diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-test-docs.yml b/.github/workflows/build-test-docs.yml
index 76bec3b1..aaef613a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-test-docs.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-test-docs.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ on:
         description: 'artifact name to write'
         type: string
         required: false
+      latest:
+        description: 'build the latest release'
+        type: boolean
+        required: false
 
 jobs:
   build-docs:
@@ -25,12 +29,10 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
         with:
           node-version: 18
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3 # check out this repo
-        if: ${{ !inputs.ref }}
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v3 # check out the repo we're building docs for
-        if: ${{ inputs.ref }}
+      
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
         with:
-          ref: ${{ inputs.ref }} 
+          ref: ${{ inputs.ref || github.ref }} 
       - uses: actions/checkout@v3
         with:
           repository: bdunderscore/modular-avatar-images
diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-pages.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-pages.yml
index 3e91dcd5..9bb89c7e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy-pages.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-pages.yml
@@ -17,17 +17,23 @@ concurrency:
   cancel-in-progress: true
   
 jobs:
+  get_latest_release:
+    name: Get latest release
+    uses: bdunderscore/modular-avatar/.github/workflows/get-latest-release.yml@main
+  
   build-docs:
-    name: Build documentation
+    name: Build documentation (latest release)
+    needs:
+      - get_latest_release
+    uses: bdunderscore/modular-avatar/.github/workflows/build-test-docs.yml@main
+    with:
+      ref: ${{ needs.get_latest_release.outputs.latest_release_tag }}
+    
+  build-docs-dev:
+    name: Build documentation (main branch)
     uses: bdunderscore/modular-avatar/.github/workflows/build-test-docs.yml@main
     with:
       ref: main
-    
-  build-docs-dev:
-    name: Build documentation (dev branch)
-    uses: bdunderscore/modular-avatar/.github/workflows/build-test-docs.yml@main
-    with:
-      ref: dev
       path: dev
       artifact: docs-dev
   deploy-docs:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/get-latest-release.yml b/.github/workflows/get-latest-release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0f683fc0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/get-latest-release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+# This is isolated to its own workflow file to avoid leaking publish secrets into the
+# github token
+name: Get latest release
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    outputs:
+      latest_release_tag:
+        description: 'latest release tag'
+        value: ${{ jobs.get_latest_release.outputs.latest_release_tag }}
+jobs:
+  get_latest_release:
+    name: Get latest release
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: pozetroninc/github-action-get-latest-release@v0.7.0
+        id: latest_release
+        with:
+          repository: bdunderscore/modular-avatar
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          excludes: "prerelease, draft"
+      - run: echo "latest_release_tag=${{ steps.latest_release.outputs.release }}"
+    outputs:
+      latest_release_tag: ${{ steps.latest_release.outputs.release }}
\ No newline at end of file