diff --git a/.ado/jobs/npm-publish.yml b/.ado/jobs/npm-publish.yml
index 01b83311b41c0f..8a3dc46727f515 100644
--- a/.ado/jobs/npm-publish.yml
+++ b/.ado/jobs/npm-publish.yml
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@ jobs:
   variables:
     - name: BUILDSECMON_OPT_IN
       value: true
-    - name: USE_YARN_FOR_PUBLISH
-      value: false
     
   timeoutInMinutes: 90
   cancelTimeoutInMinutes: 5
@@ -26,71 +24,26 @@ jobs:
 
     - template: /.ado/templates/configure-git.yml@self
 
-    - script: |
-        PUBLISH_TAG=$(jq -r '.release.version.versionActionsOptions.currentVersionResolverMetadata.tag' nx.json)
-        if [ -z "$PUBLISH_TAG" ] || [ "$PUBLISH_TAG" = "null" ]; then
-          echo "Error: Failed to read publish tag from nx.json"
-          exit 1
-        fi
-        echo "##vso[task.setvariable variable=publishTag]$PUBLISH_TAG"
-        echo "Using publish tag from nx.json: $PUBLISH_TAG"
-      displayName: Read publish tag from nx.json
-
     - script: |
         yarn install
       displayName: Install npm dependencies
 
     - script: |
-        node .ado/scripts/prepublish-check.mjs --verbose --skip-auth --tag $(publishTag)
-      displayName: Verify release config
-
-    - script: |
-        echo Target branch: $(System.PullRequest.TargetBranch)
-        yarn nx release --dry-run --verbose
-      displayName: Version and publish packages (dry run)
+        node .ado/scripts/release.mjs --dry-run --verbose
+      displayName: Release (dry run)
       condition: and(succeeded(), ne(variables['publish_react_native_macos'], '1'))
 
     # Disable Nightly publishing on the main branch
     - ${{ if endsWith(variables['Build.SourceBranchName'], '-stable') }}:
       - script: |
           git switch $(Build.SourceBranchName)
-          yarn nx release --skip-publish --verbose
+          node .ado/scripts/release.mjs --verbose --token "$(npmAuthToken)"
         env:
           GITHUB_TOKEN: $(githubAuthToken)
-        displayName: Version Packages and Github Release
-        condition: and(succeeded(), eq(variables['publish_react_native_macos'], '1'))
-
-      - script: |
-          set -eox pipefail
-          if [[ -f .rnm-publish ]]; then
-            # https://github.com/microsoft/react-native-macos/issues/2580
-            # `nx release publish` gets confused by the output of RNM's prepack script.
-            # Let's call publish directly instead on the packages we want to publish.
-            # yarn nx release publish --tag $(publishTag) --excludeTaskDependencies
-            if [ "$(USE_YARN_FOR_PUBLISH)" = "true" ]; then
-              echo "Configuring yarn for npm publishing"
-              yarn config set npmPublishRegistry "https://registry.npmjs.org"
-              yarn config set npmAuthToken $(npmAuthToken)
-              echo "Publishing with yarn npm publish"
-              yarn ./packages/virtualized-lists npm publish --tag $(publishTag)
-              yarn ./packages/react-native npm publish --tag $(publishTag)
-            else
-              echo "Publishing with npm publish"
-              npm publish ./packages/virtualized-lists --tag $(publishTag) --registry https://registry.npmjs.org/ --//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=$(npmAuthToken)
-              npm publish ./packages/react-native      --tag $(publishTag) --registry https://registry.npmjs.org/ --//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=$(npmAuthToken)
-            fi
-          fi
-        displayName: Publish packages
+        displayName: Release
         condition: and(succeeded(), eq(variables['publish_react_native_macos'], '1'))
 
     - script: |
-        if [ "$(USE_YARN_FOR_PUBLISH)" = "true" ]; then
-          echo "Cleaning up yarn npm configuration"
-          yarn config unset npmAuthToken || true
-          yarn config unset npmPublishRegistry || true
-        else
-          echo "Cleaning up npm configuration"
-          rm -f ~/.npmrc
-        fi
+        rm -f ~/.npmrc
       displayName: Remove NPM auth configuration
       condition: always()
diff --git a/.ado/scripts/__tests__/release-test.mjs b/.ado/scripts/__tests__/release-test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..056d77bded040e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.ado/scripts/__tests__/release-test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,365 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ *
+ * Run with: node --test .ado/scripts/__tests__/release-test.mjs
+ *
+ * @format
+ */
+
+import { describe, it } from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert";
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Replicated pure functions from release.mjs for testing
+// ============================================================================
+
+const NPM_TAG_NEXT = "next";
+const NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY = "nightly";
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {"NIGHTLY" | "PATCH_LATEST" | "PATCH_OLD" | "PROMOTE_TO_LATEST" | "RELEASE_CANDIDATE" | "NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH"} ReleaseState
+ */
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {{
+ *   state: ReleaseState;
+ *   currentVersion: number;
+ *   latestVersion: number;
+ *   nextVersion: number;
+ * }} ReleaseStateInfo
+ */
+
+function isMainBranch(branch) {
+  return branch === "main";
+}
+
+function isStableBranch(branch) {
+  return /^\d+\.\d+-stable$/.test(branch);
+}
+
+function versionToNumber(version) {
+  const [major, minor] = version.split("-")[0].split(".");
+  return Number(major) * 1000 + Number(minor);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Determines the release state based on branch, versions, and options
+ * @param {string} branch
+ * @param {{tag?: string}} options
+ * @param {(tag: string) => number} getPublishedVersion
+ * @returns {ReleaseStateInfo}
+ */
+function getReleaseState(branch, options, getPublishedVersion) {
+  if (isMainBranch(branch)) {
+    return { state: "NIGHTLY", currentVersion: 0, latestVersion: 0, nextVersion: 0 };
+  }
+
+  if (!isStableBranch(branch)) {
+    return { state: "NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH", currentVersion: 0, latestVersion: 0, nextVersion: 0 };
+  }
+
+  const latestVersion = getPublishedVersion("latest");
+  const nextVersion = getPublishedVersion("next");
+  const currentVersion = versionToNumber(branch);
+
+  /** @type {ReleaseState} */
+  let state;
+  if (currentVersion === latestVersion) {
+    state = "PATCH_LATEST";
+  } else if (currentVersion < latestVersion) {
+    state = "PATCH_OLD";
+  } else if (options.tag === "latest") {
+    state = "PROMOTE_TO_LATEST";
+  } else {
+    state = "RELEASE_CANDIDATE";
+  }
+
+  return { state, currentVersion, latestVersion, nextVersion };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets npm tags based on release state
+ * @param {string} branch
+ * @param {{tag?: string}} options
+ * @param {(msg: string) => void} log
+ * @param {(tag: string) => number} getPublishedVersion
+ * @returns {{npmTags: string[], prerelease?: string} | null}
+ */
+function getTagInfo(branch, options, log, getPublishedVersion) {
+  const { state, currentVersion, latestVersion, nextVersion } = getReleaseState(
+    branch,
+    options,
+    getPublishedVersion
+  );
+
+  log(`react-native-macos@latest: ${latestVersion}`);
+  log(`react-native-macos@next: ${nextVersion}`);
+  log(`Current version: ${currentVersion}`);
+  log(`Release state: ${state}`);
+
+  switch (state) {
+    case "NIGHTLY":
+      log(`Expected npm tags: ${NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY}`);
+      return { npmTags: [NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY], prerelease: NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY };
+
+    case "PATCH_LATEST": {
+      const versionTag = "v" + branch;
+      log(`Expected npm tags: latest, ${versionTag}`);
+      return { npmTags: ["latest", versionTag] };
+    }
+
+    case "PATCH_OLD": {
+      const npmTag = "v" + branch;
+      log(`Expected npm tags: ${npmTag}`);
+      return { npmTags: [npmTag] };
+    }
+
+    case "PROMOTE_TO_LATEST": {
+      const versionTag = "v" + branch;
+      const npmTags = ["latest", versionTag];
+      if (currentVersion > nextVersion) {
+        npmTags.push(NPM_TAG_NEXT);
+      }
+      log(`Expected npm tags: ${npmTags.join(", ")}`);
+      return { npmTags };
+    }
+
+    case "RELEASE_CANDIDATE":
+      if (currentVersion < nextVersion) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `Current version cannot be a release candidate because it is too old: ${currentVersion} < ${nextVersion}`
+        );
+      }
+      log(`Expected npm tags: ${NPM_TAG_NEXT}`);
+      return { npmTags: [NPM_TAG_NEXT], prerelease: "rc" };
+
+    case "NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH":
+    default:
+      return null;
+  }
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Tests
+// ============================================================================
+
+describe("release.mjs", () => {
+  describe("isMainBranch", () => {
+    it('returns true for "main"', () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(isMainBranch("main"), true);
+    });
+
+    it('returns false for "master"', () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(isMainBranch("master"), false);
+    });
+
+    it("returns false for stable branches", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(isMainBranch("0.77-stable"), false);
+    });
+
+    it("returns false for feature branches", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(isMainBranch("feature/my-feature"), false);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("isStableBranch", () => {
