diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 89eb39b..35261aa 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ This repo contains a [releases-v1.json](./releases-v1.json) file that tracks all
 |   stable2407-4 | ~2024-11-04 | ~2024-11-07 |  | Planned |
 |   stable2407-5 | ~2024-12-02 | ~2024-12-05 |  | Planned |
 |   (5 more) |  |  | | |
-| **stable2409** |   2024-09-02 | ~2024-09-25 | ~2025-09-25 | [Drafted](https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/releases/tag/polkadot-stable2409) |
+| **stable2409** |   2024-09-02 | ~2024-09-25 | ~2025-09-25 | [Staging](https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/releases/tag/polkadot-stable2409-rc1) |
 |   stable2409-1 | ~2024-10-14 | ~2024-10-17 |  | Planned |
 |   stable2409-2 | ~2024-11-11 | ~2024-11-14 |  | Planned |
 |   stable2409-3 | ~2024-12-09 | ~2024-12-12 |  | Planned |
diff --git a/badges/polkadot-sdk-latest.svg b/badges/polkadot-sdk-latest.svg
index c4ea567..d347cd9 100644
--- a/badges/polkadot-sdk-latest.svg
+++ b/badges/polkadot-sdk-latest.svg
@@ -1 +1 @@
-<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="238" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Current Stable Release: polkadot 2407 2"><title>Current Stable Release: polkadot 2407 2</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="238" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="137" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="137" width="101" height="20" fill="#97ca00"/><rect width="238" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="695" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="1270">Current Stable Release</text><text x="695" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="1270">Current Stable Release</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="1865" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="910">polkadot 2407 2</text><text x="1865" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="910">polkadot 2407 2</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="172" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Latest Release: stable2407 2"><title>Latest Release: stable2407 2</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="172" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="91" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="91" width="81" height="20" fill="#97ca00"/><rect width="172" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="465" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="810">Latest Release</text><text x="465" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="810">Latest Release</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="1305" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="710">stable2407 2</text><text x="1305" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="710">stable2407 2</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/badges/polkadot-sdk-next.svg b/badges/polkadot-sdk-next.svg
index 539665d..d8a2eae 100644
--- a/badges/polkadot-sdk-next.svg
+++ b/badges/polkadot-sdk-next.svg
@@ -1 +1 @@
-<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="290" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Next Stable Release (polkadot 2409): 2024/09/25"><title>Next Stable Release (polkadot 2409): 2024/09/25</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="290" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="215" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="215" width="75" height="20" fill="#fe7d37"/><rect width="290" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="1085" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="2050">Next Stable Release (polkadot 2409)</text><text x="1085" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="2050">Next Stable Release (polkadot 2409)</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="2515" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="650">2024/09/25</text><text x="2515" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="650">2024/09/25</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
+<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" width="242" height="20" role="img" aria-label="Next Release: stable2409 on 2024/09/02"><title>Next Release: stable2409 on 2024/09/02</title><linearGradient id="s" x2="0" y2="100%"><stop offset="0" stop-color="#bbb" stop-opacity=".1"/><stop offset="1" stop-opacity=".1"/></linearGradient><clipPath id="r"><rect width="242" height="20" rx="3" fill="#fff"/></clipPath><g clip-path="url(#r)"><rect width="83" height="20" fill="#555"/><rect x="83" width="159" height="20" fill="#fe7d37"/><rect width="242" height="20" fill="url(#s)"/></g><g fill="#fff" text-anchor="middle" font-family="Verdana,Geneva,DejaVu Sans,sans-serif" text-rendering="geometricPrecision" font-size="110"><text aria-hidden="true" x="425" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="730">Next Release</text><text x="425" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="730">Next Release</text><text aria-hidden="true" x="1615" y="150" fill="#010101" fill-opacity=".3" transform="scale(.1)" textLength="1490">stable2409 on 2024/09/02</text><text x="1615" y="140" transform="scale(.1)" fill="#fff" textLength="1490">stable2409 on 2024/09/02</text></g></svg>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/releases-v1.json b/releases-v1.json
index 584fd52..b18b7bd 100644
--- a/releases-v1.json
+++ b/releases-v1.json
@@ -120,10 +120,10 @@
       },
       {
         "name": "stable2409",
-        "state": "drafted",
+        "state": "staging",
         "cutoff": {
           "when": "2024-09-02",
-          "tag": "polkadot-stable2409"
+          "tag": "polkadot-stable2409-rc1"
         },
         "publish": {
           "estimated": "2024-09-25"
@@ -402,4 +402,4 @@
     ],
     "changelog": "https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/releases/tag/$TAG"
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/scripts/manage.py b/scripts/manage.py
index ddd96f4..57172c3 100644
--- a/scripts/manage.py
+++ b/scripts/manage.py
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ def update_release(data, version, date, field):
         return update_patch(release, version.split('-')[1], date, field)
     else:  # It's a release
         if field == 'cutoff':
-            release['cutoff'] = { 'when': date, 'tag': f'polkadot-{version}' }
+            release['cutoff'] = { 'when': date, 'tag': f'polkadot-{version}-rc1' }
             release['state'] = 'drafted'
         elif field == 'publish':
             release['publish'] = {'when': date, 'tag': f'polkadot-{version}'}
diff --git a/scripts/update-badges.py b/scripts/update-badges.py
index 87618e2..945f5e7 100644
--- a/scripts/update-badges.py
+++ b/scripts/update-badges.py
@@ -10,11 +10,13 @@
 import json
 import os
 import requests
+import re
 from datetime import datetime
 
 releases = json.load(open("releases-v1.json"))
 
 def download(url, filename):
+    print(f"Downloading {url}")
     response = requests.get(url)
 
     if response.status_code == 200:
@@ -27,11 +29,11 @@ def download(url, filename):
 def update_latest():
     recommended = releases["Polkadot SDK"]["recommended"]
 
-    latest = recommended['release'].replace('stable', '')
+    latest = recommended['release']
     if 'patch' in recommended:
         latest += f"_{recommended['patch']}"
 
-    latest_url = f"https://img.shields.io/badge/Current%20Stable%20Release-polkadot_{latest}-green"
+    latest_url = f"https://img.shields.io/badge/Latest%20Release-{latest}-green"
     latest_name = "badges/polkadot-sdk-latest.svg"
     download(latest_url, latest_name)
 
@@ -62,17 +64,13 @@ def update_next():
     next_release = find_next_unreleased_release(sdk_releases)
     
     if next_release:
-        next_version = next_release['name'].replace('stable', '')
         cutoff_info = next_release['cutoff']
+        date = format_date(cutoff_info)
         
-        formatted_date = format_date(cutoff_info)
+        # extract the 'stableYYMMDD' part
+        stable = re.search(r'(stable\d+)', next_release['name']).group(1)
         
-        if isinstance(cutoff_info, dict) and 'tag' in cutoff_info:
-            cutoff_tag = cutoff_info['tag']
-        else:
-            cutoff_tag = f"polkadot-{next_release['name']}-cutoff"
-        
-        next_url = f"https://img.shields.io/badge/Next%20Stable%20Release%20%28{cutoff_tag}%29-{formatted_date}-orange"
+        next_url = f"https://img.shields.io/badge/Next%20Release-{stable}%20on%20{date}-orange"
         next_name = "badges/polkadot-sdk-next.svg"
         download(next_url, next_name)
     else: