }}
-          cd ..
-          COMMITMSG="Update container version to $(node -p "require('./package.json').version")"
-          echo "$COMMITMSG"
-          echo "committing version change ..."
-          git config --global user.email "PPTeam@STJUDE.ORG"
-          git config --global user.name "PPTeam CI"
-          git add --all
-          git commit -m "$COMMITMSG"          
-          git push origin master
-          cd container
-          npm publish --access public
-        env:
-          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPMJS_TOKEN }}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/CD-release-images.yml b/.github/workflows/CD-publish-app-image.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from .github/workflows/CD-release-images.yml
rename to .github/workflows/CD-publish-app-image.yml
diff --git a/.github/workflows/CD-publish-docker-image.yml b/.github/workflows/CD-publish-docker-image.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index ab6299af58..0000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/CD-publish-docker-image.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,23 +0,0 @@
-name: Publish Docker Image
-
-on:
-  workflow_dispatch:
-    inputs:
-      build_secret:
-        type: string
-        description: Build secret
-
-jobs:
-  build:
-    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Check secret
-        run: |
-          if [ "${{ github.event.inputs.build_secret }}" != "${{ secrets.BUILD_SECRET }}" ]; then
-            echo "Wrong build secret."
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-      - name: Check user permission
-        run: echo "Publish Docker Image"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/CD-release-packages.yml b/.github/workflows/CD-publish-packages.yml
similarity index 91%
rename from .github/workflows/CD-release-packages.yml
rename to .github/workflows/CD-publish-packages.yml
index e46115d6eb..93c28eff68 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/CD-release-packages.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/CD-publish-packages.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-name: "Release Packages"
+name: "Publish Packages"
 
 on:
   push:
@@ -21,16 +21,7 @@ on:
         description: Build secret
 
 jobs:
-  unit_test:
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/CI-unit.yml
-    secrets: inherit # pragma: allowlist secret
-
-  integration_test:
-    uses: ./.github/workflows/CI-integration.yml
-    secrets: inherit # pragma: allowlist secret
-
-  build:
-    needs: [unit_test, integration_test]
+  publish:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: read
diff --git a/.github/workflows/CD-publish-updated-image.yml b/.github/workflows/CD-publish-updated-image.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 6c795c9280..0000000000
--- a/.github/workflows/CD-publish-updated-image.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,57 +0,0 @@
-name: Publish Updated Image
-
-on:
-  workflow_dispatch:
-    inputs:
-      build_secret:
-        type: string
-        description: Build secret
-
-jobs:
-  build:
-    if: github.event.pull_request.draft == false
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Check secret
-        run: |
-          if [ "${{ github.event.inputs.build_secret }}" != "${{ secrets.BUILD_SECRET }}" ]; then
-            echo "Wrong build secret."
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-      - name: Check user permission
-        id: check
-        uses: scherermichael-oss/action-has-permission@master
-        with:
-          required-permission: write
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
-
-      - name: Login to GitHub Container Registry
-        run: |
-          echo $CR_PAT | docker login ghcr.io -u stjude --password-stdin
-        env:
-          CR_PAT: ${{ secrets.PAT }}
-
-      # Setup .npmrc file to publish to GitHub Packages
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
-        with:
-          cache: 'npm'
-          node-version: '16'
-          registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
-          scope: '@sjcrh'
-
-      # TODO: option to build only the server container? so skip the full container
-      - run: |
-          npm ci
-          cd container
-          ./build2.sh -r "ghcr.io/stjude/" server
-          TAG="$(node -p "require('./server/package.json').version")"
-          HASH=$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)
-          docker push ghcr.io/stjude/ppserver:$TAG-$HASH
-
-           ./build2.sh -r "ghcr.io/stjude/" full
-          TAG="$(node -p "require('./full/package.json').version")"
-          docker push ghcr.io/stjude/ppfull:$TAG-$HASH
diff --git a/.github/workflows/CD-release-chain.yml b/.github/workflows/CD-release-chain.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f052c0a53c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/CD-release-chain.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+name: "Release Packages, Optional Image"
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - TMP-pkg-release
+      - TMP-fake-release
+    paths-ignore:
+      - '**.md'
+      - '**.txt'
+      - '.**ignore'
+      - 'docs/**'
+      # TODO: what if package.dependencies, files were updated?
+      # this is meant to avoid triggering the on.push event for the version bump
+      - '**package*.json'
+
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      build_secret:
+        type: string
+        description: Build secret
+
+jobs:
+  unit_test:
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/CI-unit.yml
+    secrets: inherit # pragma: allowlist secret
+
+  integration_test:
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/CI-integration.yml
+    secrets: inherit # pragma: allowlist secret
+
+  publish_packages:
+    needs: [unit_test, integration_test]
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/CD-publish-packages.yml
+    secrets: inherit # pragma: allowlist secret
+
+  publish_app_image:
+      if: ${{ github.ref_name }} == 'publish-app-image'
+      needs: [ publish_packages ]
+      uses: ./.github/workflows/CD-publish-app-image.yml
+      secrets: inherit # pragma: allowlist secret
\ No newline at end of file