diff --git a/golang/cosmos/app/app.go b/golang/cosmos/app/app.go
index 52eb932eaa0..736f877e628 100644
--- a/golang/cosmos/app/app.go
+++ b/golang/cosmos/app/app.go
@@ -873,7 +873,7 @@ func NewAgoricApp(
 	app.SetBeginBlocker(app.BeginBlocker)
 	app.SetEndBlocker(app.EndBlocker)
 
-	for _, name := range upgradeNamesOfThisVersion {
+	for name := range upgradeNamesOfThisVersion {
 		app.UpgradeKeeper.SetUpgradeHandler(
 			name,
 			unreleasedUpgradeHandler(app, name),
@@ -889,7 +889,10 @@ func NewAgoricApp(
 	// Store migrations can only run once, so we use a notion of "primary upgrade
 	// name" to trigger them. Testnets may end up upgrading from one rc to
 	// another, which shouldn't re-run store upgrades.
-	if isPrimaryUpgradeName(upgradeInfo.Name) && !app.UpgradeKeeper.IsSkipHeight(upgradeInfo.Height) {
+	if upgradeInfo.Name != "" &&
+		isPrimaryUpgradeName(upgradeInfo.Name) &&
+		!app.UpgradeKeeper.IsSkipHeight(upgradeInfo.Height) {
+
 		storeUpgrades := storetypes.StoreUpgrades{
 			Added:   []string{},
 			Deleted: []string{},
diff --git a/golang/cosmos/app/upgrade.go b/golang/cosmos/app/upgrade.go
index 12cd6eb4a77..43b46253323 100644
--- a/golang/cosmos/app/upgrade.go
+++ b/golang/cosmos/app/upgrade.go
@@ -10,61 +10,37 @@ import (
 	upgradetypes "github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/x/upgrade/types"
 )
 
-var upgradeNamesOfThisVersion = []string{
-	"UNRELEASED_BASIC", // no-frills
-	"UNRELEASED_A3P_INTEGRATION",
-	"UNRELEASED_main",
-	"UNRELEASED_devnet",
-	"UNRELEASED_REAPPLY",
+// upgradeNamesOfThisVersion documents the current upgrade names and whether
+// each is "primary" (used to trigger store migrations, which can only run
+// once). An actual release should have exactly one primary upgrade name and any
+// number of non-primary upgrade names (each of the latter being associated with
+// a release candidate iteration after the first RC and used only for
+// pre-production chains), but for testing purposes, the master branch has
+// multiple primary upgrade names.
+var upgradeNamesOfThisVersion = map[string]bool{
+	"UNRELEASED_BASIC":           true,
+	"UNRELEASED_A3P_INTEGRATION": true,
+	"UNRELEASED_main":            true,
+	"UNRELEASED_devnet":          true,
+	"UNRELEASED_REAPPLY":         false,
 }
 
-// isUpgradeNameOfThisVersion returns whether the provided plan name is a
-// known upgrade name of this software version
-func isUpgradeNameOfThisVersion(name string) bool {
-	for _, upgradeName := range upgradeNamesOfThisVersion {
-		if upgradeName == name {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
-}
-
-// validUpgradeName is an identity function that asserts the provided name
-// is an upgrade name of this software version. It can be used as a sort of
-// dynamic enum check.
-func validUpgradeName(name string) string {
-	if !isUpgradeNameOfThisVersion(name) {
-		panic(fmt.Errorf("invalid upgrade name: %s", name))
-	}
-	return name
-}
-
-// isPrimaryUpgradeName returns wether the provided plan name is considered a
+// isPrimaryUpgradeName returns whether the provided plan name is considered a
 // primary for the purpose of applying store migrations for the first upgrade
 // of this version.
-// It is expected that only primary plan names are used for non testing chains.
+// It is expected that only primary plan names are used for production chains.
 func isPrimaryUpgradeName(name string) bool {
-	if name == "" {
-		// An empty upgrade name can happen if there are no upgrade in progress
-		return false
-	}
-	switch name {
-	case validUpgradeName("UNRELEASED_BASIC"),
-		validUpgradeName("UNRELEASED_A3P_INTEGRATION"),
-		validUpgradeName("UNRELEASED_main"),
-		validUpgradeName("UNRELEASED_devnet"):
-		return true
-	case validUpgradeName("UNRELEASED_REAPPLY"):
-		return false
-	default:
-		panic(fmt.Errorf("unexpected upgrade name %s", validUpgradeName(name)))
+	isPrimary, found := upgradeNamesOfThisVersion[name]
+	if !found {
+		panic(fmt.Errorf("invalid upgrade name: %q", name))
 	}
+	return isPrimary
 }
 
 // isFirstTimeUpgradeOfThisVersion looks up in the upgrade store whether no
 // upgrade plan name of this version have previously been applied.
 func isFirstTimeUpgradeOfThisVersion(app *GaiaApp, ctx sdk.Context) bool {
-	for _, name := range upgradeNamesOfThisVersion {
+	for name := range upgradeNamesOfThisVersion {
 		if app.UpgradeKeeper.GetDoneHeight(ctx, name) != 0 {
 			return false
 		}
@@ -82,11 +58,11 @@ func unreleasedUpgradeHandler(app *GaiaApp, targetUpgrade string) func(sdk.Conte
 		// These CoreProposalSteps are not idempotent and should only be executed
 		// as part of the first upgrade using this handler on any given chain.
 		if isFirstTimeUpgradeOfThisVersion(app, ctx) {
-			// The storeUpgrades defined in app.go only execute for the primary upgrade name
-			// If we got here and this first upgrade of this version does not use the
-			// primary upgrade name, stores have not been initialized correctly.
+			// The storeUpgrades defined in app.go only execute for primary upgrade names.
+			// If this first upgrade is *not* primary, then stores have not been
+			// initialized correctly.
 			if !isPrimaryUpgradeName(plan.Name) {
-				return module.VersionMap{}, fmt.Errorf("cannot run %s as first upgrade", plan.Name)
+				return module.VersionMap{}, fmt.Errorf("cannot run %q as first upgrade", plan.Name)
 			}
 
 			// Each CoreProposalStep runs sequentially, and can be constructed from