diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-images.yml b/.github/workflows/build-images.yml
index 375669509f..9069c067b0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-images.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-images.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ env:
   BIOCONDA_UTILS_FOLDER: bioconda-utils
   DEBIAN_VERSION: "12.2"
   BUSYBOX_VERSION: "1.36.1"
-  BASE_TAGS: "0.1.3 latest"
+  BASE_TAG: "0.1.3"  # "latest" will always be added during the build.
   BUILD_ENV_IMAGE_NAME: tmp-build-env
   CREATE_ENV_IMAGE_NAME: tmp-create-env
   BASE_DEBIAN_IMAGE_NAME: tmp-debian
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ jobs:
         TYPE="base-debian" \
         DEBIAN_VERSION=$DEBIAN_VERSION \
         ARCHS=$ARCHS \
-        TAGS=$BASE_TAGS \
+        TAG=$BASE_TAG \
         ./generic_build.bash || [ $? == 64 ]
 
         # generic_build.bash will write key=val lines to the log ($TYPE.log);
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ jobs:
         tag=${{ github.event.release && github.event.release.tag_name || github.sha }}
         printf %s "tag=${tag#v}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
+
     - name: Install qemu dependency
       run: |
         sudo apt-get update
@@ -117,7 +118,7 @@ jobs:
         ARCHS=$ARCHS \
         DEBIAN_VERSION=$DEBIAN_VERSION \
         BUSYBOX_VERSION=$BUSYBOX_VERSION \
-        TAGS=$BASE_TAGS \
+        TAG=$BASE_TAG \
         ./generic_build.bash || [ $? == 64 ]
 
         cat "base-busybox.log" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
@@ -154,12 +155,15 @@ jobs:
           REGISTRY="quay.io/bioconda"
         fi
 
+        BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION='${{ steps.get-tag.outputs.tag }}'
+
         IMAGE_NAME=$BUILD_ENV_IMAGE_NAME \
         IMAGE_DIR=images/bioconda-utils-build-env-cos7 \
         ARCHS=$ARCHS \
         TYPE="build-env" \
-        BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION='${{ github.head_ref || github.ref_name }}' \
-        BUSYBOX_IMAGE=$REGISTRY/$BASE_BUSYBOX_IMAGE_NAME \
+        BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION=$BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION \
+        TAG=$BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION-$BASE_TAG \
+        BUSYBOX_IMAGE=$REGISTRY/$BASE_BUSYBOX_IMAGE_NAME:$BASE_TAG \
         ./generic_build.bash || [ $? == 64 ]
 
         cat "build-env.log" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
@@ -178,7 +182,7 @@ jobs:
     - name: Build create-env
       id: create-env
       run: |
-        BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION='${{ github.head_ref || github.ref_name }}' \
+        BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION='${{ steps.get-tag.outputs.tag }}'
 
         # Here we extract the conda and mamba versions from the just-created
         # build-env container (or, if it was not created in this CI run because
@@ -211,8 +215,9 @@ jobs:
         IMAGE_DIR=images/create-env \
         ARCHS=$ARCHS \
         TYPE="create-env" \
-        BUSYBOX_IMAGE=$REGISTRY/$BASE_BUSYBOX_IMAGE_NAME \
         BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION=$BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION \
+        TAG=$BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION-$BASE_TAG \
+        BUSYBOX_IMAGE=$REGISTRY/$BASE_BUSYBOX_IMAGE_NAME:$BASE_TAG \
         ./generic_build.bash || [ $? == 64 ]
 
         cat "create-env.log" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
diff --git a/generic_build.bash b/generic_build.bash
index 92c6b64daf..62d1c76441 100755
--- a/generic_build.bash
+++ b/generic_build.bash
@@ -27,16 +27,15 @@ REQUIRED ARGS FOR ALL TYPES
   IMAGE_DIR: Location of Dockerfile.
   IMAGE_NAME: Image name to upload.
   ARCHS: Space-separated architectures e.g. "amd64 arm64"
+  TAG: image tag
 
 REQUIRED for base-busybox
 -------------------------
-  TAGS: Space-separated tags.
   DEBIAN_VERSION
   BUSYBOX_VERSION
 
 REQUIRED for base-debian
 ------------------------
-  TAGS: Space-separated tags.
   DEBIAN_VERSION
 
 REQUIRED for build-env
@@ -82,13 +81,11 @@ EXAMPLE USAGE
 [ -z "$IMAGE_DIR" ] && echo "error: please set IMAGE_DIR, where Dockerfile is found." && exit 1
 [ -z "$TYPE" ] && echo "error: please set TYPE: [ base-debian | base-busybox | build-env | create-env ]" && exit 1
 [ -z "$ARCHS" ] && echo "error: please set ARCHS" && exit 1
+[ -z "$TAG" ] && echo "error: please set TAG" && exit 1
 
 if [ "$TYPE" == "build-env" ] || [ "$TYPE" == "create-env" ]; then
-  [ -n "$TAGS" ] && echo "error: TAGS should not be set for build-env or create-env; use BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION instead" && exit 1
   [ -z "$BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION" ] && echo "error: please set BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION for build-env and create-env" && exit 1
 
-  TAGS="$BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION"  # Set TAGS to BIOCONDA_UTILS_VERSION from here on
-
   if [ "$TYPE" == "build-env" ]; then
     [ -z "$BIOCONDA_UTILS_FOLDER" ] && echo "error: please set BIOCONDA_UTILS_FOLDER for build-env" && exit 1
     [ -z "$BUSYBOX_IMAGE" ] && echo "error: please set BUSYBOX_IMAGE for create-env" && exit 1
@@ -112,6 +109,9 @@ fi
 LOG=${LOG:="${TYPE}.log"}
 touch $LOG
 
+# Also add "latest" tag.
+TAGS="$TAG latest"
+
 # ------------------------------------------------------------------------------