diff --git a/scripts/releasing/patch-trigger.js b/scripts/releasing/patch-trigger.js
index 7434efdcf8..178c737702 100644
--- a/scripts/releasing/patch-trigger.js
+++ b/scripts/releasing/patch-trigger.js
@@ -101,7 +101,60 @@ async function main() {
     );
   }
 
-  const releaseRef = `release/${version}`;
+  // Try to find the original PR that requested this patch
+  let originalPr = null;
+  if (!testMode) {
+    try {
+      console.log('Looking for original PR using search...');
+      const { execFileSync } = await import('node:child_process');
+
+      // Split search string into searchArgs to prevent triple escaping on the quoted filters
+      const searchArgs =
+        `repo:${context.repo.owner}/${context.repo.repo} is:pr in:comments "${headRef}"`.split(
+          ' ',
+        );
+      console.log('Search args:', searchArgs);
+      // Use gh CLI to search for PRs with comments referencing the hotfix branch
+      const result = execFileSync(
+        'gh',
+        [
+          'search',
+          'prs',
+          '--json',
+          'number,title',
+          '--limit',
+          '1',
+          ...searchArgs,
+          'Patch PR Created',
+        ],
+        {
+          encoding: 'utf8',
+          env: { ...process.env, GH_TOKEN: process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN },
+        },
+      );
+
+      const searchResults = JSON.parse(result);
+      if (searchResults && searchResults.length > 0) {
+        originalPr = searchResults[0].number;
+        console.log(`Found original PR: #${originalPr}`);
+      } else {
+        console.log('Could not find a matching original PR via search.');
+      }
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.log('Could not determine original PR:', e.message);
+    }
+  } else {
+    console.log('Skipping original PR lookup (test mode)');
+    originalPr = 8655; // Mock for testing
+  }
+
+  if (!originalPr) {
+    throw new Error(
+      'Could not find the original PR for this patch. Cannot proceed with release.',
+    );
+  }
+
+  const releaseRef = `release/${version}-pr-${originalPr}`;
   const workflowId =
     context.eventName === 'pull_request'
       ? 'release-patch-3-release.yml'
@@ -127,40 +180,6 @@ async function main() {
     return;
   }
 
-  // Try to find the original PR that requested this patch
-  let originalPr = null;
-  if (!testMode) {
-    try {
-      console.log('Looking for original PR using search...');
-      const { execFileSync } = await import('node:child_process');
-
-      // Use gh CLI to search for PRs with comments referencing the hotfix branch
-      const query = `repo:${context.repo.owner}/${context.repo.repo} is:pr is:all in:comments "Patch PR Created" "${headRef}"`;
-
-      const result = execFileSync(
-        'gh',
-        ['search', 'prs', '--json', 'number,title', '--limit', '1', query],
-        {
-          encoding: 'utf8',
-          env: { ...process.env, GH_TOKEN: process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN },
-        },
-      );
-
-      const searchResults = JSON.parse(result);
-      if (searchResults && searchResults.length > 0) {
-        originalPr = searchResults[0].number;
-        console.log(`Found original PR: #${originalPr}`);
-      } else {
-        console.log('Could not find a matching original PR via search.');
-      }
-    } catch (e) {
-      console.log('Could not determine original PR:', e.message);
-    }
-  } else {
-    console.log('Skipping original PR lookup (test mode)');
-    originalPr = 8655; // Mock for testing
-  }
-
   // Trigger the release workflow
   console.log(`Triggering release workflow: ${workflowId}`);
   if (!testMode) {