diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-mlx.yml b/.github/workflows/build-mlx.yml
index 4fe7f5860..5c71bf506 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-mlx.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-mlx.yml
@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ jobs:
           # avoids patching setup.py.
           export CMAKE_ARGS="-DMLX_BUILD_METAL=OFF -DMLX_BUILD_CUDA=OFF -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib -G Ninja"
           export MLX_BUILD_BACKEND_PACKAGE=1
+          # setup.py's get_version() only emits the clean tag version when
+          # PYPI_RELEASE=1; otherwise it appends .devYYYYMMDD+<git-hash>
+          # regardless of building from an exact, unpatched tag checkout.
+          export PYPI_RELEASE=1
           "$PY" -m build -w
 
           auditwheel repair dist/mlx_cpu-*.whl --plat manylinux_2_39_riscv64 --wheel-dir /output
@@ -130,6 +134,8 @@ jobs:
           cd /mlx
           export CMAKE_ARGS="-DMLX_BUILD_METAL=OFF -DMLX_BUILD_CUDA=OFF -DCMAKE_INSTALL_LIBDIR=lib -G Ninja"
           export MLX_BUILD_FRONTEND_PACKAGE=1
+          # See the build_backend job for why this is needed.
+          export PYPI_RELEASE=1
           "$PY" -m build -w
 
           # libmlx.so ships separately in mlx-cpu, so it (and anything only reachable