diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_request.md b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_request.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c2597eb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_request.md
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+---
+name: Bug Report
+about: Report a bug you encountered
+labels: kind/bug
+
+---
+
+<!-- Please use this template while reporting a bug and provide as much info as possible. Not doing so may result in your bug not being addressed in a timely manner. Thanks!
+
+If the matter is security related, please disclose it privately via https://kubernetes.io/security/
+-->
+
+**What happened**:
+
+**What you expected to happen**:
+
+**How to reproduce it (as minimally and precisely as possible)**:
+
+**Anything else we need to know?**:
+
+**Environment**:
+- Kubernetes version (use `kubectl version`):
+- Inference extension version (use `git describe --tags --dirty --always`):
+- Cloud provider or hardware configuration:
+- Install tools:
+- Others:
diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.md b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..53a885c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.md
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+---
+name: Feature request
+about: Suggest an idea for this project
+title: ''
+labels: ''
+assignees: ''
+
+---
+
+<!-- Please only use this template for submitting enhancement requests -->
+
+**What would you like to be added**:
+
+**Why is this needed**:
+
diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/new-release.md b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/new-release.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2d2cafb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/new-release.md
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+---
+name: New Release
+about: Propose a new release
+title: Release v0.x.0
+labels: ''
+assignees: ''
+
+---
+
+## Release Checklist
+- [ ] For major or minor releases (v$MAJ.$MIN.0), create a new release branch.
+  - [ ] A maintainer creates a vanilla release branch with
+        `git branch release-$MAJ.$MIN main`
+  - [ ] A maintainer pushes the new release branch with
+        `git push release-$MAJ.$MIN` (e.g., release-0.1)
+- [ ] Update content and artifacts such as README, deployment templates, docs, configuration, test/e2e flags.
+      Submit a PR against the release branch.
+- [ ] A maintainer [prepares a draft release](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/releases)
+  - [ ] Write the change log into the draft release.
+  - [ ] Run
+      `make artifacts`
+      to generate the artifacts and upload the files in the `artifacts` folder to the draft release.
+- [ ] A maintainer creates a signed tag running (e.g., VERSION=v0.1.0)
+     `git tag -s $VERSION`
+      and inserts the changelog into the tag description.
+      To perform this step, you need [a PGP key registered on github](https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/managing-commit-signature-verification/checking-for-existing-gpg-keys).
+- [ ] A maintainer pushes the tag with
+      `git push $VERSION`
+  - Triggers prow to build and publish a staging container image
+    [`us-central1-docker.pkg.dev/k8s-staging-images/llm-instance-gateway/epp:$VERSION`](https://us-central1-docker.pkg.dev/k8s-staging-images/llm-instance-gateway/epp)
+- [ ] Submit a PR against [k8s.io](https://github.com/kubernetes/k8s.io), 
+      updating [`k8s-staging-gateway-api-inference-extension/images.yaml`](https://github.com/kubernetes/k8s.io/blob/main/registry.k8s.io/images/k8s-staging-gateway-api-inference-extension/images.yaml) to
+      promote the container images from staging to production. <!-- link to example PR once we have one -->
+- [ ] Wait for the PR to be merged and verify that the image `registry.k8s.io/gateway-api-inference-extension/epp:$VERSION` is available.
+- [ ] Publish the draft release prepared at the [Github releases page](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/releases).
+- [ ] Add a link to the tagged release in this issue: <!-- example https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api-inference-extension/releases/tag/v0.1.0 -->
+- [ ] Send an announcement email to `wg-serving@kubernetes.io` and `dev@kubernetes.io` with the subject `[ANNOUNCE] Gateway API Inference Extension  $VERSION is released`
+- [ ] Add a link to the release announcement in this issue: <!-- link to an example email once we have one -->
+- [ ] Update docs in `main` branch: <!-- link to example PR once we have one -->
+- [ ] Close this issue
+
+## Changelog
+<!--
+Describe changes since the last release here.
+-->
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 3b1fa7ba..4442b651 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 *.dylib
 bin/*
 Dockerfile.cross
+artifacts
 
 # Test binary, built with `go test -c`
 *.test
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 087dd69d..1dc6348b 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -195,14 +195,13 @@ install: manifests kustomize ## Install CRDs into the K8s cluster specified in ~
 uninstall: manifests kustomize ## Uninstall CRDs from the K8s cluster specified in ~/.kube/config. Call with ignore-not-found=true to ignore resource not found errors during deletion.
 	$(KUSTOMIZE) build config/crd | $(KUBECTL) delete --ignore-not-found=$(ignore-not-found) -f -
 
-.PHONY: deploy
-deploy: manifests kustomize ## Deploy controller to the K8s cluster specified in ~/.kube/config.
-	cd config/manager && $(KUSTOMIZE) edit set image controller=${IMG}
-	$(KUSTOMIZE) build config/default | $(KUBECTL) apply -f -
-
-.PHONY: undeploy
-undeploy: kustomize ## Undeploy controller from the K8s cluster specified in ~/.kube/config. Call with ignore-not-found=true to ignore resource not found errors during deletion.
-	$(KUSTOMIZE) build config/default | $(KUBECTL) delete --ignore-not-found=$(ignore-not-found) -f -
+##@ Release
+.PHONY: artifacts
+artifacts: kustomize
+	if [ -d artifacts ]; then rm -rf artifacts; fi
+	mkdir -p artifacts
+	$(KUSTOMIZE) build config/crd -o artifacts/manifests.yaml
+	@$(call clean-manifests)
 
 ##@ Dependencies