@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ name: Release Please (next)
 
 # Draft-spec line copy of main's release-please.yml. It runs from next only,
 # opens release PRs against next with next's own config and manifest, and
-# queues next's copy of release-publish.yml. Releases are 10.0.0-alpha.N
+# queues next's copy of release-publish.yml. Releases are 10.0.0-beta.N
 # pre-releases of adcp only: the adcp-reporting-storage component is released
 # from main, and next's config excludes its path. main's release flow, config,
 # and manifest are unchanged; this file and next's config and manifest are
 
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ jobs:
           # adcp tags are vX.Y.Z; the storage component tags carry its name.
           case "$PACKAGE" in
             adcp) [[ "$RELEASE_TAG" =~ ^v[0-9] ]] ;;
-            # Only main releases the storage component; next cuts adcp alphas.
+            # Only main releases the storage component; next cuts adcp pre-releases.
             adcp-reporting-storage) [[ "$GITHUB_REF_NAME" = main && "$RELEASE_TAG" =~ ^adcp-reporting-storage-v[0-9] ]] ;;
             *) echo "unknown package $PACKAGE" >&2; exit 1 ;;
           esac
 
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ releases ([#1525](https://github.com/adcontextprotocol/adcp-client-python/issues
 | --- | --- | --- |
 | `main` | Work against the latest ratified AdCP version (3.2.x today) | The current major (9.x), through release-please |
 | `release/N.x` (`release/8.x`, `release/7.x`) | Fixes for an older major | Patch releases of that major, from the branch's own release workflow |
-| `next` | Work against draft specs, such as AdCP 3.3 agent identity and Web Bot Auth | Pre-releases only (`10.0.0-alpha.N`), from its own release-please configuration |
+| `next` | SDK 10 on AdCP 3.3 (the 3.3.0-beta.0 bundle, agent identity, Web Bot Auth) | Pre-releases only (`10.0.0-beta.N`), from its own release-please configuration |
 
 Open a PR against the branch that carries the spec it implements. Code written
 to an unratified spec (an open adcontextprotocol/adcp PR or a draft) targets
@@ -60,24 +60,28 @@ so that merges in either direction never change the other line's release flow:
 - `.github/workflows/release-please-next.yml` runs on pushes to `next` only,
   with its own concurrency group and `target-branch: next`.
 - `release-please-config.next.json` sets `versioning: prerelease`,
-  `prerelease-type: alpha`, and `prerelease: true`, and writes
+  `prerelease-type: beta`, and `prerelease: true`, and writes
   `CHANGELOG.next.md`. `.release-please-manifest.next.json` holds `next`'s
   current version.
-- The commit that added the setup ends with `Release-As: 10.0.0-alpha.0`, so
-  the first release is `10.0.0-alpha.0`. Every later release increments the
-  alpha number (`10.0.0-alpha.1`, ...), whatever the commit type. Don't
-  merge a `next` release PR that proposes a version without `-alpha.N`.
+- The channel moved from alpha to beta with the AdCP 3.3.0-beta.0 adoption:
+  the commit that switched it ends with `Release-As: 10.0.0-beta.0`, so the
+  first SDK 10 release is `10.0.0-beta.0` (the earlier `10.0.0-alpha.0`
+  proposal, #1533, was closed unreleased). Every later release increments the
+  beta number (`10.0.0-beta.1`, ...), whatever the commit type. Don't merge a
+  `next` release PR that proposes a version without `-beta.N`. A `Release-As:`
+  footer must survive the squash: paste it into the squash commit message when
+  merging the PR that carries it.
 - After release-please opens or updates the release PR, the workflow runs
   `scripts/normalize_pyproject_prerelease --release-prs --target-branch next`
-  to rewrite `pyproject.toml` to PEP 440 (`10.0.0a0`). The normalizer accepts
+  to rewrite `pyproject.toml` to PEP 440 (`10.0.0b0`). The normalizer accepts
   only `release-please--branches--next--components--adcp` PRs into `next`.
-- When the release PR merges, release-please tags `v10.0.0-alpha.N`, creates a
+- When the release PR merges, release-please tags `v10.0.0-beta.N`, creates a
   GitHub release marked as a pre-release, and dispatches `release-publish.yml`
   with `--ref next`. That workflow waits for `next`'s CI at the release commit,
   then publishes to PyPI after the `release-publish` environment approval.
-  PyPI treats `10.0.0aN` as a pre-release: `pip install adcp` keeps resolving
+  PyPI treats `10.0.0bN` as a pre-release: `pip install adcp` keeps resolving
   to `main`'s releases, and adopters opt in with `pip install --pre adcp` or
-  `adcp==10.0.0a0`.
+  `adcp==10.0.0b0`.
 
 - `next` releases `adcp` only. The `adcp-reporting-storage` component
   (`packages/adcp-reporting-storage`, see `docs/releasing.md`) is released from
@@ -151,7 +155,7 @@ When the draft spec that `next` tracks is ratified:
    `release-please-config.json`'s channel to match (see `docs/releasing.md`).
    This must be the newest `Release-As:` commit. Release-please uses the
    newest footer it finds, so it overrides `next`'s earlier
-   `Release-As: 10.0.0-alpha.0`.
+   `Release-As: 10.0.0-beta.0`.
 6. If the 9.x line still needs fixes, create `release/9.x` from `main`, with
    its own release-please workflow like `release/8.x`'s.
 7. Open a PR from `next` into `main` and merge it with **Create a merge
 
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
       "package-name": "adcp",
       "changelog-path": "CHANGELOG.next.md",
       "versioning": "prerelease",
-      "prerelease-type": "alpha",
+      "prerelease-type": "beta",
       "prerelease": true,
       "bump-minor-pre-major": true,
       "bump-patch-for-minor-pre-major": false,
 
@@ -77,20 +77,21 @@ def test_storage_distribution_version_matches_its_manifest_entry() -> None:
     assert config["packages"]["."]["exclude-paths"] == ["packages/adcp-reporting-storage"]
 
 
-def test_release_please_keeps_next_on_the_alpha_channel() -> None:
-    """The next draft-spec line releases only ``10.0.0-alpha.N`` pre-releases.
+def test_release_please_keeps_next_on_the_beta_channel() -> None:
+    """The next line releases only ``10.0.0-beta.N`` pre-releases.
 
-    The adopting commit on next ends with ``Release-As: 10.0.0-alpha.0``;
-    later commits increment the alpha number. next's workflow uses its own
-    config and manifest so that merging main into next never changes them.
+    The channel switch commit on next ends with ``Release-As: 10.0.0-beta.0``
+    (it superseded the alpha proposal, #1533); later commits increment the
+    beta number. next's workflow uses its own config and manifest so that
+    merging main into next never changes them.
     """
     config_path = ROOT / "release-please-config.next.json"
     if not config_path.exists():
         return  # main does not carry next's release configuration.
     config = json.loads(config_path.read_text())
     package = config["packages"]["."]
     assert package["versioning"] == "prerelease"
-    assert package["prerelease-type"] == "alpha"
+    assert package["prerelease-type"] == "beta"
     assert package["prerelease"] is True
     assert package["changelog-path"] != "CHANGELOG.md"
     workflow = (ROOT / ".github/workflows/release-please-next.yml").read_text()