+    it("returns true for valid stable branches", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("0.77-stable"), true);
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("0.78-stable"), true);
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("1.0-stable"), true);
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("12.34-stable"), true);
+    });
+
+    it("returns false for main branch", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("main"), false);
+    });
+
+    it("returns false for invalid stable branch formats", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("0.77-stable-hotfix"), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("stable"), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("v0.77-stable"), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("0.77.1-stable"), false);
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("77-stable"), false);
+    });
+
+    it("returns false for feature branches", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(isStableBranch("feature/0.77-stable"), false);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("versionToNumber", () => {
+    it("converts version strings to numbers", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("0.77"), 77);
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("0.78"), 78);
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("1.0"), 1000);
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("1.5"), 1005);
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("12.34"), 12034);
+    });
+
+    it("handles version strings with -stable suffix", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("0.77-stable"), 77);
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("0.78-stable"), 78);
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("1.0-stable"), 1000);
+    });
+
+    it("handles full semver versions", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("0.77.0"), 77);
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("0.77.5"), 77);
+      assert.strictEqual(versionToNumber("0.77.0-rc.1"), 77);
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("getReleaseState", () => {
+    const mockGetPublishedVersion = (latestV, nextV) => (tag) => {
+      if (tag === "latest") return latestV;
+      if (tag === "next") return nextV;
+      return 0;
+    };
+
+    it("returns NIGHTLY for main branch", () => {
+      const result = getReleaseState("main", {}, mockGetPublishedVersion(77, 78));
+      assert.strictEqual(result.state, "NIGHTLY");
+    });
+
+    it("returns NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH for feature branches", () => {
+      const result = getReleaseState("feature/foo", {}, mockGetPublishedVersion(77, 78));
+      assert.strictEqual(result.state, "NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH");
+    });
+
+    it("returns PATCH_LATEST when current equals latest", () => {
+      const result = getReleaseState("0.77-stable", {}, mockGetPublishedVersion(77, 78));
+      assert.strictEqual(result.state, "PATCH_LATEST");
+      assert.strictEqual(result.currentVersion, 77);
+      assert.strictEqual(result.latestVersion, 77);
+    });
+
+    it("returns PATCH_OLD when current is less than latest", () => {
+      const result = getReleaseState("0.77-stable", {}, mockGetPublishedVersion(78, 79));
+      assert.strictEqual(result.state, "PATCH_OLD");
+      assert.strictEqual(result.currentVersion, 77);
+      assert.strictEqual(result.latestVersion, 78);
+    });
+
+    it("returns PROMOTE_TO_LATEST when tag option is latest", () => {
+      const result = getReleaseState("0.78-stable", { tag: "latest" }, mockGetPublishedVersion(77, 77));
+      assert.strictEqual(result.state, "PROMOTE_TO_LATEST");
+    });
+
+    it("returns RELEASE_CANDIDATE when current > latest and no tag option", () => {
+      const result = getReleaseState("0.78-stable", {}, mockGetPublishedVersion(77, 77));
+      assert.strictEqual(result.state, "RELEASE_CANDIDATE");
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("getTagInfo", () => {
+    const mockLog = () => {};
+
+    it("returns nightly tags for NIGHTLY state (main branch)", () => {
+      const getPublishedVersion = () => 0;
+      const result = getTagInfo("main", {}, mockLog, getPublishedVersion);
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(result, {
+        npmTags: ["nightly"],
+        prerelease: "nightly",
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("returns null for NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH state (feature branches)", () => {
+      const getPublishedVersion = () => 0;
+      const result = getTagInfo("feature/my-feature", {}, mockLog, getPublishedVersion);
+      assert.strictEqual(result, null);
+    });
+
+    it("returns null for NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH state (invalid branch names)", () => {
+      const getPublishedVersion = () => 0;
+      assert.strictEqual(getTagInfo("", {}, mockLog, getPublishedVersion), null);
+      assert.strictEqual(getTagInfo("develop", {}, mockLog, getPublishedVersion), null);
+      assert.strictEqual(getTagInfo("release", {}, mockLog, getPublishedVersion), null);
+    });
+
+    it("returns latest + version tag for PATCH_LATEST state", () => {
+      const getPublishedVersion = (tag) => {
+        if (tag === "latest") return 77;
+        if (tag === "next") return 78;
+        return 0;
+      };
+      const result = getTagInfo("0.77-stable", {}, mockLog, getPublishedVersion);
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(result, {
+        npmTags: ["latest", "v0.77-stable"],
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("returns only version tag for PATCH_OLD state", () => {
+      const getPublishedVersion = (tag) => {
+        if (tag === "latest") return 78;
+        if (tag === "next") return 79;
+        return 0;
+      };
+      const result = getTagInfo("0.77-stable", {}, mockLog, getPublishedVersion);
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(result, {
+        npmTags: ["v0.77-stable"],
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("returns latest + version + next for PROMOTE_TO_LATEST state (newer than next)", () => {
+      const getPublishedVersion = (tag) => {
+        if (tag === "latest") return 77;
+        if (tag === "next") return 77;
+        return 0;
+      };
+      const result = getTagInfo("0.78-stable", { tag: "latest" }, mockLog, getPublishedVersion);
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(result, {
+        npmTags: ["latest", "v0.78-stable", "next"],
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("returns latest + version without next for PROMOTE_TO_LATEST state (not newer than next)", () => {
+      const getPublishedVersion = (tag) => {
+        if (tag === "latest") return 77;
+        if (tag === "next") return 78;
+        return 0;
+      };
+      const result = getTagInfo("0.78-stable", { tag: "latest" }, mockLog, getPublishedVersion);
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(result, {
+        npmTags: ["latest", "v0.78-stable"],
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("returns next tag with rc prerelease for RELEASE_CANDIDATE state", () => {
+      const getPublishedVersion = (tag) => {
+        if (tag === "latest") return 77;
+        if (tag === "next") return 77;
+        return 0;
+      };
+      const result = getTagInfo("0.78-stable", {}, mockLog, getPublishedVersion);
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(result, {
+        npmTags: ["next"],
+        prerelease: "rc",
+      });
+    });
+
+    it("throws error for RELEASE_CANDIDATE state when version is too old", () => {
+      const getPublishedVersion = (tag) => {
+        if (tag === "latest") return 77;
+        if (tag === "next") return 79;
+        return 0;
+      };
+      assert.throws(
+        () => getTagInfo("0.78-stable", {}, mockLog, getPublishedVersion),
+        { message: /Current version cannot be a release candidate/ }
+      );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe("constants", () => {
+    it("NPM_TAG_NEXT is 'next'", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(NPM_TAG_NEXT, "next");
+    });
+
+    it("NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY is 'nightly'", () => {
+      assert.strictEqual(NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY, "nightly");
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/.ado/scripts/prepublish-check.mjs b/.ado/scripts/prepublish-check.mjs
deleted file mode 100644
index 4ea23f41d8960d..00000000000000
--- a/.ado/scripts/prepublish-check.mjs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,460 +0,0 @@
-// @ts-check
-import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
-import * as fs from "node:fs";
-import * as util from "node:util";
-
-const NX_CONFIG_FILE = "nx.json";
-
-const NPM_DEFEAULT_REGISTRY = "https://registry.npmjs.org/"
-const NPM_TAG_NEXT = "next";
-const NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY = "nightly";
-const RNMACOS_LATEST = "react-native-macos@latest";
-const RNMACOS_NEXT = "react-native-macos@next";
-
-/**
- * @typedef {import("nx/src/config/nx-json").NxReleaseVersionConfiguration} NxReleaseVersionConfiguration;
- * @typedef {{
- *   defaultBase: string;
- *   release: {
- *     version: NxReleaseVersionConfiguration;
- *   };
- * }} NxConfig;
- * @typedef {{
- *   "mock-branch"?: string;
- *   "skip-auth"?: boolean;
- *   tag?: string;
- *   update?: boolean;
- *   verbose?: boolean;
- * }} Options;
- * @typedef {{
- *   npmTag: string;
- *   prerelease?: string;
- *   isNewTag?: boolean;
- * }} TagInfo;
- */
-
-/**
- * Exports a variable, `publish_react_native_macos`, to signal that we want to
- * enable publishing on Azure Pipelines.
