diff --git a/scripts/ci/opam-release.sh b/scripts/ci/opam-release.sh
index de2ea7b6736e3f5542ad8255207f633c70209d48..04389f15c0240f9f5b5e4bc607fb791b847cb33f 100755
--- a/scripts/ci/opam-release.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci/opam-release.sh
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ log "Done setting up credentials."
   "$opam_dir"
 
 # Matches the corresponding variable in /scripts/opam-release.sh.
-branch_name="octez-$opam_release_tag"
+branch_name="octez-$(echo "$opam_release_tag" | tr '~' -)"
 
 log "While we're here, update master on the fork..."
 cd "$opam_dir"
diff --git a/scripts/opam-release.sh b/scripts/opam-release.sh
index 15b9ca981f730f61530378b0f3fbc4112a997317..322fff538c86bed9769ca1c1d51d90b5a28ad0ab 100755
--- a/scripts/opam-release.sh
+++ b/scripts/opam-release.sh
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ else
     git checkout master
 fi
 
-branch_name="octez-$version"
+branch_name="octez-$(echo "$version" | tr '~' -)"
 if git rev-parse "$branch_name" > /dev/null 2> /dev/null ; then
     log "Error: a branch named $branch_name already exists in $opam_dir."
     exit 1
@@ -68,9 +68,8 @@ cd "$current_dir"
 cd "$opam_dir"
 
 log "Creating commit..."
-branch="octez-""$(echo "$version" | tr '~' -)"
-git checkout -b "$branch"
+git checkout -b "$branch_name"
 git add packages
 git commit -am "Octez $version packages"
 
-log "A branch named $branch has been created in $opam_dir."
+log "A branch named $branch_name has been created in $opam_dir."