diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf/BUILD b/rust/release_crates/protobuf/BUILD
index 9ebf01bfc2..5e5dd4bda0 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf/BUILD
+++ b/rust/release_crates/protobuf/BUILD
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 load("@rules_pkg//pkg:mappings.bzl", "pkg_files", "strip_prefix")
 load("@rules_pkg//pkg:tar.bzl", "pkg_tar")
-load("//:protobuf_version.bzl", "PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION")
+load("//rust/release_crates:substitute_rust_release_version.bzl", "substitute_rust_release_version")
 
 pkg_tar(
     name = "protobuf_crate",
@@ -19,19 +19,22 @@ pkg_files(
     strip_prefix = strip_prefix.from_root("rust/release_crates/protobuf"),
 )
 
-genrule(
-    name = "gen_cargo_toml",
-    srcs = ["Cargo-template.toml"],
-    outs = ["Cargo.toml"],
-    cmd = "cat $(SRCS) | sed -e 's/{{VERSION}}/{0}-beta1/g' > $(OUTS)".format(PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION),
+substitute_rust_release_version(
+    src = "Cargo-template.toml",
+    out = "Cargo.toml",
+)
+
+substitute_rust_release_version(
+    src = "README-template.md",
+    out = "README.md",
 )
 
 filegroup(
     name = "srcs",
     srcs = [
+        "Cargo.toml",
         "README.md",
         "build.rs",
-        ":gen_cargo_toml",
     ],
     visibility = ["//rust:__subpackages__"],
 )
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf/README.md b/rust/release_crates/protobuf/README-template.md
similarity index 98%
rename from rust/release_crates/protobuf/README.md
rename to rust/release_crates/protobuf/README-template.md
index f4a7987bb0..d09c6791fd 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf/README.md
+++ b/rust/release_crates/protobuf/README-template.md
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ You can build a compatible protoc from source as follows:
 ```
 git clone https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf.git
 cd protobuf
-git checkout $TAG
+git checkout rust-prerelease-{VERSION}
 cmake . -Dprotobuf_FORCE_FETCH_DEPENDENCIES=ON
 cmake --build . --parallel 12"
 ```
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/BUILD b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/BUILD
index 00bcd6b603..42c875b432 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/BUILD
+++ b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/BUILD
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 load("@rules_pkg//pkg:mappings.bzl", "pkg_files", "strip_prefix")
 load("@rules_pkg//pkg:tar.bzl", "pkg_tar")
-load("//:protobuf_version.bzl", "PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION")
+load("//rust/release_crates:substitute_rust_release_version.bzl", "substitute_rust_release_version")
 
 pkg_tar(
     name = "protobuf_codegen_crate",
@@ -18,18 +18,21 @@ pkg_files(
     strip_prefix = strip_prefix.from_root("rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen"),
 )
 
-genrule(
-    name = "gen_cargo_toml",
-    srcs = ["Cargo-template.toml"],
-    outs = ["Cargo.toml"],
-    cmd = "cat $(SRCS) | sed -e 's/{{VERSION}}/{0}-beta1/g' > $(OUTS)".format(PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION),
+substitute_rust_release_version(
+    src = "Cargo-template.toml",
+    out = "Cargo.toml",
+)
+
+substitute_rust_release_version(
+    src = "README-template.md",
+    out = "README.md",
 )
 