- *
- * Note that pipelines need to read this variable separately and do the actual
- * work to publish bits.
- */
-function enablePublishingOnAzurePipelines() {
-  console.log(`##vso[task.setvariable variable=publish_react_native_macos]1`);
-}
-
-/**
- * Logs an error message to the console.
- * @param {string} message
- */
-function error(message) {
-  console.error("❌", message);
-}
-
-/**
- * Logs an informational message to the console.
- * @param {string} message
- */
-function info(message) {
-  console.log("ℹ️", message);
-}
-
-/**
- * Returns whether the given branch is considered main branch.
- * @param {string} branch
- */
-function isMainBranch(branch) {
-  // There is currently no good way to consistently get the main branch. We
-  // hardcode the value for now.
-  return branch === "main";
-}
-
-/**
- * Returns whether the given branch is considered a stable branch.
- * @param {string} branch
- */
-function isStableBranch(branch) {
-  return /^\d+\.\d+-stable$/.test(branch);
-}
-
-/**
- * Loads Nx configuration.
- * @param {string} configFile
- * @returns {NxConfig}
- */
-function loadNxConfig(configFile) {
-  const nx = fs.readFileSync(configFile, { encoding: "utf-8" });
-  return JSON.parse(nx);
-}
-
-/**
- * Detects whether to use npm or yarn to publish based on .npmrc existence
- * @returns {boolean} true if npm should be used, false if yarn should be used
- * @throws {Error} if neither .npmrc nor .yarnrc.yml exists
- */
-function shouldUseNpm() {
-  const hasNpmrc = fs.existsSync('.npmrc');
-  const hasYarnrc = fs.existsSync('.yarnrc.yml');
-  
-  if (!hasNpmrc && !hasYarnrc) {
-    error('No package manager configuration found. Expected either .npmrc or .yarnrc.yml file.');
-    throw new Error('No package manager configuration found');
-  }
-  
-  if (hasNpmrc && hasYarnrc) {
-    // If both exist, prefer npm (could be changed based on project preference)
-    info('Both .npmrc and .yarnrc.yml found, using npm configuration');
-    return true;
-  }
-  
-  return hasNpmrc;
-}
-
-function verifyNpmAuth(registry = NPM_DEFEAULT_REGISTRY) {
-  const useNpm = shouldUseNpm();
-  const spawnOptions = {
-    stdio: /** @type {const} */ ("pipe"),
-    shell: true,
-    windowsVerbatimArguments: true,
-  };
-
-  if (useNpm) {
-    info("Using npm for authentication (found .npmrc)");
-    const npmErrorRegex = /npm error code (\w+)/;
-    
-    const whoamiArgs = ["whoami", "--registry", registry];
-    const whoami = spawnSync("npm", whoamiArgs, spawnOptions);
-    if (whoami.status !== 0) {
-      const error = whoami.stderr.toString();
-      const m = error.match(npmErrorRegex);
-      const errorCode = m && m[1];
-      switch (errorCode) {
-        case "EINVALIDNPMTOKEN":
-          throw new Error(`Invalid auth token for npm registry: ${registry}`);
-        case "ENEEDAUTH":
-          throw new Error(`Missing auth token for npm registry: ${registry}`);
-        default:
-          throw new Error(error);
-      }
-    }
-
-    const tokenArgs = ["token", "list", "--registry", registry];
-    const token = spawnSync("npm", tokenArgs, spawnOptions);
-    if (token.status !== 0) {
-      const error = token.stderr.toString();
-      const m = error.match(npmErrorRegex);
-      const errorCode = m && m[1];
-      
-      // E403 means the token doesn't have permission to list tokens, but that's
-      // not required for publishing. Only fail for other error codes.
-      if (errorCode === "E403") {
-        info(`Token verification skipped: token doesn't have permission to list tokens (${errorCode})`);
-      } else {
-        throw new Error(m ? `Auth token for '${registry}' returned error code ${errorCode}` : error);
-      }
-    }
-  } else {
-    info("Using yarn for authentication (no .npmrc found)");
-    
-    const whoamiArgs = ["npm", "whoami", "--publish"];
-    const whoami = spawnSync("yarn", whoamiArgs, spawnOptions);
-    if (whoami.status !== 0) {
-      const errorOutput =
-        whoami.stderr.toString().trim() ||
-        whoami.stdout.toString().trim() ||
-        'No error message available';
-      
-      // Provide more context about the yarn authentication failure
-      throw new Error(`Yarn authentication failed (exit code ${whoami.status}): ${errorOutput}`);
-    }
-
-    // Skip token listing for yarn since it doesn't support npm token commands
-    // The whoami check above is sufficient to verify authentication
-    info("Skipping token list check when using yarn (not required for publishing)");
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Returns a numerical value for a given version string.
- * @param {string} version
- * @returns {number}
- */
-function versionToNumber(version) {
-  const [major, minor] = version.split("-")[0].split(".");
-  return Number(major) * 1000 + Number(minor);
-}
-
-/**
- * Returns the target branch name. If not targetting any branches (e.g., when
- * executing this script locally), `undefined` is returned.
- * @returns {string | undefined}
- */
-function getTargetBranch() {
-  // Azure Pipelines
-  if (process.env["TF_BUILD"] === "True") {
-    // https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/pipelines/build/variables?view=azure-devops&tabs=yaml#build-variables-devops-services
-    const targetBranch = process.env["SYSTEM_PULLREQUEST_TARGETBRANCH"];
-    return targetBranch?.replace(/^refs\/heads\//, "");
-  }
-
-  // GitHub Actions
-  if (process.env["GITHUB_ACTIONS"] === "true") {
-    // https://docs.github.com/en/actions/learn-github-actions/variables#default-environment-variables
-    return process.env["GITHUB_BASE_REF"];
-  }
-
-  return undefined;
-}
-
-/**
- * Returns the current branch name. In a pull request, the target branch name is
- * returned.
- * @param {Options} options
- * @returns {string}
- */
-function getCurrentBranch(options) {
-  const targetBranch = getTargetBranch();
-  if (targetBranch) {
-    return targetBranch;
-  }
-
-  // Azure DevOps Pipelines
-  if (process.env["TF_BUILD"] === "True") {
-    // https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/pipelines/build/variables?view=azure-devops&tabs=yaml#build-variables-devops-services
-    const sourceBranch = process.env["BUILD_SOURCEBRANCHNAME"];
-    if (sourceBranch) {
-      return sourceBranch.replace(/^refs\/heads\//, "");
-    }
-  }
-
-  // GitHub Actions
-  if (process.env["GITHUB_ACTIONS"] === "true") {
-    // https://docs.github.com/en/actions/learn-github-actions/variables#default-environment-variables
-    const headRef = process.env["GITHUB_HEAD_REF"];
-    if (headRef) {
-      return headRef; // For pull requests
-    }
-    
-    const ref = process.env["GITHUB_REF"];
-    if (ref) {
-      return ref.replace(/^refs\/heads\//, ""); // For push events
-    }
-  }
-
-  const { "mock-branch": mockBranch } = options;
-  if (mockBranch) {
-    return mockBranch;
-  }
-
-  // Depending on how the repo was cloned, HEAD may not exist. We only use this
-  // method as fallback.
-  const { stdout } = spawnSync("git", ["rev-parse", "--abbrev-ref", "HEAD"]);
-  return stdout.toString().trim();
-}
-
-/**
- * Returns the latest published version of `react-native-macos` from npm.
- * @param {"latest" | "next"} tag
- * @returns {number}
- */
-function getPublishedVersion(tag) {
-  const { stdout } = spawnSync("npm", ["view", `react-native-macos@${tag}`, "version"]);
-  return versionToNumber(stdout.toString().trim());
-}
-
-/**
- * Returns the npm tag and prerelease identifier for the specified branch.
- *
- * @privateRemarks
- * Note that the current implementation treats minor versions as major. If
- * upstream ever decides to change the versioning scheme, we will need to make
- * changes accordingly.
- *
- * @param {string} branch
- * @param {Options} options
- * @param {typeof info} log
- * @returns {TagInfo}
- */
-function getTagForStableBranch(branch, { tag }, log) {
-  if (!isStableBranch(branch)) {
-    throw new Error("Expected a stable branch");
-  }
-
-  const latestVersion = getPublishedVersion("latest");
-  const currentVersion = versionToNumber(branch);
-
-  log(`${RNMACOS_LATEST}: ${latestVersion}`);
-  log(`Current version: ${currentVersion}`);
-
-  // Patching latest version
-  if (currentVersion === latestVersion) {
-    const npmTag = "latest";
-    log(`Expected npm tag: ${npmTag}`);
-    return { npmTag };
-  }
-
-  // Demoting or patching an older stable version
-  if (currentVersion < latestVersion) {
-    const npmTag = "v" + branch;
-    log(`Expected npm tag: ${npmTag}`);
-    // If we're demoting a branch, we will need to create a new tag. This will
-    // make Nx trip if we don't specify a fallback. In all other scenarios, the
-    // tags should exist and therefore prefer it to fail.
-    return { npmTag, isNewTag: true };
-  }
-
-  // Publishing a new latest version
-  if (tag === "latest") {
-    log(`Expected npm tag: ${tag}`);
-    return { npmTag: tag };
-  }
-
-  // Publishing a release candidate
-  const nextVersion = getPublishedVersion("next");
-  log(`${RNMACOS_NEXT}: ${nextVersion}`);
-  log(`Expected npm tag: ${NPM_TAG_NEXT}`);
-
-  if (currentVersion < nextVersion) {
-    throw new Error(`Current version cannot be a release candidate because it is too old: ${currentVersion} < ${nextVersion}`);
-  }
-
-  return { npmTag: NPM_TAG_NEXT, prerelease: "rc" };
-}
-
-/**
- * Verifies the configuration and enables publishing on CI.
- * @param {NxConfig} config
- * @param {string} currentBranch
- * @param {TagInfo} tag
- * @param {Options} options
- * @returns {asserts config is NxConfig["release"]}
- */
-function enablePublishing(config, currentBranch, { npmTag: tag, prerelease, isNewTag }, options) {
-  /** @type {string[]} */
-  const errors = [];
-
-  const { defaultBase, release } = config;
-
-  // `defaultBase` determines what we diff against when looking for tags or
-  // released version and must therefore be set to either the main branch or one
-  // of the stable branches.
-  if (currentBranch !== defaultBase) {
-    errors.push(`'defaultBase' must be set to '${currentBranch}'`);
-    config.defaultBase = currentBranch;
-  }
-
-  // Determines whether we need to add "nightly" or "rc" to the version string.
-  const { versionActionsOptions = {} } = release.version;
-  if (versionActionsOptions.preid !== prerelease) {
-    if (prerelease) {
-      errors.push(`'release.version.versionActionsOptions.preid' must be set to '${prerelease}'`);
-      versionActionsOptions.preid = prerelease;
-    } else {
-      errors.push(`'release.version.versionActionsOptions.preid' must be removed`);
-      versionActionsOptions.preid = undefined;
-    }
-  }
-
-  // What the published version should be tagged as e.g., "latest" or "nightly".
-  const currentVersionResolverMetadata = /** @type {{ tag?: string }} */ (versionActionsOptions.currentVersionResolverMetadata || {});
-  if (currentVersionResolverMetadata.tag !== tag) {
-    errors.push(`'release.version.versionActionsOptions.currentVersionResolverMetadata.tag' must be set to '${tag}'`);
-    versionActionsOptions.currentVersionResolverMetadata ??= {};
-    /** @type {any} */ (versionActionsOptions.currentVersionResolverMetadata).tag = tag;
-  }
-
-  // If we're demoting a branch, we will need to create a new tag. This will
-  // make Nx trip if we don't specify a fallback. In all other scenarios, the
-  // tags should exist and therefore prefer it to fail.
