diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-release.yml b/.github/workflows/check-release.yml
index 64ab0e9d5..eeedaf8f2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-release.yml
@@ -24,8 +24,8 @@ jobs:
         uses: jupyter-server/jupyter_releaser/.github/actions/check-release@v2
         with:
           token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          version_spec: minor
-
+          # `scripts/bump-version.sh` expects an exact version specifier, not 'patch' or 'minor' or 'major'.
+          version_spec: "3.0.0"
 
       - name: Runner debug info
         if: always()
diff --git a/scripts/bump-version.sh b/scripts/bump-version.sh
index 6ac435fb1..c8232902d 100755
--- a/scripts/bump-version.sh
+++ b/scripts/bump-version.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,14 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 
-# script that bumps version for all projects regardless of whether they were
-# changed since last release. needed because `lerna version` only bumps versions for projects
-# listed by `lerna changed` by default.
+# Script used by Jupyter Releaser that bumps the version of all packages to the
+# one provided in `$1`. This script expects an exact version specifier, i.e. it
+# does not accept 'patch', 'minor', or 'major' as version specifiers.
 #
-# see: https://github.com/lerna/lerna/issues/2369
+# This script is necessary because a) `lerna version` only bumps versions for
+# projects listed by `lerna changed` by default [1], and b) the version in
+# `packages/jupyter-ai/pyproject.toml` needs to be bumped as well.
+#
+# [1]: https://github.com/lerna/lerna/issues/2369
 
 (npx -p lerna@6.4.1 -y lerna version \
     --no-git-tag-version \