diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index e0e8c05d9b..430a484937 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -223,6 +223,34 @@ The steps for creating a `vX.Y.Z-rel` branch are:
 
 The HTML renderings of the specification versions are generated from the `versions` directory on `main` by manually triggering the [`respec` workflow](https://github.com/OAI/OpenAPI-Specification/blob/main/.github/workflows/respec.yaml), which generates a pull request for publishing the HTML renderings to the [spec site](https://spec.openapis.org).
 
+#### Start Next Patch Version
+
+Once the released specification version is [synced](#branch-sync-automation) back to the `vX.Y-dev` branch, the next patch version X.Y.(Z+1) can be started:
+
+1. Run bash script `scripts/start-release.sh` in branch `vX.Y-dev` to
+   - create branch `vX.Y-dev-start-X.Y.(Z+1)`
+   - initialize `src/oas.md` with empty history and content from `versions/X.Y.Z.md`
+   - change version heading to X.Y.(Z+1) and add a new line to the version history table in Appendix A of  `src/oas.md`
+   - commit and push changes
+2. Merge `vX.Y-dev-start-X.Y.(Z+1)` into  `vX.Y-dev` via pull request
+
+Alternatively, if no patch version X.Y.(Z+1) is planned, delete file `src/oas.md` from branch `vX.Y-dev` via pull request.
+
+#### Start New Minor or Major Version
+
+A new minor version X.(Y+1).0 or major version (X+1).0.0 is started similarly:
+
+1. Create branch `vX'.Y'-dev` from `vX.Y-dev`
+2. Run bash script `scripts/start-release.sh` in the new branch to
+   - create branch `vX'.Y'-dev-start-X'.Y'.0`
+   - initialize `src/oas.md` with empty history and content from `versions/X.Y.Z.md`
+   - change version heading to X'.Y'.0 and add a new line to the version history table in Appendix A of  `src/oas.md`
+   - change version in all schema files `src/schemas/validation/.yaml`
+   - change version in schema test script `tests/schema/schema.test.mjs`
+   - change version in schema test fixtures in folders `tests/schema/pass` and `tests/schema/fail`
+   - commit and push changes
+3. Merge `vX'.Y'-dev-start-X'.Y'.0` into `vX'.Y'-dev` via pull request
+
 ### Schema Iterations
 
 The schema iterations are published independently from the specification releases [in the schema section on the spec site](https://spec.openapis.org/#openapi-specification-schemas).
diff --git a/scripts/start-release.sh b/scripts/start-release.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7ed3358e62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/start-release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+# Author: @ralfhandl
+
+# Run this script from the root of the repo. It is designed to be run manually in a development branch.
+
+repoUrl="https://github.com/OAI/OpenAPI-Specification"
+remote=$(git remote -v | grep "$repoUrl.git (fetch)" | head -1 | cut --fields=1)
+
+branch=$(git branch --show-current)
+if [[ ! $branch =~ ^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+-dev$ ]]; then
+  echo "This script is intended to be run from a development branch, e.g. v3.2-dev"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+vVersion=$(basename "$branch" "-dev")
+minor=${vVersion:1}
+
+# Find last published spec version for this minor version
+lastSpec=$(git ls-tree $remote/main versions/ --name-only | grep -E "/$minor\.[0-9].md" | tail -1)
+
+if [ -z "$lastSpec" ]; then
+  # Find last published spec version
+  lastSpec=$(git ls-tree $remote/main versions/ --name-only | grep -E "/.+\.[0-9].md" | tail -1)
+  nextPatch=0
+  releaseType="Release"
+else
+  lastPatch=$(basename "$lastSpec" ".md" | cut --delimiter=. --fields=3)
+  nextPatch=$((lastPatch + 1))
+  releaseType="Patch release"
+fi
+
+nextVersion="$minor.$nextPatch"
+
+if [ -z "$lastSpec" ]; then
+  echo "Could not find any published specification version in $remote/main"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+lastVersion=$(basename "$lastSpec" ".md")
+echo === Initialize src/oas.md for $nextVersion from $lastVersion
+
+# Create PR branch from development branch
+prBranch="$branch-start-$nextVersion"
+if git ls-remote --exit-code --heads $remote "$prBranch"; then
+  echo "=== Failed: PR branch $prBranch already exists on the remote, please delete it and try again"
+  exit 1  
+fi
+if ! git checkout -b "$prBranch"; then
+  echo "=== Failed: PR branch $prBranch already exists locally, please delete it and try again"
+  exit 1  
+fi
+
+# Create empty orphan branch and add src/oas.md with last spec's content and no history
+orphan="v$minor-orphan"
+if ! git switch --orphan "$orphan"; then
+  git switch "$branch"
+  git branch -d "$prBranch"
+  echo "=== Failed: please delete branch $orphan and try again"
+  exit 1
+fi
+mkdir src
+git show "main:$lastSpec" > src/oas.md
+git add src/oas.md
+git commit -m "copy from $lastVersion"
+
+# Merge orphan branch into PR branch, favoring orphan's version of src/oas.md
+git switch "$prBranch"
+git merge "$orphan" -X theirs --allow-unrelated-histories -m "reset src/oas.md history"
+git branch -D "$orphan"
+
+# Bump version headline, add line to history table
+temp=$(mktemp)
+
+historyTableHeader="\n| Version | Date | Notes |\n| ---- | ---- | ---- |\n"
+sed -z -e "s/\n## Version $lastVersion\n/\n## Version $nextVersion\n/" \
+    -z -e "s/$historyTableHeader/$historyTableHeader| $nextVersion | TBD | $releaseType of the OpenAPI Specification $nextVersion |\n/" \
+    src/oas.md > "$temp"
+mv -f "$temp" src/oas.md
+
+git add src/oas.md
+git commit -m "bump version"
+
+echo === Initialized src/oas.md 
+
+# when starting a new major or minor version
+if [ "$nextPatch" == "0" ]; then
+  lastMinor=$(echo "$lastVersion" | cut -d . -f 1,2)
+
+  echo === Adjust schemas for new version $minor
+  minorRegex=$(echo "$minor" | sed 's/\./\\\\\\./')
+  lastMinorRegex=$(echo "$lastMinor" | sed 's/\./\\\\\\./')
+
+  for file in src/schemas/validation/*.yaml; do
+    sed -e "s/$lastMinor/$minor/g" \
+        -e "s/\^$lastMinorRegex\\\./\^$minorRegex\\\./g" \
+        "$file" > "$temp"
+    mv -f "$temp" "$file"
+  done
+  
+  echo === Adjust tests for new version $minor
+
+  sed -e "s/$lastMinor/$minor/g" tests/schema/schema.test.mjs > "$temp"
+  mv -f "$temp" tests/schema/schema.test.mjs
+
+  for file in tests/schema/{pass,fail}/*.yaml; do
+    sed -e "s/$lastMinor/$minor/g" "$file" > "$temp"
+    mv -f "$temp" "$file"
+  done
+
+  git commit --all -m "adjust schemas, test script, and test data"
+
+  echo === Adjusted schemas and tests
+fi
+
+# Push PR branch to remote
+git push -u $remote $prBranch
+
+# Clean up
+git switch "$branch"
+echo === Done