diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index f9a1d8e5181..71527f9ccf3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -625,6 +625,9 @@ jobs:
           router_url="${T3CODE_WEB_ROUTER_URL:-https://app.t3.codes}"
           latest_domain="${T3CODE_WEB_LATEST_DOMAIN:-latest.app.t3.codes}"
           nightly_domain="${T3CODE_WEB_NIGHTLY_DOMAIN:-nightly.app.t3.codes}"
+          router_domain="${router_url#http://}"
+          router_domain="${router_domain#https://}"
+          router_domain="${router_domain%%/*}"
 
           if [[ "${{ needs.preflight.outputs.release_channel }}" == "stable" ]]; then
             channel_domain="$latest_domain"
@@ -657,6 +660,13 @@ jobs:
             --token "$VERCEL_TOKEN" \
             "${vercel_scope_args[@]}"
 
+          if [[ "$channel_name" == "latest" && -n "$router_domain" && "$router_domain" != "$channel_domain" ]]; then
+            echo "Aliasing $deployment_url to router domain $router_domain."
+            bunx vercel@53.1.1 alias set "$deployment_url" "$router_domain" \
+              --token "$VERCEL_TOKEN" \
+              "${vercel_scope_args[@]}"
+          fi
+
   finalize:
     name: Finalize release
     if: ${{ !failure() && !cancelled() && needs.preflight.result == 'success' && needs.release.result == 'success' && needs.preflight.outputs.release_channel == 'stable' }}
diff --git a/apps/web/src/branding.test.ts b/apps/web/src/branding.test.ts
index 764b63cdb4b..096fc16ecc0 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/branding.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/branding.test.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ describe("branding", () => {
 
     expect(branding.HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL).toBe("nightly");
     expect(branding.HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL_LABEL).toBe("Nightly");
+    expect(branding.APP_STAGE_LABEL).toBe("Nightly");
+    expect(branding.APP_DISPLAY_NAME).toBe("T3 Code (Nightly)");
   });
 
   it("ignores unknown hosted app channels", async () => {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/branding.ts b/apps/web/src/branding.ts
index d8018f0d924..5c1309ca06b 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/branding.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/branding.ts
@@ -11,13 +11,15 @@ function readInjectedDesktopAppBranding(): DesktopAppBranding | null {
 const injectedDesktopAppBranding = readInjectedDesktopAppBranding();
 const hostedAppChannel = import.meta.env.VITE_HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL?.trim().toLowerCase();
 
+export const HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL =
+  hostedAppChannel === "latest" || hostedAppChannel === "nightly" ? hostedAppChannel : null;
+export const HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL_LABEL =
+  HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL === "nightly" ? "Nightly" : HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL === "latest" ? "Latest" : null;
 export const APP_BASE_NAME = injectedDesktopAppBranding?.baseName ?? "T3 Code";
 export const APP_STAGE_LABEL =
-  injectedDesktopAppBranding?.stageLabel ?? (import.meta.env.DEV ? "Dev" : "Alpha");
+  injectedDesktopAppBranding?.stageLabel ??
+  HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL_LABEL ??
+  (import.meta.env.DEV ? "Dev" : "Alpha");
 export const APP_DISPLAY_NAME =
   injectedDesktopAppBranding?.displayName ?? `${APP_BASE_NAME} (${APP_STAGE_LABEL})`;
 export const APP_VERSION = import.meta.env.APP_VERSION || "0.0.0";
-export const HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL =
-  hostedAppChannel === "latest" || hostedAppChannel === "nightly" ? hostedAppChannel : null;
-export const HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL_LABEL =
-  HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL === "nightly" ? "Nightly" : HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL === "latest" ? "Latest" : null;
diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
index 505be5c73f8..e7f21da4809 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/settings/SettingsPanels.tsx
@@ -892,7 +892,7 @@ export function GeneralSettingsPanel() {
       </SettingsSection>
 
