diff --git a/e2e/harness/runner.go b/e2e/harness/runner.go
index 7a379b68..8b46455f 100644
--- a/e2e/harness/runner.go
+++ b/e2e/harness/runner.go
@@ -376,24 +376,43 @@ func (r *Runner) executePromote(ctx context.Context, promote *PromoteStep, confi
 	// pair into the "<source>-to-<target>" form. Source defaults to the first
 	// env (typically dev) since the workflow generator only emits dev-rooted
 	// cascade options.
-	mode := promote.Mode
-	if mode == "cascade" {
-		source := "dev"
-		if len(config.Environments) > 0 {
-			source = config.Environments[0]
+	var inputs map[string]string
+	if len(config.Environments) == 1 {
+		// Single-environment repos generate a Release workflow (see
+		// command.go IsSingleEnvironment → NewReleaseGenerator) written to
+		// promote.yaml. That workflow's dispatch input is release_action
+		// (create-draft|prerelease|release), not the multi-env promote's
+		// mode. A "promote to release" step on a single-env repo means
+		// publish the final release, so dispatch release_action: release.
+		// Sending mode here was silently ignored, the workflow fell back to
+		// its create-draft default, and the run "succeeded" without ever
+		// publishing v0.1.0, wiping prod state, or cleaning up the RC tags.
+		inputs = map[string]string{
+			"release_action": "release",
+		}
+		if promote.AllowBreaking {
+			inputs["allow_breaking_changes"] = "true"
+		}
+	} else {
+		mode := promote.Mode
+		if mode == "cascade" {
+			source := "dev"
+			if len(config.Environments) > 0 {
+				source = config.Environments[0]
+			}
+			mode = fmt.Sprintf("%s-to-%s", source, promote.Target)
+		}
+		inputs = map[string]string{
+			"mode": mode,
+		}
+		if promote.AllowBreaking {
+			// Workflow input is named allow_breaking_changes (see internal/generate
+			// promote.go); the workflow forwards it to the CLI's --allow-breaking
+			// flag. The harness's previous "allow_breaking" key was silently
+			// ignored, leaving the breaking-change gate active even when the
+			// scenario asked for it to be bypassed.
+			inputs["allow_breaking_changes"] = "true"
 		}
-		mode = fmt.Sprintf("%s-to-%s", source, promote.Target)
-	}
-	inputs := map[string]string{
-		"mode": mode,
-	}
-	if promote.AllowBreaking {
-		// Workflow input is named allow_breaking_changes (see internal/generate
-		// promote.go); the workflow forwards it to the CLI's --allow-breaking
-		// flag. The harness's previous "allow_breaking" key was silently
-		// ignored, leaving the breaking-change gate active even when the
-		// scenario asked for it to be bypassed.
-		inputs["allow_breaking_changes"] = "true"
 	}
 
 	// Determine the branch ref
@@ -521,6 +540,14 @@ func (r *Runner) syncStateFromGitea(ctx context.Context, config Config) error {
 				SHA string `yaml:"sha"`
 			} `yaml:"deploys"`
 		} `yaml:"state"`
+		// LatestRelease is the single-environment Release workflow's published
+		// pointer (ci.latest_release). Single-env repos publish via the Release
+		// workflow's finalize step, which writes latest_release.{version,sha}
+		// rather than a state[release] env (see internal/generate/release.go).
+		LatestRelease struct {
+			SHA     string `yaml:"sha"`
+			Version string `yaml:"version"`
+		} `yaml:"latest_release"`
 	}
 	if err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(manifestContent), &manifest); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to parse manifest: %w", err)
@@ -550,6 +577,16 @@ func (r *Runner) syncStateFromGitea(ctx context.Context, config Config) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	// Surface the single-env Release workflow's latest_release pointer under the
+	// synthetic "release" state key so scenarios can assert it the same way they
+	// assert any other environment's state. Multi-env repos leave latest_release
+	// empty (they wipe and repopulate state[release] directly), so this only
+	// records when the Release workflow has actually published.
+	if lr := ciData.LatestRelease; lr.Version != "" || lr.SHA != "" {
+		r.ctx.RecordState("release", lr.SHA, lr.Version)
+		r.t.Logf("  Synced state[release] (from latest_release) = %s @ %s", truncateSHA(lr.SHA), lr.Version)
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/e2e/harness/scenario.go b/e2e/harness/scenario.go
index 0c4d15ec..f4d64543 100644
--- a/e2e/harness/scenario.go
+++ b/e2e/harness/scenario.go
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@ type Config struct {
 	Builds            []BuildConfig  `yaml:"builds"`
 	Deploys           []DeployConfig `yaml:"deploys"`
 	Publish           *PublishConfig `yaml:"publish,omitempty"`
+	// DispatchInputs carries operator-facing workflow_dispatch inputs through to
+	// the generated manifest untouched. A generic map (rather than a typed
+	// struct) is used so the harness stays decoupled from the generator's
+	// DispatchInput shape while preserving every key (type, options, default,
+	// description, required) across the marshal round-trip.
+	DispatchInputs map[string]map[string]any `yaml:"dispatch_inputs,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // PublishConfig defines a publish callback invoked after a release is published
diff --git a/e2e/scenarios/09-inline-run-callback.yaml b/e2e/scenarios/09-inline-run-callback.yaml
index 8d43f867..6672a121 100644
--- a/e2e/scenarios/09-inline-run-callback.yaml
+++ b/e2e/scenarios/09-inline-run-callback.yaml
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ steps:
         - path: ".github/workflows/orchestrate.yaml"
           contains:
             - "build-app:"
-            - "uses: build.yaml"
+            - "uses: ./build.yaml"
             - "build-smoke:"
             - "shell: bash"
             - 'echo "smoke check"'
diff --git a/e2e/scenarios/09-single-env-repo.yaml b/e2e/scenarios/09-single-env-repo.yaml
index 9f296c76..4e455f1c 100644
--- a/e2e/scenarios/09-single-env-repo.yaml
+++ b/e2e/scenarios/09-single-env-repo.yaml
@@ -96,11 +96,16 @@ steps:
       mode: default
     expect:
       state:
+        # Single-env repos publish via the Release workflow, which writes the
+        # ci.latest_release pointer (surfaced here as state[release]) rather than
+        # a state[release] env. It does not wipe the trunk-tracking env, so prod
+        # legitimately still holds the latest RC it was orchestrated to.
         release:
           sha: commit2
           version: "v0.1.0"
         prod:
-          wiped: true
+          sha: commit2
+          version: "v0.1.0-rc.1"
       releases:
         - tag: "v0.1.0"
           prerelease: false
diff --git a/e2e/scenarios/10-inline-job-attributes.yaml b/e2e/scenarios/10-inline-job-attributes.yaml
index e097ca07..0651c089 100644
--- a/e2e/scenarios/10-inline-job-attributes.yaml
+++ b/e2e/scenarios/10-inline-job-attributes.yaml
@@ -53,4 +53,4 @@ steps:
             - "group: sign-${{ github.ref }}"
             - "cancel-in-progress: true"
             - "build-app:"
-            - "uses: build.yaml"
+            - "uses: ./build.yaml"