diff --git a/.eslintrc.json b/.eslintrc.json
index e4c3c97e83..b2b2fd5968 100644
--- a/.eslintrc.json
+++ b/.eslintrc.json
@@ -99,6 +99,12 @@
           }
         ]
       }
+    },
+    {
+      "files": ["**/ci/*.js"],
+      "rules": {
+        "no-undef": "off"
+      }
     }
   ]
 }
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index f57da9be15..46988480ca 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -96,6 +96,29 @@ jobs:
       test_type: nwaku-master
       debug: waku*
 
+  pre-release:
+    name: pre-release
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master'
+    needs: [check, proto, browser, node]
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
+        with: 
+          repository: waku-org/js-waku
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v3
+        with:
+          node-version: ${{ env.NODE_JS }}
+          registry-url: "https://registry.npmjs.org"
+
+      - run: npm install
+
+      - run: npm run build
+
+      - run: npm run publish -- --tag next
+        env:
+          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_JS_WAKU_PUBLISH }}
+
   maybe-release:
     name: release
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/ci/publish.js b/ci/publish.js
index 179558059a..9fc5f288bd 100644
--- a/ci/publish.js
+++ b/ci/publish.js
@@ -8,8 +8,13 @@ const PACKAGE_JSON = "package.json";
 // hack to get __dirname
 const DIR = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
 
+const NEXT_TAG = "next";
+const LATEST_TAG = "latest";
+const CURRENT_TAG = readPublishTag();
+
 const exec = promisify(cp.exec);
 const readFile = promisify(fs.readFile);
+const writeFile = promisify(fs.writeFile);
 
 run()
   .then(() => {
@@ -23,26 +28,31 @@ async function run() {
   const rootPackage = await readJSON(path.resolve(DIR, "../", PACKAGE_JSON));
   const workspacePaths = rootPackage.workspaces;
 
-  const workspaces = await Promise.all(
-    workspacePaths.map(async (workspacePath) => {
-      const workspaceInfo = await readWorkspace(workspacePath);
-      const allowPublishing = await shouldBePublished(workspaceInfo);
+  if (CURRENT_TAG === NEXT_TAG) {
+    await makeReleaseCandidate();
+  }
 
-      if (allowPublishing) {
-        return workspaceInfo;
-      }
+  const workspaces = await Promise.all(workspacePaths.map(readWorkspace));
 
-      return;
-    })
-  );
+  if (CURRENT_TAG === NEXT_TAG) {
+    await upgradeWakuDependencies(workspaces);
+  }
 
   await Promise.all(
     workspaces
-      .filter((v) => !!v)
+      .filter(async (info) => {
+        const allowPublishing = await shouldBePublished(info);
+
+        if (allowPublishing) {
+          return true;
+        }
+
+        return false;
+      })
       .map(async (info) => {
         try {
           await exec(
-            `npm publish --workspace ${info.workspace} --tag latest --access public`
+            `npm publish --workspace ${info.workspace} --tag ${CURRENT_TAG} --access public`
           );
           console.info(
             `Successfully published ${info.workspace} with version ${info.version}.`
@@ -61,6 +71,11 @@ async function readJSON(path) {
   return JSON.parse(rawJSON);
 }
 
+async function writeWorkspace(packagePath, text) {
+  const resolvedPath = path.resolve(DIR, "../", packagePath, PACKAGE_JSON);
+  await writeFile(resolvedPath, text);
+}
+
 async function readWorkspace(packagePath) {
   const json = await readJSON(
     path.resolve(DIR, "../", packagePath, PACKAGE_JSON)
@@ -70,13 +85,14 @@ async function readWorkspace(packagePath) {
     name: json.name,
     private: !!json.private,
     version: json.version,
-    workspace: packagePath
+    workspace: packagePath,
+    rawPackageJson: json
   };
 }
 
 async function shouldBePublished(info) {
   if (info.private) {
-    console.info(`Skipping ${info.path} because it is private.`);
+    console.info(`Skipping ${info.name} because it is private.`);
     return false;
   }
 
@@ -99,3 +115,60 @@ async function shouldBePublished(info) {
     );
   }
 }
+
+async function makeReleaseCandidate() {
+  try {
+    console.info("Marking workspace versions as release candidates.");
+    await exec(
+      `npm version prerelease --preid $(git rev-parse --short HEAD) --workspaces true`
+    );
+  } catch (e) {
+    console.error("Failed to mark release candidate versions.", e);
+  }
+}
+
+function readPublishTag() {
+  const args = process.argv.slice(2);
+  const tagIndex = args.indexOf("--tag");
+
+  if (tagIndex !== -1 && args[tagIndex + 1]) {
+    return args[tagIndex + 1];
+  }
+
+  return LATEST_TAG;
+}
+
+async function upgradeWakuDependencies(workspaces) {
+  console.log("Upgrading Waku dependencies in workspaces.");
+  const map = workspaces.reduce((acc, item) => {
+    if (!item.private) {
+      acc[item.name] = item;
+    }
+    return acc;
+  }, {});
+  const packageNames = Object.keys(map);
+  workspaces.forEach(async (info) => {
+    if (info.private) {
+      return;
+    }
+    ["dependencies", "devDependencies", "peerDependencies"].forEach((type) => {
+      const deps = info.rawPackageJson[type];
+      if (!deps) {
+        return;
+      }
+      packageNames.forEach((name) => {
+        if (deps[name]) {
+          deps[name] = map[name].version;
+        }
+      });
+    });
+    try {
+      await writeWorkspace(info.workspace, JSON.stringify(info.rawPackageJson));
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(
+        `Failed to update package.json for ${info.name} with: `,
+        error
+      );
+    }
+  });
+}