diff --git a/.github/workflows/commit_to_main.yml b/.github/workflows/commit_to_main.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 42ab65f..0000000
--- a/.github/workflows/commit_to_main.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-name: Render xml standard name dictionary to markdown and yaml and commit to repository
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - main
-
-jobs:
-  update-md-and-yaml:
-    name: Render xml to markdown and yaml and commit
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-
-    permissions:
-      contents: write
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Setup Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
-        with:
-          python-version: "3.x"
-
-      - name: Configure git
-        run: |
-          git config --global user.name "github-actions[bot]"
-          git config --global user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
-
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get -y install libxml2-utils
-          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
-          python -m pip install PyYaml
-
-      - name: Render xml to markdown
-        run: |
-          tools/write_standard_name_table.py --output-format md standard_names.xml
-          echo "The following changes will be committed (git diff Metadata-standard-names.md):"
-          git diff Metadata-standard-names.md
-          git add Metadata-standard-names.md
-
-      - name: Rendering xml to yaml
-        run: |
-          tools/write_standard_name_table.py --output-format yaml standard_names.xml
-          echo "The following changes will be committed (git diff Metadata-standard-names.yaml):"
-          git diff Metadata-standard-names.yaml
-          git add Metadata-standard-names.yaml
-
-      - name: Commit and push changes
-        run: |
-          git commit -m "Update Metadata-standard-names.{md,yaml} from standard_names.xml" || echo "No changes to commit"
-          git push
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pull_request_ci.yml b/.github/workflows/pull_request_ci.yml
index df746e0..92d7157 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pull_request_ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pull_request_ci.yml
@@ -53,33 +53,9 @@ jobs:
 
   test-rendering:
     name: Test rendering xml file to markdown and yaml
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Setup Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
-        with:
-          python-version: "3.x"
-
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: |
-          sudo apt-get update
-          sudo apt-get -y install libxml2-utils
-          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
-          python -m pip install PyYaml
-
-      - name: Test rendering xml file to markdown
-        run: |
-          tools/write_standard_name_table.py --output-format md standard_names.xml
-          echo "The following changes will be committed when this pull request is merged (git diff Metadata-standard-names.md; "
-          echo "assuming that 'Metadata-standard-names.md' wasn't updated and matches the version in the authoritative branch):"
-          git diff Metadata-standard-names.md
-
-      - name: Test rendering xml file to yaml
-        run: |
-          tools/write_standard_name_table.py --output-format yaml standard_names.xml
-          echo "The following changes will be committed when this pull request is merged (git diff Metadata-standard-names.yaml; "
-          echo "assuming that 'Metadata-standard-names.yaml' wasn't updated and matches the version in the authoritative branch):"
-          git diff Metadata-standard-names.yaml
+    needs: [check-unique-standard-names, check-name-rules]
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/render.yml
+    with:
+      commit_to_branch: false
+      branch_name: "invalid_branch_name"
+      remote_url: "invalid_remote_url"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pull_request_precommit.yml b/.github/workflows/pull_request_precommit.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f4060e6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pull_request_precommit.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+name: Pull request precommit tasks
+
+on:
+  # This workflow is only valid for pull_request events
+  #workflow_dispatch:
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - main
+      - release/*
+    types: [labeled]
+
+jobs:
+
+  render-and-commit:
+    name: Rendering xml file to markdown and yaml, and commit to branch
+    if: ${{ github.event.label.name == 'render-and-commit' }}
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/render.yml
+    with:
+      commit_to_branch: true
+      # github.head_ref is the branch from which a pull request is made
+      branch_name: ${{ github.head_ref }}
+      # github.event.pull_request.head.repo.clone_url is the URL from where the pull request is made
+      remote_url: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.clone_url }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/render.yml b/.github/workflows/render.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5601035
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/render.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+name: Render XML to output formats and optionally commit to branch
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      commit_to_branch:
+        required: true
+        type: boolean
+      branch_name:
+        required: true
+        type: string
+      remote_url:
+        required: true
+        type: string
+
+jobs:
+
+  render_to_markdown_and_yaml:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Setup Python
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v4
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.x"
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get update
+          sudo apt-get -y install libxml2-utils
+          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+          python -m pip install PyYaml
+
+      - name: Render xml file to markdown
+        run: |
+          tools/write_standard_name_table.py --output-format md standard_names.xml
+          echo "The following changes will be committed when this pull request is merged (git diff Metadata-standard-names.md; "
+          echo "assuming that 'Metadata-standard-names.md' wasn't updated and matches the version in the authoritative branch):"
+          git diff Metadata-standard-names.md
+
+      - name: Rendering xml file to yaml
+        run: |
+          tools/write_standard_name_table.py --output-format yaml standard_names.xml
+          echo "The following changes will be committed when this pull request is merged (git diff Metadata-standard-names.yaml; "
+          echo "assuming that 'Metadata-standard-names.yaml' wasn't updated and matches the version in the authoritative branch):"
+          git diff Metadata-standard-names.yaml
+
+      - name: Configure git, commit and push changes
+        if: ${{ inputs.commit_to_branch }}
+        run: |
+          set -u
+          echo "Submitting rendered standard name dictionaries to branch ${BRANCH_NAME} in ${REMOTE_URL}"
+          set +u
+          git config --global user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config --global user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+          git remote set-url origin ${REMOTE_URL}
+          git checkout -b ${BRANCH_NAME}
+          git add .
+          git commit -m "Update Metadata-standard-names.{md,yaml} from standard_names.xml" || echo "No changes to commit"
+          git remote -v show
+          git status
+          git push origin ${BRANCH_NAME}
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          BRANCH_NAME: ${{ inputs.branch_name }}
+          REMOTE_URL: ${{ inputs.remote_url }}