diff --git a/.github/actions/resolve-manifest-meta/action.yml b/.github/actions/resolve-manifest-meta/action.yml
index 65acc34..14326bb 100644
--- a/.github/actions/resolve-manifest-meta/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/resolve-manifest-meta/action.yml
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ inputs:
     description: 'Directory to search for *-manifest.json'
     required: true
     default: 'promote-assets'
+  expected_image:
+    description: 'Optional image name used to select the correct manifest file when multiple manifests are present.'
+    required: false
+    default: ''
 outputs:
   commit:
     description: 'Commit SHA from manifest or GITHUB_SHA'
@@ -18,6 +22,9 @@ outputs:
   ssh_mode:
     description: 'SSH mode from manifest or fallback'
     value: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.ssh_mode }}
+  manifest_path:
+    description: 'Resolved manifest path used for metadata extraction.'
+    value: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.manifest_path }}
 runs:
   using: 'composite'
   steps:
@@ -25,18 +32,54 @@ runs:
       shell: bash
       run: |
         set -euo pipefail
-        MANIFEST=$(find "${{ inputs.manifest_dir }}" -maxdepth 1 -name '*-manifest.json' | head -1 || true)
+        EXPECTED_IMAGE="${{ inputs.expected_image }}"
+        MANIFEST=""
+
+        if [[ -n "$EXPECTED_IMAGE" ]]; then
+          MANIFEST=$(find "${{ inputs.manifest_dir }}" -maxdepth 1 -name "*${EXPECTED_IMAGE}*-manifest.json" | sort | head -1 || true)
+        fi
+
+        if [[ -z "$MANIFEST" ]]; then
+          MANIFEST=$(find "${{ inputs.manifest_dir }}" -maxdepth 1 -name '*-manifest.json' | sort | head -1 || true)
+        fi
+
+        if [[ -z "$MANIFEST" ]]; then
+          echo "No manifest JSON found in '${{ inputs.manifest_dir }}'. Cannot resolve release metadata safely."
+          exit 1
+        fi
+
         COMMIT=""
         SHORT_SHA=""
         IMAGE_NAME=""
         SSH_MODE="public-hardened"
-        if [[ -n "$MANIFEST" ]]; then
-          mapfile -t META_FIELDS < <(
-          python3 "${{ github.action_path }}/resolve_manifest_meta.py" "$MANIFEST"
-          )
-          COMMIT="${META_FIELDS[0]:-}"
-          IMAGE_NAME="${META_FIELDS[1]:-}"
-          SSH_MODE="${META_FIELDS[2]:-public-hardened}"
+        mapfile -t META_FIELDS < <(
+        python3 "${{ github.action_path }}/resolve_manifest_meta.py" "$MANIFEST"
+        )
+        COMMIT="${META_FIELDS[0]:-}"
+        IMAGE_NAME="${META_FIELDS[1]:-}"
+        SSH_MODE="${META_FIELDS[2]:-}"
+
+        # Backward compatibility for older manifests.
+        if [[ "$SSH_MODE" == "public-keyed" ]]; then
+          SSH_MODE="public-hardened"
+        fi
+
+        if [[ -z "$SSH_MODE" ]]; then
+          echo "Manifest '$MANIFEST' does not contain ssh_mode (legacy artifact)."
+        else
+          case "$SSH_MODE" in
+            public-hardened|internal-keyed)
+              ;;
+            *)
+              echo "Manifest '$MANIFEST' contains unsupported ssh_mode '$SSH_MODE'."
+              exit 1
+              ;;
+          esac
+        fi
+
+        if [[ -n "$EXPECTED_IMAGE" && -n "$IMAGE_NAME" && "$IMAGE_NAME" != "$EXPECTED_IMAGE" ]]; then
+          echo "Resolved manifest image '$IMAGE_NAME' does not match expected image '$EXPECTED_IMAGE'."
+          exit 1
         fi
         [[ -z "$COMMIT" ]] && COMMIT="${GITHUB_SHA}"
         SHORT_SHA="${COMMIT::7}"
@@ -45,3 +88,4 @@ runs:
         echo "short_sha=$SHORT_SHA" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
         echo "image=$IMAGE_NAME" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
         echo "ssh_mode=$SSH_MODE" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        echo "manifest_path=$MANIFEST" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/core-image-minimal-ondemand.yml b/.github/workflows/core-image-minimal-ondemand.yml
index f924f2e..4848093 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/core-image-minimal-ondemand.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/core-image-minimal-ondemand.yml
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ jobs:
           image_name: ${{ env.CI_BUILD_IMAGE }}
           machine: ${{ github.event.inputs.machine }}
           commit: ${{ github.sha }}
-          ssh_mode: ${{ github.event.inputs.ssh_access_mode || 'public-hardened' }}
+          ssh_mode: ${{ env.SSH_ACCESS_MODE || 'public-hardened' }}
 
