diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 36ce288a8a..f84e507276 100755
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -30,3 +30,5 @@ coverage
 .vscode/
 *.report.html
 
+# used when doing subtree splitting to read-only repos
+.subsplit 
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 97867da25e..ee5bfcfb3a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@
     "serve": "node server.js",
     "postbootstrap": "node scripts/monorepo-tests.js",
     "commit": "git-cz",
+    "release:rc": "./scripts/release/rc-release.sh",
+    "release": "./scripts/release/release.sh"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "ci-utils": "^0.5.0",
@@ -67,7 +69,7 @@
     "express": "^4.16.3",
     "git-semver-tags": "^2.0.0",
     "husky": "^1.3.1",
-    "lerna": "^3.8.0",
+    "lerna": "^3.8.4",
     "nightwatch": "^1.0.8",
     "node-fetch": "^2.2.0",
     "now": "latest",
@@ -95,5 +97,6 @@
       "packages/twig-renderer",
       "packages/global"
     ]
-  }
+  },
+  "version": "0.0.0-development"
 }
diff --git a/scripts/release/after-release.sh b/scripts/release/after-release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..97bd9c8e9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release/after-release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Borrowed with gratitude from Create React App by Facebook; thanks!
+set -e
+cd "$(dirname "$0")" # Start in the scripts/release folder, even if run from root directory
+cd ../../
+
+CURRENT_VERSION=`git describe --abbrev=0`
+git push origin :refs/tags/$CURRENT_VERSION
+node scripts/release/update-php-package-versions.js
+
+git add .
+git commit --amend --no-edit
+git tag -f $CURRENT_VERSION
+git push --force --no-verify
+git push --tags --force --no-verify
+
+## Update snapshot tests that depend on 
+./scripts/release/update-read-only-git-repos.sh
diff --git a/scripts/release/before-release.sh b/scripts/release/before-release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..ce3b3d6aa4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release/before-release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Borrowed with gratitude from Create React App by Facebook; thanks!
+set -e
+cd "$(dirname "$0")" # Start in the scripts/release folder, even if run from root directory
+cd ../../
+
+if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
+  echo "Error: your git status is not clean. Aborting release.";
+  exit 1;
+fi
+
+# remove the temp verdaccio folder before publishing or running through any tests
+# rm -rf ./scripts/release/verdaccio/storage/@bolt 
+
+npm run lint
+npm run test
+
+echo 'Finished release pre-checks!';
diff --git a/scripts/release/rc-release.sh b/scripts/release/rc-release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..53bc7b48ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release/rc-release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Borrowed with gratitude from Create React App by Facebook; thanks!
+set -e
+cd "$(dirname "$0")" # Start in the scripts/release folder, even if run from root directory
+cd ../../
+
+CURRENT_BRANCH=`git rev-parse --symbolic-full-name --abbrev-ref HEAD`
+
+DEFAULT_BUMP="preminor"
+BUMP=${1:-$DEFAULT_BUMP}
+
+if [[ $CURRENT_BRANCH == 'release/2.x' || $CURRENT_BRANCH == 'release/1.x' ]]; then
+  echo "Error: you can't publish a pre-release on a release branch! Try running 'npm run release' to do a full release instead.";
+  exit 1;
+elif [[ $CURRENT_BRANCH != 'next/2.x' && $CURRENT_BRANCH != 'next/1.x' ]]; then
+  echo "Error: you can't publish a pre-release on the $CURRENT_BRANCH branch. Aborting...";
+  exit 1;
+fi
+
+./scripts/release/before-release.sh #verify everything is good to go before publishing
+npx lerna publish $BUMP --npm-tag next --preid rc --no-commit-hooks --no-git-reset --verify-access --conventional-commits
+./scripts/release/after-release.sh #post-release work
+
+
+# test the pre-release process works via verdaccio instead of NPM
+# ./scripts/release/before-release.sh
+# npx lerna publish $BUMP --registry http://localhost:4000 --npm-tag next --preid rc --no-commit-hooks --no-git-reset --verify-access --conventional-commits
+# ./scripts/release/after-release.sh
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/release/release.sh b/scripts/release/release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..d78b7bcbda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release/release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Borrowed with gratitude from Create React App by Facebook; thanks!
