diff --git a/release/build-official-release.sh b/release/build-official-release.sh
index d539cdb0499..1e8f982e5ec 100755
--- a/release/build-official-release.sh
+++ b/release/build-official-release.sh
@@ -45,13 +45,13 @@ declare -r KUBE_GITHUB="https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes.git"
 declare -r KUBE_RELEASE_VERSION=${1-}
 declare -r KUBE_RELEASE_UMASK=${KUBE_RELEASE_UMASK:-022}
 
-VERSION_REGEX="^v(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)(-beta|-alpha\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*))?$"
+VERSION_REGEX="^v(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)(-(beta|alpha)\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*))?$"
 [[ ${KUBE_RELEASE_VERSION} =~ ${VERSION_REGEX} ]] || {
   echo "!!! You must specify the version you are releasing in the form of '${VERSION_REGEX}'" >&2
   exit 1
 }
 
-declare -r KUBE_BUILD_DIR="/tmp/kubernetes-release-${KUBE_RELEASE_VERSION}-$(date +%s)"
+declare -r KUBE_BUILD_DIR=$(mktemp -d "/tmp/kubernetes-build-release-${KUBE_RELEASE_VERSION}-XXXXXXX")
 
 # Set the default umask for the release. This ensures consistency
 # across our release builds.
@@ -90,8 +90,8 @@ SHA1=$(sha1 "${KUBE_BUILD_DIR}/kubernetes.tar.gz")
 
 cat <<- EOM
 
-Success! You must now do the following: (you may want to cut
-  and paste these instructions elsewhere, step 1 can be spammy)
+Success!  You must now do the following (you may want to cut and paste these
+instructions elsewhere):
 
   1) (cd ${KUBE_BUILD_DIR}; build/push-official-release.sh ${KUBE_RELEASE_VERSION})
   2) Go to https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/kubernetes/releases
diff --git a/release/cut-official-release.sh b/release/cut-official-release.sh
index 39385664770..50770de73ec 100755
--- a/release/cut-official-release.sh
+++ b/release/cut-official-release.sh
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ set -o pipefail
 # Sets DIR, INSTRUCTIONS
 function main() {
   # Parse arguments
-  if [[ "$#" -ne 2 ]]; then
+  if [[ "$#" -ne 2 && "$#" -ne 3 ]]; then
     usage
     exit 1
   fi
@@ -93,11 +93,11 @@ function main() {
   local -r release_umask=${release_umask:-022}
   umask "${release_umask}"
 
-  local -r github="https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes.git"
-  declare -r DIR="/tmp/kubernetes-${release_type}-release-${new_version}-$(date +%s)"
+  local -r github="git@github.com:kubernetes/kubernetes.git"
+  declare -r DIR=$(mktemp -d "/tmp/kubernetes-${release_type}-release-${new_version}-XXXXXXX")
 
   # Start a tmp file that will hold instructions for the user.
-  declare -r INSTRUCTIONS="/tmp/kubernetes-${release_type}-release-${new_version}-$(date +%s)-instructions"
+  declare -r INSTRUCTIONS=$(mktemp "/tmp/kubernetes-${release_type}-release-${new_version}-instructions-XXXXXXX")
   if $DRY_RUN; then
     cat > "${INSTRUCTIONS}" <<- EOM
 Success on dry run!  Do
@@ -111,7 +111,8 @@ You would now do the following, if not a dry run:
 EOM
   else
     cat > "${INSTRUCTIONS}" <<- EOM
-Success!  You must now do the following:
+Success!  You must now do the following (you may want to cut and paste these
+instructions elsewhere):
 
 EOM
   fi
@@ -340,10 +341,9 @@ function rev-version-and-commit() {
 function git-push() {
   local -r object="${1}"
   if $DRY_RUN; then
-    echo "Dry run: would have done git push ${object}"
+    echo "Dry run: would have done git push origin ${object}"
   else
-    echo "NOT A DRY RUN: you don't really want to git push ${object}, do you?"
-    # git push "${object}"
+    git push origin "${object}"
   fi
 }