diff --git a/.semaphore/cp_dockerfile_build.yml b/.semaphore/cp_dockerfile_build.yml
index 40c15a834e..5c59747635 100644
--- a/.semaphore/cp_dockerfile_build.yml
+++ b/.semaphore/cp_dockerfile_build.yml
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ blocks:
             - export OS_TAG="-ubi9"
             - export DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES=$DOCKER_DEV_REGISTRY${DOCKER_REPOS// /:$DOCKER_DEV_TAG$OS_TAG $DOCKER_DEV_REGISTRY}:$DOCKER_DEV_TAG$OS_TAG
             - export AMD_DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES=${DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES// /$AMD_ARCH }$AMD_ARCH
-            - ci-tools ci-update-version
+            - ci-tools ci-update-version --direct-pom-edit
             - export OS_PACKAGES_URL=$(echo "$PACKAGES_URL" | sed "s/PACKAGE_TYPE/rpm/g")
             - export PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS="$PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS -DCONFLUENT_PACKAGES_REPO=$OS_PACKAGES_URL"
             - mvn -Dmaven.wagon.http.retryHandler.count=3 --batch-mode -P jenkins,docker clean install dependency:analyze validate -U -Ddocker.registry=$DOCKER_DEV_REGISTRY 
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ blocks:
             - export ARM_DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES=${DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES// /$ARM_ARCH }$ARM_ARCH
             - export OS_PACKAGES_URL=$(echo "$PACKAGES_URL" | sed "s/PACKAGE_TYPE/rpm/g")
             - export PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS="$PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS -DCONFLUENT_PACKAGES_REPO=$OS_PACKAGES_URL"
-            - ci-tools ci-update-version
+            - ci-tools ci-update-version --direct-pom-edit
             - mvn -Dmaven.wagon.http.retryHandler.count=3 --batch-mode -P jenkins,docker clean install dependency:analyze validate -U -Ddocker.registry=$DOCKER_DEV_REGISTRY 
               -Ddocker.upstream-registry=$DOCKER_UPSTREAM_REGISTRY -DBUILD_NUMBER=$BUILD_NUMBER -DGIT_COMMIT=$GIT_COMMIT -Ddocker.tag=$DOCKER_DEV_TAG$OS_TAG$ARM_ARCH 
               -Ddocker.upstream-tag=$DOCKER_UPSTREAM_TAG$OS_TAG -Darch.type=$ARM_ARCH -Ddocker.os_type=ubi9 $PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS -Ddependency.check.skip=true $MAVEN_EXTRA_ARGS
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@ blocks:
         - name: Create Manifest and Maven Deploy
           commands:
             - export DOCKER_PROD_IMAGE_NAME=$DOCKER_PROD_REGISTRY${DOCKER_REPOS// / $DOCKER_PROD_REGISTRY}
-            - ci-tools ci-update-version
+            - ci-tools ci-update-version --direct-pom-edit
             - ci-tools ci-push-tag
             - |-
               if [[ ! $IS_RELEASE && ! $IS_PREVIEW ]]; then
diff --git a/.semaphore/semaphore.yml b/.semaphore/semaphore.yml
index cd1b0cb1c5..b7e7165b09 100644
--- a/.semaphore/semaphore.yml
+++ b/.semaphore/semaphore.yml
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ blocks:
             - export OS_TAG="-ubi9"
             - export DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES=$DOCKER_DEV_REGISTRY${DOCKER_REPOS// /:$DOCKER_DEV_TAG$OS_TAG $DOCKER_DEV_REGISTRY}:$DOCKER_DEV_TAG$OS_TAG
             - export AMD_DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES=${DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES// /$AMD_ARCH }$AMD_ARCH
-            - ci-tools ci-update-version
+            - ci-tools ci-update-version --direct-pom-edit
             - export OS_PACKAGES_URL=$(echo "$PACKAGES_URL" | sed "s/PACKAGE_TYPE/rpm/g")
             - export PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS="$PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS -DCONFLUENT_PACKAGES_REPO=$OS_PACKAGES_URL"
             - mvn -Dmaven.wagon.http.retryHandler.count=3 --batch-mode -P jenkins,docker clean install dependency:analyze validate -U -Ddocker.registry=$DOCKER_DEV_REGISTRY 
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ blocks:
             - export ARM_DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES=${DOCKER_DEV_FULL_IMAGES// /$ARM_ARCH }$ARM_ARCH
             - export OS_PACKAGES_URL=$(echo "$PACKAGES_URL" | sed "s/PACKAGE_TYPE/rpm/g")
             - export PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS="$PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS -DCONFLUENT_PACKAGES_REPO=$OS_PACKAGES_URL"
-            - ci-tools ci-update-version
+            - ci-tools ci-update-version --direct-pom-edit
             - mvn -Dmaven.wagon.http.retryHandler.count=3 --batch-mode -P jenkins,docker clean install dependency:analyze validate -U -Ddocker.registry=$DOCKER_DEV_REGISTRY 
               -Ddocker.upstream-registry=$DOCKER_UPSTREAM_REGISTRY -DBUILD_NUMBER=$BUILD_NUMBER -DGIT_COMMIT=$GIT_COMMIT -Ddocker.tag=$DOCKER_DEV_TAG$OS_TAG$ARM_ARCH 
               -Ddocker.upstream-tag=$DOCKER_UPSTREAM_TAG$OS_TAG -Darch.type=$ARM_ARCH -Ddocker.os_type=ubi9 $PACKAGING_BUILD_ARGS -Ddependency.check.skip=true $MAVEN_EXTRA_ARGS