+set -e
+cd "$(dirname "$0")" # Start in the scripts/release folder, even if run from root directory
+cd ../../
+
+CURRENT_BRANCH=`git rev-parse --symbolic-full-name --abbrev-ref HEAD`
+
+DEFAULT_BUMP="minor"
+BUMP=${1:-$DEFAULT_BUMP}
+
+if [[ $CURRENT_BRANCH == 'next/2.x' || $CURRENT_BRANCH == 'next/1.x' ]]; then
+  echo "Error: you can't do a full release on a pre-release branch! Try running 'npm run release:rc' to do a pre-release instead.";
+  exit 1;
+elif [[ $CURRENT_BRANCH != 'release/2.x' && $CURRENT_BRANCH != 'release/1.x' ]]; then
+  echo "Error: you can't publish a full release on the $CURRENT_BRANCH branch. Aborting...";
+  exit 1;
+fi
+
+./scripts/release/before-release.sh
+npx lerna publish $BUMP --no-commit-hooks --no-git-reset --verify-access --conventional-commits
+./scripts/release/after-release.sh
+
+
+# test the release process works via verdaccio instead of NPM
+# ./scripts/release/before-release.sh
+# npx lerna publish $BUMP --registry http://localhost:4000 --no-commit-hooks --no-git-reset --verify-access --conventional-commits 
+# ./scripts/release/after-release.sh
diff --git a/scripts/release/update-read-only-git-repos.sh b/scripts/release/update-read-only-git-repos.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..baf9c1e1db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release/update-read-only-git-repos.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+cd "$(dirname "$0")"
+cd ../../
+
+# Run helper subsplit script ported over from from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dflydev/git-subsplit/master/git-subsplit.sh
+CURRENT_VERSION=`git describe --abbrev=0`
+CURRENT_BRANCH=`git rev-parse --symbolic-full-name --abbrev-ref HEAD`
+
+if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
+  echo "Error: your git status is not clean. Aborting release.";
+  exit 1;
+fi
+
+if [[ $TRAVIS_TAG ]]; then
+  echo "This is a tagged git release so we will update read-only git repos...";
+
+  ./scripts/release/git-subsplit.sh init https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/core-php.git
+  ./scripts/release/git-subsplit.sh publish --work-dir=$PWD packages/core-php:https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/core-php.git \
+    --no-heads --update --tags="$CURRENT_VERSION"
+  rm -rf .subsplit
+
+  ./scripts/release/git-subsplit.sh init https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/bolt_connect.git
+  ./scripts/release/git-subsplit.sh publish --work-dir=$PWD packages/drupal-modules/bolt_connect:https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/bolt_connect.git \
+    --no-heads --update --tags="$CURRENT_VERSION"
+  rm -rf .subsplit
+
+  git checkout $CURRENT_BRANCH # return back to the branch you started on before exiting
+  echo "Finished syncing up the remote git repos!";
+  exit;
+
+#@todo: update to support future major releases
+elif [[ $CURRENT_BRANCH != 'release/2.x' && $CURRENT_BRANCH != 'release/1.x' && $CURRENT_BRANCH != 'master' && $CURRENT_BRANCH != 'next/2.x' && $CURRENT_BRANCH != 'next/3.x' ]]; then
+  echo "This is not a tagged git release or a release-related branch -- skipped updating remote repos!";
+  exit;
+else
+  echo "This is not a tagged git release but it IS a release-related branch -- updating remote repos!"
+  ./scripts/release/git-subsplit.sh init https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/core-php.git
+  ./scripts/release/git-subsplit.sh publish --work-dir=$PWD packages/core-php:https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/core-php.git \
+    --heads="$CURRENT_BRANCH" --update --no-tags
+  rm -rf .subsplit
+
+  ./scripts/release/git-subsplit.sh init https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/bolt_connect.git
+  ./scripts/release/git-subsplit.sh publish --work-dir=$PWD packages/drupal-modules/bolt_connect:https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/bolt_connect.git \
+    --heads="$CURRENT_BRANCH" --update --no-tags
+  rm -rf .subsplit
+
+  git checkout $CURRENT_BRANCH # return back to the branch you started on before exiting
+  echo "Finished syncing up the remote git repos!";
+  exit;
+fi
diff --git a/scripts/update-read-only-git-repos.sh b/scripts/update-read-only-git-repos.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 6e2fc6c2ab..0000000000
--- a/scripts/update-read-only-git-repos.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Must be ran from `../` ie `./scripts/update-read-only-git-repos.sh`
-if [[ $TRAVIS == 'true' ]]; then
-  if [[ $TRAVIS_TAG ]]; then
-    echo "We are in Travis and this is a tagged release for $TRAVIS_TAG so we will update read-only git repos...";
-  else
-    echo "We are in Travis and this IS NOT a tag build, so we WON'T attempt to update read-only git repos."
-    exit 0;
-  fi
-fi
-# Run helper subsplit script ported over from from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dflydev/git-subsplit/master/git-subsplit.sh
-
-./scripts/git-subsplit.sh init https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/core-php.git
-./scripts/git-subsplit.sh publish --work-dir=$PWD packages/core-php:https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/core-php.git \
-  --heads=release/1.x --update
-rm -rf .subsplit
-
-./scripts/git-subsplit.sh init https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/bolt_connect.git
-./scripts/git-subsplit.sh publish --work-dir=$PWD packages/drupal-modules/bolt_connect:https://${GH_TOKEN}@github.com/bolt-design-system/bolt_connect.git \
-  --heads=release/1.x --update
-rm -rf .subsplit
-