       <SettingsSection title="About">
-        {isElectron ? (
+        {isElectron || HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL ? (
           <AboutVersionSection />
         ) : (
           <SettingsRow
diff --git a/apps/web/vercel.ts b/apps/web/vercel.ts
index c01b115109e..5403f707764 100644
--- a/apps/web/vercel.ts
+++ b/apps/web/vercel.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
-import { matchers, routes, type VercelConfig } from "@vercel/config/v1";
+import { matchers, routes, type Transform, type VercelConfig } from "@vercel/config/v1";
 
 const ROUTER_HOST = "app.t3.codes";
 const HOSTED_WEB_CHANNEL_COOKIE = "t3code_web_channel";
 const LATEST_ORIGIN = "https://latest.app.t3.codes";
 const NIGHTLY_ORIGIN = "https://nightly.app.t3.codes";
+const CLEAN_CHANNEL_QUERY_TRANSFORMS = [
+  {
+    type: "request.query",
+    op: "delete",
+    target: { key: "channel" },
+  },
+] satisfies Transform[];
 
 function channelCookie(channel: "latest" | "nightly"): string {
   return [
@@ -28,6 +35,7 @@ export const config: VercelConfig = {
     {
       src: "/__t3code/channel",
       has: [matchers.query("channel", "nightly")],
+      transforms: CLEAN_CHANNEL_QUERY_TRANSFORMS,
       headers: {
         Location: "/",
         "Set-Cookie": channelCookie("nightly"),
@@ -36,6 +44,7 @@ export const config: VercelConfig = {
     },
     {
       src: "/__t3code/channel",
+      transforms: CLEAN_CHANNEL_QUERY_TRANSFORMS,
       headers: {
         Location: "/",
         "Set-Cookie": channelCookie("latest"),
diff --git a/docs/release.md b/docs/release.md
index 640fdc333c9..296f89c6845 100644
--- a/docs/release.md
+++ b/docs/release.md
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ Optional GitHub Actions variables:
 
 Required Vercel domains:
 
-- `app.t3.codes`: the stable router domain users open.
+- `app.t3.codes`: the router domain users open, updated by stable releases.
 - `latest.app.t3.codes`: channel alias updated by stable releases.
 - `nightly.app.t3.codes`: channel alias updated by nightly releases.
 
@@ -62,11 +62,13 @@ visiting `/__t3code/channel?channel=latest` or
 the matching channel alias.
 
 The release deploy job rewrites release package versions before upload so the
-hosted app's About panel renders the release version. It also passes
-`VITE_HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL=latest|nightly`, which renders the hosted update track
-selector in the About panel. Changing the selector navigates through
-`/__t3code/channel` on the router domain so the user's channel cookie is updated
-before redirecting to the hosted app root.
+hosted app's About panel renders the release version. Stable deploys alias the
+same deployment to both the `latest` channel and the router domain so the router
+rules stay current. Nightly deploys only alias the `nightly` channel. The job
+also passes `VITE_HOSTED_APP_CHANNEL=latest|nightly`, which renders the hosted
+update track selector in the About panel. Changing the selector navigates
+through `/__t3code/channel` on the router domain so the user's channel cookie is
+updated before redirecting to the hosted app root.
 
 One-time Vercel dashboard setup:
 
@@ -75,9 +77,9 @@ One-time Vercel dashboard setup:
 3. Disable automatic Git deployments in the dashboard if desired; the committed
    `vercel.ts` setting is the source-of-truth, but disconnecting Git in the
    dashboard is also safe.
-4. Promote or alias one deployment containing the router rules in `apps/web/vercel.ts` to
-   `app.t3.codes` once. Future release jobs should only update the channel
-   aliases.
+4. Run one stable release deployment, or manually alias the current stable
+   deployment, so `app.t3.codes` points at a deployment containing the router
+   rules in `apps/web/vercel.ts`. Future stable releases keep this alias current.
 
 ## Nightly builds