-  if (isNewTag) {
-    if (versionActionsOptions.fallbackCurrentVersionResolver !== "disk") {
-      errors.push("'release.version.versionActionsOptions.fallbackCurrentVersionResolver' must be set to 'disk'");
-      versionActionsOptions.fallbackCurrentVersionResolver = "disk";
-    }
-  } else if (typeof versionActionsOptions.fallbackCurrentVersionResolver === "string") {
-    errors.push("'release.version.versionActionsOptions.fallbackCurrentVersionResolver' must be removed");
-    versionActionsOptions.fallbackCurrentVersionResolver = undefined;
-  }
-
-  if (errors.length > 0) {
-    errors.forEach(error);
-    throw new Error("Nx Release is not correctly configured for the current branch");
-  }
-
-  if (options["skip-auth"]) {
-    info("Skipped npm auth validation");
-  } else {
-    verifyNpmAuth();
-  }
-
-  // Don't enable publishing in PRs
-  if (!getTargetBranch()) {
-    enablePublishingOnAzurePipelines();
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * @param {Options} options
- * @returns {number}
- */
-function main(options) {
-  const branch = getCurrentBranch(options);
-  if (!branch) {
-    error("Could not get current branch");
-    return 1;
-  }
-
-  const logger = options.verbose ? info : () => undefined;
-
-  const config = loadNxConfig(NX_CONFIG_FILE);
-  try {
-    if (isMainBranch(branch)) {
-      const info = { npmTag: NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY, prerelease: NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY };
-      enablePublishing(config, branch, info, options);
-    } else if (isStableBranch(branch)) {
-      const tag = getTagForStableBranch(branch, options, logger);
-      enablePublishing(config, branch, tag, options);
-    }
-  } catch (e) {
-    if (options.update) {
-      const fd = fs.openSync(NX_CONFIG_FILE, "w");
-      fs.writeSync(fd, JSON.stringify(config, undefined, 2));
-      fs.writeSync(fd, "\n");
-      fs.closeSync(fd)
-    } else {
-      error(`${e.message}`);
-    }
-    return 1;
-  }
-
-  return 0;
-}
-
-const { values } = util.parseArgs({
-  args: process.argv.slice(2),
-  options: {
-    "mock-branch": {
-      type: "string",
-    },
-    "skip-auth": {
-      type: "boolean",
-      default: false,
-    },
-    tag: {
-      type: "string",
-      default: NPM_TAG_NEXT,
-    },
-    update: {
-      type: "boolean",
-      default: false,
-    },
-    verbose: {
-      type: "boolean",
-      default: false,
-    },
-  },
-  strict: true,
-});
-
-process.exitCode = main(values);
diff --git a/.ado/scripts/release.mjs b/.ado/scripts/release.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..8f9069e3ae54e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.ado/scripts/release.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,760 @@
+// @ts-check
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import * as fs from "node:fs";
+import * as path from "node:path";
+import * as util from "node:util";
+import { ReleaseClient } from "nx/release/index.js";
+
+/**
+ * Unified release script using Nx Release programmatic API
+ *
+ * This script consolidates:
+ * - prepublish-check.mjs (config validation, tag determination)
+ * - nx release CLI (versioning, changelog, GitHub release)
+ * - nx-release-version custom executor (artifact updates)
+ * - Manual npm publish (workaround for yarn 4 compatibility)
+ * - apply-additional-tags.mjs (setting extra dist-tags)
+ *
+ * Usage:
+ *   node release.mjs --dry-run --verbose
+ *   node release.mjs --token <npmAuthToken>
+ */
+
+const REPO_ROOT = path.resolve(import.meta.dirname, "..", "..");
+
+const NPM_REGISTRY = "https://registry.npmjs.org/";
+const NPM_TAG_NEXT = "next";
+const NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY = "nightly";
+
+const PACKAGES = [
+  { name: "react-native-macos", path: "./packages/react-native" },
+  { name: "@react-native-macos/virtualized-lists", path: "./packages/virtualized-lists" },
+];
+
+// Files that get updated by updateReactNativeArtifacts
+const ARTIFACT_FILES = [
+  "packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/gradle.properties",
+  "packages/react-native/ReactAndroid/src/main/java/com/facebook/react/modules/systeminfo/ReactNativeVersion.kt",
+  "packages/react-native/React/Base/RCTVersion.m",
+  "packages/react-native/ReactCommon/cxxreact/ReactNativeVersion.h",
+  "packages/react-native/Libraries/Core/ReactNativeVersion.js",
+];
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {{
+ *   "dry-run"?: boolean;
+ *   "mock-branch"?: string;
+ *   "skip-auth"?: boolean;
+ *   tag?: string;
+ *   token?: string;
+ *   verbose?: boolean;
+ * }} Options;
+ *
+ * @typedef {{
+ *   npmTags: string[];
+ *   prerelease?: string;
+ * }} TagInfo;
+ */
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Logging utilities
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * @param {string} message
+ */
+function error(message) {
+  console.error("❌", message);
+}
+
+/**
+ * @param {string} message
+ */
+function info(message) {
+  console.log("ℹ️", message);
+}
+
+/**
+ * @param {string} message
+ */
+function success(message) {
+  console.log("✅", message);
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Branch detection
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * Returns whether the given branch is considered main branch.
+ * @param {string} branch
+ */
+function isMainBranch(branch) {
+  return branch === "main";
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns whether the given branch is considered a stable branch.
+ * @param {string} branch
+ */
+function isStableBranch(branch) {
+  return /^\d+\.\d+-stable$/.test(branch);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns the target branch name in a PR, or undefined if not in a PR.
+ * @returns {string | undefined}
+ */
+function getTargetBranch() {
+  // Azure Pipelines
+  if (process.env["TF_BUILD"] === "True") {
+    const targetBranch = process.env["SYSTEM_PULLREQUEST_TARGETBRANCH"];
+    return targetBranch?.replace(/^refs\/heads\//, "");
+  }
+
+  // GitHub Actions
+  if (process.env["GITHUB_ACTIONS"] === "true") {
+    return process.env["GITHUB_BASE_REF"];
+  }
+
+  return undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns the current branch name. In a PR, returns the target branch.
+ * @param {Options} options
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
+function getCurrentBranch(options) {
+  const targetBranch = getTargetBranch();
+  if (targetBranch) {
+    return targetBranch;
+  }
+
+  // Azure DevOps Pipelines
+  if (process.env["TF_BUILD"] === "True") {
+    const sourceBranch = process.env["BUILD_SOURCEBRANCHNAME"];
+    if (sourceBranch) {
+      return sourceBranch.replace(/^refs\/heads\//, "");
+    }
+  }
+
+  // GitHub Actions
+  if (process.env["GITHUB_ACTIONS"] === "true") {
+    const headRef = process.env["GITHUB_HEAD_REF"];
+    if (headRef) {
+      return headRef;
+    }
+    const ref = process.env["GITHUB_REF"];
+    if (ref) {
+      return ref.replace(/^refs\/heads\//, "");
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (options["mock-branch"]) {
+    return options["mock-branch"];
+  }
+
+  const { stdout } = spawnSync("git", ["rev-parse", "--abbrev-ref", "HEAD"]);
+  return stdout.toString().trim();
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Version utilities
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * Converts version string to a number for comparison.
+ * @param {string} version
+ * @returns {number}
+ */
+function versionToNumber(version) {
+  const [major, minor] = version.split("-")[0].split(".");
+  return Number(major) * 1000 + Number(minor);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Returns the published version of react-native-macos for a given tag.
+ * @param {"latest" | "next"} tag
+ * @returns {number}
+ */
+function getPublishedVersion(tag) {
+  const { stdout } = spawnSync("npm", ["view", `react-native-macos@${tag}`, "version"]);
+  return versionToNumber(stdout.toString().trim());
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// React Native artifact updates
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * Updates React Native version artifacts (native files, gradle, etc.)
+ * This replaces the custom nx-release-version executor.
+ * @param {string} version
+ * @param {boolean} dryRun
+ */
+async function updateReactNativeArtifacts(version, dryRun) {
+  info(`Updating React Native artifacts to version ${version}...`);
+
+  if (dryRun) {
+    console.log("  [dry-run] Would update the following files:");
+    for (const file of ARTIFACT_FILES) {
+      console.log(`    - ${file}`);
+    }
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Import the artifact update function from the existing script
+  const { updateReactNativeArtifacts: doUpdate } = await import(
+    path.join(REPO_ROOT, "scripts", "releases", "set-rn-artifacts-version.js")
+  );
+
+  await doUpdate(version);
+
+  // Create the .rnm-publish marker file
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(REPO_ROOT, ".rnm-publish"), "");
+
+  success("Updated React Native artifacts");
+  console.table(ARTIFACT_FILES.map((file) => ({ file })));
+}
+
+/**
+ * Stages and commits artifact files to git.