       - name: Prepare private Vigiles bundle
         if: env.VIGILES_ENABLED == 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/device-build-smart.yml b/.github/workflows/device-build-smart.yml
index c554e0b..824873f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/device-build-smart.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/device-build-smart.yml
@@ -699,7 +699,7 @@ jobs:
           image_name: ${{ env.CI_BUILD_IMAGE }}
           machine: qemuarm64
           commit: ${{ github.sha }}
-          ssh_mode: ${{ github.event.inputs.ssh_access_mode || 'public-hardened' }}
+          ssh_mode: ${{ env.SSH_ACCESS_MODE || 'public-hardened' }}
 
       - name: Prepare private Vigiles bundle
         if: env.VIGILES_ENABLED == 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/promote-prerelease-release.yml b/.github/workflows/promote-prerelease-release.yml
index c8e4d27..1b1b7e2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/promote-prerelease-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/promote-prerelease-release.yml
@@ -84,6 +84,15 @@ on:
         options:
           - release
           - prerelease
+      ssh_mode_override:
+        description: "Optional override for release notes SSH mode. Use when promoting older artifacts missing ssh_mode metadata."
+        required: false
+        default: "auto"
+        type: choice
+        options:
+          - auto
+          - public-hardened
+          - internal-keyed
 
 permissions:
   contents: write
@@ -110,6 +119,7 @@ jobs:
       RELEASE_STRATEGY: ${{ github.event.inputs.release_strategy }}
       CUSTOM_VERSION: ${{ github.event.inputs.version }}
       RELEASE_CHANNEL: ${{ github.event.inputs.release_channel }}
+      SSH_MODE_OVERRIDE: ${{ github.event.inputs.ssh_mode_override }}
 
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -315,6 +325,61 @@ jobs:
         uses: ./.github/actions/resolve-manifest-meta
         with:
           manifest_dir: promote-assets
+          expected_image: ${{ env.IMAGE_TYPE }}
+
+      - name: Write resolved metadata summary
+        run: |
+          {
+            echo "## Resolved Build Metadata"
+            echo "- Resolved manifest: ${{ steps.source_meta.outputs.manifest_path }}"
+            echo "- Resolved image: ${{ steps.source_meta.outputs.image }}"
+            echo "- Resolved commit: ${{ steps.source_meta.outputs.commit }}"
+            echo "- Resolved ssh_mode: ${{ steps.source_meta.outputs.ssh_mode }}"
+          } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+
+      - name: Resolve effective SSH mode
+        id: effective_ssh
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          RESOLVED_MODE="${{ steps.source_meta.outputs.ssh_mode }}"
+          OVERRIDE_MODE="${SSH_MODE_OVERRIDE:-auto}"
+
+          case "$OVERRIDE_MODE" in
+            auto|public-hardened|internal-keyed)
+              ;;
+            *)
+              echo "Invalid ssh_mode_override: $OVERRIDE_MODE"
+              exit 1
+              ;;
+          esac
+
+          if [[ "$OVERRIDE_MODE" != "auto" ]]; then
+            FINAL_MODE="$OVERRIDE_MODE"
+            SOURCE_LABEL="override"
+          else
+            FINAL_MODE="$RESOLVED_MODE"
+            SOURCE_LABEL="manifest"
+          fi
+
+          if [[ -z "$FINAL_MODE" ]]; then
+            echo "Could not resolve ssh_mode from manifest metadata."
+            echo "For older artifacts, re-run promotion with ssh_mode_override=public-hardened or internal-keyed."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          case "$FINAL_MODE" in
+            public-hardened|internal-keyed)
+              ;;
+            *)
+              echo "Unsupported effective ssh_mode: $FINAL_MODE"
+              exit 1
+              ;;
+          esac
+
+          echo "ssh_mode=$FINAL_MODE" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          {
+            echo "- Effective ssh_mode: $FINAL_MODE (${SOURCE_LABEL})"
+          } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
 
       - name: Validate stable release notes template
         run: |
@@ -356,7 +421,7 @@ jobs:
           IMAGE="${{ steps.source_meta.outputs.image }}"
           COMMIT="${{ steps.source_meta.outputs.commit }}"
           SHORT_SHA="${{ steps.source_meta.outputs.short_sha }}"
-          SSH_MODE="${{ steps.source_meta.outputs.ssh_mode }}"
+          SSH_MODE="${{ steps.effective_ssh.outputs.ssh_mode }}"
 
           for value_name in TARGET_TAG CHANNEL IMAGE COMMIT SHORT_SHA SSH_MODE REPO_URL; do
             if [[ -z "${!value_name}" ]]; then