diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
index 61072b1..a8dda6a 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/release.yml
@@ -48,19 +48,13 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Update plugin version
         run: |
-          # Get current version from plugin file
-          CURRENT_VERSION=$(grep "Version:" twilio-wp-plugin.php | head -1 | sed 's/.*Version: //' | sed 's/ *$//')
+          # Replace version placeholder with actual version
+          sed -i "s/Version: {auto_update_value_on_deploy}/Version: ${{ steps.get_version.outputs.version }}/" twilio-wp-plugin.php
+          sed -i "s/TWP_VERSION', '{auto_update_value_on_deploy}/TWP_VERSION', '${{ steps.get_version.outputs.version }}/" twilio-wp-plugin.php
 
-          # Only update if version doesn't match the release version
-          if [ "$CURRENT_VERSION" != "${{ steps.get_version.outputs.version }}" ]; then
-            sed -i "s/Version: .*/Version: ${{ steps.get_version.outputs.version }}/" twilio-wp-plugin.php
-            echo "Updated version from $CURRENT_VERSION to ${{ steps.get_version.outputs.version }}"
-          else
-            echo "Version already set to ${{ steps.get_version.outputs.version }}"
-          fi
-
-          # Verify the change
+          # Verify the changes were made
           grep "Version:" twilio-wp-plugin.php
+          grep "TWP_VERSION" twilio-wp-plugin.php
 
       - name: Create ZIP archive
         run: |
diff --git a/twilio-wp-plugin.php b/twilio-wp-plugin.php
index fac97aa..7833251 100644
--- a/twilio-wp-plugin.php
+++ b/twilio-wp-plugin.php
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
  * Plugin Name: Twilio WP Plugin
  * Plugin URI: https://repo.anhonesthost.net/wp-plugins/twilio-wp-plugin
  * Description: WordPress plugin for Twilio integration with phone scheduling, call forwarding, queue management, and Eleven Labs TTS
- * Version: 2.8.9
+ * Version: {auto_update_value_on_deploy}
  * Author: Josh Knapp
  * License: GPL v2 or later
  * Text Domain: twilio-wp-plugin
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ if (!defined('WPINC')) {
 }
 
 // Plugin constants
-define('TWP_VERSION', '2.8.9');
+define('TWP_VERSION', '{auto_update_value_on_deploy}');
 define('TWP_DB_VERSION', '1.6.2'); // Track database version separately
 define('TWP_PLUGIN_DIR', plugin_dir_path(__FILE__));
 define('TWP_PLUGIN_URL', plugin_dir_url(__FILE__));