+ * @param {string} version
+ * @param {boolean} dryRun
+ */
+function commitArtifactChanges(version, dryRun) {
+  const filesToCommit = [...ARTIFACT_FILES, ".rnm-publish"];
+
+  info("Staging artifact changes...");
+
+  if (dryRun) {
+    console.log("  [dry-run] Would stage and amend commit with:");
+    for (const file of filesToCommit) {
+      console.log(`    - ${file}`);
+    }
+    return;
+  }
+
+  // Stage the artifact files
+  const addResult = spawnSync("git", ["add", ...filesToCommit], {
+    stdio: "inherit",
+    cwd: REPO_ROOT,
+  });
+
+  if (addResult.status !== 0) {
+    throw new Error("Failed to stage artifact files");
+  }
+
+  // Amend the previous commit (which was created by Nx for version bumps)
+  const commitResult = spawnSync(
+    "git",
+    ["commit", "--amend", "--no-edit", "--no-verify"],
+    { stdio: "inherit", cwd: REPO_ROOT }
+  );
+
+  if (commitResult.status !== 0) {
+    throw new Error("Failed to amend commit with artifact changes");
+  }
+
+  success("Committed artifact changes");
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Tag determination
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {"NIGHTLY" | "PATCH_LATEST" | "PATCH_OLD" | "PROMOTE_TO_LATEST" | "RELEASE_CANDIDATE" | "NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH"} ReleaseState
+ */
+
+/**
+ * @typedef {{
+ *   state: ReleaseState;
+ *   currentVersion: number;
+ *   latestVersion: number;
+ *   nextVersion: number;
+ * }} ReleaseStateInfo
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Determines the release state based on branch, versions, and options
+ * @param {string} branch
+ * @param {Options} options
+ * @returns {ReleaseStateInfo}
+ */
+function getReleaseState(branch, options) {
+  if (isMainBranch(branch)) {
+    return { state: "NIGHTLY", currentVersion: 0, latestVersion: 0, nextVersion: 0 };
+  }
+
+  if (!isStableBranch(branch)) {
+    return { state: "NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH", currentVersion: 0, latestVersion: 0, nextVersion: 0 };
+  }
+
+  const latestVersion = getPublishedVersion("latest");
+  const nextVersion = getPublishedVersion("next");
+  const currentVersion = versionToNumber(branch);
+
+  /** @type {ReleaseState} */
+  let state;
+  if (currentVersion === latestVersion) {
+    state = "PATCH_LATEST";
+  } else if (currentVersion < latestVersion) {
+    state = "PATCH_OLD";
+  } else if (options.tag === "latest") {
+    state = "PROMOTE_TO_LATEST";
+  } else {
+    state = "RELEASE_CANDIDATE";
+  }
+
+  return { state, currentVersion, latestVersion, nextVersion };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets npm tags based on release state
+ * @param {string} branch
+ * @param {Options} options
+ * @param {typeof info} log
+ * @returns {TagInfo | null}
+ */
+function getTagInfo(branch, options, log) {
+  const { state, currentVersion, latestVersion, nextVersion } = getReleaseState(
+    branch,
+    options
+  );
+
+  log(`react-native-macos@latest: ${latestVersion}`);
+  log(`react-native-macos@next: ${nextVersion}`);
+  log(`Current version: ${currentVersion}`);
+  log(`Release state: ${state}`);
+
+  switch (state) {
+    case "NIGHTLY":
+      log(`Expected npm tags: ${NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY}`);
+      return { npmTags: [NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY], prerelease: NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY };
+
+    case "PATCH_LATEST": {
+      const versionTag = "v" + branch;
+      log(`Expected npm tags: latest, ${versionTag}`);
+      return { npmTags: ["latest", versionTag] };
+    }
+
+    case "PATCH_OLD": {
+      const npmTag = "v" + branch;
+      log(`Expected npm tags: ${npmTag}`);
+      return { npmTags: [npmTag] };
+    }
+
+    case "PROMOTE_TO_LATEST": {
+      const versionTag = "v" + branch;
+      const npmTags = ["latest", versionTag];
+      if (currentVersion > nextVersion) {
+        npmTags.push(NPM_TAG_NEXT);
+      }
+      log(`Expected npm tags: ${npmTags.join(", ")}`);
+      return { npmTags };
+    }
+
+    case "RELEASE_CANDIDATE":
+      if (currentVersion < nextVersion) {
+        throw new Error(
+          `Current version cannot be a release candidate because it is too old: ${currentVersion} < ${nextVersion}`
+        );
+      }
+      log(`Expected npm tags: ${NPM_TAG_NEXT}`);
+      return { npmTags: [NPM_TAG_NEXT], prerelease: "rc" };
+
+    case "NOT_RELEASE_BRANCH":
+    default:
+      return null;
+  }
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// npm auth verification
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * Verifies npm authentication.
+ * @param {string} registry
+ */
+function verifyNpmAuth(registry = NPM_REGISTRY) {
+  const spawnOptions = /** @type {const} */ ({
+    stdio: "pipe",
+    shell: true,
+  });
+
+  const npmErrorRegex = /npm error code (\w+)/;
+
+  info("Verifying npm authentication...");
+  const whoami = spawnSync("npm", ["whoami", "--registry", registry], spawnOptions);
+  if (whoami.status !== 0) {
+    const errorOutput = whoami.stderr.toString();
+    const m = errorOutput.match(npmErrorRegex);
+    const errorCode = m?.[1];
+    switch (errorCode) {
+      case "EINVALIDNPMTOKEN":
+        throw new Error(`Invalid auth token for npm registry: ${registry}`);
+      case "ENEEDAUTH":
+        throw new Error(`Missing auth token for npm registry: ${registry}`);
+      default:
+        throw new Error(errorOutput);
+    }
+  }
+  success("npm authentication verified");
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Publishing
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * Publishes packages to npm.
+ * @param {string} tag
+ * @param {string} token
+ * @param {boolean} dryRun
+ */
+function publishPackages(tag, token, dryRun) {
+  for (const { name, path } of PACKAGES) {
+    info(`Publishing ${name} with tag '${tag}'...`);
+
+    if (dryRun) {
+      console.log(`  [dry-run] npm publish ${path} --tag ${tag}`);
+    } else {
+      const result = spawnSync(
+        "npm",
+        [
+          "publish",
+          path,
+          "--tag",
+          tag,
+          "--registry",
+          NPM_REGISTRY,
+          `--//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=${token}`,
+        ],
+        { stdio: "inherit", shell: true }
+      );
+
+      if (result.status !== 0) {
+        throw new Error(`Failed to publish ${name}`);
+      }
+
+      success(`Published ${name}@${tag}`);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Applies additional dist-tags to packages.
+ * @param {string[]} tags
+ * @param {string} version
+ * @param {string} token
+ * @param {boolean} dryRun
+ */
+function applyAdditionalTags(tags, version, token, dryRun) {
+  if (tags.length === 0) {
+    info("No additional tags to apply");
+    return;
+  }
+
+  for (const tag of tags) {
+    for (const { name } of PACKAGES) {
+      info(`Adding dist-tag '${tag}' to ${name}@${version}...`);
+
+      if (dryRun) {
+        console.log(`  [dry-run] npm dist-tag add ${name}@${version} ${tag}`);
+      } else {
+        const result = spawnSync(
+          "npm",
+          [
+            "dist-tag",
+            "add",
+            `${name}@${version}`,
+            tag,
+            "--registry",
+            NPM_REGISTRY,
+            `--//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=${token}`,
+          ],
+          { stdio: "inherit", shell: true }
+        );
+
+        if (result.status !== 0) {
+          throw new Error(`Failed to add dist-tag '${tag}' to ${name}@${version}`);
+        }
+
+        success(`Added dist-tag '${tag}' to ${name}@${version}`);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// CI output helpers
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * Exports a variable for Azure Pipelines.
+ * @param {string} name
+ * @param {string} value
+ */
+function setAzurePipelinesVariable(name, value) {
+  console.log(`##vso[task.setvariable variable=${name}]${value}`);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Exports a variable for GitHub Actions.