 filegroup(
     name = "srcs",
     srcs = [
+        "Cargo.toml",
         "README.md",
-        ":gen_cargo_toml",
     ] + glob(["src/**/*"]),
     visibility = ["//rust:__subpackages__"],
 )
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/README.md b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/README-template.md
similarity index 95%
rename from rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/README.md
rename to rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/README-template.md
index 7fe01c5950..5caea061b0 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/README.md
+++ b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_codegen/README-template.md
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ You can build a compatible protoc from source as follows:
 ```
 git clone https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf.git
 cd protobuf
-git checkout $TAG
+git checkout rust-prerelease-{VERSION}
 cmake . -Dprotobuf_FORCE_FETCH_DEPENDENCIES=ON
 cmake --build . --parallel 12"
 ```
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/.gitignore b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 7f0a975eb7..0000000000
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-src/protobuf_generated/
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/BUILD b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/BUILD
index b820fc866f..a9a1b39543 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/BUILD
+++ b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/BUILD
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 load("@rules_pkg//pkg:mappings.bzl", "pkg_files", "strip_prefix")
 load("@rules_pkg//pkg:tar.bzl", "pkg_tar")
-load("//:protobuf_version.bzl", "PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION")
+load("//rust/release_crates:substitute_rust_release_version.bzl", "substitute_rust_release_version")
 
 pkg_tar(
     name = "protobuf_example_crate",
@@ -17,15 +17,27 @@ pkg_files(
     strip_prefix = strip_prefix.from_root("rust/release_crates/protobuf_example"),
 )
 
-genrule(
-    name = "gen_cargo_toml",
-    srcs = ["Cargo-template.toml"],
-    outs = ["Cargo.toml"],
-    cmd = "cat $(SRCS) | sed -e 's/{{VERSION}}/{0}-beta1/g' > $(OUTS)".format(PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION),
+substitute_rust_release_version(
+    src = "Cargo-template.toml",
+    out = "Cargo.toml",
+)
+
+substitute_rust_release_version(
+    src = "README-template.md",
+    out = "README.md",
 )
 
 filegroup(
     name = "srcs",
-    srcs = [":gen_cargo_toml"] + glob(["**/*"]),
+    srcs = [
+        "Cargo.toml",
+        "README.md",
+        "build.rs",
+    ] + glob(
+        [
+            "proto/**/*",
+            "src/**/*",
+        ],
+    ),
     visibility = ["//rust:__subpackages__"],
 )
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/README.md b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/README-template.md
similarity index 93%
rename from rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/README.md
rename to rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/README-template.md
index 401804da14..7783f68256 100644
--- a/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/README.md
+++ b/rust/release_crates/protobuf_example/README-template.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ You can build a compatible protoc from source as follows:
 ```
 git clone https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf.git
 cd protobuf
-git checkout $TAG
+git checkout rust-prerelease-{VERSION}
 cmake . -Dprotobuf_FORCE_FETCH_DEPENDENCIES=ON
 cmake --build . --parallel 12"
 ```
diff --git a/rust/release_crates/substitute_rust_release_version.bzl b/rust/release_crates/substitute_rust_release_version.bzl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..eed862269f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rust/release_crates/substitute_rust_release_version.bzl
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+"""A rule to textually replace {{VERSION}} with the Rust release version in files."""
+
+load("//:protobuf_version.bzl", "PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION")
+
+# Temporarily append a prerelease suffix to our versions until we consider the release stable.
+PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION_WITH_BETA_SUFFIX = PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION + "-beta2"
+
+def substitute_rust_release_version(src, out, name = None):
+    version = PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION_WITH_BETA_SUFFIX
+    native.genrule(
+        name = name or ("gen_%s" % out),
+        srcs = [src],
+        outs = [out],
+        cmd = "cat $(SRCS) | sed -e 's/{{VERSION}}/{0}/g' > $(OUTS)".format(version),
+    )
diff --git a/src/google/protobuf/compiler/rust/generator.cc b/src/google/protobuf/compiler/rust/generator.cc
index a2050b0696..7f8a137fda 100644
--- a/src/google/protobuf/compiler/rust/generator.cc
+++ b/src/google/protobuf/compiler/rust/generator.cc
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ bool RustGenerator::Generate(const FileDescriptor* file,
   });
 
   std::string expected_runtime_version = absl::StrCat(
-      absl::StripSuffix(PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION_STRING, "-dev"), "-beta1");
+      absl::StripSuffix(PROTOBUF_RUST_VERSION_STRING, "-dev"), "-beta2");
 
   ctx.Emit({{"expected_runtime_version", expected_runtime_version}},
            R"rs(