diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.rst b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
index 87839adba..b85f17707 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.rst
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
@@ -145,3 +145,57 @@ Creating a new release
 10. **Publish to PyPI**
 
     - Approve the ``Latest Release`` workflow under ``Actions`` to publish the package to PyPI.
+
+Creating a pre-release
+----------------------
+
+Use pre-releases to publish alpha, beta, or release candidate versions. These follow
+`PEP 440 <https://peps.python.org/pep-0440/>`_ pre-release format (e.g., ``1.10.0a1``, ``1.10.0b1``, ``1.10.0rc1``).
+
+1. **Bump to a pre-release version**
+
+   .. code-block:: bash
+
+      make pre-release version=1.10.0a1    # First alpha
+      make pre-release version=1.10.0a2    # Second alpha
+      make pre-release version=1.10.0b1    # First beta
+      make pre-release version=1.10.0rc1   # First release candidate
+
+2. **Commit and push**
+
+   .. code-block:: bash
+
+      git add -A && git commit -m "chore(release): bump to v1.10.0a1"
+      git push origin HEAD
+
+3. **Create a GitHub pre-release**
+
+   .. code-block:: bash
+
+      gh release create v1.10.0a1 --prerelease --title "v1.10.0a1"
+
+4. **PyPI behavior**
+
+   PyPI automatically marks PEP 440 pre-release versions:
+
+   - Users **won't** get pre-releases via ``pip install advanced-alchemy``
+   - Users can opt-in via ``pip install --pre advanced-alchemy``
+   - Or pin explicitly: ``pip install advanced-alchemy==1.10.0a1``
+
+Graduating from pre-release to stable
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+
+From the last release candidate, bump the ``pre`` part to move past ``rc`` to ``stable``:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   make release bump=pre    # e.g. 1.10.0rc1 → 1.10.0
+
+Or skip to the next stable version directly:
+
+.. code-block:: bash
+
+   make release bump=patch  # From any version → next patch
+   make release bump=minor  # From any version → next minor
+
+Then follow the standard `Creating a new release`_ steps above.
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 7d4609bf8..8e4dfa792 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -95,6 +95,31 @@ release:                                           ## Bump version and create re
 	@uv lock --upgrade-package advanced-alchemy
 	@echo "${OK} Release complete 🎉"
 
+.PHONY: pre-release
+pre-release:                                       ## Start a pre-release: make pre-release version=1.10.0a1
+	@if [ -z "$(version)" ]; then \
+		echo "${ERROR} Usage: make pre-release version=X.Y.ZaN"; \
+		echo ""; \
+		echo "Pre-release workflow:"; \
+		echo "  1. Start alpha:     make pre-release version=1.10.0a1"; \
+		echo "  2. Next alpha:      make pre-release version=1.10.0a2"; \
+		echo "  3. Move to beta:    make pre-release version=1.10.0b1"; \
+		echo "  4. Move to rc:      make pre-release version=1.10.0rc1"; \
+		echo "  5. Final release:   make release bump=pre (from rc) OR bump=patch/minor (from stable)"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo "${INFO} Preparing pre-release $(version)... 🧪"
+	@make clean
+	@make build
+	@uv run bump-my-version bump --new-version $(version) pre
+	@uv lock --upgrade-package advanced-alchemy
+	@echo "${OK} Pre-release $(version) complete 🧪"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "${INFO} Next steps:"
+	@echo "  1. Push: git push origin HEAD"
+	@echo "  2. Create a GitHub pre-release: gh release create v$(version) --prerelease --title 'v$(version)'"
+	@echo "  3. This will publish to PyPI with pre-release tags"
+
 # =============================================================================
 # Cleaning and Maintenance
 # =============================================================================
diff --git a/docs/releases.rst b/docs/releases.rst
index 6708db2c9..d0fbaae44 100644
--- a/docs/releases.rst
+++ b/docs/releases.rst
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ Pre-release Versions
 ++++++++++++++++++++
 
 Before a new major release, we will make ``alpha``, ``beta``, and release candidate (``rc``) releases, numbered as
-``<major>.<minor>.<patch><release_type><number>``. For example, ``2.0.0alpha1``, ``2.0.0beta1``, ``2.0.0rc1``.
+``<major>.<minor>.<patch><release_type><number>`` following `PEP 440 <https://peps.python.org/pep-0440/>`_.
+For example, ``2.0.0a1``, ``2.0.0b1``, ``2.0.0rc1``.
 
 - ``alpha``
     Early developer preview. Features may not be complete and breaking changes can occur.
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 785929f24..5a5958584 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -180,16 +180,30 @@ current_version = "1.9.0"
 ignore_missing_files = false
 ignore_missing_version = false
 message = "chore(release): bump to v{new_version}"
-parse = "(?P<major>\\d+)\\.(?P<minor>\\d+)\\.(?P<patch>\\d+)"
+parse = """(?x)
+    (?P<major>\\d+)\\.(?P<minor>\\d+)\\.(?P<patch>\\d+)
+    ((?P<pre>a|b|rc)(?P<pre_n>\\d+))?
+"""
 regex = false
 replace = "{new_version}"
 search = "{current_version}"
-serialize = ["{major}.{minor}.{patch}"]
+serialize = [
+    "{major}.{minor}.{patch}{pre}{pre_n}",
+    "{major}.{minor}.{patch}",
+]
 sign_tags = false
 tag = false
 tag_message = "chore(release): v{new_version}"
 tag_name = "v{new_version}"
 
+[tool.bumpversion.parts.pre]
+optional_value = "stable"
+first_value = "stable"
+values = ["a", "b", "rc", "stable"]
+
+[tool.bumpversion.parts.pre_n]
+first_value = "1"
+
 [[tool.bumpversion.files]]
 filename = "pyproject.toml"
 replace = 'version = "{new_version}"'
diff --git a/tools/prepare_release.py b/tools/prepare_release.py
index 9fdbf85de..4b2393b64 100644
--- a/tools/prepare_release.py
+++ b/tools/prepare_release.py
@@ -218,6 +218,7 @@ async def get_release_info(self) -> ReleaseInfo:
         )
 
     async def create_draft_release(self, body: str, release_branch: str) -> str:
+        is_prerelease = bool(re.search(r"(a|b|rc)\d+$", self._new_release_version))
         res = await self._api_client.post(
             "/releases",
             json={
@@ -225,6 +226,7 @@ async def create_draft_release(self, body: str, release_branch: str) -> str:
                 "target_commitish": release_branch,
                 "name": self._new_release_tag,
                 "draft": True,
+                "prerelease": is_prerelease,
                 "body": body,
             },
         )
@@ -380,7 +382,7 @@ def update_pyproject_version(new_version: str) -> None:
     # can't use tomli-w / tomllib for this as is messes up the formatting
     pyproject = pathlib.Path("pyproject.toml")
     content = pyproject.read_text()
-    content = re.sub(r'(\nversion ?= ?")\d+\.\d+\.\d+("\s*\n)', rf"\g<1>{new_version}\g<2>", content)
+    content = re.sub(r'(\nversion ?= ?")\d+\.\d+\.\d+(?:(?:a|b|rc)\d+)?("\s*\n)', rf"\g<1>{new_version}\g<2>", content)
     pyproject.write_text(content)
 
 
@@ -414,7 +416,7 @@ def cli(
     if base is None:
         base = _get_latest_tag()
 
-    if not re.match(r"\d+\.\d+\.\d+", version):
+    if not re.match(r"\d+\.\d+\.\d+((a|b|rc)\d+)?$", version):
         click.secho(f"Invalid version: {version!r}")
         sys.exit(1)