diff --git a/.drone.yml b/.drone.yml
index 191200e8618..62cffbb7204 100644
--- a/.drone.yml
+++ b/.drone.yml
@@ -3226,9 +3226,7 @@ steps:
   - yarn install --immutable
   depends_on:
   - clone-enterprise
-  environment:
-    GITHUB_TOKEN:
-      from_secret: github_token
+  environment: {}
   image: grafana/build-container:1.4.9
   name: initialize
 - commands:
@@ -3533,9 +3531,7 @@ steps:
   - yarn install --immutable
   depends_on:
   - clone-enterprise
-  environment:
-    GITHUB_TOKEN:
-      from_secret: github_token
+  environment: {}
   image: grafana/build-container:1.4.9
   name: initialize
 - commands:
@@ -3697,9 +3693,7 @@ steps:
   - yarn install --immutable
   depends_on:
   - clone-enterprise
-  environment:
-    GITHUB_TOKEN:
-      from_secret: github_token
+  environment: {}
   image: grafana/build-container:1.4.9
   name: initialize
 - commands:
@@ -3899,6 +3893,6 @@ kind: secret
 name: prerelease_bucket
 ---
 kind: signature
-hmac: 1c39a83bdf091e43a83d39be224283c10d9e5a47cde268a1c3c6fd1478531cb4
+hmac: 65c858e5a684c7ea29c5787f1bc81294d74b0e7f6783a05322bb34dbe4bae5c0
 
 ...
diff --git a/scripts/drone/steps/lib.star b/scripts/drone/steps/lib.star
index 0ae3fdc7e6a..72bdd9274d0 100644
--- a/scripts/drone/steps/lib.star
+++ b/scripts/drone/steps/lib.star
@@ -64,8 +64,12 @@ def initialize_step(edition, platform, ver_mode, is_downstream=False, install_de
         if ver_mode == 'release':
             committish = '${DRONE_TAG}'
             source_commit = ' ${DRONE_TAG}'
+            environment = {
+                  'GITHUB_TOKEN': from_secret(github_token),
+            }
         elif ver_mode == 'release-branch':
             committish = '${DRONE_BRANCH}'
+            environment = {}
         else:
             if is_downstream:
                 source_commit = ' $${SOURCE_COMMIT}'
@@ -79,9 +83,7 @@ def initialize_step(edition, platform, ver_mode, is_downstream=False, install_de
                 'depends_on': [
                     'clone-enterprise',
                 ],
-                'environment': {
-                  'GITHUB_TOKEN': from_secret(github_token),
-                },
+                'environment': environment,
                 'commands': [
                                 'mv bin/grabpl /tmp/',
                                 'rmdir bin',