+ * @param {string} name
+ * @param {string} value
+ */
+function setGitHubActionsOutput(name, value) {
+  if (process.env["GITHUB_OUTPUT"]) {
+    fs.appendFileSync(process.env["GITHUB_OUTPUT"], `${name}=${value}\n`);
+  }
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// Main
+// ============================================================================
+
+/**
+ * @param {Options} options
+ * @returns {Promise<number>}
+ */
+async function main(options) {
+  const dryRun = options["dry-run"] ?? false;
+  const verbose = options.verbose ?? false;
+  const log = verbose ? info : () => {};
+
+  // Determine branch and tag info
+  const branch = getCurrentBranch(options);
+  if (!branch) {
+    error("Could not determine current branch");
+    return 1;
+  }
+
+  info(`Branch: ${branch}`);
+
+  const tagInfo = getTagInfo(branch, options, log);
+  if (!tagInfo) {
+    info(`Branch '${branch}' is not a release branch, skipping release`);
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  const [primaryTag, ...additionalTags] = tagInfo.npmTags;
+
+  info(`Primary npm tag: ${primaryTag}`);
+  if (additionalTags.length > 0) {
+    info(`Additional npm tags: ${additionalTags.join(", ")}`);
+  }
+
+  // Verify npm auth (unless skipped or dry-run)
+  if (!dryRun && !options["skip-auth"]) {
+    verifyNpmAuth();
+  } else if (options["skip-auth"]) {
+    info("Skipped npm auth validation");
+  }
+
+  // Create Nx Release client with full configuration
+  // All release config is here - nx.json is ignored for release
+  const releaseClient = new ReleaseClient(
+    {
+      changelog: {
+        projectChangelogs: {
+          file: false,
+          createRelease: "github",
+        },
+        workspaceChangelog: false,
+      },
+      projects: ["packages/react-native", "packages/virtualized-lists"],
+      versionPlans: true,
+      version: {
+        versionActionsOptions: {
+          currentVersionResolver: "registry",
+          currentVersionResolverMetadata: {
+            tag: primaryTag,
+          },
+          ...(tagInfo.prerelease && { preid: tagInfo.prerelease }),
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  );
+
+  // Phase 1: Version
+  info("Running version phase...");
+  const { workspaceVersion, projectsVersionData } =
+    await releaseClient.releaseVersion({
+      dryRun,
+      verbose,
+    });
+
+  // Check if there are actual version changes
+  const hasVersionChanges = Object.values(projectsVersionData).some(
+    (data) => data.newVersion && data.newVersion !== data.currentVersion
+  );
+
+  if (!hasVersionChanges) {
+    info("No version changes detected");
+
+    // Still show what would happen if we were to release
+    if (dryRun) {
+      info("=== Would publish with the following tags ===");
+      console.log(`  Primary tag: ${primaryTag}`);
+      if (additionalTags.length > 0) {
+        console.log(`  Additional tags: ${additionalTags.join(", ")}`);
+      }
+      for (const { name } of PACKAGES) {
+        console.log(`  ${name} -> ${primaryTag}`);
+        for (const tag of additionalTags) {
+          console.log(`  ${name} -> ${tag}`);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  // Get the new version from the version data
+  const newVersion =
+    workspaceVersion ||
+    Object.values(projectsVersionData)[0]?.newVersion ||
+    "";
+
+  info(`New version: ${newVersion}`);
+
+  // Phase 1.5: Update React Native artifacts
+  // This replaces the custom nx-release-version executor
+  await updateReactNativeArtifacts(newVersion, dryRun);
+
+  // Commit the artifact changes (amend the version commit)
+  if (!dryRun) {
+    commitArtifactChanges(newVersion, dryRun);
+  }
+
+  // Phase 2: Changelog (creates GitHub release)
+  info("Running changelog phase...");
+  try {
+    await releaseClient.releaseChangelog({
+      versionData: projectsVersionData,
+      version: workspaceVersion,
+      dryRun,
+      verbose,
+    });
+  } catch (e) {
+    // In dry-run mode, changelog may fail if there are no actual changes to commit
+    const err = /** @type {Error} */ (e);
+    if (dryRun && err.message?.includes("No changed files to commit")) {
+      info("Skipping changelog in dry-run (no actual file changes)");
+    } else {
+      throw e;
+    }
+  }
+
+  // Phase 3: Publish (using our custom npm publish to work around yarn 4 issues)
+  if (!options.token && !dryRun) {
+    error("npm auth token is required for publishing (use --token)");
+    return 1;
+  }
+
+  info("Running publish phase...");
+  publishPackages(primaryTag, options.token || "", dryRun);
+
+  // Apply additional dist-tags
+  if (additionalTags.length > 0) {
+    info("Applying additional dist-tags...");
+    applyAdditionalTags(additionalTags, newVersion, options.token || "", dryRun);
+  }
+
+  // Export CI variables
+  if (!dryRun) {
+    setAzurePipelinesVariable("publish_react_native_macos", "1");
+    if (additionalTags.length > 0) {
+      const tagsValue = additionalTags.join(",");
+      setAzurePipelinesVariable("additionalTags", tagsValue);
+      setGitHubActionsOutput("additionalTags", tagsValue);
+    }
+  }
+
+  success("Release completed successfully");
+  return 0;
+}
+
+// ============================================================================
+// CLI
+// ============================================================================
+
+const { values } = util.parseArgs({
+  args: process.argv.slice(2),
+  options: {
+    "dry-run": {
+      type: "boolean",
+      default: false,
+    },
+    help: {
+      type: "boolean",
+      short: "h",
+      default: false,
+    },
+    "mock-branch": {
+      type: "string",
+    },
+    "skip-auth": {
+      type: "boolean",
+      default: false,
+    },
+    tag: {
+      type: "string",
+      default: NPM_TAG_NEXT,
+    },
+    token: {
+      type: "string",
+    },
+    verbose: {
+      type: "boolean",
+      default: false,
+    },
+  },
+  strict: true,
+});
+
+if (values.help) {
+  console.log(`
+Usage: node release.mjs [options]
+
+Unified release script for react-native-macos packages.
+
+Options:
+  --dry-run         Run without publishing (default: false)
+  --mock-branch     Override branch detection (for testing)
+  --skip-auth       Skip npm auth verification
+  --tag             Primary npm tag (default: ${NPM_TAG_NEXT})
+  --token           npm auth token
+  --verbose         Enable verbose logging
+  -h, --help        Show this help message
+
+Branch-based release tags:
+  main branch       -> nightly
+  X.Y-stable branch -> latest, next (if state=latest)
+                    -> next (if state=next)
+                    -> rc, next (if state=rc)
+`);
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+main(values).then((code) => {
+  process.exit(code);
+}).catch((e) => {
+  error(e.message);
+  process.exit(1);
+});
+
+// Export for testing
+export {
+  isMainBranch,
+  isStableBranch,
+  versionToNumber,
+  getReleaseState,
+  getTagInfo,
+  NPM_TAG_NEXT,
+  NPM_TAG_NIGHTLY,
+};
diff --git a/.github/workflows/microsoft-pr.yml b/.github/workflows/microsoft-pr.yml
index ef918ae5c07ac1..a74e2b86173924 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/microsoft-pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/microsoft-pr.yml
@@ -53,12 +53,6 @@ jobs:
         uses: ./.github/actions/microsoft-setup-toolchain
         with:
           node-version: '22'
-      - name: Read publish tag from nx.json
-        id: config
-        run: |
-          PUBLISH_TAG=$(jq -r '.release.version.generatorOptions.currentVersionResolverMetadata.tag' nx.json)
-          echo "publishTag=$PUBLISH_TAG" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          echo "Using publish tag from nx.json: $PUBLISH_TAG"
       - name: Configure git
         run: |
           git config --global user.email "53619745+rnbot@users.noreply.github.com"
@@ -66,14 +60,9 @@ jobs:
           git remote set-url origin https://rnbot:${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}@github.com/microsoft/react-native-macos
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: yarn
-      - name: Verify release config
-        run: |
-          node .ado/scripts/prepublish-check.mjs --verbose --skip-auth --tag ${{ steps.config.outputs.publishTag }}
-
-      - name: Version and publish packages (dry run)
+      - name: Release (dry run)
         run: |
-          echo "Target branch: ${{ github.base_ref }}"
-          yarn nx release --dry-run --verbose
+          node .ado/scripts/release.mjs --dry-run --verbose
   
   yarn-constraints:
     name: "Check Yarn Constraints"
diff --git a/nx.json b/nx.json
index ac8c7e7b71cab3..4bcd46e4cfac66 100644
--- a/nx.json
+++ b/nx.json
@@ -5,27 +5,5 @@
     "build": {
       "dependsOn": ["^build"]
     }
-  },
-  "release": {
-    "changelog": {
-      "projectChangelogs": {
-        "file": false,
-        "createRelease": "github"
-      },
-      "workspaceChangelog": false
-    },
-    "projects": ["packages/react-native", "packages/virtualized-lists"],
-    "versionPlans": true,
-    "version": {
-      "versionActions": "@react-native-macos/nx-release-version",
-      "versionActionsOptions": {
-        "currentVersionResolver": "registry",
-        "currentVersionResolverMetadata": {
-          "tag": "next"
-        },
-        "preid": "rc"
-      },
-      "useLegacyVersioning": false
-    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/packages/nx-release-version/README.md b/packages/nx-release-version/README.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 540b1de7bc72e2..00000000000000
--- a/packages/nx-release-version/README.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-# os/nx-release-version
-
-Nx (v21) Version Actions for React Native macOS releases.
