diff --git a/deploy/flatpak/com.openwall.John.json b/deploy/flatpak/com.openwall.John.json
index 6a6dc364..c7943f00 100644
--- a/deploy/flatpak/com.openwall.John.json
+++ b/deploy/flatpak/com.openwall.John.json
@@ -40,6 +40,10 @@
                 "mkdir -p /app/share/bash-completion/completions",
                 "cp ../run/john.*_completion /app/share/bash-completion/completions"
             ],
+            "secret-env": [
+                "JOHN_PACKAGES_COMMIT",
+                "JOHN_RELEASE_COMMIT"
+            ],
             "sources": [
                 {
                     "type": "git",
diff --git a/requirements.hash b/requirements.hash
index 275ce9eb..cdb241a6 100644
--- a/requirements.hash
+++ b/requirements.hash
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 bc092ea2321580e3199003febacba83d8204a8590db5b24788632958ad3440bc  ./ci_controller.sh
 539ff1db5a1cee05533a1f431560be008239e1facf930fb4242bc21eeaf0920b  ./clean_package.sh
-a718836493109ccd49750a79375dcd64ca7d0b4ba88d0786583eee8a26fac04f  ./helper.sh
+a41b7a729390efa74ce6aa78b41107ff57dfd49649011676960dc37cab0a4909  ./helper.sh
 e1a7e9691bfaba3398eb28ac724a79df5e76f66d243c97f142b2aa415b9bc27f  ./package_version.sh
 6877e23f9225f4d80cbc98de68e37784817e0a9f96b0ca2831f62533bb15f80e  ./run_tests.sh
 5e4629cce7b4552876dc308a659e878b1b196df60327df50f462ec899d6d28ed  ./show_info.sh
diff --git a/scripts/helper.sh b/scripts/helper.sh
index 3c6e4338..87cb7951 100755
--- a/scripts/helper.sh
+++ b/scripts/helper.sh
@@ -108,15 +108,25 @@ function do_release() {
 	EOF
 
 	if [[ ${FLATPAK_BUILD-0} -ne 1 ]]; then
-		cat <<-EOF >>../run/Defaults
-			#
-			#   The john-packages repository reference
-			[Repository john-packages]
-			Commit="$(git ls-remote -q https://github.com/openwall/john-packages.git HEAD | cut -f1)"
-			Date="$(LANG=C date -u)"
-		EOF
+		JOHN_PACKAGES_COMMIT="$(git ls-remote -q https://github.com/openwall/john-packages.git HEAD | cut -f1)"
+		JOHN_RELEASE_COMMIT="$(git ls-remote -q https://github.com/openwall/john-packages.git release | cut -f1)"
 	fi
 
+	cat <<-EOF >>../run/Defaults
+		#
+		#   The john-packages repository reference
+		[Repository john-packages]
+		Commit="${JOHN_PACKAGES_COMMIT-Unknown}"
+		Date="$(LANG=C date -u)"
+	EOF
+
+	cat <<-EOF >>../run/Defaults
+		#
+		#   Temporary 'release' branch reference
+		[Repository john-packages, branch release]
+		Commit="${JOHN_RELEASE_COMMIT-Unknown}"
+	EOF
+
 	cat <<-EOF >>../run/Defaults
 		#
 		#   The john (upstream) repository reference