diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d095fa7..82572cf 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Create Release PR
         uses: stacklok/releaseo@v1
         with:
+          releaseo_version: v1.0.0
           bump_type: ${{ inputs.bump_type }}
           token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 ```
@@ -81,6 +82,7 @@ jobs:
 - name: Create Release PR
   uses: stacklok/releaseo@v1
   with:
+    releaseo_version: v1.0.0
     bump_type: ${{ inputs.bump_type }}
     token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
     version_files: |
@@ -107,6 +109,7 @@ jobs:
 - name: Create Release PR
   uses: stacklok/releaseo@v1
   with:
+    releaseo_version: v1.0.0
     bump_type: ${{ inputs.bump_type }}
     token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
     version_files: |
@@ -124,6 +127,7 @@ jobs:
   id: release
   uses: stacklok/releaseo@v1
   with:
+    releaseo_version: v1.0.0
     bump_type: ${{ inputs.bump_type }}
     token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
 
@@ -138,6 +142,7 @@ jobs:
 
 | Input | Description | Required | Default |
 |-------|-------------|----------|---------|
+| `releaseo_version` | Version of releaseo to use (e.g., `v1.0.0`) | Yes | - |
 | `bump_type` | Version bump type (`major`, `minor`, `patch`) | Yes | - |
 | `version_file` | Path to VERSION file | No | `VERSION` |
 | `version_files` | YAML list of files with paths to update (see below) | No | - |
diff --git a/action.yml b/action.yml
index ca33f47..0f24bc5 100644
--- a/action.yml
+++ b/action.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ branding:
   color: 'blue'
 
 inputs:
+  releaseo_version:
+    description: 'Version of releaseo to use (e.g., v1.0.0). Must match a GitHub release.'
+    required: true
   bump_type:
     description: 'Version bump type (major, minor, patch)'
     required: true
@@ -54,23 +57,24 @@ outputs:
 runs:
   using: 'composite'
   steps:
-    - name: Download releaseo binary
-      id: download
+    - name: Validate version input
       shell: bash
       run: |
-        VERSION="${{ github.action_ref }}"
-
-        # Validate version is specified and is a tag (not a branch)
+        VERSION="${{ inputs.releaseo_version }}"
         if [ -z "$VERSION" ]; then
-          echo "::error::No version specified. Please reference this action with a version tag (e.g., @v1.0.0)"
+          echo "::error::The 'releaseo_version' input is required. Please specify the releaseo version (e.g., v1.0.0)"
           exit 1
         fi
-
-        if [[ ! "$VERSION" =~ ^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+ ]]; then
-          echo "::error::Invalid version '$VERSION'. Please use a semantic version tag (e.g., @v1.0.0). Using @main or @branch-name is not supported."
+        if [[ ! "$VERSION" =~ ^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+          echo "::error::Invalid version format '$VERSION'. Please use semantic versioning (e.g., v1.0.0)"
           exit 1
         fi
 
+    - name: Download releaseo binary
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        VERSION="${{ inputs.releaseo_version }}"
+
         # Determine OS and architecture
         OS=$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
         ARCH=$(uname -m)
@@ -85,10 +89,9 @@ runs:
         ASSET_URL="https://github.com/stacklok/releaseo/releases/download/${VERSION}/${ASSET_NAME}"
 
         echo "Downloading releaseo ${VERSION} for ${OS}/${ARCH}..."
-        echo "URL: ${ASSET_URL}"
 
         if ! curl -sSL --fail -o releaseo.tar.gz "$ASSET_URL"; then
-          echo "::error::Failed to download releaseo ${VERSION}. Make sure the release exists at: https://github.com/stacklok/releaseo/releases/tag/${VERSION}"
+          echo "::error::Failed to download releaseo ${VERSION}. Ensure the release exists: https://github.com/stacklok/releaseo/releases/tag/${VERSION}"
           exit 1
         fi