-
-## Overview
-
-This package provides custom Version Actions for Nx 21's modern release system (`useLegacyVersioning: false`). It extends the built-in `JsVersionActions` to include React Native platform-specific artifact updates.
-
-## What it does
-
-When versioning the `react-native-macos` project, this package automatically:
-
-1. **Updates standard package.json files** (via the base `JsVersionActions`)
-2. **Updates React Native platform artifacts**:
-   - `ReactAndroid/gradle.properties`
-   - `ReactNativeVersion.java`
-   - `RCTVersion.m`
-   - `ReactNativeVersion.h`
-   - `ReactNativeVersion.js`
-3. **Creates a `.rnm-publish` marker file** to indicate successful versioning
-
diff --git a/packages/nx-release-version/index.js b/packages/nx-release-version/index.js
deleted file mode 100644
index cf42ff13e8b5db..00000000000000
--- a/packages/nx-release-version/index.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,112 +0,0 @@
-// @ts-check
-
-// @noflow
-const {REPO_ROOT} = require('../../scripts/consts');
-const {afterAllProjectsVersioned: baseAfterAllProjectsVersioned, default: JsVersionActions} = require('@nx/js/src/release/version-actions');
-const fs = require('node:fs');
-const path = require('node:path');
-
-/**
- * @returns {Promise<string[]>}
- */
-async function runSetVersion() {
-  const rnmPkgJsonPath = path.join(REPO_ROOT, 'packages', 'react-native', 'package.json');
-  const {updateReactNativeArtifacts} = require('../../scripts/releases/set-rn-artifacts-version');
-
-  const manifest = fs.readFileSync(rnmPkgJsonPath, {encoding: 'utf-8'});
-  const {version} = JSON.parse(manifest);
-
-  await updateReactNativeArtifacts(version);
-
-  return [
-    path.join(
-      REPO_ROOT,
-      'packages',
-      'react-native',
-      'ReactAndroid',
-      'gradle.properties',
-    ),
-    path.join(
-      REPO_ROOT,
-      'packages',
-      'react-native',
-      'ReactAndroid',
-      'src',
-      'main',
-      'java',
-      'com',
-      'facebook',
-      'react',
-      'modules',
-      'systeminfo',
-      'ReactNativeVersion.java',
-    ),
-    path.join(REPO_ROOT,
-      'packages',
-      'react-native',
-      'React',
-      'Base',
-      'RCTVersion.m',
-    ),
-    path.join(
-      REPO_ROOT,
-      'packages',
-      'react-native',
-      'ReactCommon',
-      'cxxreact',
-      'ReactNativeVersion.h',
-    ),
-    path.join(
-      REPO_ROOT,
-      'packages',
-      'react-native',
-      'Libraries',
-      'Core',
-      'ReactNativeVersion.js',
-    ),
-  ];
-}
-
-/**
- * Custom afterAllProjectsVersioned hook for React Native macOS
- * Updates React Native artifacts after all projects have been versioned
- * @param {string} cwd - Current working directory
- * @param {object} opts - Options object containing versioning information
- * @returns {Promise<{changedFiles: string[], deletedFiles: string[]}>}
- */
-const afterAllProjectsVersioned = async (cwd, opts) => {
-  const baseResult = await baseAfterAllProjectsVersioned(cwd, opts);
-
-  const changedFiles = [...baseResult.changedFiles];
-  const deletedFiles = [...baseResult.deletedFiles];
-
-  // Only update React Native artifacts if versioning actually happened
-  if (changedFiles.length > 0) {
-    try {
-      // Create the .rnm-publish file to indicate versioning has occurred
-      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(REPO_ROOT, '.rnm-publish'), '');
-
-      // Update React Native artifacts
-      const versionedFiles = await runSetVersion();
-
-      // Add the versioned files to changed files
-      changedFiles.push(...versionedFiles);
-
-      console.log('✅ Updated React Native artifacts');
-      console.table(versionedFiles.map(file => path.relative(REPO_ROOT, file)));
-    } catch (error) {
-      const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
-      console.error(`❌ Failed to update React Native artifacts: ${errorMessage}`);
-      throw error;
-    }
-  }
-
-  return {
-    changedFiles,
-    deletedFiles,
-  };
-};
-
-module.exports = JsVersionActions;
-module.exports.default = JsVersionActions;
-module.exports.afterAllProjectsVersioned = afterAllProjectsVersioned;
diff --git a/packages/nx-release-version/package.json b/packages/nx-release-version/package.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 314c8388a7d598..00000000000000
--- a/packages/nx-release-version/package.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,26 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "name": "@react-native-macos/nx-release-version",
-  "version": "0.81.0-rc0",
-  "description": "Nx Release Version Actions for React Native macOS",
-  "homepage": "https://github.com/microsoft/react-native-macos/tree/HEAD/packages/nx-release-version#readme",
-  "license": "MIT",
-  "files": [
-    "index.js"
-  ],
-  "main": "index.js",
-  "repository": {
-    "type": "git",
-    "url": "git+https://github.com/microsoft/react-native-macos.git",
-    "directory": "packages/nx-release-version"
-  },
-  "dependencies": {
-    "@nx/js": "^21.4.1"
-  },
-  "devDependencies": {
-    "@rnx-kit/tsconfig": "^2.0.0",
-    "typescript": "^5.6.3"
-  },
-  "engines": {
-    "node": ">=18"
-  }
-}
diff --git a/packages/nx-release-version/tsconfig.json b/packages/nx-release-version/tsconfig.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 8b08be4b864bb6..00000000000000
--- a/packages/nx-release-version/tsconfig.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "extends": "@rnx-kit/tsconfig/tsconfig.json",
-  "compilerOptions": {
-    "noEmit": true
-  },
-  "include": ["index.js"]
-}
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 8f55b5b13b56e4..e2845612d70602 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -3402,16 +3402,6 @@ __metadata:
   languageName: unknown
   linkType: soft
 
-"@react-native-macos/nx-release-version@workspace:packages/nx-release-version":
-  version: 0.0.0-use.local
-  resolution: "@react-native-macos/nx-release-version@workspace:packages/nx-release-version"
-  dependencies:
-    "@nx/js": "npm:^21.4.1"
-    "@rnx-kit/tsconfig": "npm:^2.0.0"
-    typescript: "npm:^5.6.3"
-  languageName: unknown
-  linkType: soft
-
 "@react-native-macos/virtualized-lists@npm:0.81.0-rc0, @react-native-macos/virtualized-lists@workspace:packages/virtualized-lists":
   version: 0.0.0-use.local
   resolution: "@react-native-macos/virtualized-lists@workspace:packages/virtualized-lists"